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Old 09-15-2012, 06:34 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 52
Tow capacity of a school bus?

Do school buses have a rated towing capacity? I know equivalent class A RVs are generally rated as either 5,000 lb or 10,000 lb towing capacities. I was wondering if school buses have tow capacities listed, since school buses aren't originally intended as tow vehicles. I know they have load information pertaining to what's actually inside, but that's not applicable to what it can pull.

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Old 09-15-2012, 07:28 AM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ellijay ga
Posts: 560
Year: 94
Coachwork: b/b
Chassis: tc2000
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Tow capacity of a school bus?

my b/b will pull 10,000 lbs with no trouble .5.9 cimmins545 trans ,trailer with a car on it. use lower grears when pulling a mtns.

heck its a truck frame,if it can't pull 25,000 lbs ,don't get it...mine is weld to the frame so i can too take the rear bumper off,it a fe model,72 pass ,as 49 said ,don't just bolt it,i have it bolted and welded to so if one fails the other will do the job.and use grade 8 bolts only.....



ok 49 ,do i need to add any thing more ,,,



i was still a sleep...
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Old 09-15-2012, 11:32 AM   #3
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
Re: Tow capacity of a school bus?

Part of your answer will also lie in the strength of the hitch you build.
Just dont bolt a hitch on to the back bumper without reinforcing it to the frame, as some older skoolies have a stamped bumper that will bend over time..
my current bus has a hitch solidly welded to a piece of frame rail which is welded to the bumper, and bolted undernieth to the frame rails on the side of the engine cradle. That way, i can unbolt the bumper and the frame bolts, as the bus is a rear engine.
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Old 09-15-2012, 12:21 PM   #4
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 47
Re: Tow capacity of a school bus?

I've done some searching on this lately, as the Motobus is going to be a 4x4 towing bus due to a recently broken foot. I can't find anything listed for buses. I found a new f650 is rated at 33K gcvwr, I think a towing rating at 24.5K. One will loose some of that off course, with the bus weighing more than a standard f650, but this offers some perspective. I don't see myself needing to tow more than the load of passengers the old ford could carry, but plan on getting a brake controller. I'm a little uptight about things.

During my searches I came across a post made on a misc. forum about trucking back in the days of gas semi tractors. A guy posted he remembered pulling a 10K trailer hauling 30-40k of steel on a regular basis with an international loadstar 1800 gasser. Back then they used what they had and drove accordingly. Now, people think they need a tow rig big enough they don't know they're towing. A cousin of mine is also a good friend and pulls a near empty 7x14 enclosed trailer with a Cummins 2500 crew cab and stabilizer hitch. He swears his half ton 5.9 gasser isn't enough. HA
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