I won a bus

[o1marc]

Even if you have to buy batteries at least you KNOW that’s all the “not starting” amounts to. Free batteries would be a nice score though.

That's what I'm hoping.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

Did they tell you what kind of "expensive batteries" they were? If they're Group 31 you can get cheap ones off the shelf at Walmart for $82 each.

 

[o1marc]

So I finally found a flight to book. Booking flight was as frustrating as finding a bus. Pricing from $124-$700. Prices are cut in more than half if you buy a week out or more. But then it seems not a lot of flights to OKC. as most of them leave at 8am (means I have to leave the house at 5am) and goes to Denver where there is a layover of 16hrs before heading to OKC the next day. I finally booked a $320 flight leaving Atl. at 12:30 going to Orlando, a 40 minute layover and then into OKC at 3:35pm, giving me ample time to get to the school a half hour away before they go home. Flight is next Tues. gonna be a long week waiting. Closer to starting my journey. I can imagine doing this to look at 5 potential buses around the country before purchasing.

 

[PNW_Steve]

I don't know if you may have already tried this site but it gives lots of options for flexible travel dates: Matrix - ITA Software by Google

 

[Tigerman67]

So I finally found a flight to book. Booking flight was as frustrating as finding a bus. Pricing from $124-$700. Prices are cut in more than half if you buy a week out or more. But then it seems not a lot of flights to OKC. as most of them leave at 8am (means I have to leave the house at 5am) and goes to Denver where there is a layover of 16hrs before heading to OKC the next day. I finally booked a $320 flight leaving Atl. at 12:30 going to Orlando, a 40 minute layover and then into OKC at 3:35pm, giving me ample time to get to the school a half hour away before they go home. Flight is next Tues. gonna be a long week waiting. Closer to starting my journey. I can imagine doing this to look at 5 potential buses around the country before purchasing.

That's cutting it really tight, most the school districts around here are gone by 4:00pm. Depending on the airport, if you have checked luggage, it can be up to an hour post arrival time before you can get your luggage and get ground transportation and be physically off the airport. Without checked bags (or possibly coming back for them later), and ubering can cut some serious time off of that, but I would still make sure they are willing to stay a bit late for your to pick up that bus. Would suck to be delayed 30 minutes on the flight and not be able to pick the bus up.

If you are curious, I can ask my wife how bad OKC is for grabbing your bags and getting a rental car, she use to have to fly into OKC semi regularly (it wasn't one of her favorites).

Glad to hear that the mystery starting problems were easily solved with a couple of batteries. If you they aren't willing to give you the batteries, maybe they can at least jump start the bus for you so you can drive it to walmart and have them put them in there rather than having to stop and transport a couple of batteries from somewhere else.

Another option is that I have had good luck with the microstart jump start lithium batteries on other vehicles, but I haven't tried jump starting my bus with one yet. But may be an option for self start till you get the batteries replaced.

 

[PNW_Steve]

With that long of a flight (including layover) have you considered renting a car one way?

Roughly a 14 hour drive but it would be flexible time wise.

I was fortunate, my bus was only a 5 hour drive away. I went the rental car route. It was handy to have the day we picked the bus up. We were able to run some errands and make sure the bus was running ok before we returned the rental car.

 

[o1marc]

That's cutting it really tight, most the school districts around here are gone by 4:00pm. Depending on the airport, if you have checked luggage, it can be up to an hour post arrival time before you can get your luggage and get ground transportation and be physically off the airport. Without checked bags (or possibly coming back for them later), and ubering can cut some serious time off of that, but I would still make sure they are willing to stay a bit late for your to pick up that bus. Would suck to be delayed 30 minutes on the flight and not be able to pick the bus up.

If you are curious, I can ask my wife how bad OKC is for grabbing your bags and getting a rental car, she use to have to fly into OKC semi regularly (it wasn't one of her favorites).

Glad to hear that the mystery starting problems were easily solved with a couple of batteries. If you they aren't willing to give you the batteries, maybe they can at least jump start the bus for you so you can drive it to walmart and have them put them in there rather than having to stop and transport a couple of batteries from somewhere else.

Another option is that I have had good luck with the microstart jump start lithium batteries on other vehicles, but I haven't tried jump starting my bus with one yet. But may be an option for self start till you get the batteries replaced.

I have only one small carry on bag as I don't plan on sending any time there, small bag because I can't carry my weed and my gun with me.:big grin:
Gonna get in the bus and go home. I have a friend picking me up at the airport and shuttling me right out to the school 1/2 hour away. If they don't give me the batteries I will just go into my local O'Reilly's and pay for them, but have the OKC store deliver and retrieve the cores. I'll make sure the school doesn't hook up my batteries until I get there. Worse comes to worse and I have to get a room for the night, local nice hotel for $40.

 

[cadillackid]

So I finally found a flight to book. Booking flight was as frustrating as finding a bus. Pricing from $124-$700. Prices are cut in more than half if you buy a week out or more. But then it seems not a lot of flights to OKC. as most of them leave at 8am (means I have to leave the house at 5am) and goes to Denver where there is a layover of 16hrs before heading to OKC the next day. I finally booked a $320 flight leaving Atl. at 12:30 going to Orlando, a 40 minute layover and then into OKC at 3:35pm, giving me ample time to get to the school a half hour away before they go home. Flight is next Tues. gonna be a long week waiting. Closer to starting my journey. I can imagine doing this to look at 5 potential buses around the country before purchasing.

getting flights is definitely a PITA... I travel all the time.. so im used to airline booking, and have frequent status in a couple hotel chains, rental , and flights.. and its still a PITA at times.. sometimes one single event can destroy flying for a week... ie me trying to get out of Columbus ohio yesterday (sunday) or today (monday) was near impossible.. the ever-popular Arnold fitness classic was in town... and as the competitions end and participamnts lose they typically just fly home.. all i wanted was to get to New york!! I had to fly from Columbus to Atlanta then to New york!! crazy... of course if I couldve waited till tomorrow I had the pick of any flight cheap....But I had ot be here yesterday

-Christopher

 

[o1marc]

Okay, no free batteries, in fact they said they couldn't even sell me the batteries. My flight is a week outside their 10 day removal rule, but they were okay with that due to ongoing communication. Some one will wait for me to be sure i can pick it up at 5pm, the only issue would have been if I waited till the following week where they are on spring break. Anxiously awaiting the new arrival, I need to get my hands busy.

 

[jjhwick119]

Woohoo! Glad you got it figured out. My plane ticket cost me 270 to fly 500 miles away to get mine, but the bus was full on deisel when I got it so I wasn't complaining

 

[jonb8]

Hope your adventure goes well... I got lucky and the owners going to take the tags off his other bus and deliver it for me.

 

[PNW_Steve]

Okay, no free batteries, in fact they said they couldn't even sell me the batteries. My flight is a week outside their 10 day removal rule, but they were okay with that due to ongoing communication. Some one will wait for me to be sure i can pick it up at 5pm, the only issue would have been if I waited till the following week where they are on spring break. Anxiously awaiting the new arrival, I need to get my hands busy.

I am not sure how Public Surplus deals with the pickup arrangements. I bought my bus through Govdeals and made arrangements to pick it up a week past the 10 days.

Govdeals locked my account and would not budge even when I forwarded emails showing that I had made prior arrangements with the seller.

Now I have to use my wife's account to bid on Govdeals.

Good luck and safe travels.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

Does it use Group 31 batteries?

 

[RRRVBUS]

I don’t remember who or where on the site I read it but, a forum member was flying somewhere to pick up their bus and it needed batteries. They were going to see if a local auto parts store would deliver new batteries to the bus pick up place. Don’t know if it worked but I thought it was a good idea when I read it.

 

[TrailLifeBill]

I am not sure how Public Surplus deals with the pickup arrangements. I bought my bus through Govdeals and made arrangements to pick it up a week past the 10 days.

I just bought mine on Public Surplus, and once the auction ended I paid the seller directly, including auction fees and made pickup arrangements with the seller. That was new to me, since I was used to govliquidation and govdeals' processes.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

It's pretty likely that the batteries are just flat from sitting and not actually bad. A start with a boost and a long multi-hour drive (to a walmart just in case!) might be all you need to bring them back up.

 

[o1marc]

I am not sure how Public Surplus deals with the pickup arrangements. I bought my bus through Govdeals and made arrangements to pick it up a week past the 10 days.

Govdeals locked my account and would not budge even when I forwarded emails showing that I had made prior arrangements with the seller.

Now I have to use my wife's account to bid on Govdeals.

Good luck and safe travels.

Sometimes the unit is on the auction lot, many times they are at the sellers property and just sold through the auction site. Mine is on the school property, so the auction site doesn't know if I've picked it up on time or not unless the seller notifies them.

 

[o1marc]

I don’t remember who or where on the site I read it but, a forum member was flying somewhere to pick up their bus and it needed batteries. They were going to see if a local auto parts store would deliver new batteries to the bus pick up place. Don’t know if it worked but I thought it was a good idea when I read it.

You read it here. O'Reilly and many other chain stores will allow you to pay for themes in one store but have them picked up or delivered at another store. I did this today, paying for 2 31-5 threaded post batteries to be delivered right to the bus at the school. O'Reilly's is a pretty good, I used to manage the local store. I just tried to reorder some lifetime warranty brake pads and was informed that as an ex employee all warrantees end on employment termination, what BS. The manager ordered my pads anyways because I didn't use my employees discount when I purchases them.

 

[o1marc]

It's pretty likely that the batteries are just flat from sitting and not actually bad. A start with a boost and a long multi-hour drive (to a walmart just in case!) might be all you need to bring them back up.

They charged them overnight and couldn't get it to turn over completely. I think the price of 2 new batteries is a good investment. O'reify's just screwed me around on the core charges. I wanted to not pay the core charge of $20ea, and just have the OKC store pick up the cores when they drop the new ones. Local store says that would mess up their inventory of cores, so they charged me and I have to return the cores after I get them.

 

[CaptSquid]

Group 31s usually run $500 each.

Looks like you'll have to turn a hose loose on the inside of that find.