Climbing hills

[dmoesta]

I've got an '82 MCI-9 with a 6-v92. with an auto trans. The thing is a dog going up hills. Any ideas short of getting a newer bus for climbing hills with a little more umph!!
Thanks
Doug

[TomC]

What do you consider a dog? Give us some mph examples on what hills and we can tell you if that is typical of the 6V-92TA.  It also depends on how heavy your bus is-please tell us how heavy your bus is.  If you have a full conversion, going up a 6% grade at 35-40mph would be on par with that power.  You need a Series 60 with 1550lb/ft of torque if you want to keep up speed on most interstate hills.  Newells new coach that weighs in around 70,000lb (!!) has a Cat C15 that puts out 625hp with 2050lb/ft of torque with a ZF Astronic 10spd (gives you an idea what kind of HP is needed).  If at all possible also, pull one of the valve covers and look on the injector (in the middle of the four valve springs) what the little round tag says (something like 9G80, 9G90,etc) then we will know your power output also.  Good Luck, TomC

[dmoesta]

Thanks Tom,
This gives me something to work on.  I am not sure of the grade. All I can go on is the name of Shadow Mtn. going north on I-65 into Birmingham, AL. The bus will slow down to 45-50 mph and I am pulling about 49,000 lbs.
This is the first time I had the bus out on these types of grades.

[jjrbus]

 45MPH up a steep grade!!!!  I've got an MCI5C, with a 6v71 auto and I'm worried about getting a ticket for loitering on steep grades                  Work?/Play safely Jim

[NCbob]

Jim, You've got a great sense of humor.  Please bring it in from time to time!

NCbob

[boogiethecat]

Geez guys, you all have dragsters!!  My first bus, a rear engine Superior, took the grapevine (6%) at about 10mph.  Now THAT was a dog! 
My Crown and Bluebird both take the same grade at 35-40 and I'm so happy I can ..... well I'll keep that to myself..
Doug, If you're taking a 49 thousand pound bus up a 6% grade at 45-50, PLEASE remind me never to offer you a race for pinkslips!! 
To me, you're screamin!!

That said, don't any of you EVER offer to race Don Fairchild.  He'll leave you in the dust so fast you'll wonder if it was really a bus he was in.  That thing of his is FASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST

[RJ]

The bus will slow down to 45-50 mph and I am pulling about 49,000 lbs.

49,000 lbs???  Are you sure???  Have you run it across a set of scales???

Reason I comment is that an MC-9 has a GVW of 36,600, per the builder's plaque.  That means at 49K, you are more than six tons over the weight the vehicle was designed for!!  Scary!!   

OTOH, to put your question about climbing hills into the proper perspective, consider the children's tale of the Tortoise and the Hare:

When you're behind the wheel of your MCI, you are no longer the hare - you're the tortoise.  Drive it with that mindset, and you'll enjoy the ride even more.

And for goodness sakes, learn the Allison's shift points, and downshift it manually when climbing hills.  BTDT80K/Y

HTH,

-- Russ

[gumpy]

49000 lbs?  Did you use granite to build your interior?  Or are you pulling one very large and heavy trailer?

I ran my MC9 over a set of hay scales last summer with loaded tanks and fuel. It was only around 34000, and I have a 1/2" of concrete on the floor! I can't image how one would get their bus to 49000 lbs.

As Russ pointed out, if what you said is accurate, you are severely overloaded on that MC9!

[coachcrazy]

I ran my MC9 over a set of hay scales last summer with loaded tanks and fuel. It was only around 34000, and I have a 1/2" of concrete on the floor! I can't image how one would get their bus to 49000 lbs.

i have been meaning to ask ya, hows that radiant flooring working out for you?

Jeff

[gumpy]

i have been meaning to ask ya, hows that radiant flooring working out for you?

It's awesome!

I'm still running a single thermostat and have both front and back loops tied together (I wired a switch so I can electrically connect both pumps to run together, plus I put in manual valves so I can drive both loops off a single pump. This gives me quite a bit of redundancy should a relay, pump, or thermostat die on me.). We took the bus to CO at Christmas time, and it was pretty cold in NE on the way out (down around 0*F), and temps at night in CO were upper teens. I set the thermostat at 65 at night, and it was very comfortable!  More recently, I took the bus to WY about 3 weeks ago. I was using the heat at night because I'm a wimp and it's so convenient. I great to put your bare feet on that warm floor when I get up at night or in the morning. Condensation is the biggest issue right now, but mostly because there are still exposed parts of my ceiling and framework. That will be taken care of this fall, hopefully.

Aside from the weight and risk of puncture when building walls, this was a good decision. The weight could be reduced by using 1/4" backer board instead of 1/2" (I used 1/4" on the lower walls and it works fine). The puncture issue is one you just have to be careful with.

Would I do it again?  Probably. I could do it a lot easier and cheaper now. You pretty much need a roof raise to do it with floor insulation, though. You could do it in a standard height coach without the insulation and only lose about an inch but it wouldn't be very efficient.

We're considering building a new home, and I've decided if we do build I'll probably use a similar system throughout, using multiple sources of heat including corn, wood, solar and vegetable oil.

[David Anderson]

My eagle 10 with a 6v92 climbs Wolf Creek Pass eastbound at about 25mph in 1st gear, 36000lbs wet.  I don't mind. I'm in no hurry anyway. 

David

[gus]

My 4104 with 671 four speed will usually top most grades around 45-50mph in fourth and steeper ones at 25-35 in third.

Once in a while I have to use second but this is usually when I don't get a run at the hill.

[Casper4104]

4104's are cool, ain't they Gus?

[gus]

I love that bus and, what's even more important, so does my wife!

Monster wheeled bricks are common, these little guys are rare.