WANTED: BUS DRIVER **** MAYBE**** Jeez

[mung]

I have had many boats and right now have a 30' 1974 catamaran.  I can tell you that it is nothing even close to the bus.  

I am not saying that Ros can't do what he needs to do, what I am saying is that he seems to be very naive when he is talking about things that might happen.  I just hope he is prepared for what might happen and able to deal with the pitfalls.  Just a quick read over the issues some of us have had should make anyone want to go back to their Boy Scout days and make sure they are really prepared.  I just know I was already close to $1500 spent before I was even really the owner of the bus and that is not including the cost of the bus or the agreed delivery charge and after she was mine, the money started getting spent really fast.  

[Hard Headed Ken]

Here's one of my stories.

About 10 years ago I had owned a 4104 for about 10 years. During that time the first thing I did was put it on blocks and replaced all wheel bearings, brake drums, linings, brake chambers, with spring brakes, brake hoses, air bags, made my own leveling system, pulled the oil pan and checked the bearings. Then I spent another year cobbling together an interior. Drove it about 6 years and couldn't stand no power and shifting. I installed a 6V92 and V730, it turned driving into a true pleasure. My wife and I drove it to the Keys, Yellow Stone, and many, many places in between. I always stayed on top of the mechanical stuff. I always wanted a Prevost, I liked the way they looked. I saw one on Ebay that spoke to me. I made the owner a low ball offer that I never thought he would take, he took it.
I put my 04 on Ebay, the right guy (he's a mechanic and rebuilds antique motorcycles) makes me a fair offer, but he wants me to deliver it. Tuscon from Nashville, TN, yeah, no problem, I've driven this thing all over the country.
About Abilene TX I felt a vibration, then the overtemp warning buzzer came on and I coasted to the side of I 20, I walked to the rear opened the engine compartment door and the fan had disintegrated, destroying the new oversized radiator that I had custom built when I did the engine swap. This is about 10 PM and it's very cold outside. I had a Webasto heat system which no longer worked because there was no coolant. I spent 2 or 3 hours (I actually had a flip cell phone calling my wife asking for wrecker company numbers in the area)  trying to find a wrecker that could move me that night. No one could move me until the next day. I spent the rest of the night about 2 feet off I 20 with the bus rocking every time a truck went by. I had a propane stove, finally decided I would turn the oven on and open the over door so I would not freeze to death. The sun came up the next morning and I could see an exit less than a half mile away. I could have made that distance and got off the side of I 20. No GPS 20 years ago. About 2 hours later a Landoll shows up and halls me to their lot. I was lucky, a competent radiator shop was just down the road and the wrecker company let me use some tools, I pulled the radiator in their gravel lot and the radiator shop came to pick it up. It was going to be a few days before the rad shop could get a core and it was going to be a few days before I could get a fan. The wrecker guys took me to the airport. I rented a car and drove back to Nashville (sleeping in a rest area in the rental car on the way back, engine running and heat on) so I could be back to work on Monday. That week I found a fan got it delivered to my house, made sure the rad shop had the radiator repaired and delivered back to the wrecker company. I took off Friday, went to the to airport in Nashville Thursday evening, rented a car drove back to Abilene (sleeping in a rest area in the rental car on the way back down, engine running and heat on). Got to wrecker yard early Saturday morning installed the new fan and radiator with tools they were kind enough to let me use. I reached Tuscon sometime that evening (I think) The prospective buyer looked it over that evening and the next morning. He paid me, took me the Phoenix airport, I got on a plane and flew back home.

The whole ordeal didn't cost an extra dime and really was no big deal.  

[mung]

OK, but you got lucky that it didn't cost a fortune and lucky that the overheat didn't toast the motor.  And what I take from your story is that even though, you knew the bus like the back of your hand and even though it had been reliable for many years, you still had an issue that was a bit of an ordeal. 

[John316]

And here I delivered our bus to Clifford, with no problems. Of course, I fully expected them, but was VERY happy there were non .

Our hallmark story....

We were on the road in FL, and exited to get fuel. It sounded strange, when it downshifted, but we didn't think much of it. Turns out it was stuck in 3rd gear. We limped to an Allison shop, 30miles away, and shut it down. They dug into it, and found that we needed a new Allison B500 tranny.

$14,000, and 10 days later, we were back on the road. We had to rent a truck and a van, and stay in hotels, to continue on the tour.

And I won't take the time to tell the stories about when our air compressor broke, or the time our intake manifold had to be replaced on the road, or the time that the idler wheel bearing went out in Carlsbad NM, or the time that our main truss assembly between the tag axle and bus rusted out, or the time the supports above the drive axle air bags rusted through and were coming through the floor, or the time that the muffler came off, or the time that the oil cooler needed to be replaced, or the time that the alternator died, or the time we replaced the turbo. LOL Sorry I got on a role. 

But really, it was no big deal.

Clifford, you got a great bus. We fixed all those things for you Here's to hoping you never have a break down with that bus ever!

[luvrbus]

I don't know about that one Vern a bus or boat  I had a Sport Fisher with 2 V-10 Man Diesel you could sure spend a lot of dead presidents on it a frign 4000 gal fuel tank at a marina that will get your attention in a heartbeat and fuel was the cheap part  

Hey Ken did I tell you that guy sold that bus he lost a couple of engines in about a 2 week time span and let it go cheap I would liked to had it if I knew he selling it so cheap the guy that owns it's now works for WW Williams so it is good hands fwiw

[Hard Headed Ken]

Mung, I'm laughing, you know, LOL. I was being a smart @$#. It cost a hell a lot of money and was a hell of lot of trouble and the rest of your analysis is correct.  



Clifford, the guy I sold my bus to still has it and it's in good shape. I talked to him a few weeks ago. Must be another 4104 with a 6V92 in the area or for some crazy reason he lied.

[luvrbus]

If he still has it there is one out there just as clean and the same color as yours 

[mung]

Oh, I am not saying that boats are less expensive as buses by any means, trust me I know.  What I am saying is that working on a boat is nothing like working on a bus unless you are the owner of an ex-navy PT boat or something.  I mean look at how long it took for you guys to explain to me how air brakes work?  I knew the basic concepts but until you dig in, you don't know jack and I deal with some pretty complex systems at work.  

[mung]

I am starting to wonder if I should do something similar to Ace.  Instead of buying a truck conversion should I buy a tow truck?  Can a tow truck be a toad?

[luvrbus]

I see all that new stuff John I know you spent some big bucks nothing cheap used in the conversion parts either the guys missed the boat on that one that little bit of rust is nothing to repair,but it could use a smaller fuel tank lol and I did install 2 new Michelin on the front even with FMCA they were 1500 bucks but I am not complaining that FC Bluebird with the 3408 the group owns was killing me   

thank you John ps leaving out in about 1 hr to go pickup another woman and child  I cannot believe the people in this world now

[Hard Headed Ken]

Clifford, you've made me curious. I'm gonna call him next week and ask some more direct questions. It's unlikely 2 white 4104s with 6V92s are in the same area. If you can get a picture of the right side engine compartment I can tell for sure if it's the one I did, it's very unique. It has a wide upside down U shaped I beam over the top of the transmission.  

Mung, a tow truck with a sleeper, how could you beat that? Do you think tow trucks every break down?

[ros]

Vern, a small catamaran like you have is not even in the same league as a 30 ton diesel powered, diesel generator, auto piloted hydraulically steered, radar that I fixed myself because I am licensed to do so, fix and maintain all of the electronics, swing indicators, all of the radios including marine linear amplifer, single sideband radios, v.h.f. radios, swinging compasses, maintaining the propulsion and generator diesels, all of the myriad pumps and maintaining the 32,000 btu air conditioning that I built and installed, welding and building boarding ladders and bowsprit and stanchions,  the electric anchor windlass with capstan, the head  and everyone of the ancillary accoutrements that were on-board.  I have had boats since 1965 and am a bit familiar with taking care of them.

When you are several hundreds of miles out to sea, you had doggone well better know about maintenance and have spares FOR THE spares.  I will also have spares for the bus that I get and I already have a huge array of tools.  You don't go out to sea without knowing what you are doing.

A sailboat is a much different animal.

Perhaps it is you that is naive to the point that you make an assessment about me without even knowing of my background but, thank you for the post.


Ros

I have had many boats and right now have a 30' 1974 catamaran.  I can tell you that it is nothing even close to the bus.  

I am not saying that Ros can't do what he needs to do, what I am saying is that he seems to be very naive when he is talking about things that might happen.  I just hope he is prepared for what might happen and able to deal with the pitfalls.  Just a quick read over the issues some of us have had should make anyone want to go back to their Boy Scout days and make sure they are really prepared.  I just know I was already close to $1500 spent before I was even really the owner of the bus and that is not including the cost of the bus or the agreed delivery charge and after she was mine, the money started getting spent really fast.  

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Bought our bus in 03 for just over $33,000, brought it home 1100 miles with no problems. Put about $17,000 into upgrades in the first year. Been fulltiming in it for 11 years, have put about 70,000 miles on it. Other than the engine this year the only things that had to be fixed over the years were the governor on the compressor, (cheapest thing on the bus!  ) a couple of brakes/wheel bearing/oil seals, and a starter, (also this year). The bus has opened up the country to us and we have gone to many places that we never dreamed of going to. The  unexpected thing is that thru the boards and traveling we have met and become friends with people from all over the U.S. and Canada. It has been worth every penny we have spent. Could have done with out the engine rebuild though.

[luvrbus]

I know a little about boats I know how how much the side shift bow thruster cost so some one like me can dock one  

[eagle19952]

The sky is falling .....