Diesel Vs. Gas Powered Bus

[joelcharlesross]

Hello everybody,

I am getting ready to purchase a bus from Greg Archambault, to haul my household goods from Michigan to California. It's actually cheaper to buy a bus than it is to rent a U-Haul truck! I then plan to convert it after we make the move. Any thoughts on diesel vs. gas powered engines. I have owned new diesel and gas powered motorhomes which were covered by warranties. I am a little concerned about the cost of maintenance on diesels. Greg's son Matt is a big diesel fan but warned of the cost to repair them vs. gas. Anybody finding a use for a wheelchair lift? Some of their buses have them. Thanks

[lapeer20m]

one advantage of diesel buses is that they seldom need repair. I've driven over 60K miles in diesel buses and yet to be stranded....except for that little incident on the beach in texas.....but that was more of a traction issue.

[dlor1]

Diesel's the way to go. The fuel may be more expensive but it is a more efficient robust motor than a gas. Plus you can run several types of fuel in a diesel.

[whodat]

greg archambault would be http://www.floridachurchbus.com . he only participates in ONE skoolie group, the BEST skoolie group where you can find extensive discussions about diesel vs. gas in the archives. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/schoolbusconversionuts

[lapeer20m]

Originally Posted by whodat

greg archambault would be http://www.floridachurchbus.com . he only participates in ONE skoolie group, the BEST skoolie group where you can find extensive discussions about diesel vs. gas in the archives. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/schoolbusconversionuts

hey arkie, how are ya? long time no see. glad to see you're still here shamelessly plugging your lame school bus conversion site. We'd search the archives on your site, except the search function never seems to actually work.

[timbuk]

whodat seems like a pretty nice guy....is there even another skoolie site as for myself i think for me i will just use my bus on the island and i am familiar with gas especially old skool chevys so for me its still a gasser for know i wont see 5000 miles a year i sure would like to have a 427 tall deck though....love the big block sound timbuk

[phillbus914]

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

hey arkie, how are ya? long time no see. glad to see you're still here shamelessly plugging your lame school bus conversion site. We'd search the archives on your site, except the search function never seems to actually work.

hahahahaha

Don't forget that no one can search that crappy site he babysits without first signing up, then you only have a short time before your account gets deleted for no reason... even if you've never even made a post. Man what an useful site... ha!

[timbuk]

of course the ironic part is that whodat claims the one and only site yet he contradicts himself by posting here on the best site

[timbuk]

just thought id ask what the difference of price for a gallon of gas and a gallon of deisel in the US is at this point the only advantage of a gas engine to deisel has beencheaper to maintain and the old skool boys know them i do like the newer busses but im lost with a deisel and can pul a wrench on a sb chevy any day is deisel a buk a gallon more? timbuk

[pete c]

The yahoo groups do tend to get alot of traffic, because they are part of yahoo. Trouble is, the format of them completely sucks ass. They are very user unfriendly. You would think that somebody at yahoo would update them to a decent bb format.

[phillbus914]

Originally Posted by timbuk

just thought id ask what the difference of price for a gallon of gas and a gallon of deisel in the US is at this point the only advantage of a gas engine to deisel has beencheaper to maintain and the old skool boys know them i do like the newer busses but im lost with a deisel and can pul a wrench on a sb chevy any day is deisel a buk a gallon more? timbuk

Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan

gas is about $4.10/gallon
diesel is about $4.80/gallon

From what I've seen anyway.

[the_experience03]

$3.85 for gas
$4.79 for diesel

That makes diesel 20% more expensive. According to the poll on the site in this thread the majority of gas bus drivers are getting 5-7 mpg so we'll say 6 mpg for that. Diesel owners are generally getting 7-10 (though many get more) so we'll say 9 mpg for them. That still makes diesel the champ in that fuel is 20% more expensive, but they get 50% better mileage.

[dlor1]

Diesels run on Veggie Oil!

[SD26]

Originally Posted by the_experience03

$3.85 for gas
$4.79 for diesel

That makes diesel 20% more expensive. According to the poll on the site in this thread the majority of gas bus drivers are getting 5-7 mpg so we'll say 6 mpg for that. Diesel owners are generally getting 7-10 (though many get more) so we'll say 9 mpg for them. That still makes diesel the champ in that fuel is 20% more expensive, but they get 50% better mileage.

Spot on...

I can also recycle my used engine oil from my car, motorcycles, etc. back into my bus' diesel tank too.

[phillbus914]

Originally Posted by SD26

I can also recycle my used engine oil from my car, motorcycles, etc. back into my bus' diesel tank too.

Anyone else do this?
What ratio do you mix it to?
Are there any other benefits other than getting rid of used motor oil? Most auto parts stores take it for free.

Seems like all the "junk" in the oil would be bad for your motor/injectors.

[patrick young]

There is absolutely no doubt that diesel powered buses are superior to gas powered machinery. And also, conversion from gas to diesel is grossly cost ineffective, unless you had the diesel engine for free, hundreds of hours to devote, and were a professional mechanic, fabricator, welder etc.

Speaking with 17 years in the bus business. about 100 buses and trucks, and having owned Cummins, CAT, IHC, Detroit 2 and 4 cycles, Deutz. Nissan. Ruggerini, Isuzu. Mercedes, Lister, Kubota, and probably a couple other diesel types that I've forgotten.

Gas buses have their place, and do well for infrequent use and shorter trips. But the fuel savings and longevity of the diesel make them the only choice for serious travelling, or industrial, serious applications.

Patrick Young
Bus King of the Great SouthWest
Fresno, CA
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/wheelchairproject
WheelchairBusProject@yahoo.com