How Long Can I Park My Skoolie?

Birdhands · 01-23-2018, 04:01 PM

Hi All, I can't find an answer to this question anywhere. Basically, I'd rather have a skoolie than a tiny house, even though I have no intentions of traveling with it. I have land and want to avoid code, as well as be able to move my home if need be (I hope the need never arises). Would it be ridiculous to fully winterize a skoolie and put it on blocks for years, decades even? I did find and read one thread where it was argued that not starting and idling every week or two was best, but there was no mention of long-term storage.
Thanks for your time and attention. I've learned a lot from this forum.

Twigg · 01-23-2018, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdhands

Hi All, I can't find an answer to this question anywhere. Basically, I'd rather have a skoolie than a tiny house, even though I have no intentions of traveling with it. I have land and want to avoid code, as well as be able to move my home if need be (I hope the need never arises). Would it be ridiculous to fully winterize a skoolie and put it on blocks for years, decades even? I did find and read one thread where it was argued that not starting and idling every week or two was best, but there was no mention of long-term storage.
Thanks for your time and attention. I've learned a lot from this forum.

You'll have to check any zoning regs, and ordinances.

Once you do as you plan you have a strong case to avoid rules about RV's. What you will have is simply a small house, although there might be rules about grid-tie-ing it (Florida is especially bad about this).

Birdhands · 01-23-2018, 04:12 PM

No problems there. And no grid to tie into; solar, spring water, etc. My main concern is how hard it would be on the bus just sitting there. I'd like to not drive it and yet have it somehow remain operable. Ideally, I could fire it up after many years with just a day's notice and escape a forest fire.

Twigg · 01-23-2018, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdhands

No problems there. And no grid to tie into; solar, spring water, etc. My main concern is how hard it would be on the bus just sitting there. I'd like to not drive it and yet have it somehow remain operable. Ideally, I could fire it up after many years with just a day's notice and escape a forest fire.

Well I just meant that some places won't consider it a home, and add extra rules if you don't tie it to the grid. Most jurisdictions aren't quite so under the thumb of the energy companies.

So diesel engines can be laid up a long time. You can leave them with fresh oil, and either drain or keep an eye on the coolant.

Running gear is a problem. Brakes can seize, etc, and all points need grease from time to time. Tires would need covering and are better not on the ground at all. There are a few things you can do to mitigate any damage.

Diesel fuel is much more stable than gasoline, and if you are using it for heating you will turn over the contents of the tank, albeit fairly slowly.

ben2go · 01-23-2018, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdhands

No problems there. And no grid to tie into; solar, spring water, etc. My main concern is how hard it would be on the bus just sitting there. I'd like to not drive it and yet have it somehow remain operable. Ideally, I could fire it up after many years with just a day's notice and escape a forest fire.

You will have to keep the fluids changed just like a regularly driven bus. Condensation can and will damage engines. The batteries will have to be maintained. It will need to be run periodically to keep condensation burned out of the engine and oil. Over time the coolant will turn acidic and eat the engine up from the inside out. Diesel has a tendency to draw in water and hold it. Even with a good water separating filter, the buses fuel system could be waterlogged after a few years of sitting in the woods. I would drain the fuel tank(s). If the transmission is manual, the clutch will rust and stick after a few years. I have dealt with this. The transmission had to be pulled to remove the clutch. The transmission had rusted to the engine and the bus settled up in the ground. It was a big pain doing that work in the field. It took two weeks to get the bus to move again under its own power. It was in a woodlot in the mountains outside of Rosman, NC. It had only set there for about five years.

Robin97396 · 01-23-2018, 06:34 PM

Do you realize you can buy a wide assortment of buses that don't run? Instead of paying for a running bus you could buy any city bus or whatever looked nice and just have it towed to your preferred location. During the summer most likely.

Defjr333 · 01-23-2018, 07:34 PM

Not sure of all areas, but in VA it would violate EPA STATE regs. Not allowed to have a vehicle "sit" not used on private land. I worked for a millionare that would buy a few cars at auction, he had 45 acres with 8cars on it. County and state took him to court and won. He had to remove any vehicle not being used in a 10 month frame due to "oil and fuel leak probabilities into the soil". They fined him $125 per car per DAY he did not comply!
Doug

Jdawgsfanasty · 01-23-2018, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdhands

No problems there. And no grid to tie into; solar, spring water, etc. My main concern is how hard it would be on the bus just sitting there. I'd like to not drive it and yet have it somehow remain operable. Ideally, I could fire it up after many years with just a day's notice and escape a forest fire.

I worked on a facility with gensets...we "exercised" them once a week by running them for 20min...diesels are tough but this seems reasonable...Idk

Sent from my VS500PP using Tapatalk

bus-bro · 01-23-2018, 11:26 PM

My bus has been parked for years. I maintain it, and drive it a bit when I need to mow under it. I run it on hi-idle until the engine comes up to temp and then for a while after that. About quarterly, I'd say. Frequent starts are bad, doubly so if you don't let the engine come up to temp. A good run on the road would be good for the transmission , rear-end, tires, etc.

I put an algicide in the fuel. While diesel doesn't go bad (at least quickly) bio-diesel is said to degrade, so 5% biodiesel/diesel probably has some storage issues.

Birdhands · 01-24-2018, 06:44 AM

Thanks everybody, this is helpful.

Unlikely the EPA would care here in rural appalachia.

Towing a dead bus is problematic because my homesite is down a steep gravel road with hairpin turns. One of the reasons I'm drawn to a bus is more living space without sacrificing turn radius. For this same reason, it would be a major undertaking to drive it anywhere. Plus buying a dead bus wouldn't save me much money.

Now I'm leaning toward doing a conversion, driving to the site, then disabling the bus (draining all fluids, selling the engine, etc). If I need to move, I can tow it somehow (maybe with the help of my neighbor's tractor or excavator). If there's a fire, oh well, guess I'll just run for my life.

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