Bus tires and material you park on?

[BRUISER]

So what are most of you parking your bus on?  Concrete, black top, gravel , dirt, grass, etc?

and which one of the above should not hurt your tires as much?

I have read parking on grass can be bad due to tires sitting in wet grass when rains and then the water can be soaked up and cause rust in the bands inside the tire.... so is gravel ok?

I would think black top or concrete would be best.. but what about gravel, dirt?

thanks

[goutoe]

I built a carport for my bus, and I used cobble stone for the base to park on, it has worked out very well, the stone is coarse enough to allow good drainage keeping the tires dry. also the stone is smooth not jagged so it does not damage the tires, seems to work good for me.

[Jeremy]

I park on gravel (moderately large limestone chips), which was laid just before the bus arrived. I compacted it as well I could with one of those vibrating plate thingies, and I've had no problems at all with the bus sinking in. Only problem is all the small things you drop whilst working on the bus, which immediately get lost in the gravel.

Jeremy

[lostagain]

I don't think it matters what kind of surface tires sit on. They don't soak up moisture. If you're worried about it, drive it up onto pieces of plywood or wood blocks to park for extended periods.

JC

[chev49]

i park on whatever ,,
think if someone is concerned about tires they should block the bus up..reduce the air pressure, and cover the tires...

[chev49]

by the term "whatever".. i didn't mean "cats"...

[belfert]

I park my bus on river rock.  I would like concrete, but I seem to always have better things to do with my money than a concrete pad for the bus.

There are lots of people on the Internet who say not to allow tires to sit directly on concrete long term, but nobody ever knows why tires shouldn't be on concrete.

[Oonrahnjay]

There are lots of people on the Internet who say not to allow tires to sit directly on concrete long term 

     Brian, is this only concrete or is asphalt (more porous?, I dunno) considered OK?  Concrete basically incorporates water into it's structure and water can be a little slow to drain or run off (unless there's a carefully prepared slope to the surface) but I can't believe that it would hold enough water/moisture to do any damage. I would understand not letting tires sit on *any* surface without being moved for months but what's special about concrete?  I mean, tires are made of rubber, not Kleenex!

[qayqayt]

We park our bus on sheets of plywood over gravel.  Also, if you park on ashphalt, the weight of your coach may eventually cause it to sink or at least cause depressions in your parking spot.  The plywood helps distribute the weight.

Bryan

[belfert]

There are lots of people on the Internet who say not to allow tires to sit directly on concrete long term 

     Brian, is this only concrete or is asphalt (more porous?, I dunno) considered OK?  Concrete basically incorporates water into it's structure and water can be a little slow to drain or run off (unless there's a carefully prepared slope to the surface) but I can't believe that it would hold enough water/moisture to do any damage. I would understand not letting tires sit on *any* surface without being moved for months but what's special about concrete?  I mean, tires are made of rubber, not Kleenex!

I think asphalt is considered okay.  The concrete thing may be an old wive's tale.  I can find lots of people saying not to park tires long term on concrete, but nobody ever knows why.

[Oonrahnjay]

There are lots of people on the Internet who say not to allow tires to sit directly on concrete long term 

     Brian, is this only concrete or is asphalt (more porous?, I dunno) considered OK?  Concrete basically incorporates water into it's structure and water can be a little slow to drain or run off (unless there's a carefully prepared slope to the surface) but I can't believe that it would hold enough water/moisture to do any damage. I would understand not letting tires sit on *any* surface without being moved for months but what's special about concrete?  I mean, tires are made of rubber, not Kleenex!

I think asphalt is considered okay.  The concrete thing may be an old wive's tale.  I can find lots of people saying not to park tires long term on concrete, but nobody ever knows why.

      Yeah.   

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Probably because concrete has no "give" to it and your tires will flat spot after awhile if it sits for long periods of time.

[BRUISER]

so how often are you guys moving your buses?

no less then once a month, every two months etc?

[Oonrahnjay]

Probably because concrete has no "give" to it and your tires will flat spot after awhile if it sits for long periods of time. 

     Ed, would asphalt or plywood be different enough to not give damage when concrete will?  (I'm not staking a hard-@ss position here to be argumentative, I'm asking a question because I don't know.)

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Bruce, sitting on something "softer" might make some difference, but sitting for a long time on anything, even plain old dirt, will still result in flat spots after awhile. The heavier the rig the faster it will happen.   I have a car and truck in storage in Yuma during the summer while we are up north, i put jack stands under them when we leave. I even put my small utility trailer up off the ground.     Bruiser, we have sat as long as 6 months in one spot without moving. Usually on gravel of one type or another.  Anymore though, i try not to let it set for more than a couple of months at a time.......good excuse to go to a bus rally!