1982 International "War-Hog" S1700

[Sojakai]

...probably a silly thought, but can you sand blast before you power wash? I figure that if your just going to be removing the caked on crud, you can sand blast it off along with any rust and paint that is there. Then power wash to remove whats left, if needed, while you prep for Rust Painting.

[Redbear]

And Bishop is now probably a bus addict for life. You've created a monster.

[Jarlaxle]

PLEASE get that thing road-legal before you kill someone!

[busdriver_phil]

The UHaul is much safer than the pickup. Maybe not legal, but at least you won't kill anyone like that. I loved that story about the first tow. I used to work for a guy who did some improvising when it came to vehicles that couldn't move under their own power...I can tell you that I've done worse, and I'll leave it at that (at least until I'm sure the statute of limitations has run out).

[Jarlaxle]

Ummm... what exactly are you referring to?

Towing a 20,000+lb bus with a 5000lb towbar.

even if the tow bar failed we have 25k chains on it as a safety.

And...what kind of load is put on a chain when all the slack is suddenly yanked out of it by a 20,000lb bus? You're an engineer, you should be able to figure this one out.

I used to recover vehicles for a living...for a 25,000lb vehicle, I'd want a 40,000lb rated strap or chain, MINIMUM, and preferably one rated for 50K.

The really scary thing being: I have seen things worse than towing a shorty skoolie with an F-150.

PS: If the hitch on that U-Haul was rated for more than 5000lbs, I'd be stunned.

[Jarlaxle]

Yeah, true...but 10,000lbs is still twice what the towbar is designed for!

[busdriver_phil]

Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

The really scary thing being: I have seen things worse than towing a shorty skoolie with an F-150.

Was that in CT by any chance?

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted by busdriver_phil

Was that in CT by any chance?

Some of it. Got something to fess up to, Phil?

Saw a Honda CR-V towing about a 26' bunkhouse travel trailer a few years ago, in Taunton, Massachusetts. The really scary part: they had NY plates!

[busdriver_phil]

I plead the 5th on what I may or may not have done at some point in the past. But let's enjoy someone else's creativity...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G7IY4K6XGE

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by busdriver_phil

But let's enjoy someone else's creativity...

Is that what you would call a 'home built' articulating skoolie??? Wonder what kind of MPG to expect with that setup!!!

[putterspitt]

that skoolie looks exactly like mine. I believe it is 20,000 GVW. I myself was wondering about the weight also.
I am going to get it weighed before I start to remodel, and then again after.

[paul iossi]

in the 80's I worked for a uhaul truck repar shop and it was common practise to fill the back of uhaul trucks with trailers and then tow 1 truck with another truck to transport them for repair and or redistribution, I don't know what was scariest the chain on towbars or the drivers from the temp service.

[busdriver_phil]

And by the way...that's a T444E in the first bus, and most likely an AT545.

[Jarlaxle]

Actually, the weak point in the setup was probably the hitch ball.

[crazycal]

While this was an amusing read, putting other people's lives at stake isn't funny. If you want to take your bus out to the desert and kill yourself, knock yourself out. Towing that bus on a public highway will a F150 is not only negligent, it borders on criminal. Why do I say that? I guarantee you that if you would have hurt or killed someone, you would have been charged. As far as your engineering degree and working for Lockeed Martin, blah, blah, blah. Not impressed. Do you think that if your employers read about your engineering skills that you speak of, they would give you a trophy? I think not. My guess is that they would change your job description to sweeping the parking lot. I think I've said enough.

Needless to say this is inadequete:

Image

We should have taken pictures so you could see the ludacris concept of this. I knew my Ford couldn't stop the bus; even at the 30mph we would go. We only had 10 miles on city streets but 23000+ lbs VS a 6600lb truck never looks good. So I stick Bish is the bus; here is the illegal part. With safety glasses and a walky-talky we start the bus and "tow" it with the Ford. Communication is minimal since the right manifold is missing an ear and the heat riser is flopping around. The Bus sounds like a 4-banger running straight pipes.

But now the bus has power-steering and power brakes. This is a good thing because I tried stopping the bus with the truck, at ten miles per hour and it took a good while with ABS in full effect. SO... we exit the shop and begin the journey. The first 100 yards are uneventful until we stop at our first turn. THANK GOD the only two police cars we saw were ahead of us. Needless to say we would have gotten a FIRM talking to.

I just want to re-iterate... THIS WAS ILLEGAL AND SHOULD NEVER BE DONE!!!

Back to the story; We are sitting at the light and the people craning their necks to look at us is more than mildly ammusing. We make the first left and it's uneventful. Bish guides the bus behind me as if it isn't there. We drive along and the Traffic Gods must be watching us because we have caught every green light on our straight stretch. There are only two turns and one bend on our journey but even our 15 minute trip could spell disaster.

We are now about half way down our route and there is a gentle bend to the right. Bish has apparently relaxed because he forgets to "help" guide the bus around the turn. I can feel the truck flex as I guide it right and the truck bed pushes left. The tires don't bark but I know that Bish must have realized what was happening due to the fact the truck bed suddenly jerked back to where it should be. That was a bit eirey... but we aren't done yet.

The stares and pointing continues as we tug our short bus down the road. We are no more than 100-yards from my house and the drive way. I slow the rig to a crawl for our final MAJOR turn under the highway. Once again I think Bish relaxed because even at 5mph I go to make the left turn onto the access road and the bus DOES NOT follow. I feel it push the truck forward as I turn left and the tires SCREAM. Bish slams on the brakes as I squak over the radio for him to turn. All I hear is laughing from his end and all I see is the terrified faces of opposing traffic as a 6000lb truck is pushed towards their vehicles by the big yellow pig. Luckily I knew to counter steer and no damage is done to my truck or the bus. Not that anything could hurt the 1/4" steel bumper. But us stopping less than 2 feet from oncoming (stopped) traffic probably left a few seats with holes in them, or maybe just brown pants.

[crazycal]

Oh and before you think ithat metal was weak and could have failed. I have a mechanical engineering background and so do the some of my friends. There are just a few of us at Lockheed Martin. You know that little company that makes thinks that fly? Perhaps you haven't heard of it.

Too much. Is this anything like Dick Blumenthal from CT?

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by RiktorD

Due to TIME, MONEY and the CITY... we have to sell her.

Asking $750...

What did the CITY do that you have to sell it? Is it illegal to own a bus where you live? I ask because it is not the biggest bus, others have much longer buses and seem to have no issues with their city.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by RiktorD

Our city has an ordinance about RV's and large vehicles I didn't know about when moving here. It wasn't an issue until one of our naighbors passed away and his son's moved in. Less than a week later we had a complaint against the BUS. Either w build a garage for it or get rid of it.

They want all RVs to be parked in a garage??? I would bet that the city owns (or has business ties to) all the major storage lots there too! Build a 'garage' out of PVC pipes and tarps.

[crazycal]

Once again I think Bish relaxed because even at 5mph I go to make the left turn onto the access road and the bus DOES NOT follow. I feel it push the truck forward as I turn left and the tires SCREAM. Bish slams on the brakes as I squak over the radio for him to turn. All I hear is laughing from his end

I test the brakes. Spongy is not the right word, but it's the first that comes to mind. I some-how manage to safely back her out of the garage (foot almost on the floor)

It can drive on it's own and the brakes can NOW best be described as snagging a tree with a 150-lb anchor. But it is still not legal.

I just want to re-iterate... THIS WAS ILLEGAL AND SHOULD NEVER BE DONE!!!

Did you happen to miss the part where it was running? brakes, engine transmission all working with driver operating it?

I didn't miss anything. Maybe it is you that didn't read what you wrote. Just because I don't have a mechanical engineering background and don't work at Lockheed Martin doesn't mean I can't read and comprehend what you wrote. What about your driver? Was he one of the mechanical engineering background, Lockheed Martin( a company that none of us have heard of) employed friends(that makes thingies that fly) that you speak of? I think that your cavalier and snotty response to someone that showed concern about you towing follies is what set me off. You still don't think you did anything wrong. So be it. Nothing I say will change that. But just know that there are dickheads like me that will call the Highway Patrol in a heartbeat when they see such lunacy endangering other motorist. What if some kid ran out in the street and your test pilot backup driver was daydreaming again, what would you do?

Oh and before you think ithat metal was weak and could have failed. I have a mechanical engineering background and so do the some of my friends. There are just a few of us at Lockheed Martin. You know that little company that makes thinks that fly? Perhaps you haven't heard of it.

These are all your words, not mine.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by volund

Although I completely agree that what RiktorD did was completely neglegent and stupid from what I quickly poked through, that isn't what stuck out at me the most.

How the hell have you never heard of Lockheed Martin??? it is only one of the top aircraft/defense manufacturers in the world .

Perhaps you haven't heard the name (they even have TV ads now), but you might know some of their "products".

-The Trident Missile,
-F-16 Fighting Falcon
-F-22 Raptor
-C-130 Hurcules
-The Space Shuttle's External Fuel Tank (that big brown thing attached to the shuttle on liftoff)
-The Viking 1 and 2 landers (NASA mars mission landers)

The Skunk Works division of Lockheed Martin produced three of the most famous aircraft in history
-The U-2
-The SR-71 Blackbird

as well as the Sea Shadow, a top secret stealth warship (the inspiration for the stealth ship featured in James Bond 007 Tomorrow Never Dies)

I was being facetious as well as replying to the following statement. I am well aware of Lockheed.

You know that little company that makes thinks that fly? Perhaps you haven't heard of it.