Security risk

[Cheezewhiz]

So we recently had a break in.

Actually, a couple, but the first time they went in through an obviously broken roof hatch. That time they stole the paperwork and some assorted garbage. We honestly think they were mostly hiding from the rainstorm.

The second was far more insidious, and not something I'd foreseen whatsoever:

We have a full-size bus, with the door-sized side emergency escape hatches. Y'all are clever with locking those with a deadbolt, but:

They pried open the top of one of those with a crowbar, and bent the door open far enough to get to the handle inside.

They stole our ******* gimbal stove, left the full propane tank that was screwed into it. Neither time did they find the emergency whiskey.

That stove had come from a friends boat, and he'd had to crush it because it was no longer seaworthy, and far beyond the point of being worth salvaging. He'd been stoked that part of it was living on.

At any rate, those side doors are far more flexible than I'd ever imagined. I expect the similarly shaped rear emergency exit doors on the shorties are similarly vulnerable.

Part of it is the door hinge only goes halfway up, the bottom half of the door isn't nearly as flexible. It clearly wasn't difficult for them, I couldn't even find the crowbar mark-a friend found the one mar in our fresh paint from it.

We bent it back to shape easily enough. As a current cheap solution, I've put the old 'tavern door' style 'bar lock', a couple U channels bolted to the door, and a bar across the whole jamb that sits in them.

I sort of assume they rolled up to it with a truck, but even if you don't have mirrors, it's easy enough to climb on to the roof of a bus. So, now you know.

[Cheezewhiz]

Jesus, why do I have to log in three times to make one ******* post

[Rucker]

Originally Posted by Cheezewhiz

Jesus, why do I have to log in three times to make one ******* post

You'll be thankful for that later. For whatever reason there may be, I'm guessing it does a good job of keeping out the riffraff.

[Cheezewhiz]

Originally Posted by Rucker

You'll be thankful for that later. For whatever reason there may be, I'm guessing it does a good job of keeping out the riffraff.

We're bus folks, I thought we are the riffraff, lol

[Mercuric Mind]

Originally Posted by Cheezewhiz

We're bus folks, I thought we are the riffraff, lol

Indeed! So true!

[Meathead]

You can screw angle iron vertically on each side of the door to stiffen it up.
I used 1”x1”. In between made a great place for 1” insulation board.


A Thomas bus angles in at 6 degrees right below the window. The problem is that the door doesn’t want to stay bent at 6 degrees. You Thomas ppl know what I mean! Leak much?

[emoji3522]Dave

[DeMac]

Almost as if the Thomas enginees had planned on someone using a crowbar to open the door. So many access points, too. Weird.
Why would they make it so easy to free the students?


It's like a ham can.

[jbeech]

Stole the gimabled stove gifted by a pal?!? I am sorry for your loss!


Me? No stove at all, microwave and restaurant food. Attend model airplane events and there's always a few food trucks - so spread the wealth!


Still, very sorry you were ripped off. I can appreciate what a nice piece of kit like a gimbaled stove represents, especially the sentiment.

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by Rucker

You'll be thankful for that later. For whatever reason there may be, I'm guessing it does a good job of keeping out the riffraff.

who you calling riffraff

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by DeMac

Almost as if the Thomas enginees had planned on someone using a crowbar to open the door. So many access points, too. Weird.
Why would they make it so easy to free the students?


It's like a ham can.

is that your bus or a pic you found?

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by kidharris

is that your bus or a pic you found?

Lol.
Rescue Training bus. For Firemen.

[Jacmey]

Great word, too bad, and where does that stuff happen ? Like at the grocery store, the movies etc..?

[jbeech]

Yes, it's a bit more than a scratch - but - nevertheless, it's just a shell of formed steel sitting on a steel frame. Point being, just bend everything back into place, secure with some Vise Grips, and tack it back together with a $100 Harbor Freight spool fed 110V welder using coated wire. Or plump for a bottle of argon and the regulator hardware.

Regardless, the sheet metal's not thick and in places may justify a $100 spot welder. Depends. Since you'll likely need at least 30A of single-phase even for a small spot welder, this means driving (or towing) it within reach of the main panel of your home.

That panel will be 100-200A almost to a certainty so that's no real problem. Rob Peter to pay Paul and use the breaker for the stove or HVAC if you don't already have a 30A 208-220V breaker and/or don't have room for another breaker (or rent a gas-powered generator).

Few pals and a case of beer it's doable in a weekend - into a bus some wouldn't notice had ever been violated - complete with a coat of yellow paint. Yes, saying it looks worse than it is.