Max weight in luggage bay

Scott & Heather · January 11, 2016, 02:14:10 AM

I know this has been discussed before but I've never read anything definitive on what the max payload of an MCI luggage bay is? Wondering if our 102c3 can have a 200 gallon fresh tank in one of the bays?

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luvrbus · January 11, 2016, 02:19:50 AM

The rear baggage bay always carries the most weight on any bus,the middle bay the least,you will be fine with 200 gals in any bay just watch the weight in the front bay so not to overload the front axle BTDT on a Eagle.I have 4 bays on the D the front is rated for 1200# the rear for 2100# yours should be close if not more to those numbers IMO,all my tanks are in the rear bay fwiw

Scott & Heather · January 11, 2016, 05:43:47 AM

Ok thanks Cliff. I've heard that too much weight in the rear bay can unload the front axle? That can't be true right?

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luvrbus · January 11, 2016, 05:50:53 AM

Never heard that one before

,you can adjust the front axle weight with the tag axle anyways on MCI's

bevans6 · January 11, 2016, 06:40:01 AM

any weight between the axles of a vehicle gets shared between the axles, on a simple geometric ratio of distance to the axles. So weight in the rear bay gets shared around 80% to the rear axle and 20% to the front axle. Weight behind the rear axle and in front of the front axle is a different matter.

Brian

buswarrior · January 11, 2016, 06:43:19 AM

Wow, another interesting bit of misinformation to mess with a busnut's head!

In matters of weight addition/subtraction, think like a teeter-totter?

adding weight beyond/behind/rearward of the rear axle will lighten the steer axle weight.

Between the axles, some proportion of the added weight will be shared between the axles.

So, for instance, you would see a lightening difference in steer axle weight by moving the stock big batteries from just behind the steer axle to inside the engine compartment. First, by removing the weight from near the steer, and secondly, by leverage placing them rearward of the back axle.

As for practical ideas of bay strength, I don't recall a busnut reporting bay failure? And lots of busnuts carry big tanks and stuff...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Scott & Heather · January 11, 2016, 05:36:28 PM

Ok good stuff. I didn't see how it would unload the front axle to load in front of the rear axle but I guess that's how rumors go. Well, I think I may put a 200 gal fresh tank in rear bay and 200 gal black grey combo in the center bay. Maybe...

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pvcces · January 11, 2016, 07:12:06 PM

Those two tanks would run about as much weight as a full sized car if they should ever be filled at the same time. I realize that should never happen if you simply move water from one bay to another. After running our coach for the last fifteen years, there have been a number of times that we have had unusual tank balances.

Big tanks will have some negative effect on fuel economy and mountain climbing.

FWIW

Tom Caffrey

bottomacher · January 12, 2016, 12:19:41 AM

Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. It's pretty easy to spread out the load, especially if you build your own tank, but you do need to consider the size of the tank.

Ed Hackenbruch · January 12, 2016, 12:25:27 AM

Water is 8.4 lbs per gallon....if you just round it off to 8.5 and use that times the number of gallons that your tank holds, it will also account for the weight of the tank too.

Tony LEE · January 12, 2016, 12:33:32 AM

Might be the stuff of urban legends but I read they used to ship 8V71s in bus luggage bays.

Scott & Heather · January 12, 2016, 12:51:54 AM

No legend. True story. Greyhound buses used to haul packages too at one time...and trailers full of packages too. As for water capacity, we really need the extra capacity. We found during our fall and winter tour recently, that getting your fresh tank filled is harder than you think cause all the truck stops turn off their taps for the winter. And campgrounds are now charging $20 just to dump. So, when we are traveling extensively and not camping for a few weeks at a time, bigger tanks give us an amazing amount of freedom and flexibility.

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brmax · January 12, 2016, 04:05:40 AM

Just a thought! I think tanks are pretty much sized in a full status?, So probably a decent free area on top may be best considered a bit, however one builds or finds a good fitting tank.
I'm all ears on tank finds that ideally would fit my 9, while readin the great post here and really this is the only basis I got. (gathering mode)
Thanks
Floyd

moosemanusa · January 12, 2016, 08:27:05 AM

I remember buying a huge electric car for my son (only back in 05 or 06) and the seller shipped it via grey hound.. went to pick it up and there was a lots of boxes that had just been shipped.. prices were super cheap also..

Scott & Heather · January 12, 2016, 10:08:46 AM

Floyd, my tentative plan is to have two custom tanks made. I would like them to fit just inside the entire 4x8 luggage bay floor and be approximately 12" tall. Still working on the details. Then I would build another floor on top of the tanks and that would be the new luggage bay floor.

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