Bus Cutaway vs Full Size bus

[TheGnome]

Hellooo,

So my name is Miguel and I am a magical gnome who's in the game for a bus to convert to a mobile boutique/workshop/living situation. I'm currently looking for more information comparing the pros and cons of say a cabover/cutaway bus vs a flat nose or full nosed larger bus. I'm curious about handling, speeds, general driving information. I don't want to discredit these f350 type buses just because I'm not familiar with them.

The idea is find a bus that's about 9 rows (35pas) that I can travel around in on highways as well as some off-roading. Ultimate vision is to place another vehicle on top for a sleep area. I've seen the cutaways with attached roofs, but is there something more that I should know other than it's doable in terms of these kinda short buses? Any help available? Thank you!

[superdave]

lots of them out there, you better be a fabricater because that would get a little pricy if you pay to have it done. b t w theres an old micro bus in the paper here for 3 gran, would look great on top of a bus. good luck

[cowlitzcoach]

After hearing about what your ultimate plans are for your bus conversion I would say stay away from any bus built on an E-350/450, G3500/4500, or P-30 chassis bus. Those chassis are usually close to the maximum GVWR before you do anything to them. Most have a payload capacity of about 2,000 lbs. That doesn't allow for very much in the way of additions.

A lot of people opt for the smaller buses due to lack of space to park the bus or want to be able to urban camp for free. It is much easier to hide a 25' bus that is only a little more than 8' high than it is to hide a 40' bus that is more than 9' tall.

The cost of original purchase is not that different between small buses and big buses. The cost of operating tends to be a little higher on the smaller buses due to the fact everything wears out a lot faster. Yes the parts and pieces might be less expensive but when you replace them 3 or 4 times as often it gets more expensive. Fuel costs for operating are not that different--small buses get 10-14 MPG and large buses get 7-12 MPG.

At the end of the day only you can determine which bus will meet your needs the best. But if you intend to put an addition on the roof you will need a bus platform that can handle the addition of that much weight that high off the ground.

Good luck and happy trails to you.

[1olfart]

Welcome Gnome. I'm not "the go too guy" on much, or anything for that matter, but thought the bookmobiles currently on the Gov. Surplus auction sight might be a good size for your plans
Good luck