What are Must Haves in a Bus Conversion?

[dtcerrato]

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

Lots of comercial large solar panel arrays that are sold off are 85% or above their rated output with many years of service left and personal bus nuts buy them at a fraction of the original cost. We went a different route and purchased our panels brand new. Our bus solar array is only supplemental where some bus nuts go all out with total solar and do away with big gennys.

[luvrbus]

Our daughter bought 2 take off panels for her rv from a solar seller that came from a solar farm Gary took her to pick those up I forgot what wattage but she paid $85.00 a panel and $50.00 I think for the controller they keep up with her needs but her battery bank is not real big.The guy at the solar farm in Ft Mohave told me they get damaged by the wind in a array like used on a farm is why I asked,they installed a wind fence on the north side of the farm   

[Jerry W Campbell]

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

I think I put my panels on the roof some where about the year 2000 but I would have to look it up to be sure. They were the most wattage I could get on the roof at the time. 1580 watts.  The L-16's, 6 volt batteries, lasted about 12 years. I now have AGM's, 1600 Amp Hours. MY batteries have never gotten below 75%, usually above 85%. I have a 110 volt fridge and use all my power tools. My inverter and charge controllers have run 24/7 since the first day. The fans have all died but other than that all is better that OK.

As far as the lifespan of the panels go, I'm sure they must have lost some of their output but I can't tell. So, My educated opinion is that the panels will last longer than you so don't worry about it. The best Thing I did was to add linear actuators so I don't have to raise them by hand I got too old for that.

The first panels I bought were three 40 watt panels used from a government setup in the late '80,s. They were the round cells. Between the cells were supposed to be white but these were burnt black from the sun so they were well used. As far as I could tell they put out 40 watts. I had no charge controller so they could run wide open.
It's really hard to determine the output of panels. It is totally dependent on the state of the batteries and your charge controller and of course the sun. If your batteries are not low enough you won't get their full output. I have never gotten more that 1400 watts and only that a couple of times when there was cloud lensing. I think that is the right term.
My generator just died after 10 years of almost no usage so I'm testing a new one in the southern Arizona rain.
Jerry

[luvrbus]

I have seen campers in Quartzsite tilt the panels and have ropes to turn the panels to follow the sun and crawl on the roof and wash the panels everyday lol a starter button would be easier for me

[Jerry W Campbell]

Our daughter bought 2 take off panels for her rv from a solar seller that came from a solar farm Gary took her to pick those up I forgot what wattage but she paid $85.00 a panel and $50.00 I think for the controller they keep up with her needs but her battery bank is not real big.The guy at the solar farm in Ft Mohave told me they get damaged by the wind in a array like used on a farm is why I asked,they installed a wind fence on the north side of the farm

Just make sure they are bolted down and there will be no trouble with the wind.
I speak from experience. Two of my panels blew of the roof from a gust that had to be a 100 mph. I put the panels down in their frame but did not bolt them down. It was 4 in the morning. The wind ripped off the welds from the roof and the entire rack blew off on the ground. Nothing was broken so I had it all welded back together.
The only other thing with the wind was my charge controller would shut down saying "PV COLD" voltage too high, when I was driving in temperatures below about 15 Deg.

[Jim Blackwood]

I'm still waiting on the panels you can roll out and stick directly to the roof. Those will come around in a few more years and in the meantime the genny will do ok.

I'd still look for the sweet spot between price/availability, complexity, ease of maintenance, and features. For me that is still in the mid to late 90's MCI 102DL3. It's a whole lot of bus for what you have to pay and makes a good foundation. Buy the right bus and a lot of what you want is already there. Such as:
Four stroke engine
B-500 Alison automatic
80K Btu aux heater
r134 AC system
Alloy wheels
rear raise
etc and what you are better off (for most) without is not there, like CANBUS and pig piss.

And it's likely the floor will be good, the walls and roof are insulated, the overhead bins are attractive and can be retained for cabinetry if desired, the floor rails are useful for anchoring down cabinets and furniture, the large rear bay allows convenient mid-bathroom placement, etc. If you go about it sensibly instead of just jumping in and gutting the bus it can make the conversion pretty cost conscious.

But I still put the onboard powered leveling jacks up near the very top of the must-have list. Fits in the cheap/easy/fast triangle but you only get to pick one.

Jim

[lostagain]

A good driver's seat is a must. An air seat off a truck is great. They can be had used off MarketPlace for $300 to $500. I had a Sears Seating one in my MC5 that I could sit in for 12 hours easy. Infinitely adjustable, heat, massage, etc.

A good seat for the co-pilot is a must too. With foot rest that pops out.

[TommyR]

Heat pump for year-round cooling and heating. Ours will produce heat down to -22 F - best invention in the last couple of years, for a bus IMHO

[TommyR]

Also, the best thing I enjoy about our bus is the heated floors throughout - very thin film between the AdvanTech plywood subfloor and the waterproof vinyl plank flooring, thermostatically controlled and is the best thing in the morning to feel after getting out of bed.

[plyonsMC9]

I would think some of the must-haves would be weather related - e.g. depending on where the camping / traveling would take place.  Cold weather?  I second the motion for the floor heating as suggested by Tommy.  And redundant heat systems as well, in case something doesn't work - so you're not freezing if there is a failure.  Ditto for the hot temps - ample cooling, with redundant systems if possible.  Over the years we've had one or another go out and it was not pleasant.  In many ways.  And for us - a generator that is dependable. 

Kind Regards, Phil

[luvrbus]

I have electric floor heat in the S/S job it works good but uses a lot of juice .I wish mine was tied to the AquaHot heating system and not electric ,another thing when my stone floors get warm it takes a few hours for the floors to cool and Buddy the standard poodle doesn't care for it much.I have always had heated bays and fuel compartments that to me is a must have in our travels   

[buswarrior]

The cautionary phrase might be:

All things in moderation?

A little bit of everything vs swinging the pendulum hard in any direction.

Some fuel burning heating, some generator, some battery bank, a good quality inverter/charger, some solar, and enough AC for your planned geography.

A comfortable place for everyone to sit, both on the road, and while camping on a rainy day.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

I would think some of the must-haves would be weather related - e.g. depending on where the camping / traveling would take place.  Cold weather?  I second the motion for the floor heating as suggested by Tommy.  And redundant heat systems as well, in case something doesn't work - so you're not freezing if there is a failure.  Ditto for the hot temps - ample cooling, with redundant systems if possible.  Over the years we've had one or another go out and it was not pleasant.  In many ways.  And for us - a generator that is dependable. 

Kind Regards, Phil

I agree on multiple sources of heat.  Redundancy is always good in a bus conversion, and heat is one of the most important.  My bus has an Aqua-Hot system which works on both  Electric and Diesel.  But both have failed and one time both failed.  But I also carry small electric heaters which I can use with my generator running.  I also carry one Mr. Buddy propane heater if all else fails.

I would love to have in-floor heat, but that doesn't aline with my payscale.   

[lostagain]

A reliable generator is by far the most important thing on the bus. Solar is nice, but it doesn't do sh*t when waiting out a snow storm at the bottom of a mountain pass on the way South in December or January, or North in March.

[luvrbus]

A reliable generator is by far the most important thing on the bus. Solar is nice, but it doesn't do sh*t when waiting out a snow storm at the bottom of a mountain pass on the way South in December or January, or North in March.