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Old 07-09-2008, 01:04 PM   #1
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Quote:
Originally Posted by joshoisasleep

Thoughts?
Buy a Volkswagen van when you get there.

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Old 07-09-2008, 01:51 PM   #2
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

I thought this was an intriguing question, so I did some research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contain...n#ISO_standard

Interesting reading there.

An ISO standard 40' shipping container appears to be 39 feet 5 and45/64 inches long, 7 feet 8 and 19/32" wide, and 7 feet 9 and 57/64" high inside.

Now, using my own bus as an example:

Height: 9'10" at rear axle
Width: 8'0" at outer edges of rub rails
Length: 39'2.5"

You would most likely need to reduce the height and width of your bus to squeeze it into the container.

Now, removing the rub rails and mirrors and wheels might just accomplish that. I'm not sure how you would get it into and out of the container without scratching it then. Also, you would want to secure it within the container.

How much is flat deck shipping in general? I've been curious about that. I'm guessing most shipping companies wouldn't let you live aboard your skoolie while in transit...

I thought most of the kneeling systems in city buses was done via air suspension, but I could be wrong.

Keep up the good work bringing new ideas to the forum. I've enjoyed reading your threads and getting ideas.

jim
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Old 07-09-2008, 04:10 PM   #3
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Why not just make a home from an old shipping container? It looks like some used ones can be had for around $1200. There would be more room than a skoolie, but of course they're not as mobile, unless you have a semi truck, or hired one to haul it for you...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_c ... chitecture



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Old 07-09-2008, 04:58 PM   #4
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Yeah Phil, I have been watching shipping containers. Here in central Oregon you can have a 40-footer dropped on your property for $2,000. I have been considering just that for storage. It wouldn't take much to tun one into a cabin or workshop. Dealing with the summertime heat and winter time cold being the major consideration. Everything else could pretty much go together normally.
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Old 07-09-2008, 11:01 PM   #5
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

I also wondered if a bus would fit into a shipping container. I thought that i could ship the bus via rail out to burningman a month ahead of time, then i could just fly out to the desert in a few short hours and drive the bus to the burn. There is a group from nyc that fills a shipping container with stuff and sends it out there by rail every year.

it's about a 5K mile round trip for me. I thought i could charge people to haul their "stuff" inside the bus to help offset the shipping charges....but i don't know what it would cost to ship via rail...or even truck.
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Old 07-09-2008, 11:39 PM   #6
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Seems like you could rail ship on a flat car. The RR's do ship semi-trailers. On ships a bus is loaded on an open-sided container platform and loaded on top.
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Old 07-10-2008, 09:36 PM   #7
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Quote:
Originally Posted by bus-bro
Seems like you could rail ship on a flat car. The RR's do ship semi-trailers. On ships a bus is loaded on an open-sided container platform and loaded on top.
They do ship cargo containers via rail, and truck, and sea.....which is related the the original posters question about the possibility of fitting a bus inside a shipping container. If the bus does fit inside one, it would make shipping a lot easier and probably cheaper as they are able to easily move the containers from ship to truck to rail.



this site has a tall one that is 40feet long x8 feet wide x 9'6" tall.......standard height seems to be 8 feet 6 inches. you'd have to drive the bus in nose first so you could get out through the emergency exit. max payload is near 60K pounds.

looks like it'll fit, wonder how much it costs to ship....
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Old 07-13-2008, 12:10 AM   #8
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

I had a friend who actually lived in one of those containers, he was doing some volunteer work in SE Asia. There were bedrooms, with normal AC, and bathrooms, without anything. He said it got REALLY hot inside of those ones!

Cheers, Diogo
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Old 07-13-2008, 02:32 AM   #9
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

if your emergency door wasn't in the back, you could always remove either the back window, or in case of it's absence remove a front windshield and drive the bus in backwards. Windshields are often held in with rubber gaskets which make for realitively easy removal/installation.

i should look into the cost to ship a bus inside a container from here to nevada.....now i'm curious!
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Old 07-13-2008, 10:04 AM   #10
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Quote:
Originally Posted by lapeer20m
i should look into the cost to ship a bus inside a container from here to nevada.....now i'm curious!
Yeah I don't think it'll fit...

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3275&p=26371#p26371

Skoolies are 10" too high and 2" too wide...
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Old 07-13-2008, 12:23 PM   #11
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Quote:
Originally Posted by phillbus914
Quote:
Originally Posted by lapeer20m
i should look into the cost to ship a bus inside a container from here to nevada.....now i'm curious!
Yeah I don't think it'll fit...

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3275&p=26371#p26371

Skoolies are 10" too high and 2" too wide...

why ya always gotta rain on my parade? now i'm gonna have to buy a skoolie and modify it just so i can make it fit into a shipping container.....lol

ok, not really.

i missed that earlier post about the size of a bus vs the size of a shipping container......
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Old 07-13-2008, 01:06 PM   #12
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

I happened to be out in the bus today and spotted some shipping containers in a parking lot... Check out the size difference.







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Old 07-13-2008, 02:39 PM   #13
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

I knew that. Buy one when you get there and sell it before you leave.
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Old 07-13-2008, 03:42 PM   #14
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

hey, i don't think your bus is gonna fit inside that container! lol
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Old 07-14-2008, 08:28 AM   #15
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

all you gotta do is roof-raise the container
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Old 07-14-2008, 09:08 AM   #16
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

Quote:
Originally Posted by slov
all you gotta do is roof-raise the container
LOL!!
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Old 07-23-2008, 08:41 PM   #17
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Re: Shipping a skoolie


Around 20-25 years ago, the maximum width of highway vehicles in the US increased from 8' to 8' 6"(a.k.a. 102"). Most highway trailers made the switch almost immediately, but "sea-land" containers more slowly. Still, you should be able to get a 102" wide (outside) container now. And they do come in "extra tall", which is what might -- maybe -- work for a bus. And they come in 48 feet long. Call your local intermodal trucking company. Then measure carefully. Still, it seems a long shot.

But it is indeed possible to hire a container for personal shipping. Been..., done.... They bring it out and pick it up when you have loaded it. But it stays on the chassis while at your house, so to load a bus, you would need a loading dock. The trucking company may have a suitable dock. Reverse at other end, and the container disappears back into the system. Works well.

Generally, container shipping is an affordable mode of shipping.

All I know!
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Old 07-24-2008, 08:46 AM   #18
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

By the time a guy found a "special" container and made arrangements to not only try and squeeze a School Bus inside of it but to also prevent the load from shifting while in transit it would likely make more sense to pallet the load (roll-on, roll-off) then pay for "specialty" container shipping.

Here is a blurb from Allison shipping International:

Oversized or Project Cargoes
At Allison Shipping there are no limits on the type of cargo traffic we can handle. We have specialized roll-on/roll-off and crane services available for oversized machinery and vehicles. Our project cargo team has over 30 years combined industry experience and will coordinate your shipment from the time of booking to the time of delivery.


Here is their quote link:

Good luck!
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Old 07-24-2008, 07:27 PM   #19
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Re: Shipping a skoolie

why not just put it on the train to your closest overseas port and then have it loaded onto a ship for transport to the country of choice.
you may have to install some special anchor and or lift points so that it can be "handled", I've seen tanks mounted in cages so that they can be shiped interm
odal.(container), their main objective is to get to a standard size cube with common stacking and lifting points.
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