Hanicap Lift what to do ??

[Zona_The_Bus]

I have a 1997 international Thomas short bus with a Handicap lift, unfortunately I do not have enough people to help get it out and I am extremely clueless on how to disconnect it from my engine. I am converting it in San Diego CA and would like to sell it to put the money back in my conversion. ANY TIPS ??

[o1marc]

List it on Craigs List with a "you must remove" caveat. I've seen some have a hard time giving them away and some get $100 for them. I've seen many listed for outrageous prices by people who price them based on a new one. Just like a bus, after their life, they are similar to the value of a bus, about 3% of new.

[Rivetboy]

Originally Posted by Zona_The_Bus

I have a 1997 international Thomas short bus with a Handicap lift, unfortunately I do not have enough people to help get it out and I am extremely clueless on how to disconnect it from my engine. I am converting it in San Diego CA and would like to sell it to put the money back in my conversion. ANY TIPS ??

disconnect all electrical feeds to the lift and be careful, they may or may not be hot with the key off. Unbolt it from the floor, yell "clear" and when your outside observer yells back "clear" your 3 big strong pals roll that sucker out the door. Then, take your HF cherry picker and load it in to the back of the borrowed truck to take it to sell it for scrap and use the money to buy beer for your 3 pals.. You drive 27 miles and the scrap yard will not take it it because it has oil in it. So no beer and you are out the favor for the borrowed truck and this 500 lb behemoth is still in the back and the 3 amigos are still thirsty . Hmm, what now? Dunno, perhaps make the calls before you roll it out the door call up disabled veterans or volunteer groups helping people with mobility issues. Maybe some churches . Craigslist perhaps .Explain the need for removal and as is where is. The best repurposing that I have seen is where they are used to give access in an old house on the back porch or a deck. The above scenario can be played out as for rolling out the door but be careful. If it scissors open or something goes bad the potential for severe injury is high. The harsh reality is it is not worth a lot of money.

[SolomonEagle]

Put a full bar on it and a BBQ grill!)

[Brad_SwiftFur]

I left mine in the bus where it was because (to me) it's value lifting heavy things in and out of the bus far exceeds the scrap or resale value, and the few square feet I would gain by it's removal.

[Rivetboy]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

I left mine in the bus where it was because (to me) it's value lifting heavy things in and out of the bus far exceeds the scrap or resale value, and the few square feet I would gain by it's removal.

That big beautiful door in our bedroom with a magnetic screen was what we liked about removing it although if you need one for lifting it is certainly a cool piece of hardware.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Rivetboy

That big beautiful door in our bedroom with a magnetic screen was what we liked about removing it although if you need one for lifting it is certainly a cool piece of hardware.

Our uses and needs are different. You did a living quarters conversion. Mine will remain a passenger hauler (my buddies and I like traveling to conventions) and having room for larger containers, road cases and such is something we will want/need.

[Rivetboy]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Our uses and needs are different. You did a living quarters conversion. Mine will remain a passenger hauler (my buddies and I like traveling to conventions) and having room for larger containers, road cases and such is something we will want/need.

The repurposed schoolbus is certainly a wonderful thing.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Zona_The_Bus

I have a 1997 international Thomas short bus with a Handicap lift, unfortunately I do not have enough people to help get it out and I am extremely clueless on how to disconnect it from my engine. I am converting it in San Diego CA and would like to sell it to put the money back in my conversion. ANY TIPS ??

Its easy enough to get it out alone.
The arms come off and you can cut the lines.
The wiring is easy it just has a big positive and negative.

If you're not saving it then its easy to get rid of. Takes a couple hours and a few beers.

[Danjo]

I’ve used mine to move out of storage. Heck, I’ve even used it to haul someone in a wheelchair.

Get a volt meter and use it to identify the positive lead from the battery. Disconnect it from the battery before you do anything else. It’s probably fused, but you don’t want to be welding unintentionally.

[Rivetboy]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Its easy enough to get it out alone.
The arms come off and you can cut the lines.
The wiring is easy it just has a big positive and negative.

If you're not saving it then its easy to get rid of. Takes a couple hours and a few beers.

OMG isn't somebody going to think about the lifts children ?

[Zona_The_Bus]

thanks for replying

[musigenesis]

I've never seen a demo pic of your bus before. I'm surprised at how rusty the floor is for what I assume was a Florida bus?

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

If you're not saving it then its easy to get rid of. Takes a couple hours and a few beers.

Hold my beer, Ima grab the angle grinder.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I've never seen a demo pic of your bus before. I'm surprised at how rusty the floor is for what I assume was a Florida bus?

Any bus with plywood flooring will have some of that. The bus pictured is my last bus. From Texas. WHole bus is rust free except where the plywood was.

I only buy outside of FL!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

Hold my beer, Ima grab the angle grinder.

Had to use my welding shield since my full face grinding shield is lost.

[KalamariSafari]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Had to use my welding shield since my full face grinding shield is lost.

Eyeballs are nice, and remans are expensive.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by KalamariSafari

Eyeballs are nice, and remans are expensive.

A former co-worker got a sliver in his eye. It started rusting and he had to have it DRILLED out. None of that for me, thanks!

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

A former co-worker got a sliver in his eye. It started rusting and he had to have it DRILLED out. None of that for me, thanks!

I had that pleasurable experience as a student even though I was wearing safety glasses. The filing must have dropped from my hair behind the glasses onto the eye. One of those freak events.

You know how strong your nerves are when you see a rotating dremel bit approach your cornea. I kid you not, the surgeon said: "Please do not blink or twitch now". Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Procedure itself was painless due to local anesthetic but the pain after that wore off was unbelievable. Like a fist full of sand in your eye with someone constantly rubbing on it.

A hand full of Oxycontin at checkout was not the rage back then so I had to empty half a bottle of Scotch at home to get some sleep. Follow-up visit required more touch-up that fortunately was not nearly as painful.

The amazing thing is that the cornea heals within hours if only a thin layer is removed. This tissue is alive without blood circulation. It gets supplied with nutrients from the tear fluid and oxygenated from the air. Blood vessels would be a very poor solution for the optical performance.

[FinallyBoughtABus]

I lowered mine straight into the back of a pickup truck, unbolted it, then hauled it straight to a scrap yard. They did take it but only got like $15 for it. I was hoping to sell mine as well, but started losing hydraulic fluid out of one of the hydraulics when I tried using it a couple times, so I had to just haul it to the scrapper.