The Ten Skoolie Commandments

CHEESE_WAGON · 03-31-2021, 12:06 AM

I – Thou shalt not jump in feet-first without doing thy research.

II – Thou shalt have a realistic budget, and thou shalt not overpay.

III – Thou shalt know what thee is buying.

IV – Thou shalt not take thy seller's word as gold.

V – Thou shalt not buy sight unseen without a pre-purchase inspection.

VI – Thou shalt not buy diesels newer than 2007, nor shalt thou treat diesel engines as gasoline.

VII – Thou shalt study thine Commercial Driver's Manual, and take thy skoolie's weight, height and length seriously.

VIII – Thou shalt plan thy conversion carefully before beginning, and thou shalt seek help if necessary.

IX – Thou shalt not wontonly cut wiring, disable safety devices, or remove anything without consulting skoolie.net or professionals.

X – Thou shalt not scrap anything removed until it is proven unnecessary.

Rwnielsen · 03-31-2021, 01:32 AM

You've essentially eliminated 95% of the new post section.

Oscar1 · 03-31-2021, 03:12 AM

Just 95% ?

CHEESE_WAGON · 03-31-2021, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rwnielsen

You've essentially eliminated 95% of the new post section.

Ya think?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oscar1

Just 95% ?

More like 99.99999999999%. He's being optimistic.

No offense to the newbies, of course, but there are far too many these days that simply jump in without finding out what they're getting into beforehand, and quite frankly, the most common new posts are indeed covered by this thread, as well as those linked in my sig, and many others on this site. There is a search function -- use it. And if you don't find what you're looking for, try changing your phrasing. Chances are it's been discussed or asked before, if you know how to find it.

And a lot of new owners are setting themselves up for headaches by just tearing into things without asking questions first, and this is definitely one phase of such a project that shooting first and asking questions later can cause you a lot of trouble, up to and including fines for not being able to move your bus to satisfy b*tchy neighbors and code enforcement officials. Quite frankly, the entire project can be tricky if you don't learn about what you're doing beforehand.

Ya know, back in the day I was a big IRC (InterNet Relay Chat) guy, and I wonder if it would be worth starting a #skoolie channel, where newbies could pursue an alternate method of finding info through a bot that would spit out thread links based on keywords to help them find what they are looking for.

I'm not sure if even that would help, though, I think a lot of it is today's fast-lane, fast-track mentality that says, "I don't want to look for it, I want to just get my question answered NOW." Again, no offense to the newbies, because we really don't mind answering questions, but a lot of the site is getting jammed up by the same questions being asked 10-15 times per week lately. And a lot of the "HELP! Bus won't crank / start" situations could be avoided.

musigenesis · 03-31-2021, 06:31 AM

Ha ha, I have literally violated all of these except VI and IX.

ewo1 · 03-31-2021, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Ha ha, I have literally violated all of these except VI and IX.

I'm a sinner too.... commandment #5, bought 2 buses, sight unseen!

rossvtaylor · 03-31-2021, 10:03 AM

CW, this is fantastic and funny and true...oh so true. Might I suggest a slight modification to XIII though? I know that's presumptuous and sacrilegious of me

I'd respectfully add, "...and thou shalt not begin thine conversion until all mechanical issues have been addressed."

I might also toss in, "Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out."...but that's another thing entirely.

EDIT to add Confession: I've also sinned. I'm very guilty of buying buses unseen. It all goes to one's comfort and risk level, though. Most people buying a bus upon which they'll build their home should definitely follow V.

Rivetboy · 03-31-2021, 10:49 AM

As for removing wires if you are not electrically gifted, Take pictures and label them.Learn the difference between a buzzer and a relay. Know how a simple single pole single throw SPST switch works in a circuit. Finally, buy a multiemeter, it does not matter if it is a Fluke or a HF) they basically do the same thing.
Number 1 they measure voltage. This what comes out of your battery. Number 2 they measure continuity or the resistance of a device or a circuit. That is to verify a wire is not broken and resistance and continuity could be a relay coil.
Resistance is measured in Ohms and is only measured on deenergised circuits Number 3 they measure Amps which is an electrical measure of the current a device is using. The amps function is used in series with you load watch current limits If you can use and understand your meter, with some experience, you will be able to investigate, troubleshoot and repair any electrical system on your bus that regards power, lighting, battery charging, starting and so much more.

CHEESE_WAGON · 03-31-2021, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

CW, this is fantastic and funny and true...oh so true. Might I suggest a slight modification to XIII though? I know that's presumptuous and sacrilegious of me

What's sad is, I wasn't trying to be funny...

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

I'd respectfully add, "...and thou shalt not begin thine conversion until all mechanical issues have been addressed."

I, III, IV, and V pretty much cover that, methinks.. Most of the time, if it has mechanical issues, it probably was a bad buy to start with, and I, III, IV, and V were ignored or undervalued.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

I might also toss in, "Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out."...but that's another thing entirely.

NONE shall pass...

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

EDIT to add Confession: I've also sinned. I'm very guilty of buying buses unseen. It all goes to one's comfort and risk level, though. Most people buying a bus upon which they'll build their home should definitely follow V.

I bought a retired police car sight unseen once, believing the seller's description of "Runs good - was turned in for newer vehicle". That violation of III, IV and V led to an $1850 engine replacement for a vehicle that cost me $1200 to start with. Food for thought, a 3800 Series II V-6 is loads cheaper and and easier to find than most any engine found in a skoolie. So ignoring V is definitely a no-no.

peteg59 · 03-31-2021, 07:04 PM

All that is needed now is Yul Brynner's super-imposed voice over to read these out loud each time a newbie opens the thread!!!

Simplicity · 03-31-2021, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

CW, this is fantastic and funny and true...oh so true. Might I suggest a slight modification to XIII though? I know that's presumptuous and sacrilegious of me

I'd respectfully add, "...and thou shalt not begin thine conversion until all mechanical issues have been addressed."

Amen Brotha' Ross!

While I'm not a religious man, I accept thy skoolie commandments.

I repent for breaking 1-3.

I have replayed over and over again how I would do things so so so differently, IF I were to convert again.

I better finish what I've started first.

Simplicity · 03-31-2021, 09:04 PM

Oh, this should be sticky #1.

rossvtaylor · 03-31-2021, 11:25 PM

I just tried to thank CW...but it says I can't...that I thank him too much. That says something right there!

CHEESE_WAGON · 04-01-2021, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Oh, this should be sticky #1.

Good luck with that, I've asked for some of my more useful threads to be made into stickies, no response. Maybe I just don't know how to get it done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

I just tried to thank CW...but it says I can't...that I thank him too much. That says something right there!

LOL... Not so much that you thank someone too much, but the site admin for some reason wants us thanking more than just a few people for posts. Personally, I think it's a dumb policy... Not everybody contributes to the site in sharing knowledge, most just find what they need and move on, and then you have the 'others'... who are simply here to stir the pot.

Simplicity · 04-01-2021, 10:26 AM

Hmmmm, wonder how many others I have to simply thank before I can thank the people I want to thank?

Rwnielsen · 04-01-2021, 10:34 AM

There's a group on Facebook, Skoolie Nation, that I recently joined after meeting a nice couple in a skoolie. Over there it's not uncommon for some people to buy a bus and then ask the group what engine or trans they have. It takes a different level of patience to try and help someone, especially with electrical issues. I'm not a Facebook kinda guy and I don't care for their politics but I feel like I should be directing them to this site.

Simplicity · 04-01-2021, 10:57 AM

Skoolie.net is my only social networking. I know others have found some good bus and skoolie related groups on Facebook, but honestly, I can't understand their interface well enough to follow all the communications.

Plus, I prefer a few really good connections than a bunch of "friends".

And now that there are commandments...well, what more needs said.

kazetsukai · 04-02-2021, 10:05 AM

Put this thread in my signature as well, hope you don't mind CW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Skoolie.net is my only social networking. I know others have found some good bus and skoolie related groups on Facebook, but honestly, I can't understand their interface well enough to follow all the communications.

I've been hoping to setup a skoolie chat room or two, nobody joins lol.

Simplicity · 04-02-2021, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Put this thread in my signature as well, hope you don't mind CW.

I've been hoping to setup a skoolie chat room or two, nobody joins lol.

I think a forum called Hi Jacked (kind of like "hi" Jack and hijack) would be a great forum for others to simply talk about what they want.

If there was an actual chat, no message, skoolie site, that would be interesting.

Rucker · 04-02-2021, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rwnielsen

There's a group on Facebook, Skoolie Nation, that I recently joined after meeting a nice couple in a skoolie. Over there it's not uncommon for some people to buy a bus and then ask the group what engine or trans they have. It takes a different level of patience to try and help someone, especially with electrical issues. I'm not a Facebook kinda guy and I don't care for their politics but I feel like I should be directing them to this site.

I almost typed 'DON'T DO THAT!!!'

I invest time on this forum precisely because you people are a)earnest in their knowledge search and b)into dialogue not drama.

I recently created a new thread here to share your 'Deal, Steal or Dud' details to help those newbies that show up and ask the same same same same questions about whether their craigslist ad is a deal. We can start to point them over to that thread for first impressions, then they can follow up with more targeted questions. Hopefully that adds some quality to the flow of posts that come in.

Yes, every group has a few folks that rile up, but Skoolie Facebook groups have a huge number of folks more interested in having others validate their lifestyle choices than talking skoolie.

Facebook groups are...mostly stream of consciousness babble and my thumb gets tired from scrolling past the junk posts.

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