Alberta Noobie

[buswarrior]

Welcome Canadian!

Check out the Explorers RV club and Wayfarer's Insurance

http://www.explorer-rvclub.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

[lostagain]

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

[Fred Mc]

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.

[eventer1]

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.

[eventer1]

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?

[Lazorus]

How did the trip home go?

[eventer1]

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!