How to flat tow a 40's passenger bus

[nat_ster]

I have given all the help I can in this thread. Nothing more I add will help any more.

The OP just needs to get in that tractor and get it done.

And make sure some one is taking pics and video.

Nat

[bansil]

No doubt.......of course I have brought home 20ft sticks of 1-1/2 x .120 wall tubing, slung UNDER my vehicle before dangling by chains ....

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by bansil

No doubt.......of course I have brought home 20ft sticks of 1-1/2 x .120 wall tubing, slung UNDER my vehicle before dangling by chains ....

Nice

Better down low, than up high.

Nat

[WCarp]

Well I was able to pull the bus out from under some pine trees--with some difficulty because the bus' wheels had sunk into the ground a bit and then there was a lot of pine needles, decayed ones, and some pine cones which didn't help the tractor's traction. We used a chain connected to the front axle. We found out the steering turn radius was rather large so in order to not hit a tree coming out, I had to go around and pull the bus back a little but then I had to pull it up hill with the tractors' wheels on loose and decayed pine needles so pulling the bus back a bit was difficult. I was able to pull it back enough so the man turning the steering with all the force he could, could get the wheels to turn enough.

I then pulled it from the front again and from then on, it was a lot easier to pull once I got out of the soft stuff. We left it in a place on the property where it can be easily pulled now to it's destination approximately one mile away but it will have to be towed at least two miles because it will have to be pulled farther to a turning around point and then pulled back through a gate.

I checked with the only local towing place and the only truck they would send is a Class C for $235/hr. which is a bit expensive and appears to be too large to get through a gate where there is a turn. (I am told that the truck is 38 feet long--the bus is approximately 30 feet long so the two truck is longer than the bus.)

For these reasons, the man who helped me is going to fabricate a towing bar setup so it can be towed by a farm tractor. I will try to remember to take a picture of the bus after we pulled it out, next Monday.

Thanks for your input.

[bansil]

WC.....you are causing dissapointment.....no pictures??.....we actually need them to survive....for real...kind of.

Be safe and what are plans for bus?

Resto?
Resto-mod?
Repower?

Use in the end?

And thanks for a different save!

[nat_ster]

Glad to hear there is some progress and a plan.

Pics please.

Nat

[Alan N]

Next time you do this you will be an expert.

[Hank's P-O-S]

This is sort of unrelated....
Last night I saw TWO pairs of school busses being flat towed by other school busses on the 394 in Minneapolis.
I must say they skaired the **** out of me.... They must have been pretty close to 65 mph.
Unfortunately this was late at night so no pictures.
They appeared to have home made tow bars on them, no driver in the second bus.

[WCarp]

I got some pictures of the bus setting a ways from the place where it was pulled out, where it set for around 53-54 years. The next problem is towing it to it's destination, safely. The bus doesn't look real good but it was made around 75 years ago. The man who helped me get it out will hopefully be able to make a tow bar so it can be towed more easily the rest of the way and with a larger tractor so there will be better control.

We found out the emergency brake works. We would rather not disconnect the drive line like the company that wanted to tow it with their Class C wrecker wanted to, so at least we do have some brakes.

I'm using the bus for an inexpensive storage place right now and don't have plans to restore it, although it would be kind of interesting to get the engine running. That would take a lot of work though--and some money.

Thanks for your interest.

[sdwarf36]

Dayum-I wish you were restoring it. Thats a unique looking bus.

[The-Breeze]

She sure is pretty and a waste to move it only to have it sit for another fifty years.