Cargo Bay Utilization

[Zephod]

Nett reduction of 40 seats at 100 pound each, 40 passengers at 180 pound each and 40 sets of luggage at 60 pound each means you have a lot of slack in the system so generally there is little need to turn yourself into an airline pilot and do a weight and balance calculation.

Stories relate 8V71 engines being carted around the country in the luggage bays so I doubt whether their capacity would be a concern either. I have a tonne's worth of water and waste tanks plus water tanks and large pressure accumulators in my rear bay and it is taking the strain OK.

Original OTR air conditioning is in place and working and I wouldn't be without it in the Australian summers. With all the front glass and air entry around the driver, roof airs wouldn't come close to keeping the driver comfortable, but by modifying the duct work (I pulled all the side wall air diffusers and panels out) and aiming some serious amount of cold (or hot) air forward, I can be perfectly comfortable whatever the outside conditions

I'd imagine it'd be like driving a schoolbus here in South Carolina. I have AC but it doesn't reach the front. By the end of a 3 hour afternoon trip, my trousers are moist from my wiping sweaty hands on them, my shirt is soaked and as my rookie driver commented when I encouraged her to learn some of the route by driving, even the seatbelt was wet.

I have to drive with a bottle of water by my elbow.


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[lostagain]

OTR A/C is great for sure. But it can be expensive to maintain. In charter service, it is the most expensive maintenance item to keep going every year. When I looked after the hockey team's 102D3, we spent $1000 to $1500 a year fixing small leaks and recharging every year. None of us knew anything about refrigeration, so we took it to a specialty shop. It would pay to gain some knowledge, and have the tools to maintain your own.

JC

[Zephod]

OTR A/C is great for sure. But it can be expensive to maintain. In charter service, it is the most expensive maintenance item to keep going every year. When I looked after the hockey team's 102D3, we spent $1000 to $1500 a year fixing small leaks and recharging every year. None of us knew anything about refrigeration, so we took it to a specialty shop. It would pay to gain some knowledge, and have the tools to maintain your own.

JC

My understanding is that AC is a really simple device. Two coils with a tube connecting them that has a very narrow section. The other side is a pump. The narrow tube is there to restrict gas flow so that with the pump on, the one side is low pressure and the other is high pressure. The high pressure side expels heat and needs a heatsink and or a fan. The low side absorbs heat. Controlling the pump are a timer and a thermostat. The thermostat kills the pump when the air temperature is at the required temperature. The thermostat itself is just a bimetallic strip that curls more at higher temperatures and the knob just moves a contact further or closer to make or break contact at different temperatures. The other thing is a timer. Every 20 minutes or so the system shuts down for long enough to clear the low pressure coil of ice and water. That then drips into a collection bucket.

Many times I have considered building my own AC unit. The killer is the cost of the coils. Refrigerant is cheap enough. In fact, most any gas will do as long as it's free of water.


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[TomC]

On my Kenworth truck, since my 8ft square drom box (that I converted into a sleeper with shower, toilet, refer, microwave, sink, bed) was nearly 13ft 6", did not have the room for a roof top A/C. Nor was I going to be running the big 14.6 liter Caterpillar all night to use the dash air (I always think it is such a waste to run the big engine when a small APU works fine for night heat and A/C). So I built my own A/C.
It was simple-I bought the duplicate evaporator, receiver dryer, 12v blower, compressor that was on the truck. For condenser, I bought one was used in a Toyota Celica-fit my space. And for condenser fan, bought a 12" reversible 1/4hp 120v fan from Grainger. Then I added a cable operated thermostat, and three speed fan control. I have (still have) an Onan Emerald three commercial 6.5 gasoline generator (truck had a separate 75gal tank) with PTO shaft coming out the rear of the alternator to belt drive the A/C compressor. I usually only ran the blower on medium or low speed since the A/C was so powerful, you could hang meat inside. Served me faithfully for 12 years-course it was the old R12 freon too. I just never heard of the timer. Once the air gets down to temp, the compressor cycles anyway. Good Luck, TomC

[windtrader]

Got me wondering just how my coach was weight distributed. Looks pretty thought out. If you can't see the image link let me know
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jckov2ddquoyt8w/IMG_20170827_094207.jpg?dl=0

[HB of CJ]

Very well done sir.  Curious as to why you did not weight each axle end?

Respectfully.

[eagle19952]

if you put the heaviest loads in the center bay...both axles will be stressed equally.
That seems the easiest way to get it right...
worked for me.
irrc Trailways shipped long block 8v71's in the center bay.

[windtrader]

Very well done sir.  Curious as to why you did not weight each axle end?

Respectfully.

the weigh station was not set to do each wheel,as it was it took two measurements to get the front and the rear. Ido plan on getting the weights on each wheel, meanwhile the readings are sufficient for the inflation tables.