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Old 01-18-2018, 01:20 PM   #1
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Shortie Skoolie vs shuttle buses

I noticed that the my state recently auctioned off a couple of shuttle buses recently, and they went for about half of the shortie school busses that have been auctioned off recently.

Was hoping you guys could educate me the differences?

Both the skoolie and the shuttles I was looking at appeared to be built on E350/E450 chassis, but the shuttles seem to be more likely to have gassers rather than diesels. In the examples i was looking at, the skoolie had a desirable 7.3L diesel, and the shuttles had the V10 Gas motors. But the school buses had at least an additional 100k miles than the Shuttles (150k vs 250k).

I believe I have heard that the shuttles are normally fiberglass vs metal/steel. I assume that is good for weight, and maybe a bit more aerodynamic, but I have no idea how well they hold up over time.

I did notice that some shuttles have no windows that open, the ones I looked at did have small opening on the top of the windows. I could see that as being problematic since you would have to run AC since you are never going to be getting even a simple breeze.

So what else should I know about shuttles vs shortbus skoolies?

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Old 01-18-2018, 01:43 PM   #2
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Few quick points:

1. The diesel versions are more valuable because they last longer and get better fuel economy.

2. The diesel versions have more miles for the same reasons. It's possible to get a lot of miles without replacing the motor, and you get 40% farther on a gallon of fuel.

3. Fiberglass shells are great if you're focused on weight and fuel economy. Metal shells are clearly superior in durability. The fact is, school buses have federal requirements on the strength of the body. See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.220 and https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.221) Fiberglass doesn't rust but it does have its own forms of cancer (cracking, delamination)

4. It's pretty common for shuttle buses to not have moving windows. Those big glass panels are structural.

Hope that helps!
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Old 01-18-2018, 01:52 PM   #3
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Seems the shuttles I have seen are basically cut-a-way vans with a fiberglass box attached. That means a much lighter duty chassis and drivetrain than what you would find in a bus type Skoolie. They are built on medium to heavy duty truck chassis depending on size.
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Old 01-18-2018, 04:34 PM   #4
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I have both. The headroom is always better in a shuttle and I like the double doors it has more than the school bus folding door. Both of mine are gassers and I'm sure that diesel isn't 40% farther on a gallon of fuel. Maybe 15 percent.
The larger windows do make it hard to keep the temperature how I want but I didn't gut it. I would definitely recommend rebuilding either one and get rid of some of the windows.
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Old 01-18-2018, 05:04 PM   #5
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Diesel contains 14% more energy than gasoline. It also delivers the power in a better range for heavy vehicles, so you can add some to that.

Against that is that diesel costs more, which is, historically, upside-down.
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Old 01-18-2018, 07:02 PM   #6
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I would compare a shuttle bus to a stick&staple RV and a school bus to...
No comparison, really. So much "tougher"

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Old 01-19-2018, 05:41 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas1985 View Post
I have both. The headroom is always better in a shuttle and I like the double doors it has more than the school bus folding door. Both of mine are gassers and I'm sure that diesel isn't 40% farther on a gallon of fuel. Maybe 15 percent.
The larger windows do make it hard to keep the temperature how I want but I didn't gut it. I would definitely recommend rebuilding either one and get rid of some of the windows.
My parents v10 does 5-6 mpg on a good day. My DT466 gets 10+.
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Old 01-19-2018, 06:59 AM   #8
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No sticks and staples in my shuttle bus. 1" steel tube frame with 1" of spray foam insulation sandwiched between two layers of thick fiberglass. Heavy duty.. well the 350 chassis is a 1 ton chassis. What are you going to tow? The tops of most shuttle bus windows are sliders, never seen a shuttle window that didn't have small sliding windows. Although I seen some shuttles that are sort of a corogated cardboard construction that is aweful. Seriuosly love my shuttle for camping and towing my 20' trailer with ATV's in it. It's my personal belief that many of us on this sight way over think this subject of comparing skoolies to shuttles. In a rollover accident I want a skoolie. Check out the "short bus" forum on this sight. A lot of shuttle people here.
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Old 01-19-2018, 10:11 AM   #9
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I'm just starting work on my gasser e450 V10 shuttle bus, but I have a couple pointers.

1. Mine is the fiberglass/cardboard construction which at first I wasn't a huge fan of, but it's extremely lightweight and actually adds 1" of insulation (albeit poor insulation.)

2. I was getting about 8-11mpg before I removed the wheelchair lift and seats and before I added any weight. Not sure what the net weight will be after.

3. Mine has three emergency exit windows that hinge at the top and swing out, so keep an eye out for those. (1) on each side and (1) enormous 6ft window at the back of the bus. I actually moved both side windows to the left of the bus so that I have two big windows that open out over my kitchen area!

4. Don't even look at anything over 300k. I talked with a mechanic that worked for FedEx on these chassis and he said they die at around 400k. I lucked out and got a '99 with only 50k, so keep your eyes out, these things are everywhere!

Safe journeying!
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Old 01-19-2018, 10:31 AM   #10
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I too have been doing the Shorty/ Shuttle dance of decision. From my research it seems ElDorado and Turtle Top have the highest safety ratings of the builders out there. I too have been searching for a diesel one. BUT there are some benefits to either. While diesel may get better fuel economy, and engine run longer before breakage(when well maintained), a gasser will cost less on repairs, easier to work on(sometimes) and provides a more "normal" drive feel to those not used to diesel. I still prefer a diesel myself. Other useful things you dont see much on schoolies(shorty or full length) are passenger side door and seat. The shuttle I am after has both. Most people prefer to have their copilot beside them, not 5 feet behind.
As far as not being heavy duty enough, unless you go with a "TRUE" shorty(not a cutaway) there is little difference. Both are on 350/450 chassis(for fords) or equivalent for chevy. Personally I like the look of a shuttle more.(Many RV parks wont let shoolies in, but a home built shuttle seems to be ok for them).
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Old 01-19-2018, 01:43 PM   #11
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[QUOTE=Defjr333;246649]Most people prefer to have their copilot beside them, not 5 feet behind. [/QUOTE]

Not true, I'm very accustomed to a back seat driver.


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(Many RV parks wont let shoolies in, but a home built shuttle seems to be ok for them)
Absolute discrimination. With the massive number of skoolies being built across the nation, turning away school bus conversions is beginning to be a financial decision for park owners.
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Old 01-19-2018, 01:49 PM   #12
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Ya, its hard to find a shuttle with a factory passenger door. I jumped on my shuttle because it does have the factory passenger door. I wanted a bigger gas engine than the 5.4 litre I have, but you can't have everything..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Defjr333 View Post
I too have been doing the Shorty/ Shuttle dance of decision. From my research it seems ElDorado and Turtle Top have the highest safety ratings of the builders out there. I too have been searching for a diesel one. BUT there are some benefits to either. While diesel may get better fuel economy, and engine run longer before breakage(when well maintained), a gasser will cost less on repairs, easier to work on(sometimes) and provides a more "normal" drive feel to those not used to diesel. I still prefer a diesel myself. Other useful things you dont see much on schoolies(shorty or full length) are passenger side door and seat. The shuttle I am after has both. Most people prefer to have their copilot beside them, not 5 feet behind.
As far as not being heavy duty enough, unless you go with a "TRUE" shorty(not a cutaway) there is little difference. Both are on 350/450 chassis(for fords) or equivalent for chevy. Personally I like the look of a shuttle more.(Many RV parks wont let shoolies in, but a home built shuttle seems to be ok for them).
Doug
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:38 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
My parents v10 does 5-6 mpg on a good day. My DT466 gets 10+.
My v10 also got 5-6 mpg for years actually and then we started going under 65 miles instead of 70 on the highway and I'm getting 10 - 12. It was a longtime for user error.
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Old 01-19-2018, 04:01 PM   #14
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The special snowflakes who feel that Skoolies lower the tone of their sites are welcome to keep them as pristine as they like.

I don't want to stay there.
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Old 01-19-2018, 07:02 PM   #15
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When traveling in densely populated areas I fear having to stay at private campgrounds. Currently I'd stay at Walmart if I couldn't boondock, but if Walmarts keep turning into fema camps I may start avoiding them too.
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Old 01-19-2018, 10:31 PM   #16
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I love my short bus. It uses gas. The smell of diesel makes me sick, doesn't it bother anyone else.
I have nothing against shuttles. I would also especially like regular passenger door and co-pilot seat. The price of school buses at auction, combined with the solid construction and maintenance history convinced me of my choice.
I still plan to get work done on it this spring. I still only use it as a tin can tent.
I also don't want to stay at ritzy places.
We are all woods and beach campers. I have still not renamed the Pearl even though I did consider the "Lumberjack" suggestion.
Hi Skoolies!
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Old 01-20-2018, 12:02 AM   #17
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Quote:
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I love my short bus. It uses gas. The smell of diesel makes me sick, doesn't it bother anyone else.
I have nothing against shuttles. I would also especially like regular passenger door and co-pilot seat. The price of school buses at auction, combined with the solid construction and maintenance history convinced me of my choice.
I still plan to get work done on it this spring. I still only use it as a tin can tent.
I also don't want to stay at ritzy places.
We are all woods and beach campers. I have still not renamed the Pearl even though I did consider the "Lumberjack" suggestion.
Hi Skoolies!
Obviously it's true name is Peaches.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:25 PM   #18
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Thanks for all the good info.

When I was looking at some shuttles the state was auctioning off, I didn't realize initially that the shuttle didn't meet reserve, so while they were bid up to only half of what the E450 schoolies I was looking at, but they didn't sell at that price.

I also noticed the state didn't exactly due a great job marketing these shuttles either, I had asked whether it was an E350 or E450 chassis and if they could send me a photo of the info plate. Basically the answer was, decode the VIN and it will tell you... .of course they hadn't provided the VIN in the auction, and to date haven't sent it either when I asked. And considering you can only inspect from 8-3 with an appointment, it would be tough for them to get top dollar for them, which would explain the difference in price between the schoolie i was looking at and the shuttles.

Anyway, this looks like a fun journey reguardless of the platform you choose to start with.

My goals will be more about a somewhat inexpensive RV substitute for use only for a few weeks a year, at most. The project of creating your own interior seems like a fun winter time project, that you could continue to improve upon for years. I would guess since I really don't know what I am doing, the first iteration will be fairly primitive, but hopefully will improve over time.

I was envisioning find a bus with a handicap lift or the handicap door and a ramp to get my motorcycle in the back, so I could have fun with the motorcycle once I get somewhere (or just a great Sturgis Rally vehicle). But I think it would eat a bunch of space that I would want to use otherwise unless I had a really large bus. So I would probably just put a hitch on a bus and pull a small trailer with the bikes if I wanted to bring them along.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:35 PM   #19
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As far as the RV parks that won't accept skoolies, I do sort of understand where they are coming from, because i remember some real low end RV parks my parents stayed in with the very old RV's they had over the years. (Many parks won't accept an RV beyond a certain age as well).

So while i understand where they are coming from, I still think they are wrong. If your rig looks like crap and you have a ton of stuff at your campsite that makes it look like the city dump, well clean it up if you want to stay. But telling people they can't check-in or make a reservation based on the age or type of rig that you have, seems ridiculous. Since many people live in their RV's, I am surprised one of those parks hasn't lost a 'fair housing act' lawsuit.

Unfortunately the problem extends to anyone with a motorcycle as well. Alot of parks won't allow someone motorcycle camping either. Probably due to a few people being idiots with noise, but eliminating everyone on a bike seems out of hand.
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Old 01-20-2018, 09:46 PM   #20
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I haven't run into this problem yet. I travel all around the country and have never been turned away from a state park or a campground. There have been some instances where they don't want anything bigger than 35 feet though. If you can do 30 feet and below you are definitely in the clear.
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