Converting an IC FE300 from a single rear axle to a tandem axle setup.

[John W. Miller]

Very good info, thanks for the support. The engine mods are secondary projects at this point, but very much appreciated for the future. Starting to get knowledge from other sources already. Thx again!

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

for the engine mods reach out to carson staufer diesel.
my son is rebuilding and turning up a DT360 and they have been very helpful with knowledge and the upgrade parts.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

also there was a member here that bought a used kenworth and swapped alot of stuff into there ford bus.
i dont know if they did a tandem axle but maybe check there thread.
dave and kennys kenworth.

[La Camioneta]

Sounds like sell the bus and get a stretched-frame road tractor with a condo sleeper? FWIW a straight truck with tandems is terrible off-road without both differential locks and inter-axle locks. And then its going straight ahead.

But if you must, the International 7600s with the waterfall grill had that as an option. Get the air switches from the dash also.

[rossvtaylor]

Originally Posted by La Camioneta

FWIW a straight truck with tandems is terrible off-road without both differential locks and inter-axle locks. And then its going straight ahead.

Haha! I learned that the hard way, in our Sterling with both locks. Let's just say that the steering wheel was a bit ineffective...

[John W. Miller]

Very good, thank you so much. I will look for that thread.

[John W. Miller]

Thank you, but no thank you.... I'll work with what I got.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by La Camioneta

Sounds like sell the bus and get a stretched-frame road tractor with a condo sleeper? FWIW a straight truck with tandems is terrible off-road without both differential locks and inter-axle locks. And then its going straight ahead.

But if you must, the International 7600s with the waterfall grill had that as an option. Get the air switches from the dash also.

-----------------
I agree with all of this, mechanicals specifically matched. Great candidate, I'm partial to International, too.

Paint yellow, add windows

(Bob's Ford, local friend)

Same as the International 7600, Ford L9000 are offered in a variety of combos, tandem, tridem, 4x4, 6x6... and then some.


This one (pictued) is only $6k, additional details in the advertisement:
www.truckpaper.com/listings/1994-ford-l9000
Has a military (58,000 lb) rear end & frame. LARGE 16:00R21 tires, Dual Lockers, 160" BOC to Trunion

(I miss BNmbl)

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by Sehnsucht

There's also the issue of gear ratio. Semi truck drive axles have an additional reduction gear in the differential. If you ever look closely, you'll notice the drive shaft doesn't go into the first axle in the center of the differential but is closer to the top and often offset. This provides a gearset which further reduces rotational speed for increased torque. So without further gearing changes elsewhere you'd likely find your top end speed significantly reduced! Big rigs have 10- to 18-speed transmissions which make up for this gearing but without changing out your transmission as well you're mismatching transmission and drive axles.

Uh, no they don't. At least none that I've seen do. The gear you're talking about is the power splitter or interaxle differential, and then a set of helical gears to deliver power to the front pinion gear. The reason the driveshaft doesn't enter the front of the first axle is because it can't, the differential is there. So it enters in the top, goes through the power splitter, which splits power to the helical gears and front pinion, and out the back of the differential to power the rear "conventional" looking axle. There is no ratio change in a power splitter or the helical gears. The ratio is still whatever the ring and pinion determine it to be.

Some of them can have a dual range feature, but that's just like a 2 speed axle found on old buses and dump trucks.

Certain trucks can use what's called double reduction axles, where it has a ring and pinion ratio coupled with a planetary ratio at the wheel end. But you usually only see that stuff in the military or mining equipment. Only place that I know of where OTR trucks commonly use double reduction is over in australia on the road trains.

Dana did come out with their advantek axle a few years ago that uses a planetary mounted on the front of a conventional splitter, and then some more hardware that will disconnect the rear axle at highway speeds. But that axle isn't all that common to find, at least I've never seen one.

Regardless, all of those axles still have a defined ratio, and there isn't some magic formula that requires them to have a special trans or something. If you want a 4.33, then look for one with a 4.33. I've seen them from low 2.xx all the way to 7.xx.

[John W. Miller]

Booyah45828
Thank you for information that I can actually put to use. This is the stuff that helps me, knowledge, not just advise..... thank you again

[La Camioneta]

Originally Posted by John W. Miller

Thank you, but no thank you.... I'll work with what I got.

Putting tandem axles underneath a school bus for extra weight hauling does nothing to strengthen the bus frame.

So you add an axle, do you double the frame to strengthen it for the intended usage?

School busses are purpose built to a price point. The reason they don't have tandems (Crowns excluded) is that tandems are overkill for the mission. No reason to put 56k# of axles underneath a frame built for 26K#. Same goes for horsepower/transmission.

So chop up your bus beyond any ability to re-sell it, overload the frame and bend it up and you will have achieved your mission of a twin-screw skoolie that is unusable. You sure showed me!

[John W. Miller]

La Camioneta
You are more than welcome, any time I can help La Camioneta.....

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by John W. Miller

La Camioneta
You are more than welcome, any time I can help La Camioneta.....

----------------------
Welcome? Check out his Chicken Bus, he has always has been welcome.
Any time, you say, how about now. Help us to see your bus & your vision.

Post a few photos of your bus & the modifications you've completed thus far. Each of us are all proud of our hard work. (Unless we hide it.) I'm sure we can all learn from your accomplishments. Let's see that bus!

To receive answers, specific to your rig, fill out the User Profile. Add a Registry file so we can keep up with all the mods you are working on. Start a build thread, to document the details, as you build. Some members won't even respond, until we complete a few details.


(early toy hauler)
John, feel free to peruse my photos. You are also welcome to read my tutorials, located below, anytime. We are all here to help. Others don't stay long.

[John W. Miller]

DeMac,
I have two school buses: 2003 & 2004 IC FE buses bought from a School District auction. I am still in the crawling stage, not ready to walk yet..... Lol.
Both are registered as a MH, so some basics are completed. Water storage, portable toilet and propane cook top.
My reason to join this forum is to make contact with an individual that has actually attempted or completed the conversion from a single rear axle to a tandem/dual rear axle. KNOWLEDGE is my need, ADVISE/OPINION has been completely covered at this point. So, if you DO NOT have KNOWLEDGE to pass along, PLEASE keep any further NEGATIVE opinions to yourself..... Momma on many occasions has told me, if you cannot say anything nice to or about someone or something, do not say anything.... God rest her soul.
Once I have gotten enough research completed and have chosen the tandem set up I want, there will be photos. Happy New Year and thanks to those that have provided KNOWLEDGE. My OPINION tank is completely FULL. I hope you catch my drift?

[DeMac]

(1963 Gillig, before)

John W. Miller,

This forum exists for anyone who wants to discuss bus related info. Thanks for joining us.

Good & Bad ideas are discussed here frequently, differing views are offered and the discussions remain available for future readers to discover & digest. It's all good info, constructive or otherwise.

I do enjoy reading your destructive/constructive ideas & look forward to seeing photos. Please continue your quest & update us along the way.


(after)

More details about the Porsche hauler, in the photos above:
www.skoolie.net/Porsche-Inspired-1963-Gillig

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

thanks for joining and discussing buses.
you are getting differing ideas because no one here has done what you are trying to squeeze out of us.
there are some truck drivers here that had already given you there opinion about a tandem rear set up and in my experience of trying to deal with tractor trailer deliveries in a muddy ass job site then you need to have a piece of equipment available to unload on hard pan/pavement or have something than move them to good ground when not if they bury down.
just this week i had to pull out a 30' tandem axle 6 wheel drive crane when one of the mats slipped out from under him in a turn and all 6 trying to free the one wheel through all the mats out from under it and then i got to crawl through the mud to dig in to get chains on him to be able to pull him out with by 300 ex. and 10k rough terrain fork lift and yes it took both.
so even with full lock up which a standard tandem does not have you can still get stuck.
and read the coach forums about the tag axle unpowered high centering on a bump and lifting the drive axle off the ground.
like i mentioned find a wrecked tractor with twin drive axles and swap them in and you will have what you want and don t say you were not warned about the performance if you are not happy with it.
hell just go watch some of the logging shows on TV?

[John W. Miller]

I have been warned, I got it, I understand, good to go...
I do watch logging shows, I do watch Ice Road trucking and recovery shown. I've never seen a standard school bus on any of those shows try to handle the task at hand.... Maybe I missed that episode?
Thx for your input

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

no.
no school buses on there.
some of the oilfield companies use buses.
but the theory/idea of tandem axle is still the same whether whether straight chassis bus/box truck or split tractor trailer sometimes the extra weight helps and i have separated tractor trailers from the weight and it still not move without help.
just an opinion.
you have yours and if you believe and have the skills/tools and you are looking for knowledge then you can achieve it.
everyone else has aggravated you with there opinion so i thought i would throw mine in. no one here has done that conversion here so please keep us posted but you are barking up the wrong tree trying to find someone here to mentor you.
find a wrecked semi with what you want and swap everything you want over to a bus and go have fun.
after several years of building and fabricating what you want.
anything is doable as long as you believe and follow through to complete what you believe.

[John W. Miller]

You are 100% correct, I do not need to be in this forum. I will take the information that I find helpful and Drive On elsewhere. Skoolie.Net was a good starting point for sure.....

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

didnt say you didnt belong here?
you are more than welcome to be here.
just advice for what you want to achieve is not here yet?
hope you will bring your journey and struggles here to share with us because you might create something that we will strive to achieve ourselves.
hopefully you find the resource you are looking for.
but dont forget about this site because we couldnt give you the knowledge you seek.
a bus is still a bus with bus problems and there are alot of bus knowledgeable people here.
there are 4 wheel drive monster truck school buses out there on the tube or whatever so alot of time on google will find something?
my son follows something like oilburners .
best of luck