Noob Question: Where wouldn't you take your Skoolie?

[jokerone]

I'm looking at getting a 32 passenger size bus and converting it to an RV.

Question :

would you take your skoolie on back roads in National forests? Does it have the ground clearance, etc?

Have you had any nightmares in turning around or getting stuck someplace like this?

thanks in advance.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

My short bus got stuck on a sandy road once. Now I carry a shovel.

 

[Tigerman67]

I'm looking at getting a 32 passenger size bus and converting it to an RV.

Question :

would you take your skoolie on back roads in National forests? Does it have the ground clearance, etc?

Have you had any nightmares in turning around or getting stuck someplace like this?

thanks in advance.

I think you would have to look at the actual bus to find out. My personal bus is a flat nose, and the entry stairs hang pretty low, and there is at least 10 feet of bus that hangs out past the rear axle that could get hung up if you started climbing a big hill.


So I personally wouldn't be taking it down any 4wd trails, but I have seen some forest service roads that are accessible by standard cars if you go slow and pick your path, and something like that would be doable for me... but I would want to know if there was a place to turn around somewhere, because backing down a few miles of forest service road wouldn't be fun.

 

[jokerone]

My short bus got stuck on a sandy road once. Now I carry a shovel.

Ok, thanks. Thats good to know.

Short as in a van/chevy-front end type bus?

thanks.

 

[jokerone]

I think you would have to look at the actual bus to find out. My personal bus is a flat nose, and the entry stairs hang pretty low, and there is at least 10 feet of bus that hangs out past the rear axle that could get hung up if you started climbing a big hill.


So I personally wouldn't be taking it down any 4wd trails, but I have seen some forest service roads that are accessible by standard cars if you go slow and pick your path, and something like that would be doable for me... but I would want to know if there was a place to turn around somewhere, because backing down a few miles of forest service road wouldn't be fun.

I asked the bob at cheapRVliving this weekend on his webinar if he regretted getting rid of his cargo trailer (he only has a van now). He said no because he hated to drive 2 miles down an unknown road to find out there was no place to turn around and had to back out for two miles.

It just made me think of any problems I might encounter with a future skookie.

thanks.

 

[jokerone]

My worries are explained here.
Years ago, my 6 year old daughter and I went camping in Colorado. One day I decide to explore a working gold mine way up on top of a mountain. (~12K feet up). I was driving a 2003 Kia Rio (don’t laugh, it made it there and back).
Im from Illinois, so I had no experience with driving in the mountains. The gravel road hairpinned / traversed back and forth up the mountain. At some point the road turned to more of a gulley /goat trail than a road. It was almost all in first gear, babying the Kia over the ruts and rocks.
They gold mine had trucks and other equipment up there, so it was possible to make it there in something other than a Kia Rio.
On the way back down I had a car in front of me. He lost his muffler due to bottoming out. I just used 1st gear all the down to where the tree line started again and goat trail turned back to the gravel road.
There was a “traffic jam” at about 9,000 feet. Some guy in a F350/3500 with duallys pulling a HUGE fifth wheel RV up the hill had blown his transmission. He couldn’t go up and couldn’t go back down. He eventually back down the gravel road to a point where people could pass him.
That road/goat trail was the limits of anything I would ever want to do with four wheels/two wheels or walking.
I asked myself, would I feel comfortable taking a skoolie up there and back (knowing nothing about skoolies) and the answer was NO!
I really wouldn’t feel comfortable taking the Kia back there either. A Jeep Wrangler, sure..
I like to get out of trouble quicker than I got into it.
With this story in mind, how comfortable would you be driving your skoolie up there?

I found a link to the place.
http://www.billandlindaprospecting.com/goldbasin-colorado.html

 

[brokedown-SKO]

Ok, thanks. Thats good to know.

Short as in a van/chevy-front end type bus?

thanks.

Thomas Vista, see my avatar photo.

 

[jokerone]

Thomas Vista, see my avatar photo.

Thats just the size I was looking for. 35 passenger or so.

thanks!

 

[Rovobay]

I think my rated capacity is 35. 28 ft total length. i plan on taking it everywhere. that is why I opted for a "shorter" bus. wheelbase, approach angle and departure angle seem reasonable for where I want to drive.

( you can see my pics of my bus in my build thread linked below!)

 

[Tango-SKO]

Same here. A shorty with plenty of ground clearance makes for more options.

 

[jokerone]

I think my rated capacity is 35. 28 ft total length. i plan on taking it everywhere. that is why I opted for a "shorter" bus. wheelbase, approach angle and departure angle seem reasonable for where I want to drive.

( you can see my pics of my bus in my build thread linked below!)

Yours is the size I'm wanting! Very cool

 

[brokedown-SKO]

Vista is nice because you get lots of interior room vs total length, mine is 24 ft nose to tail so i can can generally park rama free outside a Starbucks. For offroad purposes, one of the big down sdes is the 19.5" tires. Bigger tires mean a bigger footprint and better traction, 22.5" doesn't make you Gravedigger but every bit helps. Vista is also a lot heavier than it looks, 12500 or so for a fully gutted 5 window.

 

[jokerone]

Vista is nice because you get lots of interior room vs total length, mine is 24 ft nose to tail so i can can generally park rama free outside a Starbucks. For offroad purposes, one of the big down sdes is the 19.5" tires. Bigger tires mean a bigger footprint and better traction, 22.5" doesn't make you Gravedigger but every bit helps. Vista is also a lot heavier than it looks, 12500 or so for a fully gutted 5 window.

Thanks.

I'm in Illinois and I believe anything over 26K lbs and I need a CDL. Not planning on living here forever, but for liftoff It makes it a pain.

What about towing a small car?

 

[Drew Bru]

Thanks.

I'm in Illinois and I believe anything over 26K lbs and I need a CDL. Not planning on living here forever, but for liftoff It makes it a pain.

What about towing a small car?

Not a CDL, but a Class B non-CDL. I live in IL as well. I've taken the written test (real simple) but haven't gotten around to the driving portion yet.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

I wouldn't pull a car any distance with my Vista. Around town it would probably be OK but I think I'd need a new transmission pretty quick if I took it on the highway.

 

[jokerone]

Not a CDL, but a Class B non-CDL. I live in IL as well. I've taken the written test (real simple) but haven't gotten around to the driving portion yet.

I thought you needed a CDL to get the original bus home or wherever you are going to put the RV essentials into it?

thanks

 

[Drew Bru]

I thought you needed a CDL to get the original bus home or wherever you are going to put the RV essentials into it?

thanks

The CDL issue has been beaten to death around here and I'm still not sure what the answer is, or who to believe. According to everyone though, if you're not using it to transport people it's no longer a commercial vehicle. Or you need to remove the seats before you drive.....I've seen both answers.

We removed the seats before we drove home from Denver. Had no plates, just bill of sale. We had proof of insurance. We just sorta blended in on the roads and took it slow and easy. I'm not gonna lie.....our roadtrip was a blast.

 

[jokerone]

Same here. A shorty with plenty of ground clearance makes for more options.

Very cool.

 

[o1marc]

The CDL issue has been beaten to death around here and I'm still not sure what the answer is, or who to believe. According to everyone though, if you're not using it to transport people it's no longer a commercial vehicle. Or you need to remove the seats before you drive.....I've seen both answers.

We removed the seats before we drove home from Denver. Had no plates, just bill of sale. We had proof of insurance. We just sorta blended in on the roads and took it slow and easy. I'm not gonna lie.....our roadtrip was a blast.

Apparently it is state specific. Ga. allows me to drive ALL Recreational Vehicles on my standard license, regardless of weight or braking system. Illinois on the other hand requires you to have certifications for both.

 

[Tango-SKO]

State-by-State requirements for CDL are posted on the link below...


https://www.truckercountry.com/cdl-training/cdl-requirements/