After looking at several of the great school bus to RV conversion threads here I am still undecided which platform to build our RV on.
We recently made the round trip from East coast to Montana (~5000 miles) twice in our International 26' box truck, towing another vehicle on a 10k flatbed trailer. Since the box was occupied either by household items or a disassembled airplane, we slept in the towed vehicle for the long days and stayed in a motel every second night or so. On every trip we visited National Parks and other interesting places. The truck had no problems with our sightseeing excursions even on pretty gnarly dirt roads. On the highway, the Allison 545 transmission behind the T444E was a noticeable handicap and the most we could hope for was 65 mph and about 7.5 mpg (loaded for bear).
We have recently finished our 'base camp', a small house on plenty of land in Western North Carolina and plan on hitting the road for an extended period of time in 2-3 years from now. "We" is my wife, one Jack Russel, one Rat Terrier, and yours truly.
Converting the existing box truck into some RV-like contraption would be an obvious choice since it is already paid for and has also received the necessary maintenance and repairs to be trustworthy. However, the bus conversions are undoubtedly cooler than a huge, white box with some windows/doors behind a day cab.
Here is my list of the pros and cons for the various choices. I left the front engine buses off the list since they combine IMO the disadvantages of a truck (heat/noise up front) with the disadvantages of a bus (more difficult build-out).
Rear engine skoolie
Pros:
Good accident/roll-over safety
Existing basement compartments
Cons:
Will require exterior sheet metal work and roof raise (I stand 6'6" tall)
Time consuming interior demo and refinish
Low floor transit bus (e.g. Gillig)
Pros:
Decent accident/roll-over safety
Sufficient interior height
Cons:
Low ground clearance (paved roads only)
Time consuming interior demo and refinish
No basement or external space for tools and seasonal items
26' box truck with day cab
Pros:
Easiest build-out. (Flat hardwood floor, straight walls, more than enough height)
Best off-road capability
Lift gate and 'garage' in rear
Additional baggage compartments can be added below floor
Cons:
Transmission swap necessary
Cab/box connector needs to be installed
Noisy, small cab
Box is less sturdy in accident
Least floor space
Low to no cool factor
I hope to get input from folks who have experience with more than one of these options. Thanks.
We recently made the round trip from East coast to Montana (~5000 miles) twice in our International 26' box truck, towing another vehicle on a 10k flatbed trailer. Since the box was occupied either by household items or a disassembled airplane, we slept in the towed vehicle for the long days and stayed in a motel every second night or so. On every trip we visited National Parks and other interesting places. The truck had no problems with our sightseeing excursions even on pretty gnarly dirt roads. On the highway, the Allison 545 transmission behind the T444E was a noticeable handicap and the most we could hope for was 65 mph and about 7.5 mpg (loaded for bear).
We have recently finished our 'base camp', a small house on plenty of land in Western North Carolina and plan on hitting the road for an extended period of time in 2-3 years from now. "We" is my wife, one Jack Russel, one Rat Terrier, and yours truly.
Converting the existing box truck into some RV-like contraption would be an obvious choice since it is already paid for and has also received the necessary maintenance and repairs to be trustworthy. However, the bus conversions are undoubtedly cooler than a huge, white box with some windows/doors behind a day cab.
Here is my list of the pros and cons for the various choices. I left the front engine buses off the list since they combine IMO the disadvantages of a truck (heat/noise up front) with the disadvantages of a bus (more difficult build-out).
Rear engine skoolie
Pros:
Good accident/roll-over safety
Existing basement compartments
Cons:
Will require exterior sheet metal work and roof raise (I stand 6'6" tall)
Time consuming interior demo and refinish
Low floor transit bus (e.g. Gillig)
Pros:
Decent accident/roll-over safety
Sufficient interior height
Cons:
Low ground clearance (paved roads only)
Time consuming interior demo and refinish
No basement or external space for tools and seasonal items
26' box truck with day cab
Pros:
Easiest build-out. (Flat hardwood floor, straight walls, more than enough height)
Best off-road capability
Lift gate and 'garage' in rear
Additional baggage compartments can be added below floor
Cons:
Transmission swap necessary
Cab/box connector needs to be installed
Noisy, small cab
Box is less sturdy in accident
Least floor space
Low to no cool factor
I hope to get input from folks who have experience with more than one of these options. Thanks.
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