BCM Community

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Good Morning everyone, well, my plans to winter in Sdak have been haulted by my sisters brain cancer ( she is 47) taking a turn for the worse. Looks like I will be living for at least a year, in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Our entire family supports it, so now its just a matter of moving there and getting me and the bus set there, so we are both ( me and the bus) content. IE i dont know the first thing about how to protect the bus from the extreme heat. It has a swamp cooler in it and 2 air conditioners, thank goodness, but I have to:::

1] drive from WA to AZ thru the Mohave desert, and so I need advice on really hot weather and things i need to do before going and also while driving.

(I lived in a 5th wheel in my early 20's in Nevada, outside Vegas, so i DO have expierence with heat, but I need bus advice for my 1975 flxible.)

I dont have to worry about winterizing for about 2 yrs ( thats when I will be headed to Sdak) but I will be parked at my sisters home ( she just so happens to have an RV hook up on her property from one of her husbands old projects) so that is really good.

2] Get set up there so I protect whatever needs to be on the bus.

Anything anyone can tell me about what is BEST to park on and how to keep the bus the coolest, and safety stuff to do before and during the long haul trip.

Looks like ill be taking I5 to Sacramento and then 99 from there to avoid LA traffic...any ideas on routing to Havasu, or does that seem best?

This post is again to say thank you for all that responded so quickly to the winterizing questions, THANK YOU, and the info is in my DABUS file and WILL be used, but NOW i need HOT WEATHER help....as i will be moved there before the end of AUgust/first part of sept.( i am very flxible with change, kinda found the bus make i bought fitting)

more to come, please advise any way you can. THANX ;o) ;)

Kbunnystarr, Hey first off let me warn ya I got no expertise in any bus conversions, as I am a bus mechanic & charter bus owner ! But I know the route and areas you are planning on ! Excelent choice of rte (but 99 won't really be that much less traffic, but offers better places to stop along the way) Once yo hit Bakerfield head east on 58 to Barstow and I-40 to AZ ! Now on the other issues 1st off have the bus throughly checked out by a knowledgable bus mechanic to be sure all mechanicals (brakes, U-joints, drive train, cooling system, etc.) seem (some failure can occur even if all looks OK) to be up to par ! I have a friend in Castle Rock, WA who could recommend 1 if you can not find one elsewhere, jus let me know ! As far as driving the trip plan it ahead by figuring out about how far you will feel comfortable driving it per day (keep in mind it is a bus and will take extra time climbing and descending Mtn passes !  As a rule of thumb come down the Mtn. in the same gear it took to climb it! Remember what an old timer warned me many yrs ago when I first started driving over the road big rigs! "You can go down many Mtn's too slow, but you'll only go down 1 too fast!" It kept me safe 15 yrs of coast to coast trucking, and I still use it in busing ! Many beautiful places along the way to stop and take a break or spend the night on the way on yer planned rte ! Now as far as making the coah survive the heat I'm not an expert there either but one thing I know I'd try to do is either build or buy a carport large enough to cover it entirely and at least 8' extra on the door side (patio & sun protection), and at least 4' on the other side (again sun protection during the hottest part of the day, the carport will take the direct sun off the coach and provide an air cushion to absorb most of the heat transfer) FWIW just my opinion! BK  ;D


Bryce Gaston AKA "Knuckle"
731-885-7460

Thanx for the advice and yes, please recommend yer friend, i dont know any one.........whats he charge / hr?

When parked, cover your tires.  I have a friend who pulled a 5th-wheel trailer from Phoenix to Colorado and lost two tires from blowout.  They were only 2 years old with few miles, but the hot Phoenix sun destroyed them.  Tore a hole in the "wheel well" too.  Now we all know why they're called "sticks & staples".

Clarke

Quote from: kbunnystarr on July 09, 2006, 04:29:07 PM
Thanx for the advice and yes, please recommend yer friend, i dont know any one.........whats he charge / hr?

Hey Kbunnystarr,
My friend out there is not a bus mechanic, but he knows a lot about buses and probably anyone who has anything to do with buses on the Left Coast (as he calls it! ) I called him the other day and left him a voicemail to call me or respond directly to this topic with any info he had I haven't heard from him yet! I'll try again his Name is Mark Obtinario, if he sends you an email or something that is the honorable and knowledgable Mr "O" I was try'n to get some info from for you! BK  ;D

 ;D ;D ;Dyer so cool!  thank you!!!!!!! i am goin to that Busnusa convention, i go right thru castle rock, would be cool if i could talk to him.................thanx so much!!!! ;D ;D

The I-5; 99; 58; I-40 route is the best.  Some things to do to protect the bus.  Having a stout roof structure (can get very windy) will keep alot of the heat out.  Park on a concrete pad, since asphalt absorbs alot more heat.  Cover the tires.  Run the A/C in the morning before the bus gets hot.  Otherwise, should be alright. 
When driving, obviously is much cooler at night.  But then you can't see anything.  The desert is always beautiful.  Good Luck, TomC