FOR SALE - Leavuntaun

[Oldyeller]

2004 IC CE200
T444e
Allison 2000
160,000 miles

The bus is located near Lake Hopatcong in north New Jersey, about 5 miles north of I-80

$5000

Health issues force this sale.

Members here might know the bus' story, but here it is again. This thread contains a lot of pictures. https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...oon-32061.html

I cut off about 7' of the rear of the bus. My intention was to pull a motorcycle trailer behind it and/or to be able to take it on back roads in the desert southwest. It currently measures just under 30' bumper to bumper.

Interior is gutted.
Floor treated with Ospho and painted with Rustoleum XO

I have 'stuff' that will go with the bus which I'll add in follow-on posts.

[Oldyeller]

I have 2 Yokohama 104ZR steer tires on 315/80R22.5 with a 2016 DOT date.

I was going to try them on the front of my bus to see if they'd fit but didn't get there. Worst case these could be sold, they're in good shape.

[Oldyeller]

A Draw-tite 15,000 lb frame hitch.

LOL, it was while mounting this hitch that I came to the conclusion that I didn't have it anymore.

[Corbi]

Sorry to hear about your health issues. I enjoyed reading many of your posts. I think many on the site appreciated your problem solving and hard work to get Levauntan on the road.

[musigenesis]

I'm sad to hear that you're selling the girl, and sad to hear about your health issues as well. I'll pitch the bus to anybody I know looking - it'll be a great bus to keep building on.

[Bus'n it]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I'm sad to hear that you're selling the girl, and sad to hear about your health issues as well. I'll pitch the bus to anybody I know looking - it'll be a great bus to keep building on.

And a unique bus too. Personally, I love the look of it without the overhang rear.
All the best to you and I sincerely hope you continue posting here regardless. We have come to know you a bit and would like to see how you're making out. God Bless and try to stay positive.

[musigenesis]

Sorry to be self-serving, OldYeller, but what ever happened to your bumper? I've been looking for a new rear bumper for a while now.

[joeblack5]

That is a very heavy winch and mount. Healthy or not ,it would be a bear to mount, definitely a two person job and even then easy to pull some blood.

You put in most of the hard work and now the fun would start...hang in there. Put some of the interior in and go camping a bit.

With both elfie and Dory we are now on our third retrofit..about 5years into them..

Throw a cot and cooler in there and strap a bucket as a toilet and get some inspiration next to a campfire.

Sure would like to see you on the road one of these days.. you are not even that far away from me.

Johan

[TheHubbardBus]

All that work you put into bobbing the tail to make for such minimal overhang aft of the rear axle is a pretty big deal for anyone thinking about taking this off-highway. Minimal overhang in the rear was part of the rationale for choosing the bus we did - for the same reasons - but I could only wish for so little. Just pointing this out, as it doesn't immediately stand out to the uninitiated. Anyone with similar interests wouldn't find this anywhere without doing the work themselves.

[DeMac]

The bobbed tail, also looks very effin' cool. More masculine? I love the look of a bobbed anything. Bulldog-ish. With the wheelwells all the way back, it's flat: side-hall & tow ready.

Forget the split-bedroom floor plans, families could tow a bunkhouse for the kidos, adults in the activity bus. Shhh.

Five Gs!?
With extras!?
She gone.

[Booyah45828]

Bobbed like that should make it a dream pulling a trailer. Wasn't no easy job doing it either. Hint hint for anyone looking at a skoolie to camp and pull a trailer with, you won't find one cheaper or better then this.

Take care of yourself. I know the outlook is grim, but try and enjoy what you can, however you can do it.

[Oldyeller]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Sorry to be self-serving, OldYeller, but what ever happened to your bumper? I've been looking for a new rear bumper for a while now.

NP. I had to take off the bumper to shorten the bus. This summer I wire brushed and painted all the rust on the inside of the bumper, bought all new bolts and was ready to remount when I realized I didn't have it at this point to continue. The bumper will be inside the bus when it (hopefully) rolls away for the last time. Only way I'd be able to let you have it is if the bus doesn't sell and I drive it to a scrapyard.

LOL, one of the things that helped me make the decision to sell was moving the bumper and hitch too many times to count trying to get the spacing right. Add to that the fact that my half inch drill sprained my wrist and wrenched three fingers trying to drill 6 11/16" holes in the frame and I realized I'd reached the stopping point for me.

[Oldyeller]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

That is a very heavy winch and mount. Healthy or not ,it would be a bear to mount, definitely a two person job and even then easy to pull some blood.

You put in most of the hard work and now the fun would start...hang in there. Put some of the interior in and go camping a bit.

With both elfie and Dory we are now on our third retrofit..about 5years into them..

Throw a cot and cooler in there and strap a bucket as a toilet and get some inspiration next to a campfire.

Sure would like to see you on the road one of these days.. you are not even that far away from me.

Johan

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

All that work you put into bobbing the tail to make for such minimal overhang aft of the rear axle is a pretty big deal for anyone thinking about taking this off-highway. Minimal overhang in the rear was part of the rationale for choosing the bus we did - for the same reasons - but I could only wish for so little. Just pointing this out, as it doesn't immediately stand out to the uninitiated. Anyone with similar interests wouldn't find this anywhere without doing the work themselves.

Originally Posted by DeMac

The bobbed tail, also looks very effin' cool. More masculine? I love the look of a bobbed anything. Bulldog-ish. With the wheelwells all the way back, it's flat: side-hall & tow ready.

Forget the split-bedroom floor plans, families could tow a bunkhouse for the kidos, adults in the activity bus. Shhh.

Five Gs!?
With extras!?
She gone.

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

Bobbed like that should make it a dream pulling a trailer. Wasn't no easy job doing it either. Hint hint for anyone looking at a skoolie to camp and pull a trailer with, you won't find one cheaper or better then this.

Take care of yourself. I know the outlook is grim, but try and enjoy what you can, however you can do it.

Yes, the bobbed rear is very cool and should be functional. If I had to do it again I could do it in a fraction of the time because of what I learned. It'd be even faster with a plasma cutter and someone who was good with it. As it is, the Diablo metal blade on my 7 1/4" circular saw went right through the sheetmetal just about like it was cutting wood.

I thought about going out in it anyway but I'm still going down physically from my treatment. My radiologist told me it could take a year to fully recover. LOL, assuming I'm around in a year.

BTW, I'm hoping to head out for the winter, it just won't be in Leavuntaun. Perhaps more on that later in a different thread. I'd like to meet everyone I got to know here. It was one of the things I was looking forward to.

[BarnYardCamp]

The Bobbed end really makes your bus unique...and I'd suspect enhances it's functionality.
I'll join the others and extend my best wishes as well. Hope you'll stay active on the forum.

Don

[alpine44]

I love the bobbed look of Leavuntaun but for towing you want some distance between the rear wheels and the hitch. This will automatically put the trailer on a "wide turn" track and you need to be less cautious about clipping corners. On the outside of a turn, the trailer will never track further out than your stern swings out by itself. The overhang only becomes a handicap when you are backing a trailer in tight spaces. Then, you would love to have the hitch over the rear axle like on an 18 wheelers.

[alpine44]

Oldyeller,
Don't let a high torque drill with a large bit erode your confidence. These things don't have mercy with anyone, regardless of age and strength.

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by alpine44

I love the bobbed look of Leavuntaun but for towing you want some distance between the rear wheels and the hitch. This will automatically put the trailer on a "wide turn" track and you need to be less cautious about clipping corners. On the outside of a turn, the trailer will never track further out than your stern swings out by itself. The overhang only becomes a handicap when you are backing a trailer in tight spaces. Then, you would love to have the hitch over the rear axle like on an 18 wheelers.

I wouldn't worry about the wide turn effect and hitting stuff.

The bobbed tail will give a better ride for everything involved.

The farther the distance between your axle and the hitch only amplifies the movement of the back of the bus. For every inch the axle goes up, the hitch will go up that and more. So unless you're on new paved roads, the closer the hitch is to the axle, the better. A few guys have commented on here about the roughness their trailer endures being pulled by a school bus. One guy even installed one of those fancy air ride receiver hitches.

I've never met one person that tows regularly, and prefers towing a bumper pull over a 5th wheel. Moving the hitch point on top of the axle is the reason for that, it's a much better experience.

[Timeline]

Bobbing the tail end is a great idea, may copy you on that.
Very sorry the read about your health...
John

[TheHubbardBus]

Bumpety bump

[Oldyeller]

Figure I'd post an update.

I've got an add on Craigslist. I've gotten 3 text messages so far. Interestingly enough 2 from women currently living in NYC who want to buy the bus to live in. Not sure what either is thinking. I explained that the bus is a long way from being live in ready. I doubt that I'll hear from either again but if I do I'll be sure either understands what they're getting into. I want to sell the bus but I'm not willing to take advantage of someone who doesn't understand what he/she is getting into.

The third text was from someone with a California telephone number. That one got me scratching my head. He texted me that he wants to see the bus this weekend. He also asked about needing a CDL to drive it. We'll see if I hear from him again.

Has anyone sold a bus that is registered in Vermont? Do Vermont plates get turned in on vehicle sale (they do here in NJ) or do they go with the vehicle. I checked on the Vermont DMV site but didn't find anything. I'm wondering about letting a bus with plates in my name out of my possession.