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Old 10-20-2021, 06:20 PM   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 410
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Crown Super Coach
Chassis: Built on a Crown Chassis
Engine: 300HP BIG CAM TURBO 855
Rated Cap: 78
SHORTY. 28FT TC2000 3.54 rear end.

OK. Going to keep this simple. This bus is Washington Spec. Less than 100K Actual.
Rear end changed out to 3.54 this bus cruises at 70 at 2000 RPM. Originally had the 4.48 rear end and Speedo has been recalibrated for the 3.54 ratio change. ALL gauges and lights perform as designed. And there are no fluid leaks from anywhere. And yes the venerable mechanical 5.9L Cummins fully mechanical. The year is 1990.
This bus just did a.trip to Montana and back to Vancouver Washington.
And to Wenatchee Wa. And return within the last 4 months.
This Bus is turn key and is maintained professionally.

Email only initially. We can depart.from that as is warranted. Price IS Firm. $25,000.00
Please accept this to be true. No trades. You know and I know how rare these are. What you may not know is what an incredible example this Little bird is. That's my job.��Bus is in Covered and Secure storage.
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Old 10-20-2021, 09:18 PM   #2
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Location: topeka kansas
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Year: 1954
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Chassis: old f500- new 2005 f-450
Engine: cummins 12 valve
Rated Cap: 20? five rows of 4?
Holy moly!

Mine is 25 feet long, p7100 injection pump. Dual engine ac units. 56,000 miles. US government bus. Does 55 mph around 2200 rpm. Already blue with white top and dual 110v roof air units. I’ll sell mine for….. uh. Okay, no I won’t sell it right now. Though I wonder what a regear would do….. think I will try for that 2500pts instead.

William
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Old 10-20-2021, 09:41 PM   #3
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Year: 1986
Coachwork: Crown Super Coach
Chassis: Built on a Crown Chassis
Engine: 300HP BIG CAM TURBO 855
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Originally Posted by magnakansas View Post
Mine is 25 feet long, p7100 injection pump. Dual engine ac units. 56,000 miles. US government bus. Does 55 mph around 2200 rpm. Already blue with white top and dual 110v roof air units. I’ll sell mine for….. uh. Okay, no I won’t sell it right now. Though I wonder what a regear would do….. think I will try for that 2500pts instead.

William
That's wonderful. Good luck with your transmission swap.
I can't drive 55. Top speed of this Bird is beyond the Mechanical limits of the speedo. Oh and it's very quiet. Just generates HP and TQ. Not noise and heat and internal damage to components.
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Old 10-20-2021, 09:48 PM   #4
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Is this a joke?
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Old 10-20-2021, 11:20 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Is this a joke?
Not the first joke of its kind in the last few months, here is a similar bus, similarly high asking price, ended up dropping the asking price by nearly 50% before dropping off the map. Don't know if it ever sold.


Ridiculous initial asking prices like this seem to be growing more common especially since Covid. I don't know if there are actually people out there paying these jacked up prices, or if there are just more people trying to flip buses and hoping to find someone impulsive enough or naive enough to shell out that kind of money.


One thing OP is right about, the shorter flat nose buses are relatively rare, but from what I can tell, the bus pictured is a 10 window/28ft (not particularly short or rare), the rare ones are the ~25ft 8 or to a lesser extent 9 window buses. 10 window/28ft isn't very uncommon, 11 window are completely ubiquitous and the practical difference between 10 and 11 window seems neglible.



The regear and the low miles are certainly attractive and do make the bus more rare, but "25k firm" is crazy to me, even if it were one of the more rare 24-26ft flat noses
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Old 10-21-2021, 01:45 AM   #6
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Year: 1986
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I agree. And your point is well taken. But these are different days. Fully mechanical shorty transits and by that I mean sub 30 feet ARE Rare. As you stated this is 28 ft. Granted not as rare as 25 ft but nonetheless rare.
Look at where we are at. People paying highly inflated prices for shuttles and Internationals with T444E's and on and on.
Not to put either down.

They aren't making any more mechanical transit style buses sub 30ft. And we pretty much understand that less is more in the bus kingdom. And we have put a lot of asphalt in the rear views since the Partridge Family.
These once, considerably plentiful, are rare. I know. I look. This is a proven and exceedingly sweet running bus. Meticulously maintained. Turn Key.
No cons and no tricks.
No rust. No drips. Tight steering, quiet, efficient and an outstanding example of a 31 year old proven platform that runs out at 65 spot on in the HP/TQ curve. And that translates to quiet efficiency and longevity. New fluids filters, belts and tires as well as pre and post trip msintenance. No surprises is a value added luxury under appreciated. It is not a flip. Not even close. I have many machines. That's what I see. Even the wheel chair lift performs flawlessly. And hoists my motorcycles into their hold downs

I have never sold anything In this site. And I always price according to my belief and understanding.

ANYTIME I POST a bus for sale here I EXPECT the snarky and incredulous responses. It comes with the territory apparently.

That said. What I have ALWAYS SELLS. As will this Bus. I'm not sure of much these days. Who could be? But I am sure of that. And thank you for your Frank and thoughtful response. And my target is not the naive nor is it the inexperienced. My target is someone that appreciates their time, their money. That wants to confidentally step into their build KNOWING they have a fine example of a quality proven platform free of idiosyncrasies or required TLC. It will sell. And remember. All buses, like people, MAY be created equal. But rarely remain that way.

Moki
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Old 10-21-2021, 06:14 AM   #7
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Join Date: May 2018
Location: topeka kansas
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Year: 1954
Coachwork: wayne
Chassis: old f500- new 2005 f-450
Engine: cummins 12 valve
Rated Cap: 20? five rows of 4?
25 ft tc2000

Was the one in Alice springs texas blue?

Anyway, I bought a 25ft, 1994, 12valve. Odometer shows 56,000. I did not really believe it when I saw the advertisement. I do now, after driving it home 700 odd miles. I managed 12 miles to the gallon with the at545 transmission and 4.88 rear gears. After reading yours at 2000 rpm and 70 mph I am going to look into a local 2500pts. That is going to take some planning to pull off.

If my math is correct 5th gear will be like having 3.66 rear end gears in 4th. I was over the scales in mine. 10,000 lbs front axle and 5,800 on the rear axle. maximum flat land cruise was 60 mph at 2400rpm. The only way I could go faster down hill. I think the fuel pump was starting to defuel at 2250 rpm. If I can get the governor tweaked the way I want it, I can get fuel up 400 rpm and live happier for now.

Yea, I think there is a chance you can get 25,000 for this. Find a crazy grandpa kind of guy that wants to haul is grand kids around.

This 25 footer is pretty easy to get around in parking lots and city streets. The most difficult part is narrow, old back streets with cars parked on both sides of the street. There is not room for this bus and another car to pass. This one was never a school bus. Federal government purchase. I think from the handrails on the ceiling, this was some sort of transit people hauler. I wonder if it was from a NASA facility in Houston. I know for certain at one time it spent life in Harris County, owned by some entity in Harris County.

Moki, Nice to meet you. I dig the Crowns. I was looking at those and Gilligs and flxible clippers, but for me they are too long.

And now for the flaming part..... I paid $15,000 to get this 25 foot TC2000. I was planning on this being a 56,000 mile bus after seeing it in person. The tires are even in good/very good condition, lots of brake lining. The things that were wrong with this? Wiper blades needed to be replaced Clearance lights need Gaurds/shields because of damage, and one of the side view mirrors needs to be replaced. There is a crack in the engine cover at one of the hinges where someone opened the cover too forcefully and broke the fiberglass cover.

My 1954 wayne/ford is 24 feet long on a 2010 F450 chassis with 12v cummins and NV5600 six speed and 3.73 gears I have way more than $15,000 in that and it is not done yet.

william
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Old 10-21-2021, 06:51 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magnakansas View Post
Mine is 25 feet long, p7100 injection pump. Dual engine ac units. 56,000 miles. US government bus. Does 55 mph around 2200 rpm. Already blue with white top and dual 110v roof air units. I’ll sell mine for….. uh. Okay, no I won’t sell it right now. Though I wonder what a regear would do….. think I will try for that 2500pts instead.

William

do the 2000 series!!! my red bus is 3.54 with 19.5 tires.. and its over-geared.. I wish I had a 4.10 gear in it.
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Old 10-21-2021, 08:42 AM   #9
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Rated Cap: 20? five rows of 4?
cadillac

i am going to do the 2500.


william
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Old 10-29-2021, 09:36 PM   #10
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It's more than I would pay, but things are worth what someone is willing to pay for it. This leads me to a question though. I believe that there was a bunch of people that bought into the skoolie life/van life/RV life during the pandemic last year as vacations were "cancelled". I also think that as things start to open up, the folks that figured out it's not for them are going to look to offload their purchases. My gut tells me that the market next spring is going to have a flood of vehicles that are no longer wanted. Good luck to the poster here, I hope it's moved before next spring if I'm right. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Am I over thinking this?
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Old 10-29-2021, 09:43 PM   #11
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It's more than I would pay, but things are worth what someone is willing to pay for it. This leads me to a question though. I believe that there was a bunch of people that bought into the skoolie life/van life/RV life during the pandemic last year as vacations were "cancelled". I also think that as things start to open up, the folks that figured out it's not for them are going to look to offload their purchases. My gut tells me that the market next spring is going to have a flood of vehicles that are no longer wanted. Good luck to the poster here, I hope it's moved before next spring if I'm right. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Am I over thinking this?

Not sure about the exact timeframe, but I believe that yes, we are currently in a bit of a bubble when it comes to skoolies, vans, and really a lot of recreational things at the moment. Prices may not return to pre-covid levels for some time, but I think they will return to a more reasonable range soon enough;, and there may be a glut of half converted projects on the market in the not too distant future. There also may be a bit of a snowball as opportunistic middlemen/flippers see diminishing returns and move on to other things. But time will tell
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Old 10-29-2021, 09:56 PM   #12
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Location: Eustis FLORIDA
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Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
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Originally Posted by mokibrabrant View Post
That's wonderful. Good luck with your transmission swap.
I can't drive 55. Top speed of this Bird is beyond the Mechanical limits of the speedo. Oh and it's very quiet. Just generates HP and TQ. Not noise and heat and internal damage to components.
Sounds like my shorty with 3.42 rear. Very quiet and can have conversations at highway speeds.
Watching this thread- if it sells for the asking price mine may end up on the chopping block.
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Old 10-29-2021, 09:59 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Johnthebusboy View Post
Not buying the 100,000 miles. Seems too low by a 100,000 miles.
The regearing is a good thing but the price is a joke.
IDk- my bus has 64k on it original. Short buses often are used for special routes or otherwise may not live the same life as the other 100 40' buses on the lot. Yard I got mine from had like 4 or so all with low miles in impeccable shape with clean engines.
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Old 10-29-2021, 11:01 PM   #14
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Location: Bly Oregon
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Year: 1986
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Cummins 350 big cam
Rated Cap: 86 passengers?
Prices are whatever the market will bear. If something is priced too high with clearly no room to bargain I don't bother to pursue that item.
I will say that changing the gear ratio on the "new Crown" was a good thing. With the new Crown hitting redline about 63 mph I wanted a higher top speed. Since I gained 100+ hp with the engine replacement, I felt a gear change was a good thing. Being a tandem axle caused the price to get double that of a two axle bus it wasn't cheap. Based on my test drive with the new gearing, cruising at 70 mph is no problem. If I wanted to get a little past redline, I think 80 is possible. Several of the western states have high speed limits (80 mph). I don't want to be going 55 in an 80 speed zone. I think I may even get reasonable fuel economy.

The other day I went past the bus yard in Klamath Falls and there was a bunch of buses with the "school bus" painted over. Maybe a sale coming soon? One of them was a shorty like the one in the posting.
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Old 11-01-2021, 12:07 AM   #15
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Moderator hat on...

Cut it out with the disparaging comments (and more) in people's for-sale threads. Or in any threads, really. If you don't have anything nice to say...
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Old 11-01-2021, 10:35 AM   #16
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If anyone needs a refresher, the community rules are here.
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Old 11-03-2021, 01:11 AM   #17
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Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 709
Year: 2003
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: TC2000 28ft
Engine: Cummins ISB 5.9 24v, MD3060
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Regear

want to regear a TC2000 from 5.29. What did you need to do it? I also want a locker if anyone has found one.
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Old 11-03-2021, 04:23 AM   #18
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Location: Bly Oregon
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Year: 1986
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Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Cummins 350 big cam
Rated Cap: 86 passengers?
In my case I researched what make and model of differentials were installed in my bus. Using the websites I posted a link to I figured out what would be a good gear ratio for my bus.

I then researched what gear ratios were available for my differentials. I picked the ratio that gave me close to the highway speed I wanted my bus to work at. In my case I changed from a 4.10 ratio to 3.42. I went to Fleetpride (a chain of parts stores that serve the over the road driver) and determined the availability and cost of the parts needed. In this case the main parts guy had a place that they could ship the pumpkins (center part of the differential with the gears) to and have the work done. I made arrangements with the mechanic that replaced my engine to do the labor part of the work. He worked with Fleetpride all the time so that part was easy. He removed both pumpkins while the re-builder built and shipped a front and rear set of pumpkins to Fleetpride. When the mechanic took both of my pumpkins out of the bus he discovered that Crown had installed two front pumpkins instead of a front and rear. One got sent back and it was replaced with a second front. Both pumpkins were installed. All was good at that point.



I knew that the speedometer wouldn't read correctly at that point so I used a GPS to see correct speed.


Later I took the bus for a test drive and found that 70 mph came real easy, so I kept an eye on my speed. (I live in rural Oregon and we only have 2 lane country roads out here and the State Troopers would put down their lunch to ticket an old schoolie going 70 mph out here.)


For my part a lot of the effort was the research to determine what ratio, and availability and sourcing of parts. The labor was the cheaper part.


One bonus - you end up with fresh differentials when your done.


Also keep in mind I have about 430 hp with that big cam I reconfigured to a big cam III.


If you still have a low torque low HP engine, and drastically change the gear ratio, it won't work very well. (think clutch, lugging on hills)


I would question the wisdom of putting a locker differential on a schoolie. Most schoolies are meant to be used on paved roads. When I rode the school bus growing up in Colonie N.Y. I recall they put chains on the buses when needed even though they salted the roads. I have chains for both Crowns for just in case.
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Old 11-03-2021, 05:14 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
IDk- my bus has 64k on it original. Short buses often are used for special routes or otherwise may not live the same life as the other 100 40' buses on the lot. Yard I got mine from had like 4 or so all with low miles in impeccable shape with clean engines.
One thing I've noticed in my lot since I've been working as a school bus driver is that our shorties generally rack up a lot more miles than the full-size buses. The full-sizers generally just take kids to/from the immediate neighborhood so they only rack up a few miles a day, slow speed and with lots of stops and starts. The shorties take a small number of kids long distances to other parts of Philly (my current run takes one vision-impaired kid to a school for the blind 15 miles away, so it puts about 60 miles a day on the odometer plus another 40 for an even longer mid-day run).

The good news is that both kinds are crap to begin with (all C2s) and beaten all to hell (they're all rusted on the inside already and most are 1 year old) and I would never dream of buying one of these used.
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Old 11-03-2021, 08:43 AM   #20
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Quote:
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One thing I've noticed in my lot since I've been working as a school bus driver is that our shorties generally rack up a lot more miles than the full-size buses. The full-sizers generally just take kids to/from the immediate neighborhood so they only rack up a few miles a day, slow speed and with lots of stops and starts. The shorties take a small number of kids long distances to other parts of Philly (my current run takes one vision-impaired kid to a school for the blind 15 miles away, so it puts about 60 miles a day on the odometer plus another 40 for an even longer mid-day run).

The good news is that both kinds are crap to begin with (all C2s) and beaten all to hell (they're all rusted on the inside already and most are 1 year old) and I would never dream of buying one of these used.
I think my bus and the one just like it were for picking up just a few special needs kids. Was a huge bus yard. The biggest I've ever seen.
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