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05-25-2016, 09:36 AM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: KANSAS CITY
Posts: 751
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Safety during a crash?
I have great concerns of a accident where my bus might go down a steep embankment and have everything behind me land on top of me. I don't want my refrigerator to go flying around. How do you build walls to prevent this and how do you secure the heavy things?
__________________
Former owner of a 1969 F600 Skoolie.
1998 Ford B700 Thomas body 65 passenger. 5.9 Cummins 12 valve with MT643 Transmission 123,000 miles.
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05-25-2016, 09:52 AM
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#2
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 447
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Ward
Chassis: International
Engine: Navistar 5.9 Diesel
Rated Cap: A butt-load...
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RE: good question...
Toggle bolts through floor/metal, strapping to the ribs...
To make something completely fixed, needs to have anchoring point for all 3 axis.
For example, your fridge: you could strap it left-to-right and against the wall nice and tight (do i get brownie points for rhymes?), but if it has room on top, it could bounce around, and eventually pop loose.
Brackets, straps, even all-thread replacing wheel/mounts will help.
Does any of that make sense to you?
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05-25-2016, 10:38 AM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: KANSAS CITY
Posts: 751
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Yes it does make sense 
__________________
Former owner of a 1969 F600 Skoolie.
1998 Ford B700 Thomas body 65 passenger. 5.9 Cummins 12 valve with MT643 Transmission 123,000 miles.
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05-25-2016, 01:19 PM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
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Along those lines, we hope to buy a bus and use it as a moving van. I thought we would put up a full 2x4-and-3/4plywood wall a foot or two back from the driver, and another about five or six feet from the back emergency door: we would use the back for a bunkhouse and the front for sightseeing. We'll put the upright piano and all of our worldly belongings between the front and back bulkhead walls.
How would you secure THAT mess?
I assume leave a few seats in place to anchor the piano (up, left-right, & front-back), and then some stout connections to the chair rail and floor in front of the front wall ribs? Hoping for advice...
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05-25-2016, 01:31 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 548
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versatile
I have great concerns of a accident where my bus might go down a steep embankment and have everything behind me land on top of me. I don't want my refrigerator to go flying around. How do you build walls to prevent this and how do you secure the heavy things? 
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Build steel framing like aaronbb did for everything.
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05-25-2016, 01:34 PM
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#6
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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Sometimes it's worth it to get the larger cargo straps for large bulky items. Most of my heavy objects are prevented from forward movement by normal bus seats bolted to the floor. My bus seats have four legs, plus the chair rail.
I worry more about my wood stove hitting me in the back of the head, even though it's got to travel about 20' to do that. Honestly if the wood stove, or any large heavy object for that matter, is loose and has traveled 20' toward the front of the bus I've probably already got bigger problems to worry about. I've had a piano in one of my buses before but I don't think I'll ever voluntarily put myself in that position again.
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05-26-2016, 08:29 AM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: KANSAS CITY
Posts: 751
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Any heavy object can become deadly if you go over and straight down a 20' degree embankment and then abruptly stop . Sure would be sobering to see the results of some math work on how deadly a barrel of water or a Refrigerator can be.
__________________
Former owner of a 1969 F600 Skoolie.
1998 Ford B700 Thomas body 65 passenger. 5.9 Cummins 12 valve with MT643 Transmission 123,000 miles.
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05-26-2016, 10:44 AM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Simple...E=mc2.
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05-26-2016, 12:32 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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Bahh... math, refrigerators, wood stoves? It might be best to just avoid the sudden stops. Just put on your old man hat and drive like grandpa.
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05-26-2016, 01:27 PM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
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E-track and nylon straps are relatively affordable. Just make sure any such track is well-anchored to the bus framework. This suggestion is more applicable to a one-time long distance move than to regular use though. It just wouldn't be very convenient to have to let out the ratchet strap every time one wanted to open the refrigerator, for example.
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05-26-2016, 01:59 PM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
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Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon
E-track and nylon straps are relatively affordable. Just make sure any such track is well-anchored to the bus framework. This suggestion is more applicable to a one-time long distance move than to regular use though. It just wouldn't be very convenient to have to let out the ratchet strap every time one wanted to open the refrigerator, for example.
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Great suggestion!
I just got off the phone with Ed from US Cargo Contol ( E Track Straps & Tie Downs for Trailers: Ratchet Straps & E Track Tie Downs). He's a very pleasant and knowledgeable fellow, and we spent some time discussing best practices. I sent him to a photo of a gutted bus so he could see the structure. I anticipate buying from him when the time comes. He can be reached at 855-206-6269.
Note: they sell 2', 5', 8', and 10' lengths, but he suggested staying with the 8' and under because they have to send the 10' by freight. It's that sort of concern and advice that impressed me. And the price, while not free, is certainly reasonable - considering the forces involved and my lack of engineering degree, this seems like a good move.
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05-26-2016, 03:04 PM
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#12
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NUNYA
Posts: 4,236
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
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When your number is up, IT'S UP. Just don't do anything stupid and you should be fine. e.g. driving down an embankment.
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05-26-2016, 05:04 PM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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Yes those trucker straps and brackets would be the strongest. This bus just had loads of L-track throughout except for directly in front of the wheel chair lift.
When I drive I certainly do have to strap the fridge door closed. I forgot again a couple months ago. It has it's own special latch now so it doesn't open anymore, but everything still seems to be piled up against the inside of the door when I open it.
I make it a point to stay on top of the embankment. The places I drive make me wish I had a driver's door for an emergency exit. I'll try to get a few pics this summer.
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05-26-2016, 11:26 PM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Richmond Virginia
Posts: 932
Year: 1984
Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
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Cool topic.
I have sort of planned on keeping my bus very bus like and plain but considered 2x4 frames around stuff. I sorta like 2x4 lstructure. It is also making me consider leaving some seat legs attached and maybe welding a loop to hook straps to if needed.
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