Hello,
My wife and I are looking into the idea of living in a skoolie full time in about one and a half years from now. We will be traveling in the PNW (specifically AK, WA, ID, MT, WY) for two and a half years. She is in medical school and will be doing rotations within these states. We don't have her schedule yet, but are trying to be proactive for this. I have a remote job that allows me to do my job from any location with internet access. The locations we are traveling to could be in the city or a rural location. We will also have a truck that would be traveling with us.
We also have two lovely older dogs.
We are looking into the skoolie life as we don't own a house as of yet, and with the next 4 years being unknown, we want to keep our options open.
I have been doing research on the buses that are available within our area, and feel that it is the necessary time to reach out to this community to (hopefully) get some feedback. We are looking at the larger bus.. close to 40 feet.
First question(s).. Is the Cat C7 married to the Allison trans a bad engine combo? I have read about the overheating, but I have also discovered that every engine has a niche downfall to them.
Is there an engine I should completely avoid?
Second question... Has anyone found that traveling with a skoolie to a bigger city is an issue? I know that it wouldn't be ideal driving this in any sort of downtown location, but I am asking in case if we get sent to... let's say Seattle, WA. Like I mentioned before, we will have a truck as well, so we would try to stick to the outer spots, but I don't want to have my wife traveling a great distance everyday for work.
I have a background in woodworking & framing. I also feel comfortable with electrical and plumbing. What I am not very versed in is mechanics. I have the basics down, oil change, alternator replacement, starter replacement.. but that is about the extent.
I am trying to stay realistic and not let my excitement for this idea take off... yet. I sincerely appreciate all of the advice and help I receive from this. Thanks for your time!
My wife and I are looking into the idea of living in a skoolie full time in about one and a half years from now. We will be traveling in the PNW (specifically AK, WA, ID, MT, WY) for two and a half years. She is in medical school and will be doing rotations within these states. We don't have her schedule yet, but are trying to be proactive for this. I have a remote job that allows me to do my job from any location with internet access. The locations we are traveling to could be in the city or a rural location. We will also have a truck that would be traveling with us.
We also have two lovely older dogs.
We are looking into the skoolie life as we don't own a house as of yet, and with the next 4 years being unknown, we want to keep our options open.
I have been doing research on the buses that are available within our area, and feel that it is the necessary time to reach out to this community to (hopefully) get some feedback. We are looking at the larger bus.. close to 40 feet.
First question(s).. Is the Cat C7 married to the Allison trans a bad engine combo? I have read about the overheating, but I have also discovered that every engine has a niche downfall to them.
Is there an engine I should completely avoid?
Second question... Has anyone found that traveling with a skoolie to a bigger city is an issue? I know that it wouldn't be ideal driving this in any sort of downtown location, but I am asking in case if we get sent to... let's say Seattle, WA. Like I mentioned before, we will have a truck as well, so we would try to stick to the outer spots, but I don't want to have my wife traveling a great distance everyday for work.
I have a background in woodworking & framing. I also feel comfortable with electrical and plumbing. What I am not very versed in is mechanics. I have the basics down, oil change, alternator replacement, starter replacement.. but that is about the extent.
I am trying to stay realistic and not let my excitement for this idea take off... yet. I sincerely appreciate all of the advice and help I receive from this. Thanks for your time!
