Blue Bird and Mountain Roads

[Andy1190]

My family goes up to Frank Gross campground in North GA (aka - rock creek) The bus I'm thinking about purchasing is a 2003 Blue Bird TC-2000 FE 71 passenger (11 windows). Will this bus have a tight enough turning radius to make it up to the campground or should I purchase a short handi-cap bus?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

- Anthony

[Mountain Gnome]

One guy here found a parking lot or something, and measured the turning radius of his bus. Then he got on Google Earth and looked at the turns in the road and calculated if his bus would go there.

[Elliot Naess]

If only life were so simple.

After wasting 27 years threading needles all over the country with 75-foot-long 18-wheelers, I feel inclined to believe that Driver Skill would be a limiting factor long before Steering Geometry could come into play.

And what do we suppose might happen to the scientific turn radius of a bus when the tires sink eight inches into the mud of this camp-ground goat trail?

While I happily welcome you to the forum, Anthony, I can only suggest you buy the big bus and use it for 20,000 or 30,000 miles on a wide range of roads and driveways. Then, perhaps, you will have a fair shot at answering the question.

In slightly better news....
That bus -- a flat-nose front-engine layout -- has a surprisingly short wheelbase for its overall length. Long front overhang, and enormously long rear overhang. So the tires can turn in a relatively tight space for the imposing bulk of the vehicle.

That said....
The body -- front and rear bumpers, more or less literally -- would swing outside the edges of the road and might collide with trees and whatnot.

There are simply too many variables for your question to be answerable.