Hello from Arizona

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

That must be one tough cat!

The cat reminds me of a scene from the original "Magnificent 7" movie. They were in a saloon looking for recuits and the inexperienced farmer spots a scarred up character and says they should get him and the leader replies something to the effect of "No. we need the one that did that to him" In other words the cat looks like a loser, tough, maybe, but still a loser.

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by djmitzlplick

WELCOME! I too am in Arizona, Scottsdale to be specific. I went through this process shortly after April of 2017, when I bought my 2001 AmTran 84 passenger bus and was invited by a friend to park my newly purchased bus in her gravel driveway (in north Phoenix). A month went by, and a trash-pickup driver spotted the bus, reported it, and I was given a warning about commercial vehicles parked in front of houses and was given 30 days to register the vehicle in Az or move it.

A few notes FWIW:
1. School Buses are categorized as a passenger transportation vehicle rather than a personal use vehicle and as such, considered a Commercial Vehicle until re-designated through the title/registration process.
2. The number of passengers a school bus can hold requires a commercial driver’s license, not just a standard operator’s license
3. Even a converted school bus is classified as a commercial vehicle if it has seats for more than 14 passengers. School bus seats are intended for maximum of 3 kids in each bench seat.

I have attached the PDF of the document I received. Item 15, on the second page is the key, as most of the rest is likely already on board. Be sure to check for a newer document! (not always available at the DMV)

I wanted to hedge my bets so I did the following:

First, I removed all the "School Bus stuff" from the exterior: stop signs, adhesive signage, etc. Then gave it a coat of some other color than yellow.

1. For Electricity, I hung a 4k generator in a door under the floor,
installed a 4 circuit electrical panel, and ran my electrical along
the walls, and chords down to the generator.
2. For Cooking I placed an Aroma AHP-312 Cast Iron/Die-Cast Metal
Electric Hot Plate, Black finish, $34.99 from Frys Electronics
3. For a Toilet I installed a Dometic Portable Toilet Bonus Pack, $89.99
from Bass Pro Shop.
4. For Heat I put a small oil filled radiator, and installed a 6K btu
window AC unit from Home depot, $169.00
5. For a Bed, I built a twin sized frame on board, and laid a 4" twin
foam mattress on it.

I have gone on to make some additional major mods (still ongoing) that are working toward full-Off-Grid capability. It is a labor of love that always has me thinking of "hmmm, what now?"

Did it pass the conversion inspection? pics, please?

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by kidharris

The cat reminds me of a scene from the original "Magnificent 7" movie. They were in a saloon looking for recuits and the inexperienced farmer spots a scarred up character and says they should get him and the leader replies something to the effect of "No. we need the one that did that to him" In other words the cat looks like a loser, tough, maybe, but still a loser.

You should see the other cats!!!!!!!!

[djmitzlplick]

kidharris, It did indeed pass the inspection and has been registered as a Class A ever since. Oh, and by the way, FWIW, I just changed my insurance from a company named National General (insured the bus during conversion) to State Farm.

Here's a link to my album here on Schoolie:
School Bus Conversion Resources - djmitzlplick's Album: EarthSeed Mobile Habitat

Website with more info is at www.earthseed.space

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by djmitzlplick

kidharris, It did indeed pass the inspection and has been registered as a Class A ever since. Oh, and by the way, FWIW, I just changed my insurance from a company named National General (insured the bus during conversion) to State Farm.

Here's a link to my album here on Schoolie:
School Bus Conversion Resources - djmitzlplick's Album: EarthSeed Mobile Habitat

Website with more info is at www.earthseed.space

I just signed with SF also. Do you mind telling us what you're paying and what coverage. I think once the conversions are complete, State Farm is the way to go. My full coverage is $303/yr, $25/month

[djmitzlplick]

I went with state minimums, and with other discounts I'm at around $100 yr.

[djmitzlplick]

o1marc, you've got a 99 international 77 pass? Cool. Do you get to take her out much?

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by djmitzlplick

o1marc, you've got a 99 international 77 pass? Cool. Do you get to take her out much?

No, I've taken it to the salvage yard to drop material once, and to weigh it. Since then in the last year i have only moved it's placement in the driveway as the build progresses. As soon as I have someone find the short and I can get rear lights working, I'll hit the road.

[djmitzlplick]

Understood. My dash has similar issue. Real inconvenient driving down the road and have the speedo and tach stop working! I was having difficulty seeing well when backing into parking at night, so I bought a couple of those high intensity LED bar lights. Now they light up nearly full bus length behind me. Night-time backing much easier now!

[Papa Smurf]

Depends on what part of Arizona you live in for emissions requirement