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07-24-2019, 12:01 PM
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#1
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Got Ballast?
My 2007 Thomas Minotour has a stack of four 1/2” inch thick steel plates that span the frame rails at the very back just ahead of the bumper, what’s this for? It’s all n the way of my trailer hitch installation. Think it can go?.
There’s a (Chevy) factory crossmember just ahead of it.
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07-24-2019, 12:58 PM
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#2
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Philadelpiha Pennsylvania
Posts: 397
Year: 2007
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: FE Bus
Engine: DT-466 7.6L Turbo Diesel
Rated Cap: 77
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That's where the armor plating attaches for bomb proofing your bus.
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07-24-2019, 03:32 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Lebanon, Indiana
Posts: 911
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Winnebago
Chassis: Ford F53
Engine: Ford Triton V-10
Rated Cap: currently 2
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Does the Chevy frame extend all the way to the rear bumper or were these maybe some sort of reinforcement to carry the weight of bodywork which extended past the end of the frame? Sorry I cannot tell from the photos but I recall my grandfather running into this issue with a class C RV which wasn't built to tow but when he went to install a hitch discovered the frame ended two feet from the bumper and the rest was just light weight steel to carry the body but would never withstand the weight or torsion of a towable. They had to weld in even more heavier steel and then beef up the suspension to compensate so after all was said and done it would have been cheaper to just trade up to a tow-rated RV.
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07-24-2019, 03:41 PM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,349
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Thomas 4 window w/lift
Chassis: G30~Chevy cutaway
Engine: 5.7/350 Chevy Vortec
Rated Cap: Just me and my "stuff"?
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Without a blueprint on your chassis, my guess would be added ballast for traction in winter driving, maybe?
Looks like its simply bolted on and could be removed fairly easily?
Better to get it straight from someone who knows, rather than going from some internet yahoo guessing at the construction engineering of your bus!
Good luck and keep us posted on what you find on that mystery metal...
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07-24-2019, 04:05 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sehnsucht
Does the Chevy frame extend all the way to the rear bumper or were these maybe some sort of reinforcement to carry the weight of bodywork which extended past the end of the frame? Sorry I cannot tell from the photos but I recall my grandfather running into this issue with a class C RV which wasn't built to tow but when he went to install a hitch discovered the frame ended two feet from the bumper and the rest was just light weight steel to carry the body but would never withstand the weight or torsion of a towable. They had to weld in even more heavier steel and then beef up the suspension to compensate so after all was said and done it would have been cheaper to just trade up to a tow-rated RV.
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Sounds like another great reason to be doing what we are doing.
The frame rails are continuous C channels that came from the GM factory. The stack of plates wouldn’t be for extending a frame. The only thing I can think of is ballast for a more stable ride or better traction. I think 50 gallons of water can replace that.
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07-24-2019, 04:26 PM
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#6
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Picton,Ont, Can.
Posts: 1,956
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: Cat 3116
Rated Cap: 72
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Check your headlight adjustment before removing and after. Beams would lower when removed I think, might give you better vision or worse in the dark. Better to know where headlights are aimed before removal.
They seem to far back from the axle for traction but might dampen the shocks a bit. Does the rear end bounce hard on bumps, railway crossings?
John
__________________
Question everything!
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07-24-2019, 04:45 PM
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#7
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackJohn
Check your headlight adjustment before removing and after. Beams would lower when removed I think, might give you better vision or worse in the dark. Better to know where headlights are aimed before removal.
They seem to far back from the axle for traction but might dampen the shocks a bit. Does the rear end bounce hard on bumps, railway crossings?
John
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Good idea to check the headlight adjustment. I’ll do a before and after on that.
I’ll take note of the bounce and see if it changes.
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07-24-2019, 05:49 PM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Lebanon, Indiana
Posts: 911
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Winnebago
Chassis: Ford F53
Engine: Ford Triton V-10
Rated Cap: currently 2
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I'm not disagreeing with the theory that they're ballast to improve the ride but this seems to me like a bass-ackwards way to accomplish said objective.
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07-24-2019, 06:00 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sehnsucht
I'm not disagreeing with the theory that they're ballast to improve the ride but this seems to me like a bass-ackwards way to accomplish said objective.
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it’s a simple solution. Chevy makes an incomplete van. It could be a box truck, could be a bus. They might have a couple different options for suspension, but when not knowing the final configuration, they wouldn’t be able to deliver a balance chassis. So bolting cheap weight to the frame is an easy fix.
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07-24-2019, 08:13 PM
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#10
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Weeki Wachee, FL
Posts: 3,056
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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A friend of mine got a TC1000 and it had ballast on it. Somewhere between making the big bus suspension work on a small bus and balancing out the weight of the fuel tank it clearly made sense at the factory.
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