Bus Height

[oldog12]

How high should I plan for a garage door to fit a Blue Bird FE?

[Ryan Grimm]

This is going to sound obvious; measure the bus height. Use a ladder, a tape measure and a level, standing next to the bus; then when the level is equal to the height of the bus, measure from the level to the ground, and presto, the height.

Or the funny way is to try driving it through progressively lower doorways or under bridges until it hangs up; then make the garage door a bit taller.
This is a variation of finding out a bridge's capacity for the warning signs; keep running heavier trucks onto it until it collapses, then rebuild it and put the sign on.

DO NOT bother taking advice on how tall your bus SHOULD be. With the additions and changes you're going to make, it will change. So measure the bus, it's the only safe way.

[eggman]

Just a bit to add to Ryan's info.......measure at the back of the bus. If yours is anything like mine is, the back of the bus is taller than the front. And include the vents and the strobe light.

[Jarlaxle]

Ballpark--most FC Birds I see are 10'6"-11' tall. Conventionals are usually about 10'6". Definitely measure, though--also, I'd add AT LEAST a foot higher than the actual bus to allow for things like A/C units, vents, & such.

[oldog12]

Well fellas... I guess I was putting the cart in front of the horse....

I'm looking forward to getting a Blue Bird FE in the future to convert, and was wondering about how high I should plan for a garage door, since we're planning on putting up a new pole barn here...

BTW Thanks Jarlaxle for the info...

[Ryan Grimm]

In that case, plan on a door taller than you think you'll need; it becomes a feature when you sell the place someday.

And a taller-than-needed door will always work, regardless of how tall the bus is after mods, etc.

I'd LOVE to have a tall-doored garage/barn. Can't build one here, due to lack of space.

[Jarlaxle]

The 1998 TC1000 I drove was 10'2" tall, not counting the roof-mount antenna. It was a 25-passenger w/c bus, with a flat floor & 265/70R19.5 tires. It was actually a nice bus...but beware of the kooky gauge cluster.