Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-24-2018, 07:54 PM   #1
New Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 4
Question Need help deciding what bus to get

i was just wondering if someone could steer me in the right direction on what bus to purchase. the first and most important is that i will be traveling with my jeep being towed behind me on a trailer. my gf and i would like to have a queen size bed and a bathroom with a shower. we will also have 2 dogs with us. she is on the skinner side while im on the larger side at 6' 4". any help is greatly appreciated. really like the size of a mid size with the handicap door but idk.

mtown96 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2018, 01:00 AM   #2
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 12
Hi
You've given some good info., a bit more would be helpful.

How do you plan on using the bus. Full time with all your belongings, staying at campgrounds or boondocking / dry camping? Will you need space for adventure gear? What temperature zones will you be primarily in?
I personally want to keep moving, chasing the nice 75° weather. Do you want Gas or Diesel?

You can also look for a bus for sale, that have been started already by someone. Many times 'it's difficult to see such a big project through. I'm into my second month and still have a long ways to go.

You can also keep it really simple, remove the seats, bolt down the furniture you need and go.

Buses come in different styles, commonly flat nose, a conventional (dog nosed is what I call them) and the smaller van chassis type. There are pros and cons to each style. There are better names for these as well. I think the vans are class B's and the bigger ones are class C's. You'll have to do more research.
At 6-4 you may be looking for good head room. School buses come in 3 different heights. Fastest way to tell is by looking at the drives window compared to the first passenger window right behind it. It's the passenger window behind it is level with the top of the driver's window, it's a standard ceiling height. It goes up slightly between the two windows it's a high roof, if it drops down a bit it's a low roof.
Some people convert city transit buses because they have higher head room, but also tend to have really high mileage and not geared for highway speed. (Of course most school buses are not all that fast either) If you have the money, a commercial tour bus is a nice higher ceiling.
The year of manufacturing matters. 04 and earlier, don't have the emissions standards issues, 05-06 are middle years that the standards went up some, affecting both emissions and performance. 07 and on up met the full emissions standards, emissions went down and so did performance and maintenance costs went up.

These are just a few of the things to consider, plus there are exceptions and other details that may or may not be important to you.
You should also look into roof raises as an option for head room.

I'm sure I've forgotten to mention some other things. It's late and I'm ready to sleep. Just keep researching. One good debate is on what is the best diesel engine to have.
There are a few that are known as the most problem ones, but everybody has there own personal opinions.
Rogue 1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2018, 08:50 AM   #3
New Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 4
the vision that i have i will be boondocking and never stop exploring. i am a big jeep guy and hope to travel out west a go to all the jeep trails and eventually end up in Alaska. having a small garage in the back would be nice for like bike stuff. i have a bike rack on the back of my jeep so ill keep the bikes there. i wouldn't head out west till it started cooling down a little but it will still be hot. once i get to Alaska then i will probably stay there until it got cold then come back south.
mtown96 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2018, 11:08 AM   #4
Bus Geek
 
brokedown's Avatar
 
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
Boondocking is easier with a shorter bus, living comfortable is easier with a bigger bus. I've got a 24 ft Vista and a 32 ft TC2000 and it's absurd how much of a difference those extra feet make... but I won't be parking my TC2000 outside Starbucks between two Priuses!

My suggestion is to plan out what functionality you need and what is optional. And without a roof raise I think you're not going to be able to avoid headroom issues. My TC2000 has the 77 inch height option and I'm not sure if anything came bigger.
__________________
Keep up with us and our build!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter
brokedown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2018, 12:35 PM   #5
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Foot of the siskiyou mountains Oregon.
Posts: 222
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Thomas / international
Chassis: International
Engine: Dt 360/ spicer 5 speed
Rated Cap: 42
Might want to look in to a roof raise in the future.i have a Thomas body 28' "high" bus and I think I only have about 6'4" clearance on the inside.
SolomonEagle is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
bus advice, bus size, size, trailer

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:44 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.