A hopefully respectful followup from Brian Evans (Bevans6)

[John316]

Welcome back, Brian. I am glad that you are back around now.

God bless,

John

[steve wardwell]

thank you Brian, welcome home!.............s...........

[zubzub]

Glad your back Brian...it was a dramatic and for some of us an entertaining weekend.   Also Webber took 2nd in the F1 and Vettel proved once and for all why he is not ready, so all in all a great weekend.

[DMoedave]

Way to go Brian, i know i am a lot more safety minded than i was in my younger days. vise grips on a brake line? not me! anyway you the man, someone else said it better. dont apologize for your beliefs, but maybe how they were deleviered.

[Melbo]

Welcome back brian

It is ALWAYS good to discuss safety issues

I appreciate your input

Melbo

[Hi yo silver]

Yep, we all get our cornflakes peed on once in a while.  When someone else makes a statement on the BB that doesn't come across exactly as intended, it takes the heat off the rest of us. LOL!  Don't sweat the small stuff...
Dennis

[Chopper Scott]

Great to see you back. I was over the top in responding to you and I apologize for that. But one thing I noticed is how many so called newbies responded in several hot posts that possibly had been lurkers or basically silent because of individuals critisizing anything they do or ask. I know of one qualified individual that never posts about things he is well qualified in because he grew tired of certain individuals that "know more"! Like I said, glad to have you back but I hope you realize that you have been keeping this board from growing by thinking you know it all and scaring potential folks and other opinions away. I could say a lot more but am taking my own advise.

[BJ]

well guys I work and drive for a commercial bus company in Okla that services greyhound also.  It is very common practice to use a gas powered air compressor and an air line to get a bus that has lost an ac back to the shop. ours is not the only shop I have seen do this practice.  There are too many rules and regulations in this world. give it a break, sometimes a person cannot afford a wrecker bill of hundreds to thousands of dollars to get his bus to a local shop for repairs. we are all not set up to afford newer buses. some of us have to drive older buses and we love them all the same with the freedom they give us. you seem to have forgotten that if the person's bus lost air from the jury rigged air line the brakes would have stopped him and, you would be able to monitor the air pressure gauge as you normally would. I agree it might not have been the best thing that he might have done but sometimes we have to do what works at the time.....anybody been there?

[RoyJ]

Luvrbus, what I got from this is that if the vehicle has electric compressors as original equipment, that means it has passed FVMSS 121 with those compressors and they are what it should have.  They would be manufactured and rated as automotive compressors, presumably (automotive meaning used on vehicles generally).  There is no rule against electric compressors per se, there just seems to be a rule against replacing an approved compressor with some other random compressor that isn't rated or designed or installed in a proper way.  Lots of air brake vehicles use electric air compressors, I think that trolley cars often do.

Brian

My question would be, are there any specifications that outline what an "automotive rated" compressor has to be? Or is this something left entirely up to the OEM?

They're many non automotive rated compressors than can easily out-pace typical automotive ones, both in terms of output and duty cycle. An extreme case would be a industrial Ingersol screw compressor. 100 cfm @ 100% duty cycle, yet isn't rated for use in a bus.

Realistically though, I'd feel safe with a decent output, low rpm (1700), oil lubricated pump. An oiless compressor would probably overheat in stop and go city traffic. A high rpm, compact (contractor), oil lubricated pump may be adequate in a emergency, but I probably wouldn't drive too long, unless I stop often and check up on it.

[JackConrad]

Brian,
   Welcome back. Safety is always an important issue. However, you will never be able to make everyone agree with your opinion, no matter how strongly you argue your point or how correct you are. Even posting links to regulations will not change everyones mind.         
   Most busnuts are somewhat headstrong and enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to do something "their way". They will listen to any suggestions but will tend to take a defensive stance when told "you have to do it this way".
   Please continue to offer advice, but remember that all will not follow your advice.  Jack

[5B Steve]

   Brian, my 2 cents worth, glad to see you back also.  I have learned a lot from your post as well as the phone conversations

  on our 5's.  Keep up the good post my friend!


   Steve 5B........

[artvonne]

  Welcome back. It takes more guts than the anger that makes you leave. BTDT.

  As to the issue that brought this all about, there appears to be a mountain of difference as large as Everest between the authority placed on Canadian law enforcement, vs officers in the USA. Our police just do not have that much authority, and our laws are simply not that totalitarian. If your police really have that much power, I am more proud than ever to live in the USA.

  That should not be misconstrued however. Every state has laws requiring vehicles be safe to operate. Should  you have an accident and it were found you made some modification that made the vehicle unsafe, you could be sued, and criminal charges could be filed "IF" there was harm and "IF" it were proven your modification was at fault.

  So the difference is, we are free to operate without an iron fist watching over us until we have a problem. The only instance where I could see an officer having any authority to stop a vehicle from moving for a safety issue would be commercial vehicles. But they do not impound vehicles or take plates, arrest you, or charge you with a crime unless you actually commited a crime. And I doubt anyone could find a statute for using an air compressor to supply the air brakes in an emergency, and certainly nothing making it a criminal offense.

 

[cody]

I say we kill the fatted calf and welcome back the prodical son, bring on the fatted calf, anyone got a fatted calf?  Dommit, looks like no fatted calfs well we'll use the drive thru at mickey D's then.

[Barn Owl]

No matter how safe I try to be, I know that if I were in an accident and hurt or killed someone, they would find some evidence that I didn't maintain the vehicle the way I should. Anyone with any authority, that were to gaze upon my ugly bus, would write me up just for owning something like that. I would be accused of maiming them by just having an eyesore. LOL.

Glad to see we are all getting along now, reminds me of my in-laws family. Fighting one minute, BFFs the next.

[cody]

I don't think we ever didn't get along, just because we want to kill each other now and then doesn't mean we're not family.   I'm sure you guys wish me great harm at times and the way I live I try to accomodate but as luck would have it we seem to be stuck with each other mainly cause nobody else will have us.