Cement ramps ?

[wal1809]

An air supply would be a handy addition as well.

[bryanhes]

One of the charter bus companies here in Tulsa has the concrete ramps. They are about 7-8' long x 2'6" wide and 12" tall. I have had mine on them a couple times. It does make it nice.

Bryan

[Eagle Andy]

Thanks Fella's Got a bunch of Idea's from this post, let you know what I end up doing with pictures . Thanks

[happycamperbrat]

With a sitting pit, are you able to get enough torque when working from that position? Im thinking I might have problems

[Barn Owl]

I park the bus on railroad ties. It takes two rows, three ties wide over gravel/dirt the length of the bus. I never have to use the ramps because the bus is always up off the ground and I never have to deal with setup and take down. Also, having my "pit" above ground means that I don't have to deal with standing water. There is enough room to easily use 5gal buckets under the engine when doing oil changes.

[bottomacher]

If you're going to use the pit for other vehicles, some gas engined, you don't want a sump pit. Gas fumes are heavier than air, will collect in the sump, and likely will eventually explode when the pump comes on. Most jurisdictions in my experience require a gravity air drain. For insurance reasons, you should get a permit and inspections.

[wal1809]

I am not about to get a permit or an inspection.  I would just as soon dip water out with a bed pan than to have a state, county or federal inspector step foot on my place.  I might be government employed but I want nothing to do with government and my private life.  To be honest I would rather the sump pump explode the lid off of my barn than have them here.

[cody]

I'm inclined to side with barn owl on this idea, the railroad ties, 3 wide with staggered end joints held together by threaded rod the full length of the bus with a tire stopper isn't a budget killer but gives a solid 8 inch rise with very solid and stable footing, even better if you can get bridge timbers, they are 12x12 and you can sometimes get them in 12x16 inch sizes 8 ft to 20 ft long,

[Lin]

BO,

In the absence of a picture, I want to make sure I understand your set up.  You have a row of rr ties three wide for each side of the bus.  When parking at home, you always drive the bus up on them.  Do you have tapered down to make a ramp for getting up on them?  Do you generally use someone to guide you as you drive, or do you have markers to keep the bus centered?

[belfert]

I am not about to get a permit or an inspection.  I would just as soon dip water out with a bed pan than to have a state, county or federal inspector step foot on my place.  I might be government employed but I want nothing to do with government and my private life.  To be honest I would rather the sump pump explode the lid off of my barn than have them here.

Doesn't your area require building permits and inspections?  There are fewer and fewer areas where building code is not enforced.  Building codes don't exist because some government worker was bored one day and decided to write a building code.

I would hope that as a governement employee paid by the taxpayers that you would obey the law.

[wal1809]

Yes I do obey the law.  Where I live there are no permits if you want to build something.  I rewired a house I bought as a rent house.  I called the county to inquire about a permit.  They told me if I hired a contractor to wire it then I would need a permit, if I did it myself there was no requirement for a permit or inspection.  So I rewired the house myself.  It hasn't blown up or burned down.

I chose to be in the sticks to get away from outside intrusion.  I drive a long way early early in the morning to get to the city.  I leave early afternoon but it is not soon enough.  I like the quiet and solitude.  I can't breath in a city.  I like whizzin off my porch when I feel like it and nit worrying about a neighbor calling the home owners association.

In a few years we plan on selling everything and heading as far north in Texas as we can get.  Probably around Canadian, Texas.  You can't get more solitude than that.

[happycamperbrat]

I envy you wal

[Barn Owl]

Lin,

My original intent was to keep the bus from sinking into the ground. I got the ties for free and this was my cheap way out of a pad. The benefits of using the setup as a pit were not appreciated until I found out how much more often I crawled under the bus because now it was always up off the ground. Eliminating the ramp hassle has made working on it so much more pleasant. Ramp set up, starting, airing, moving, trying not to overshoot the ramps etc. is a hassle that at times was a deterrent because of the time involved. I don't have any photos but the next time the bus is out and I clean up a bit I will take some. That might be some time before I get to it. Nevertheless, it is straightforward. I did just what Cody said except I didn't secure them by threaded rod. I think that is an excellent idea and I could have gotten my hands on a ton of it but I didn't think to do that. It would make for a very secure setup because over the past four years mine have migrated a few inches. Not enough for me to rearrange them though, but far enough to loose a socket in LOL. I did stagger them and I feel that is important.

the railroad ties, 3 wide with staggered end joints held together by threaded rod the full length of the bus with a tire stopper isn't a budget killer but gives a solid 8 inch rise with very solid and stable footing, even better if you can get bridge timbers, they are 12x12 and you can sometimes get them in 12x16 inch sizes 8 ft to 20 ft long,

Bridge ties would be great, but I had to use what I had. Standard ties three wide will just be wide enough to span the duals without overhang. My first plan was to do four wide, but I didn't have the ties to do it. Now that I use this setup as a pit, I am glad I only have it three wide.

In the absence of a picture, I want to make sure I understand your set up.  You have a row of rr ties three wide for each side of the bus?

Yes, and staggered with stops just a Cody described.

When parking at home, you always drive the bus up on them?

Yes. Bus storage, pit, everything in one spot. Easy.

Do you have tapered down to make a ramp for getting up on them?

Yes. I just used bricks and chunks of cinderblock that is held in place with dirt. My driveway is on a decline to the flat spot I park the bus on so I don't have much of a visible ramp. The transition cannot be felt.

Do you generally use someone to guide you as you drive, or do you have markers to keep the bus centered?

At first I used a spotter. Then one day I didn't have any helpers so I tried it by myself and found that it was easy for me to do. I have learned to use my mirror for this, and if I use the edge of the body as a reference on the edge of the ties, and keep it there as I back up to the stops, I get a perfect parking job everytime. I also have a sliding aftermarket drivers window that I can stick my head out of and get a decent view of what I am doing if I need extra assurance. I take it slow, and because of the duals, even if you mess up it is very obvious before you run the risk of dropping off the rr ties. I worry more about dropping the front tires off, so I widened that area by a few inches.

[robertglines1]

Happycamperbratt..you ask about torque in sitting pit...I just did main bearings in my 8V92 in the sitting pitt...270 ft lbs ( I think)what ever the book said...Bob

[Lin]

Barn Owl,

I guess the only downside I see to your method is that the RR ties are in the way when you want to get under the bus from the sides.  I would think it was still doable, just not as nice as a clear space.