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Old 12-26-2017, 08:43 PM   #21
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Ye3ah, but Charley had the advantage of much bumpier roads back then.
You been on I-40 in Arizona recently?

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Old 12-26-2017, 09:02 PM   #22
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I was kind of counting on getting my laundry clean while passing through OK.

There are some very funny stories about people traveling back in our grandparents day.
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Old 12-26-2017, 09:09 PM   #23
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I was kind of counting on getting my laundry clean while passing through OK.

There are some very funny stories about people traveling back in our grandparents day.
Well the I-40 bridge collapse was in Oklahoma, some years ago now.

That would be your spin cycle.
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Old 12-26-2017, 09:52 PM   #24
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Now I would have expected the river to be the rinse cycle.

It was always fascinating to hear stories about traveling cross country back during the depression. Most roads weren't improved.
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Old 12-29-2017, 08:17 AM   #25
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Thanks for the post. What is the difference between a Thomas SAF T, TRANSITLINER and Pusher? What engine size should I look for to haul a mid size sedan? Anyone know if a CAT 3126 6.6L 66 DIESEL is good enough to haul a mid size sedan? Thanks for the feedback
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Old 12-29-2017, 10:40 AM   #26
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Thanks for the post. What is the difference between a Thomas SAF T, TRANSITLINER and Pusher? What engine size should I look for to haul a mid size sedan? Anyone know if a CAT 3126 6.6L 66 DIESEL is good enough to haul a mid size sedan? Thanks for the feedback
Saf-T-Liner is the Series.

They are available with front or rear engines, and a vast range of options.

Most school buses are capable of towing quite heavy loads. How well they tow will depend, at least in part, on the horse-power of the engine, not the make of the engine.
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Old 12-29-2017, 11:46 AM   #27
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Is there any major difference in the 3? It looks like they all have raised roof.
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Old 12-29-2017, 01:11 PM   #28
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Is there any major difference in the 3? It looks like they all have raised roof.
Many Saf-T-Liners came with the higher roof, but be careful, not all of them did.

There are no major difference between the MVP and the Blue Bird TC2000/All American. The differences are details. The Thomas has sloping sides so if you want to raise the roof there are easier options.

The Thomas WestCoast is a different animal. It was built to compete with Gillig and Crown. If you can get one, and afford it, it would be an excellent choice.

There are detail differences between the Saf-T-Liner MVP and the Saf-T-Liner ER, but they are not major. Don't confuse the terms. Thomas Saf-T-Liner MVP RE is not the same as the Saf-T-Liner ER.
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Old 12-29-2017, 01:36 PM   #29
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So I have found three buses I'm looking at SAF-T, PUSHER and Transitliner. I haven't seen them in person yet. I can't really tell a difference by the pictures. One thing is that according to the seller, they all have CAT 3126 6.6L 66 DIESEL engine with the allison transmission. Is that engine/transmission combo a good one?

Two of the SAF-T buses have 37,000 and 65,000 miles.
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Old 12-29-2017, 02:24 PM   #30
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So I have found three buses I'm looking at SAF-T, PUSHER and Transitliner. I haven't seen them in person yet. I can't really tell a difference by the pictures. One thing is that according to the seller, they all have CAT 3126 6.6L 66 DIESEL engine with the allison transmission. Is that engine/transmission combo a good one?

Two of the SAF-T buses have 37,000 and 65,000 miles.
I keep hearing that a Cat engine is the last choice on the list.
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Old 12-29-2017, 02:28 PM   #31
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I keep hearing that a Cat engine is the last choice on the list.
It depends ....

There is nothing inherently wrong with CAT engines, except maybe the C7 and ACERT variations.

The reason they are not favored is simply that if they break, they are expensive to fix and the engine has to come out.

The reason the DT466 is so popular is that it is a well-known power unit, been around forever, and it can be fixed in-frame for most issues. That said, like all wet-liner engines, it is more susceptible to over-heating problems.
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Old 12-29-2017, 03:37 PM   #32
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It depends ....

There is nothing inherently wrong with CAT engines, except maybe the C7 and ACERT variations.

The reason they are not favored is simply that if they break, they are expensive to fix and the engine has to come out.

The reason the DT466 is so popular is that it is a well-known power unit, been around forever, and it can be fixed in-frame for most issues. That said, like all wet-liner engines, it is more susceptible to over-heating problems.
I never said they were bad. Would you disagree with my original statement?
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Old 12-29-2017, 05:03 PM   #33
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I never said they were bad. Would you disagree with my original statement?
Why would I disagree with "what you keep hearing"?

I simply answered with whether that was a thing or not.
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Old 12-29-2017, 05:06 PM   #34
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Why would I disagree with "what you keep hearing"?

I simply answered with whether that was a thing or not.
Maybe because I was looking for YOUR opinion as well as others I have heard.
Apparently it IS a thing and you gave a number of reasons why it is. Where would a Cat engine be on your list of engines?
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Old 12-29-2017, 05:14 PM   #35
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My opinion- look for a Cummins or International.
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Old 12-29-2017, 05:16 PM   #36
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Maybe because I was looking for YOUR opinion as well as others I have heard.
Apparently it IS a thing and you gave a number of reasons why it is. Where would a Cat engine be on your list of engines?
The CAT engines were very popular with school districts, right up until the C7 and ACERT engines came along to deal with emissions requirements. They were so bad that CAT stopped supplying the market.

CAT still supply those engines for medium duty trucks, and they are successful and popular. The reason for the difference is the pattern of usage and, specifically, the diesel particulate filters. School buses simply don't run long enough, or get hot enough to keep those systems in good working order. Trucks do.

As for the earlier engines ... There is nothing wrong with the engines. The complaint is that they are expensive if they need new parts and the engine has to come out to rebuild. That also applies to the T444 and others that have parent-bores and not wet-sleeves. The upside is that over-heating kills our engines, and parent bore engines are more resistant to this.

I would not let a CAT engine prevent me from buying a bus if the engine was the only compromise. It would not be on my list of preferred engines, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker either.
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Old 12-29-2017, 05:59 PM   #37
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How expensive are we talking? Are we talking a BMW compared to a ford? I found the bus that I would love to get but it has a CAT engine. That’s kind of a turn off since it has some issues.
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Old 12-29-2017, 06:02 PM   #38
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How expensive are we talking? Are we talking a BMW compared to a ford? I found the bus that I would love to get but it has a CAT engine. That’s kind of a turn off since it has some issues.
You haven't been paying attention. It's not that they have issues. It's IF they have an issue that the cost issue arises.
Read Twiggs last sentence.
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Old 12-29-2017, 06:02 PM   #39
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How expensive are we talking? Are we talking a BMW compared to a ford? I found the bus that I would love to get but it has a CAT engine. That’s kind of a turn off since it has some issues.
What issues does the engine have?

There are a lot of buses out there, most of them do not have serious issues.

The problem is that if an engine (of any type) needs replacing, then it will likely cost twice the price of the bus (or more).

An in-frame rebuild of a DT466 starts around $1800 if you do the work yourself.
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Old 12-29-2017, 06:04 PM   #40
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That’s kind of my point. If they have issues..... how much more expensive are they? That’s all. Trust me I’ve been soaking all of this up and greatly appreciate everyone’s input!
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