New member from Cincinnati, Ohio

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by WimMorre

Hey guys,
It looks like a bus weighs around 30.000 pounds, (considering we get a 40') so I was wondering how much it weighs once it's finished.
And is there a total amount that one should not go over, as to put not too much stress on the engine etc.
Thanks!!

Wim

The GROSS may be in the 30k range, but a forty foot bus weighs around 20k +/-.

[WimMorre]

Thanks Bus geek,
So if the bus weighs around 20k, I guess one adds about 10k in all the remodeling...
That's cool,

[PNW_Steve]

I just made a 300 mile trip in my Bluebird using to move my household. I had it loaded pretty heavy. I have a good running 8.3 Cummins and Allison MD3060.
The trip cemented in my mind the need to be mindful of weight in my conversion.

It moved the weight without complaint but I did have to slow significantly over the mountain passes.

A suggestion: Take the rated passenger capacity of your bus, multiply it by 60lbs and try to keep the weight of your conversion well under that total.

[cadillackid]

school kids are Fat these days.. maybe use 100 lbs..
-Christopher

[oricha1984]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

school kids are Fat these days.. maybe use 100 lbs..
-Christopher

"The number of overweight children in the United States has grown at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids considered overweight or obese. Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, phone, tablet, or video-game console."

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by oricha1984

"The number of overweight children in the United States has grown at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids considered overweight or obese. Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, phone, tablet, or video-game console."

Sad, isn't it?
Oh well- job security for us old people! lol
Seriously though. We can't find any young guys who can keep up with the landscaping. They just wanna stare at a cellphone all day.
Generation LAME!

[cadillackid]

whats wierd.. is i grew up in the 70s and 80s (born in 6.. our big thing as kids was when we got our own TV set for our rooms.. and then I got my first computer in 1979. through the 80s I was a computer-kid but still I couldnt stand to be stuck in one spot.. I needed to exercise...

to this day when im writing code.. one of the things that helops me fix big issues is long walks... its not uncommon for me to walk a 10 mile day... walk-compute-coffee-walk-compute-busride repeat.. the Walk helps.. I often hear of my colleafgues and friends having issues with code they are working on and if I drag them out of their Hole for even 15 minutes to walk in the summer air.. they feel rejuvenated and fresh... im convinced alot of the depression kids are going through is lack of light, lack of motion, lack of scenery...

theres a reason I write code in my school bus parked in a city or near a beach, or along ab usy highway... theres a reason my best programming has come when ive taken long walks...

depression often leads to eating...
-Christopher

[leadsled01]

I agree ...

Originally Posted by cadillackid

... im convinced alot of the depression kids are going through is lack of light, lack of motion, lack of scenery...



depression often leads to eating...
-Christopher

[WimMorre]

Thanks Steve,
So would I be correct to say that if we were to get an 84 seater and multiply that by 60 which is a total of 5040 pounds.
So how much does a total conversion usually weigh? I guess it'd be different for everybody. I just wonder how much weight is being added by all the building materials, stove, fridge, beds etc. all of it.
And how do you know without have first weighing it (seats removed) to being completely finished?
Do you know how much you added to your bus?
Like always, thanks so much!

[Tango]

Hey Chris...there is even a term for taking a break for a walk or any such non-work related activity. It is often referred to as the "Creative Digestion Period". Getting you head freed up from any problem more often than not allows the mind to relax and let the answer come to the top.

Some of the greatest minds that ever lived found their biggest answers not in the lab or at a desk...but in the tub...or after a nap...or...on a walk.

The human brain is easier to exercise than it is to relax.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by WimMorre

Thanks Steve,
So would I be correct to say that if we were to get an 84 seater and multiply that by 60 which is a total of 5040 pounds.
So how much does a total conversion usually weigh? I guess it'd be different for everybody. I just wonder how much weight is being added by all the building materials, stove, fridge, beds etc. all of it.
And how do you know without have first weighing it (seats removed) to being completely finished?
Do you know how much you added to your bus?
Like always, thanks so much!

the GVWR of a bus is the MAX total weight that bus is built to handle..

what I would do is first buy a bus and take and get it weighed.. befiore you take out the seats or anything.. fill it up with fuel and go to the Cat scales (many pilot truck stops have the scales).. then go home and take out all the seats, strip the floors, interior etc of anything you are going to remove.. now go back to the CAT scales and weigh in..

now you'll know how much weight you took out of your bus.. you also know what weight you are at and how much you can put in..

there should be rating plates of each axle as well so be sure to distribute your weight.. there are threads about distributing weight..

-Christopher

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Tango

Hey Chris...there is even a term for taking a break for a walk or any such non-work related activity. It is often referred to as the "Creative Digestion Period". Getting you head freed up from any problem more often than not allows the mind to relax and let the answer come to the top.

Some of the greatest minds that ever lived found their biggest answers not in the lab or at a desk...but in the tub...or after a nap...or...on a walk.

The human brain is easier to exercise than it is to relax.

dont forget a School-Bus ride!!! solved a few issues driving the busses!
-Christopher

[WimMorre]

Thanks Christopher,
That makes sense about the weight. Hadn't really thought about the distribution of the weight either. Boy, there sure is a lot to consider, that's for sure.

[chev49]

In all the bus conversions i have done, i have never worried about the weight as no matter what i have added for conversion has always been within the weight limits of the axles. this includes very large holding tanks, generator, etc. Reason being for example is that RE 84 pax with all the seats, n full adult passengers, n full compartments underneith are rarely going to weigh more than the conversion parts...

[WimMorre]

Thanks chev49, that makes me feel a whole lot better...