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Old 04-23-2020, 02:25 PM   #1
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Join Date: Dec 2018
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Smaller Transportation?

What do those of you that are traveling do for transportation in places a bus won't work? I would like to tow our Subaru, but my husband thinks it will be too much extra weight and length. He wants to put a deck on the back for a motorcycle, but I don't want to ride on one. I want to be able to go into cities without having to navigate with a big ol bus. What in your opinion/experience works best?

Thanks!

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Old 04-23-2020, 02:45 PM   #2
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Four things come into play here.

1) Your bus' max gross weight (GVWR)
2) Your transmission's rated capacity
3) Your bus' gross weight as you will be driving it
4) The weight of the vehicle you intend to tow.

Your transmission rating will, of course, be the weak link. Next in line is what the brakes and suspension can handle over the weight of the bus. And your bus' weight, plus any weight added by your conversion, will count toward the transmission's rated capacity.

A little more info on your bus and how it is built would help in determining this. Johnny 5 says: MORE INPUT! NEED MORE INPUT!

A good start would be in consulting the body build plate, and weighing the finished conversion on a truck scale (preferably a CAT scale, they are notoriously accurate, and guaranteed). Then find out which transmission you and what it is rated to handle. If you find that it may be reasonably safe to tow, make sure it can handle the entire weight of the towed vehicle.
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Old 04-23-2020, 03:02 PM   #3
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
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Year: 1999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LetsGetALife View Post
What do those of you that are traveling do for transportation in places a bus won't work? I would like to tow our Subaru, but my husband thinks it will be too much extra weight and length. He wants to put a deck on the back for a motorcycle, but I don't want to ride on one. I want to be able to go into cities without having to navigate with a big ol bus. What in your opinion/experience works best?

Thanks!
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Old 04-23-2020, 05:14 PM   #4
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Moved to Zealand!
Posts: 1,517
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner FS-65
Engine: 7.2L Cat 3126 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 71 passenger 30,000 gvwr
What big cities interest you in your travels?
How often and how long will you want to be in them?
Take the bus to the rural outskirts of the city.
Use Uber, train, etc to site-see the city. Cheaper and easier than a full time TOAD. Not convenient enough? Rental cars for a week are cheap...
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Old 04-23-2020, 05:38 PM   #5
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Fraser Valley British Columbia
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Year: 2007
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Engine: C7 Cat
Quote:
Originally Posted by banman View Post
What big cities interest you in your travels?
How often and how long will you want to be in them?
Take the bus to the rural outskirts of the city.
Use Uber, train, etc to site-see the city. Cheaper and easier than a full time TOAD. Not convenient enough? Rental cars for a week are cheap...
There you go, outside of the box solutions
And maybe take a small bike as well.
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Old 04-23-2020, 06:16 PM   #6
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admittedly im a city traveller that travels from city to city.. so I often do like banman says when I cant get my bus fit into a place i need to go.. park it and take public transit, uber, scooter, if I am going to a bike friendly city and weather is nice ill even ride my bicycle into town.



if I were travelling to smaller towns or out of civilization i'd either have a Jeep wrangler 2 door or a smart car.. the Jeep mainly if i was going to go 4 wheeling..



I had a smart car for a few years.. towed it a couple times behind a friend's camper and never even knew it was there.. backing with such a short TOAD was a little pain occasionally since the toad was much shorter than the camper.. the opposite of what you want for best control.
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Old 04-23-2020, 06:28 PM   #7
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Location: Virginia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by banman View Post
What big cities interest you in your travels?
How often and how long will you want to be in them?
Take the bus to the rural outskirts of the city.
Use Uber, train, etc to site-see the city. Cheaper and easier than a full time TOAD. Not convenient enough? Rental cars for a week are cheap...
Not a bad idea -- Just make sure you treat an Uber / Lyft driver right. I know from experience these companies take 50% off the top most of the time.
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Old 08-19-2021, 01:33 AM   #8
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Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Bluebird
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: Unsure.Handicap bus
I bought a bus with a rear handicap lift so my Harley can be loaded and unloaded easily. I am waiting for people to realize that used cars are not, in fact, made from pure gold to buy something small and front wheel drive that can be towed behind the bus on a 2 wheel dolly. I am leaning towards a Mazda 3 hatchback or a Honda Civic.
Edit: My bus is a beast. Manual transmission with way more torque than I ever will need. 1st gear redlines at 1.5 miles per hour. I haven't used 1st gear since the second day I owned her. I max out at 62 mph, cruise at 55 for the best mileage I can squeeze out. Pretty sure I could haul a fully loaded 18 wheeler trailer of I had a 5th wheel and air lines on the back.
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