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Old 04-24-2016, 02:01 PM   #1
Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Posts: 171
Year: 1995
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Carpenter
Engine: d466 mechanical
Weight distribution

A quick question I'd love y'alls input on is weight distribution front to rear on my build.
I have a dog nose, 1995 international,d46ee, 60k miles, alison.
My bus has rear air suspension, as well as a custom chassis on the back 8 feet for a small car/motorcycle drive in. When parked you can walk in.
Now my question is, because of this can I afford to have the primary weight of my bus near the front. My current plans have the kitchen in the front, and sleeping in the back.

My weight distribution side to side will be even with my water tanks, fuel tank, generators, and batteries evening it out.

Maybe I'm worrying too much about the weight, but any input would help!

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Old 04-24-2016, 03:04 PM   #2
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Location: Willamina, Oregon
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Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
That bus sounds like a pretty cool bus to me. I really like how you did your windows.

It's hard for anyone to say what it would feel like with a small vehicle in the back. If it tends to sway there are ways you can address that. It obviously depends a lot on the weight of the vehicle you want to carry and many other factors, including how low a center of gravity the rest of the bus has.

I only allocate 4' to the garage in the back of my "van", and I can only load something that fits on the chair lift. I recently rearranged my bus putting the kitchen and wood stove in the rear of the bus, actually in the garage area. Just that much more weight in the tail end of the bus has made a noticeably uncomfortable difference while driving, I assume because my forward area has only light furniture. All the weight in the rear with practically no weight up front, in my case, and it's a scary ride on a narrow county road. I'll change that again. It's good I don't build walls.
Good luck with your van/bus.
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Old 04-25-2016, 08:26 AM   #3
Skoolie
 
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Location: Sarasota, Florida
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Year: 1995
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Chassis: Carpenter
Engine: d466 mechanical
Thanks for the reply!
We covered the bottom Windows for privacy from the outside, you'd have to be about 6 foot 5 to see into the bus. You're probably right about the weight, I haven't had a vehicle in the back but there's only one way to tell. Goodluck on your bus as well!
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Old 04-25-2016, 08:42 AM   #4
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Year: 1946
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Typically you do want to achieve as balanced a load as possible, but given the nature of skoolie suspension systems, they can handle quite a bit of mis-loading. That said, handling is always compromised to some extent if the difference is too great. A good starting point front to rear is to see how the factory rated the axles. The rear is generally quite a bit higher than the front on a percentage of overall gross basis. Side to side is also important but there again, the massive springs tend to forgive quite a bit.
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Old 04-25-2016, 10:33 AM   #5
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Agreed, buses will haul a serious load. I packed a 5 window like a huge suitcase when I moved to my current location. If the majority of the weight is in the cantilevered rear portion of the bus you will definitely feel it while driving, the same as in trucks.

I'm just suggesting putting most of your heavier items between the axles. There's a really good reason why the arse of the bus is generally used for a bedroom.
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