Why don't bus drivers / passenger windows roll up and down?

Darkspeed · August 27, 2015, 10:58:53 AM

The girl came by today to check on progress and asked about the drivers window.. I said it has a change slot.. she laughed.. I said I could put in a window that slid a little.. she frowned.. then she pointed to where the window goes and she said " Make it go up and down!" dropped the microphone and walked off.

Come to think of it she may be right, I spend 90% of my time driving with the window down. Im looking at a 1996 freightliner salvage door on ebay and I think I could cannibalize the window / mechanism and have a pretty slick electric window for my 4106.

Tony LEE · August 27, 2015, 11:18:11 AM

Don't know about your layout, but on the MC8 half the electrical system is below the drivers window.

Other factor is with the drivers window open, apart from the noise due to unfortunate aerodynamics, the suction can be enough to suck all sorts of malodorous vapours up the plumbing from your waste tanks.

Darkspeed · August 27, 2015, 11:27:02 AM

I gave my entire wiring harness to the old homeless guy who hunts for metal scrap in the dumpster behind our building for Christmas, filled his entire shopping cart with old wire. Im starting from scratch on wiring so I can work around it and Im going with a composting toilet..... I think....

RJ · August 27, 2015, 09:25:35 PM

Todd -

Way back when I drove Crown skoolies while attending college, we had a little thing we called 4150 when deadheading: Open the last four windows on each side in the back of the bus, open the front door (they open inward on Crowns), then drive 50 mph.

Best damned broom ever invented! Whoosh. . . right out the door, even if it was a candy bar wrapper on the back seat 35' away.

But don't you DARE open the driver's window, because your eyes would be instantly full of dust & gritty stuff, causing lots of tears and EXTREMELY impaired vision.

Be forewarned!

FWIW & HTH. . .

Scott Crosby · August 28, 2015, 04:29:07 AM

Mine roll up amd down....

LuckyChow · August 28, 2015, 05:02:36 AM

From a slightly different perspective, opening passenger windows in transit service is a big problem. It sucks all the air conditioning out of the bus, passing over just a couple of people. It's like turning on a 36" floor fan, right out the window. For this reason our new fleet will not have opening windows (for passengers). If the A/C system goes out while in service, the bus is pulled and replaced. Of course the emergency exit capability is retained and the driver's window will still open.

Darkspeed · August 28, 2015, 05:32:12 AM

Quote from: Scott Crosby on August 28, 2015, 04:29:07 AM
Mine roll up amd down....

Scott thats pretty cool! Do you have any problems driving with the window down?

Darkspeed · August 28, 2015, 05:40:35 AM

RJ, LuckyChow, I never thought of the fact, that there was no way to roll it down, was to keep drivers from opening it.

thejumpsuitman · August 28, 2015, 05:41:37 AM

Todd, after seeing your project post I am plenty confident that you can do it and it will look like it came that way from the factory.

Darkspeed · August 28, 2015, 06:17:09 AM

Quote from: thejumpsuitman on August 28, 2015, 05:41:37 AM
Todd, after seeing your project post I am plenty confident that you can do it and it will look like it came that way from the factory.

Thank you thejumpsuitman!