After 3 years of lurking and owning a 34' diesel pusher MH. I took the plunge and now own an 89 Prevost XL bus. I plan on using it to tow my horse trailer without being blown across the road every time I meet a truck!
Can anyone in Alberta tell me who will insure it so I can get it home? Vehicle registries says I need to have it insured to change the status from bus to motorhome and AMA say I have to have motorhome registration to insure it (not what they told me when I was researching!).
Failing that does anyone know a reasonable towing outfit to haul it from Nisku to Sundre?
Thanks everyone for the incredible amount of information you have shared on this site and in the magazines.
Welcome-I have a 89 prevost xl also...Bob
Just get a temporary operating permit and run it home yourself.
Hi Bob,
Thanks, I hope I can draw on your experiences with these beasts.
Quote from: harpold700 3 on September 11, 2010, 09:37:56 AM
Just get a temporary operating permit and run it home yourself.
The registries girl said I need insurance for a temporary permit? and the website said the same thing for a in-transit permit. Should I be asking for something else?
Alberta must have different rules. In B.C. I just get bill of sale and get T.O.P. for one way or 2 to 10 days. Purpose of the permit is to temporarily licence and insure the vehicle.
Thanks, I wish we had your insurance system. I envy your rates and one-stop shopping for insurance and licensing. We are at the mercy of the insurance cartel.
I wish I knew more of your system. How about just licencing it to bare minimum weight and change from commercial to private status, no passengers.
How far do you have to drive the bus to get it home?
If it isn't over 100 KM why not just get in it and drive it home? I have done things like that many times over the years and have never had a problem. BUT, I'm not afraid to take risks that others would faint over. Do whatever you are comfortable with.
Welcome to the board and good luck with your bus. Sam MC8
We have to show Proof Of Insurance here in North Carolina to even get a Temporary Trip permit. I had all the seats out of mine and insured it online as a Bus Conversion RV through Progressive Insurance and then applied for the Temp Permit to drive it from Virginia back to North Carolina. I myself, definitely would not drive it without some kind of insurance since I've worked too hard to get the things I have and don't want to chance losing it all in a lawsuit should an accident occur.
weight : my 89 prevost converted loaded =36,100lbs full of fuel and everything...
Thanks Everyone,
In my younger days I would take the risk, but nowadays I have too much to lose and we have way too many sheriffs looking to generate revenue!
I will check out progressive if they operate up here. I did find a state farm rep so he may be able to help on Monday. Really anxious to get it home soon.
Quote from: eventer1 on September 11, 2010, 01:48:19 PM
Thanks Everyone,
In my younger days I would take the risk, but nowadays I have too much to lose and we have way too many sheriffs looking to generate revenue!
I will check out progressive if they operate up here. I did find a state farm rep so he may be able to help on Monday. Really anxious to get it home soon.
Good Luck with it. Its always better to be Safe than to be SORRY!!!! We never know when an accident will happen..thats why they call them accidents. Of course we all HOPE we can drive a lifetime without ever having an accident..and some of us do...but then again we never know what awaits around the next turn.
My concern with that setup is protecting the horses from the exhaust. I would look seriously at running the exhaust up to the roof line if I were hauling horses.
There is a company in Edmonton called CTS equipment transport. 1 800 565-3703 ther have landoll trailers very low to the ground and easy to drive a bus up onto.
They hauled a 40' bus for me and were on time picking up and delivering. :)
That is if you don't want to drive it :)
Welcome Canadian!
Check out the Explorers RV club and Wayfarer's Insurance
http://www.explorer-rvclub.com/ (http://www.explorer-rvclub.com/)
http://www.wayfarerinsurance.com/ (http://www.wayfarerinsurance.com/)
Join the club, get an insurance discount, their magazine is not bad.
You have a coach, you need insurance. Never mind the confessional and all your plans, or the order of operations. You need some liability insurance to get started, as you accumulate other stuff, you can get a fresh appraisal and a more involved policy, but that's later.
Repeat after me: "I have just purchased a new to me coach and I need liability insurance, what do you need from me for this type of policy?"
This first call is to come up with your shopping list. I repeat, this is not the time for running off at the mouth about all your dreams, the words: conversion, myself, renovate, home built, shade tree, my own hands, etc etc etc will get in the way at this point.
Write down all of what they want, if they mention appraisal, ask if they have any local references, otherwise, "Thanks very much, I'll be back to you with this stuff shortly." and get back on here for what doesn't make sense.
welcome to the madness!
happy coaching!
buswarrior
How heavy is your horse trailer? A bus was not designed to carry very much trailer tongue weight: a few hundred pounds max. The trailer hitch will be on the end of the rear subframe that is meant for the engine weight. Add a bouncing trailer to that and you risk cracking the frame. I tow a small trailer with our dirt bikes in it, but it is only 1500lbs GVW, and I am carefull loading it so there is not too much weight in the tongue. My wife always asks me to tow her 2 horse trailer with the bus, and I refuse. Greyhound tows fairly heavy trailers for freight, but with much newer model coaches. At the motocross tracks, I see a lot of big motor homes towing big trailers, but they are built on truck frames, and the trailer weight is only limited by the engine power.
JC
In B.C. in ordesr to drive a bus you need an air endosement on your drivers liscence. Not sure how this would work with a permit. In B.C. you get a permit that has liability and liscense. When I brought a truck back from Wash. state I got insurance from the local auto insurer and then got a permit from Wash state. This may be closer to what you have to do.
As for towing a horse trailer I was always concerned about the exhaust situation so you may want to explore that further. But I did tow a trailer that had a fair amount of tongue weight with my GM PD4106 with out any problems. The GM's have the engine subframe hanging from brackets tied into the body structure. Despite assurances from some the engine never did fall out on the road. I don't think the Prevosts have the same setup. And most horse trailers are dual axle so the weight is carried more on the axles than the tongue.
Good luck. We take our bus to horse shows all the time but tow the trailer with the truck.
My loaded trailer is just shy of 5500lbs with a tongue weight of 250lbs. I got tired of driving the one tonne all week just to haul two horses at the weekend so we went to the Brenderup 3 years ago.
I have towed it behind my diesel pusher from Alberta to Ocala, florida every winter, usually stopping overnight with the engine running in the northern states without any fumes problems. Do these rigs put out that much more fumes than the Cummins? I know when I get south I have to wash a lot of soot off the trailer and motorhome, but thankfully not the horses.
I think raising the smoke stacks would be a good move anyway, at least for other road users.
At the local shows we take the Range Rover and tow with that so we can dine out, visit, etc.
I had an enforced stop in Nashville a few years ago pulling a traditional 3 horse trailer, the Prevost people were great helping me find a repair shop and the manager even boarded my horses for the week, they has 1/4 horses so my tall warmbloods attracted a lot of attention. Back then the shop guy showed me an XL bus in for maintenance with a 12000lb hitch. It was for sale and I asked as I was curious about the towing capacity.
I plan on keeping my current diesel pusher until this rig is roadworthy. Hopefully I can get a definitive answer from Prevost on the hitch they sell and the bus capacity.
Hi Fred,
Thanks for the advice, we had to have the air endorsement for our current motorhome.
I will be looking into the exhaust issue, my old trailer had a CO alarm in it with a light we could see in the camera and it never went off, but different trailer may mean a different story and the horses are way more valuable and important than the rig or trailer!
If I raise the stacks should I run them inside the cap or outside?
How did the trip home go?
Hi Everyone,m
I drove her home, insurance was an arm and a leg, but still cheaper than getting her hauled down here.
It is an 89 XL with a 6V92 and 6 speed (I'd love to get a lesson in suing the stick from someone near Olds!). She is filthy from top to bottom, came out of Ft McMurray hauling oilsands workers, there has to be 6-8" mud on the engine cradle. It was owned by the same bus company since new and was in work until her last safety expired in August 2010.
There is some rust but so far nothing that can't be cleaned. I am pulling interior today so I'm hoping no surprises.
After reading all the horror stories and the importance of pre-buying checks, I ignored it all and bought it at auction although I did spend a couple of hours looking over the 3 Prevosts and MCI that were there before bidding. The 89 Prevosts went around $4000 and the 89 MCI 102C3 made $1700. I really liked the MCI but there is something about the shape of the Prevost that just appeals and all that stainless; if I ever get it polished!
I would not have had the courage if not for all the knowledge and camaraderie I have seen on this board and the great magazine. I've included a couple of shots I made before the camera died.
Thank you!