can I ... or should I just avoid beer now?

[prof.fate]

OK..looking at some auctions and I see buses going sometimes very very cheap...

now how many buses does one man need?

BUT i could use a really good 'truck' - daily driver instead of say an F350 or such, I can tow my TT and use it for other things.

But i don't need 40' of vehicle for that - kinda hassle like to go to the walmart in the bus.

SO...what about cutting one in half? Seems cutting the body won't be too challenging...I've helped section a frame on an old truck, can weld...so just drop all the mechanicls, remove a chunk and put it back together, right?

make an "f650" type pickup..just a bit taller. an FE flat nose would be one suber uber van!



So...feasible? Practical? Or should I just avoid drinking and thinking at the same time?

I'm seeing used buses, running/driving for under $1k. Some for half that. I can't find ANY truck for anything close to that, let alone a diesel. Or stepvan even.

[cadillackid]

my latest bus's intention is to be more of a daily driver... it is a 6 row.. has cruise / air cond/ tilt / air-seat / air-ride / power passenger door / tinted windows... add a stereo and I have well a pretty decent daily driver... why not right? I love driving a bus around... yeah for real I do... a big truck like that is going to go for what? 50-60k? heck I couyld do a H*ll of a lot to my bus for half that!!

my original bus I still have and it is my mobile DEV lab / sort of half-ass camper.. i did add A/C.. but really I can haul stuff in a bus.. I can take people to dinner, I can get grocieries, go to big lots, and even travel across the country.. so why not..

I say forget the F-550 and make a Schoolie as your Daily driver
-Christopher

[cadillackid]

oh I should add that my latest bus is a 6 window... no need to cut it in half... it is just shy of 21 feet.. i venture to say that my old 1976 eldorado cadillac was close to 19...

and that a dually crew cab truck is probably close to that... so buy yourself a little 6 row bus... my Blue-bird even has smaller tires so its low enough to the ground to be able to load stuff into its rear door.. and low steps for the side door...

-Christopher
P.S. this and my last post are likely influenced my Mr. Royal.. that would be Mr. Crown Royal

[milkmania]

couldn't make me drink a beer if you said it was the last thing ever to drink...

now, Crown Royal, El Jimador Tequila, and Maker's Mark... that's a different story!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by milkmania

couldn't make me drink a beer if you said it was the last thing ever to drink...

now, Crown Royal, El Jimador Tequila, and Maker's Mark... that's a different story!

Crown Royal!!!!!!!

[1olfart]

MM

We drink on the same level. Throw in some old#7, and some Jose Gold and we have a skool party.

[prof.fate]

So it's a 'real' bus and not a van/bus?
What's the inside dimension (length?)
MPG? I assume a 'real' diesel/allison setup?

Originally Posted by cadillackid

oh I should add that my latest bus is a 6 window... no need to cut it in half... it is just shy of 21 feet.. i venture to say that my old 1976 eldorado cadillac was close to 19...

and that a dually crew cab truck is probably close to that... so buy yourself a little 6 row bus... my Blue-bird even has smaller tires so its low enough to the ground to be able to load stuff into its rear door.. and low steps for the side door...

-Christopher
P.S. this and my last post are likely influenced my Mr. Royal.. that would be Mr. Crown Royal

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by prof.fate

So it's a 'real' bus and not a van/bus?
What's the inside dimension (length?)
MPG? I assume a 'real' diesel/allison setup?

yes its a short 'REAL' bus... its an IHC 3800 with sn AT545 / T-444E engine.
I dont have the inside dimensions... its a 6 window + driver window... its currently in ohio so i cant easily measure it right now...

its Lifetime MPG is about 9.5.. when I ran it from Florida to Ohio after having it Service I got 10-10.5 running 65 MPH... the variasnce came as part of my Journey is in the smokies (up to 3000 feet).. and some of the time I ran the Air-Conditioner... though it wasnt super hot so the A/C kicked out a lot.. it didnt make a Huge MPG difference... presumably the hills did because of the AT545 running against the non-Lockup converter...

since that bus has little 225-70R19.5 tires on it (3.56 gears.. it was bought that way for a Low step height (elementary kids)... the height of the bus is also much lower than a Bus which has 11R22.5 tires on it .. im sure that helps with the MPG...

My carpenter running at 65 (its nearly Max speed) drops severely in Mileage... its a DT-360 / AT545.. it goes down in the 6s or 7s.. (I havent had it on a long road trip with cooler weather so all of its experience on the same ohio-florida route has been with both Air-conditioners Blasting...

-Christopher

[prof.fate]

I expect a big bus, due to weight, getting poor mpg.

Don't the dodge pickups with cummins get in the 20s? While a bus won't be as aerodynamic I was hoping 15 not 9...

[Jolly Roger]

A lot of the farmers around here are buying them and chopping everything off but the drivers area and around 2' of the sides above the floor to make crop haulers.
My rear axle weight is 16000 so I think you should look into some of the toy hauler builds on here and buy a bus and build your platform idea from there. Full size Meen's you get the heavy duty frame and capacity plus if you chop stuff off you gain the loss of weight that you can haul. Minus your added bed? Sorry you seem like the add different parts type? Buy a bus and make it what you want .
If you can weld,know steel and aren't scared to work it then go for it.
Except for the frame? Unless you know how to deal with tempered steel?
I almost want to make this my signature and nothing that reference's you or your intentions.
The only thing restraining you from what you want to do is the lack of knowledge about what you want to do? once it is a plan expect the actuall conditions to change as you execute that plan......
Everything works on paper but never quite fits when you mesh them together
Make sketches for everything before you start and figure out where every piece start to finish will or won't fit before you make your first decision? Sorry I am usually the one stuck at the end trying to figure out the engineers intention and how to solve the problem to make everyone happy? And here lately I am usually calling the engineer to call BS and offer him a way out? But yeah many a beer or bottle has helped me do my daily job cause I can't keep up if I don't bring my work home and my many experiences at work have given me the knowledge to build my bus?
Good luck with your decisions.

[Carytowncat]

This is what i daydream about; making big trucks out of dump trucks. I had considered busses but after reading your post it is even more clear what a good idea it is. Now all i need is a big garage to work in

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by prof.fate

I expect a big bus, due to weight, getting poor mpg.

Don't the dodge pickups with cummins get in the 20s? While a bus won't be as aerodynamic I was hoping 15 not 9...

wind is a HUGE fsactor.. thus the height of a school Bus vs the height of a pickup truck..

weight is also Huge from pickup to Bus..

the diesel pickups may get in the 20s.. but they are what 1/3 the weight.. plus 3-5 feet shorted on average, with a sloped windshield instead of flat..


a honda Civic gets 43 MPG.. a pickup gets 23... if the difference in those 2 is that vast... the difference between pickup school bus can be too...

-Christopher

[prof.fate]

I've had an idea in the past..and tonight it's surfaced again..

Ok..what about a bus front/chassis..and the 'load' is changable..a cargo box, or a camper..or..whatever.

It would plug in, so to speak. YOu can get a camper for a pickup, so the idea isn't that odd, right?

I have a 28' camping trailer now - just lose the wheels and load it onto the back of the bus frame to go camping.

Tonight I DJ'd a gig and needed 2 systems plus a photobooth so I took my pickup and 12' cargo trailer...the parking lot there for load in/out sucks - i had a hard time getting turned around to unload and I was the only vehicle in the lot..at closing time there were 5 others..plus it was dark. There was no way to turn around.

For most gigs I use my subaru - so no trailer to deal wtih. Been thinking of a cargo trailer..but nights like tonight discourage it.

Considered a truck, van..something..but most are costly. I can probably, well I know, I can get a bus for less. Don't want 40' of one though..still ponderin the options.

BUt when I got the cargo trailer and it was stil empty I had visions fo what kind of basic camping vehicle it could be...

So the concept of a 'cartridge' .. good or lay off the vodka?

[Tootalltechie]

Originally Posted by prof.fate

I've had an idea in the past..and tonight it's surfaced again..

Ok..what about a bus front/chassis..and the 'load' is changable..a cargo box, or a camper..or..whatever.

It would plug in, so to speak. YOu can get a camper for a pickup, so the idea isn't that odd, right?

I have a 28' camping trailer now - just lose the wheels and load it onto the back of the bus frame to go camping.

Tonight I DJ'd a gig and needed 2 systems plus a photobooth so I took my pickup and 12' cargo trailer...the parking lot there for load in/out sucks - i had a hard time getting turned around to unload and I was the only vehicle in the lot..at closing time there were 5 others..plus it was dark. There was no way to turn around.

For most gigs I use my subaru - so no trailer to deal wtih. Been thinking of a cargo trailer..but nights like tonight discourage it.

Considered a truck, van..something..but most are costly. I can probably, well I know, I can get a bus for less. Don't want 40' of one though..still ponderin the options.

BUt when I got the cargo trailer and it was stil empty I had visions fo what kind of basic camping vehicle it could be...

So the concept of a 'cartridge' .. good or lay off the vodka?

Hmmm...Shipping container hauler?

Sent from my SM-G530W using Tapatalk

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by prof.fate

Ok..what about a bus front/chassis..and the 'load' is changeable..a cargo box, or a camper..or..whatever.

It would plug in, so to speak. You can get a camper for a pickup, so the idea isn't that odd, right?

. . .

So the concept of a 'cartridge' .. good or lay off the vodka?

I currently haul furniture for Havertys and they use 26' demountable boxes. These are built much like standard truck boxes but with 4 legs so they can be swapped for the empties. A tractor-trailer can haul 2 boxes, and each store has 2 (or more) straight trucks that are similarly set up to mount the boxes for home deliveries.

So. The idea has already been done, on a professional basis. No reason this couldn't be done on a 40' bus chassis, using 1 box for cargo, and building out another for camping/living (and another box if you needed a 3rd setup ...)

[prof.fate]

Hve to check into this..and have more vodka!