What are Must Haves in a Bus Conversion?

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Everyone has their own idea of what goes inside, on, or under a bus conversion.  Some people can get by with the basics like a Log Cabin look and nothing mounted on the roof, and two 6V Lead-Acid Batteries.  Some people like all of the Bells and Whistles.  If you were to start converting another bus tomorrow, what would be Must Haves in your next bus?

This will help those out there starting their bus conversion, what they should maybe consider putting in, on, or under their own bus conversion.

They may be interested in things like Air Conditioning, Heat, Microwave, Oven, Water Heater, TV, DVD Player, Washer/Dryer Combo, Starlink, WiFi Booster, Oversize Water/Grey/Black tanks, Long Range Fuel Tanks, Hammock.   This should get you started.

What are your Must Haves?

[Iceni John]

An engine that works...

John

[Tedsoldbus]

A wife that grew up crammed into a 4106 with 3 sisters and most meets that happened about 15 times a year were in a farmer's field.

[Nova Eona]

Disposable income!

[dtcerrato]

Spare parts including a tire, money for fuel, & money for nothing when the unexpected arrives...

[buswarrior]

Why are you asking such a general, open ended question like this?

The contents of our buses is the content of the forum?

You already have years worth of it?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

In today's world it would the foundation for me a modern drive train bus  the conversion parts are the same fruits in a different bowl

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Why are you asking such a general, open ended question like this?

The contents of our buses is the content of the forum?

You already have years worth of it?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

The purpose of the question is to get fresh ideas for an article we are working on as some of the information posted in the past 20 years is out of date and this is a way to get it all condensed into one thread for new people to be able to go directly to.   

We average one new person joining the Forum each day, many new to this lifestyle, and they are interested in gathering ideas.  We do not like to read negative comments on this Forum as the information here is so valauble to new people joining the forum and it discourages others from participating. 

If you do not want to participate, then that is fine, but please do not discourage others from presenting their ideas.

[luvrbus]

Solar and batteries seem to be the most talked about topic on conversions now

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Solar and batteries seem to be the most talked about topic on conversions now

True.  I converted over to Lithium Batteries about 3 years ago, and added solar 2 years ago, and last summer, I doubled my solar capacity.  Best investment I have made so far.  Solar is much quieter than running my Generator.  Just sayin'.

On an additional note, we have several articles about adding Lithium Batteries and why it is a no-brainer on our Blog.

https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/bcm-blog/

[luvrbus]

I have a ? about solar that is how long does a panel last on a bus,they are always removing and replacing panels on the solar farms here and selling the take offs

[buswarrior]

The purpose of the question is to get fresh ideas for an article we are working on as some of the information posted in the past 20 years is out of date and this is a way to get it all condensed into one thread for new people to be able to go directly to.   

We average one new person joining the Forum each day, many new to this lifestyle, and they are interested in gathering ideas.  We do not like to read negative comments on this Forum as the information here is so valauble to new people joining the forum and it discourages others from participating. 

If you do not want to participate, then that is fine, but please do not discourage others from presenting their ideas.

Negative?

Now that you have told us what you're after, hopefully the answers will better fulfill your needs.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[muldoonman]

A 4 Stroke Motor that you can get worked on anywhere?? 

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

I have a ? about solar that is how long does a panel last on a bus,they are always removing and replacing panels on the solar farms here and selling the take offs

That is a great question.  They say that 25 - 30 years is about the average life expectancy of solar a panel.  Some may be better than others.  They also degrade by about 0.5% each year, so after a few years, they will become less efficient.  So anyone paying rent on the space to park their solar panels will get a lower ROI as the years go on, so large farms may depreciate them over time to a point where it is worth replacing them every few years. 

However on a bus, I am not as concerned about real estate costs, however, the continuous flexing may degrade them even faster.  Of course on a bus, your panels could be covered partially covered with your satellite dish, a roof A/C unit, or tree limbs, so you will not get 100% efficiency anyway, and unless you park at the equator, you will not get the full potential out of any panel. 

So bottom line, at my age, I expect the panels I installed in the past couple of years will last my lifetime, and after that, I personally do not care. 

[dtcerrato]

A 4 Stroke Motor that you can get worked on anywhere?? 

Or a two stroke motor that you enjoy working on yourself! Just saying...