Driveway clearence

[jjrbus]

I am looking at house that has room in yard for bus, MCI5C. The entrance to the yard is exactly 10 feet wide from house to fence. Not my fence can not be removed.  Bus measues 9 foot 8 inches mirror to mirror. I can remove one mirror (driver side) to gain 1 foot and be 8 foot 8 inches wide, which would give me 1 foot 4 inches clearence or 8 inches each side. Awning is on other side. Length of house is 24 foot.
I do not recall ever taking bus through an area this small, is it doable? Would you be comfotable with this?  Fences need to be removed so trying beforhand is not an option.  Jim

[bobofthenorth]

When we lived in town I backed first my fifth wheel and later the bus into a pretty innaccessible location.  You could do it but make REALLY sure that you have an extremely good base in that area.  Buses are heavy.  If your bus slides or leans into the the fence or the house you are going to have a big mess.  If your base isn't really solid then just a little bit of settling at the drivers can translate into a whole bunch of lean at the roof of the bus.  The other challenge will be getting everything lined up straight to start with and that will depend entirely on how much space you have in front so that you can get lined up before you start into the narrow spot.

The first time I put the bus into our back yard in town I slid it into the neighbour's fence & I still have the scar to prove it on the driver's side of the bus.  Mind you, the first time I put the fifth wheel in there it was WAY more exciting and the solution involved heavy jacks, ramps, long cables and a whole lot of work but that has nothing to do with busses.

[Lin]

Another thing to consider is, if getting in and out is a big hassle, how it will effect your willingness to use the bus.

[VAN]

J,it's all in the approach,can you get set up for a straight thru shot at it ,you'll need a ground guide that knows what they are doing ,2 whould be even better so you could then fold both mirrors in .Now if you have to manuever that's an other issue as well as the conditions(wet,dry ground).With 10 foot clearance as well as over head clearance you should have no problems  .It can be done,good luvk
van

[Runcutter]

Jim, a couple of things to think about.  Buses are more maneuverable backing up, with experience in using mirrors (and remembering that the rear duals are the pivot point), you should be able to put the bus within 1/2 to 1 inch of where you want it.  

Now, that says that you need the mirrors.  Personally, I'd back in to try it; but remember that you'll have to come forward in one direction.  On the forward move, keep the driver's side mirror an inch from the obstacle and, the rest of the bus (and right side mirror) will move in formation.  Two caveats, as previously mentioned, the bus can't lean too much (A 5C is a 96 inch wide coach, 8 feet wide still gives you plenty of room); and you have to set up straight and keep her straight.  

I'd say that, if you absolutely have to, fold the passenger side mirror in, and rely on the driver's side.  Backing up, make sure you can see the bottom of the tire (remember to reset the mirror properly later); and use a spotter for the passenger's side.  Spotter should be in front of the bus, on passenger side, always in sight.  If a spotter isn't in sight, always stop.  Going forward, you'll want a spotter as well.    

Back a few decades, we used to fuel the coaches then back them across a driveway to their parking spots - and if we overlapped mirrors, we could get an additional coach into the parking spots.  Back then, I was much thinner, and could get out the door.  Now, ?.

Arthur    

[TomC]

When driving a 53ft semi trailer and being around 75ft overall, many times you have fraction of inches to get the trailer into the spot.  The clearances you're talking about is like a football field in comparison.  I bet after some practice, you'll be able to do it without moving the mirrors.  Good Luck, TomC

[Sam 4106]

Hi jjrbus,
This method may not work in your situation, but it has worked well to guide me over my pit. I painted a bright yellow stripe at the appropriate distance from the edge of my pit. When I back over the pit I keep the rear tire at the edge of the stripe. I have also used an orange extension cord stretched out at the right location when on gravel as a guide. I don't have to worry about leaning of my bus because I have a level approach to my shop, but that may be a concern in your situation. Another issue could be if there is an overhang on the roof of the house. Hope you solve all the potential problems before you buy.
Good luck, Sam 4106

[Blacksheep]

Jim, sounds like too much trouble to park the bus! Just look for something a little better unless your plans for the future call for a bus sale!

Ace

[Don4107]

How about accessing the bays once you park it?  Having our bus in a spot where I could not open the bays was a real pain.  BTDT.

Don 4107

[Paladin]

I seriously doubt I have more clearance than that in my driveway. I tucked the mirrors in, swung out and then cranked it in tight and ran over the yard just a tad and slipped her in. The key part might be that I was able to drive onto the lawn a little and also the dirt at the left as I entered. If the fence is an entrance fence then I couldn't have done it. The radius is just too wide!
The bus comes right to the driveway door and then just to the front of the house.  I'd be able to close the gate if I only had about 12- 18" more.
I can't open the rear bay on the right side due the proximity to the rear stairs and it's tight near the fence but this arrangement is all I have for now since I don't have the luxury of another wide open spot and especially with power.

[JackConrad]

Jim,
   Check with Zoning to make sure it is legal to park your bus there.  Some areas (like
Cape Coral) used require an RV kept at home to be in the back yard behind the house. Have you talked the neighbors on that side of the house to see how they feel about yopur bu being parked there?  Better to know BEFORE you buy.
   Jack
By the way, we got home this afternoon. Perhaps supper with yopu and Josephine one evening?

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Jim,

If I were in your shoes, I would wait a week or so and see what else comes your way. It is a buyers market!

No sence in being agravated if ya don't need to be...

Good Luck
Nick-

[jjrbus]

Thanks for all the ansewers and info. I should have mentioned that 95% of the drivers on the road think they are better drivers than most, well when it comes to the bus I am the other 5% I always look for football field size spaces!! I am also concerned about others that might show up.

Lots of good things to consider, like soft ground, there is some sugar sand in FL, bays opening another. I'm looking in N ft Myers so no code issues here!

I will probobly not get the house, I will put in an offer that I would not accept!!

Dinner would be great Jack, we have no plans for turkey day either. If you are comeing this way bring a hammer.

Thanks guys.  Jim

[Jeremy]

These two shots show where my bus has to be parked:




First it has to turn off the road into a narrow entrance onto the gravel track that you can see in the background in the first shot. Then it has to make a 90' turn into my driveway, and end up tight against the wall, as in the second shot. It takes a lot of 'shunting' to do this, and it took a lot of worrying about whether it would be possible at all before I bought the bus. It's also the reason I bought a short bus rather than a normal 40 footer.

Once you have the knack it isn't too bad - the main trick is to do the first bit in reverse, and once I have a rear view camera and parking sensors on the bumpers it will be a lot easier. The first time I did it (when it was also the first time I had driven the bus) I drove in forwards, and the whole operation was very stressful. In addition, that first time I hadn't learnt how to turn off the reversing alarm, so the beeping brought all the neighbours out. Once I had finally parked I climbed out of the bus and said (with a huge sigh of relief) to one of my neighbours "God, I'm glad that's there". He looked at up at the huge bus that had suddenly appeared next to his house, looked back at me and said "Well, you're the only one".

Jeremy

[jjrbus]

Brings new meaning to "Watch the gap"