Getting under the bus

[Danny]

After reading the post regarding draining the air tanks I got thinking about actually getting under the bus.  I have never done that.  I have a friend who while working on something the air started going down while he was under the bus.  He said it was an interesting experience.  What is the answer?  Blocks, digging a trench down the middle under the bus,

What are the thoughts of the group?

Thanks (as always)
Danny

[H3Jim]

Safety is the main concern.  There are several ways to ensure that the bus won't come down on you.  Trench, pit, blocks, ramps, park on a slope.  Avoid getting under there at all and pay someone else to do it.  The main idea is that stuff happens, and if the bus comes donw on you, you will likely be dead, so make sure you don't put yourself in that position. Air bags can deflate, even if you've never seen them do it.  Jacks can slip or be driven into pavement due to the seer wieght of the bus.  Its all been said before, some if it is  just common sense.  I personally have ramps, and for other stuff I take it to the dealer who puts it up on a lift. 

[buswarrior]

Hello Danny.

You may get yourself a couple of pieces of hardwood the right size to slip into the 4 points on the coach where the bump stops are at the front and rear axles. (none at the tag) You can do this by reaching around the tire.

That will block the suspension.

Still have to wonder about a tire deflating....

A set of ramps are quite handy to get yourself some more clearance for crawling around.

Again good quality lumber, layered 2 x ? fastened together somehow have been reported to work well.

Taking advantage of the geography, finding dips or drop-offs that the bus may safely approach.

I might suggest that it is pretty hard to properly maintain the coach without getting under it periodically to lubricate everything, check the brakes, inspect for deterioration and structural cracking, find the sources of air leaks and repair/replace the offending component.

Until she allows me to build a pit...  once a year, (my mileage is low) I jack it up, remove the wheels, railway tie under the axle, block in the suspension, and crawl around through the large opening and grease and inspect it all. After the pit, I'll still pull the wheels annually, so they will acually come off when I need them to at the side of the road somewhere...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Here's a project page I made a long time ago for some quick and simple run-up blocks: http://www.thefamilybus.net/projects/blocks/

I have another set that is 4 boards high (4 x 1.5" = 6"). There's no doubt a million ways of building these, and this is just one way. Mine are very portable and I never leave home without 'em.

HTH,
Brian B.

[H3Jim]

And to drive the bus onto the ramps or runup blocks here is an easy wasy to dirve jsut the right amount if you are by yourself.  measure the distance that you want to move forward, centerline of the wheel where it is, to the location where you want to be parked.  Put a step ladder that same distance in front of your bumper.  drive forward unti you just hit the ladder.

I have found that with the large tires and low first gear, I can hardly tell when I've driven up a 7" ramp, so this method gets me placed in just the right spot eveytime.  Even a 4 x 4 stop  block is not enough to stop teh bus, or even tell when I've reached it.