A rear skirt hanging from the bumper, seems to me, would help the road grime and soot situation covering the front of my toad. I'm thinking of the one that looks similar to a hula skirt - see 'em on most of the UPS and FedX over the road trucks.
Do they work, where to buy, how to install, etc?
Gary, they are called brush skirts any RV supply for around 50 bucks it is not going to stop the soot
good luck
Quote from: luvrbus on November 12, 2012, 01:19:28 PM
Gary, they are called brush skirts any RV supply for around 50 bucks it is not going to stop the soot
good luck
But he has a 60 Series, shouldn't be any soot! LOL! ;)
;D BK ;D
Gary, I would question what it will do to the air flow of your cooling system. You want to get rid of all the heat you can and that could hold heat in.
Wayne
BK,I left that part alone I didn't say a word
good luck
I think a better method would be to buy a new PREVERT like your brother did then pay someone to wash everything!!LOL ;D
Rear mudflaps are a genuine no-no for MCI and GM for cooling reasons. One of the Eagle folk can tell you if it makes any difference on yours.
Quote from: Ericbsc on November 12, 2012, 05:32:20 PMI think a better method would be to buy a new PREVERT like your brother did then pay someone to wash everything!!LOL ;D
Man, that's *hard*!!!
Interesting to know about rear mudflaps and overheating issues on the GM's...
I have been contemplating making some rear wheel well covers in aluminium sheet for drag reduction...trying to increase mileage...
Has anyone else ever tried them?
I would be surprised if they would effect cooling...but with aero...even Adrian Newey gets surprised every now and then...lol
Dave
all the big rv motorhomes use them some are very nice with s/s trim why not on a bus ? john
Quote from: crown on November 13, 2012, 01:09:50 PMall the big rv motorhomes use them some are very nice with s/s trim why not on a bus ? john
John, they have to be "tuned" to the setup of each bus (at least the solid mudflaps do). If the bus has lots of outlets for the air and an air supply, putting a solid mudflap just behind the rear tires (and I mean all the way across the width of the bus, not just behind the tires) usually helps make a "vacuum bubble" to draw air out of the engine area. If there are good inlets but no way for hot air to get out of the engine bay except through the lower openings, putting a solid mud flap or curtain can create a high-pressure area that will interfere with air circulation.
But the important part is that different kinds of buses are different - what works on one may not work on another and what gives trouble on one may not give trouble on another. But it's something that should be considered.
Plaxton Paramounts have a full-width rear skirt thing, although it doesn't reach down very far. I can't believe it's much good as a mudflap (and there are conventional mudflaps behind the wheels anyway), so it's very possible that it's something to do with airflow or air pressure for engine cooling. But my bus is mid-engineed with the radiator behind the front wheels, and yet I still have the skirt (I know it's there because it was in the way when the tow hitch was fitted).
Jeremy
(In this photo it looks like the Duple in the background has a skirt too)
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.payhost.net%2FParamount_rear.jpg&hash=18110a4e9119e586c21bfaa1a654f956035d4cf8)
Well, first off I'd like to thank y'all for your WONDERFUL comments.
Wayne: You're right, the skirt could add to heat problems. Think I'll try it anyway. If it runs up the temperature, then I'll take it off.
With the hula skirt and the misting water Gary you may start a new trend for the bus people a rolling tropical display, you know I had to do that lol.
I don't think the brush skirt is going to affect your cooling not like a solid flap would
Got a hula skirt on my 5A, also have a 2" mudflap behind each wheel and don't have an overheating problem unless it is 107 degrees out and i am going up the hill out of Laughlin headed to Vegas. :) 8V71N with 644 allison.
How about a bra for the toad if you have heating issues?
Hi Kaptar,
Thought about the bra but, couldn't see the difference in washing the toad or the bra.
I know the bra would protect the toad front from heavy debri kicked up by the bus but, my goal is to decrease the work load once we throw out the anchor.
You may be right tho' - let me try it this way and I'll keep you up to date on the results.
Do you have a source for the skirt material, Gary?
Gary,
Have you driven behind a motorhome with the hula skirt on the back? I have and the grass skirt is sticking straight back, unlike the heaver solid skirts, which hang only at a slight angle. Not much value in a skirt that doesn't hang down where it can stop the debris that comes off the tires or the bottom of the engine. JMO
Good luck, Sam
Bruce:
No, I've not found a source for the skirting material. I understand from the manufacturer (Fleet Engineers) that the stuff is called "Spray Supression Skirting". None of their so-called dealers keep the product in stock and, they're not keen on ordering an eight foot piece.
Three 'dealers' took my number and put me in line. Haven't heard a word. Guess my number hasn't come up yet.
Sam 4106:
Thanks for that heads-up! No, I haven't followed an rv with just the 'grass skirting' , properly named Spray Supression Skirting (SSS). If the material acts as you described, then perhaps more thought should go into the effort before just hanging it off the bottom of the bumper.
I did, however, follow a Prevost with a very expensive looking combination. The top half of the skirt appeared to be solid rubber with a nice chrome strip across the entire width. The bottom half of the skirt was the SSS material. The skirt was hung from the bottom of the bumper by what appeared to be several single chain lengths.
Looks like if a man is not careful, he could be getting into deep financial waters.
Think I'll get in touch with Arthur - think he has the set-up that I'm hoping will work.
Took mine off and fixed leaks. Couldn't really tell differance. Most of crap seems to be road dirt/old oil and rubber. Have seen deflectors that fit on tow bars. With the 8-v92 on 1000 mile trips very little except road dirt on the toad. Haven't towed behind the 60 series yet. Bob