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Anyone using a school bus as a tow rig?

D

DesertDueler2

1/2 ton status
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Dec 25, 2004
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Chandler, AZ
I was just wondering if anyone was. I looked into them, and decided to go buy one(impulse buy). It has a international diesel engine that is turbo and intercooled. Allison 4 speed auto. Tops out at about 70. I am thinking of going to a little bit bigger tire on it to go a little faster(kind of trick of govner). I drove it back 150 miles, and it averaged about 14 mpg. I drove it through hills for about 50, then freeway the rest. It stops better than my blazer, and gets better gas milage. If you got one, can you post pics, and tell me how you registered it. I was thinking of getting the title changed to a RV, but I dont know what all is involved.

Dan
 
Steve that is awsome. Someday I need to do something like that.

Jimbo, I have posted over there(Desertdueler on Pirate). I was just seeing if any CK5 guys or gals have done it.

Dan
 
Stop by the local school sometime and ask the mechanic...they routinely replace school buses with new ones (at least at big school districts they do). My dad's done that for the past 20 or so odd years...they just had a sealed bid auction for a 93 or 94 Bluebird chassis with an ISB cummins and a 5 speed allison auto with overdrive, it was won for $1900:eek1::eek1:

It did have like 180k on the clock, though.

What I think is neat is when you chop the body off to make a flatbed, but keep a little of the body by the drivers area so you have a little cabin to sleep in or whatnot.
 
Here is the add of it
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/264337798.html

I am starting to paint it tomorrow. I will try to get pics after I paint it. I ripped out 15 seats today. Each seat weighed 50 pounds each, so that was pretty easy to remove 750 pounds:D So far I left three rows of seats in for now(they will get replaced with a couch and or a bed) and I have just over 19 feet of room to work with.

Dan
 
My GF's uncle bought 2 from the Durango, Colorado school district awhile back. He drives school buses for some of the Durango High sports teams part time. He got them for $3500 each with motors that had just been overhauled 30K prior. He cuts them up & turns them into equipment for his hay farm.

Harley
 
Hossbaby50 said:
My GF's uncle bought 2 from the Durango, Colorado school district awhile back. He drives school buses for some of the Durango High sports teams part time. He got them for $3500 each with motors that had just been overhauled 30K prior. He cuts them up & turns them into equipment for his hay farm.

Harley
Click to expand...
pics?
 
pauly383 said:
Cut part of the body off , make a flatbed on it , deck out the front for sleeping , post up some pics :waytogo:
Click to expand...

Don't forget to airbag the back so you can drop it down for loading!
 
Goldwing, I dont know if I am going to go that crazy just yet. I am actually planing to move back to michigan in the next 6 month to a year, so I am going to keep it as stock as I can for now, then go crazy after I get there.

Dan
 
Cool. Look us up when you get back in town and we'll lend a hand. :waytogo:
 
definitely a cool idea... but what do ya do when that old desiel gives up the ghost? I think I'd 'go for it' if I was a desiel tech... and just go with a regular old tow rig + trailer if I wasn't...

j
 
jekbrown said:
definitely a cool idea... but what do ya do when that old desiel gives up the ghost? I think I'd 'go for it' if I was a desiel tech... and just go with a regular old tow rig + trailer if I wasn't...

j
Click to expand...

If the bus engines are like any other diesel, if takin care of properly, it could outlast the owner.
 
well, the second owner may be taking care of it properly... but that sucker probably got abused by the 1st user. Having a mechanic look at a desiel costs more than my entire gas-burner tow rig. I'm not saying a bus can't work... I'm just saying that people dreaming of cheap tow rig action might want to think about what repairs/maintenance costs could be is something goes wrong with it.

j
 
Very true, parts are probly harder to find, and being larger products, most likely means more to the price. And if its not the simple things, it could be costly for a mechanic. Kind of got to decide, is it worth it for you to have a fun rig to cruise around in and if something goes wrong, can you fix it.
 
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