Future full timer saying howdy.

[cntryby]

Apparently I made a thread in the registry while trying to fill out my profile, so I thought I should introduce myself.


Currently I have an enclosed trailer I have set up to haul toys then quickly convert to camper once on location.


I am beginning my skoolie research as I am nearing retirement and plan on living in the skoolie most of the time. I will have a home base with a large shop I can return to for maintenance or any needed repairs.


I have a long way to go to get my head wrapped around what we want and our priorities for the bus. Even the 40 footers wont accommodate all I'd like to do.


A few of the questions I have are:

1. How / where do you find school auctions?
2. Pros and cons of a line-x'd roof?
3. Pros and cons of a residential fridge?
4. Is there a protocol for trading labor with fellow skoolies?

So:
A little about myself.


Dad of 4, grandpa of 4, married to a beautiful redheaded angle that spoils me rotten.


Love my dog, my horses and my toys.



I'm extremely old school self reliant.

Some of the skills I have to work on my projects:
I have worked as an industrial mechanic for 30 years, my current title is a mouthful... "Electro-mechanical technical specialist". I weld, have my own equipment, mig, tig, stick... etc. I worked as a machinist for 5 years and have my own mill and lathe. I've done upholstery work since I was a kid, and of course have my own equipment. I grew up restoring old houses and building church buildings with my dad and grandpa. I do all my own plumbing. I have and operate a backhoe, bulldozer and crane. I have my own manual sawmill, I can cut 40" X 40" X 24'. I farm a little. I've never taken our vehicles to a dealer or other mechanic, I do all my own service. Engines, trans, A/C, suspension...etc. ( I did send out the injection pump on the tractor one time.) Between my knowledge and youtube university I believe I can do most anything.


I've been very fortunate to have some incredibly intelligent people / family share a wealth of knowledge with me. It has allowed me to save a ton of money and ensure the work done to my equipment was done better than you'd receive from hiring it out.


When I get there I'd love to trade out some work. I don't think there's anything I couldn't do to a skoolie, but some of the work I see coming can be quite monotonous. Besides, it always fun to put in a days work while the chickens are on the smoker and the beers on ice!


BTW, thanks to all ya'll sharing the tons of info here, it's always easier to learn from those that have been there before you.



Brad... but most folks call me Papapoo.

[PNW_Steve]

Welcome Cntryby,

I think that you will fit right in here.

Auction sites:

Www.publicsurplus.com
Www.govdeals.com
Www.purplewave.com
Www.422sales.com

That is a start. I am sure others will chime in with additional sites.

Regarding refrigerators, I started out with an RV fridge in my first bus and my first 5th wheel. I replaced both with residential refrigerators. I will be installing a residential refrigerator in my new bus.

They are MUCH more energy efficient than RV refrigerators and have much more usable space, in the same footprint, than the RV refrigerators.

The down side, they won't run on propane. You will have to design your electrical system appropriately. Enough solar and battery to support it or more generator run time.

Take some time to browse the forums and read build threads and you will find answers to many of your questions.

Take care.

S.

[plfking]

Wish you were closer....I'd trade labor for beer and chicken!

You sound like you've got the skill-sets to handle this with no problem.

These guys aren't an auction, but they always have plenty of buses at decent prices. They advertise on Craiglist in the Ruckersville, Va. area.

Welcome to M and M Service and Salvage Yard Inc.

[gbstewart]

welcome to the dance . sounds like you have the skills for a fantastic build.
gbstewart

[2martins]

Originally Posted by cntryby

Apparently I made a thread in the registry while trying to fill out my profile, so I thought I should introduce myself.


Currently I have an enclosed trailer I have set up to haul toys then quickly convert to camper once on location.


I am beginning my skoolie research as I am nearing retirement and plan on living in the skoolie most of the time. I will have a home base with a large shop I can return to for maintenance or any needed repairs.


I have a long way to go to get my head wrapped around what we want and our priorities for the bus. Even the 40 footers wont accommodate all I'd like to do.


A few of the questions I have are:

1. How / where do you find school auctions?
2. Pros and cons of a line-x'd roof?
3. Pros and cons of a residential fridge?
4. Is there a protocol for trading labor with fellow skoolies?

So:
A little about myself.


Dad of 4, grandpa of 4, married to a beautiful redheaded angle that spoils me rotten.


Love my dog, my horses and my toys.



I'm extremely old school self reliant.

Some of the skills I have to work on my projects:
I have worked as an industrial mechanic for 30 years, my current title is a mouthful... "Electro-mechanical technical specialist". I weld, have my own equipment, mig, tig, stick... etc. I worked as a machinist for 5 years and have my own mill and lathe. I've done upholstery work since I was a kid, and of course have my own equipment. I grew up restoring old houses and building church buildings with my dad and grandpa. I do all my own plumbing. I have and operate a backhoe, bulldozer and crane. I have my own manual sawmill, I can cut 40" X 40" X 24'. I farm a little. I've never taken our vehicles to a dealer or other mechanic, I do all my own service. Engines, trans, A/C, suspension...etc. ( I did send out the injection pump on the tractor one time.) Between my knowledge and youtube university I believe I can do most anything.


I've been very fortunate to have some incredibly intelligent people / family share a wealth of knowledge with me. It has allowed me to save a ton of money and ensure the work done to my equipment was done better than you'd receive from hiring it out.


When I get there I'd love to trade out some work. I don't think there's anything I couldn't do to a skoolie, but some of the work I see coming can be quite monotonous. Besides, it always fun to put in a days work while the chickens are on the smoker and the beers on ice!


BTW, thanks to all ya'll sharing the tons of info here, it's always easier to learn from those that have been there before you.



Brad... but most folks call me Papapoo.

Welcome! I was sorry to read you are across the country from me because I would LOVE to share labor. If you want to come out West before you are done, give me a shout. I'm from TN originally and I can tell you that working on an uninsulated bus is a LOT more pleasant in the mountains of Nevada than it is in Georgia.

I am going to start off with an old chest freezer that we plan to convert to a fridge. Apparently we can just add or change a thermostat and it's much more efficient than a fridge. It also gives you counter space when it's not open. If it drives us nuts we'll have plenty of room for something else because the footprint is bigger than a stand up fridge.

And it was free off craigslist, so....

I have a stand up freezer in my garage that I got on sale about 10 CF for $400 so if the conversion part works great but we can't stand the chest style I will probably replace it with that and use the chest freezer in my garage instead.