Is a high-top or a low-top 10.5 feet tall?

[MollyCMo]

The internet says most buses are 10.5 feet tall from the ground. Is this for a low-top, or a high-top?

[o1marc]

I would assume most buses means regular route buses and they normally have the 6'3" ceiling, the high roof has 6'6" ceiling. Different suspensions and tire wheel combo change the overall height. Normally you're only talking about the 3" difference between the 2, the ceiling height is important for tall people, no matter how high the bus is off the ground.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by MollyCMo

The internet says most buses are 10.5 feet tall from the ground. Is this for a low-top, or a high-top?

Most buses are around 9.5 feet. My bus has lifted suspension and high headroom and its just a hair over 10'6".

[miltruckman]

My 1998 TC2000 Bluebird bus had a 6’4” ceiling and was almost exactly 10’ tall. I kept all the rooftop accessories under 11” tall including the rooftop heat pump. This was to allow it to fit into my 11’ tall garage door opening.

Bill

[MollyCMo]

Thanks everyone! I'm asking because I'm trying to figure out roughly how much headroom I'll have in my bus if I lift it to 13.5 feet, which I believe is about the max you should go? I want to go as tall as I can.

[jimburke77502]

If I recall, semi's are 14- to 14' 6" which is where I'll be putting mine at. At least when it's lowered. Raised, only when parked it will be 17-18 feet.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by MollyCMo

Thanks everyone! I'm asking because I'm trying to figure out roughly how much headroom I'll have in my bus if I lift it to 13.5 feet, which I believe is about the max you should go? I want to go as tall as I can.

13'6" is the maximum for highway use.
Having a tall bus, I wouldn't want to push that limit at all. I already scrape stuff with mine.
I implore anyone wanting to do a big roof raise to drive a bus for a thousand miles first.

[Tango]

Besides being quite limiting as to where you can go...a really tall unit can be extremely twitchy to drive with any crosswind. 18 wheel trailers get blown over all the time.

[EastCoastCB]

Here's a map of legal heights. This is mostly meant for truckers. If you use rural routes off the interstates you WILL run into issues far before the legal limit.

[MollyCMo]

Thank you for the great advice everyone. Very helpful! Maybe I won't go so tall after all...

[MollyCMo]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

13'6" is the maximum for highway use.
Having a tall bus, I wouldn't want to push that limit at all. I already scrape stuff with mine.
I implore anyone wanting to do a big roof raise to drive a bus for a thousand miles first.

That sounds like great advice...I've also read on here that if you're going to do a roof raise, it's one of the first things you should do in the conversion, which makes sense. Do you really think it's a good idea to drive the bus for a thousand miles before doing any really conversion work to it? Or was that just a rhetorical comment? It makes sense, I'm just wondering if you really mean it, or the best way to go about doing that.