Skoolies moving back to gasoline engines

CrabbyMilton · August 02, 2016, 06:49:08 AM

Now IC bus has introduced their version. BLUEBIRD did late last year with the 6.8L V10.
http://www.midwesttransit.com/ic-bus-gasoline/

Oonrahnjay · August 02, 2016, 07:07:40 AM

Quote from: CrabbyMilton on August 02, 2016, 06:49:08 AMNow IC bus has introduced their version. BLUEBIRD did late last year with the 6.8L V10.
http://www.midwesttransit.com/ic-bus-gasoline/

"This bus is designed to make ownership more affordable and to provide easier maintenance for school districts and contractors" By going from diesel to gasoline??? Not in my experience!

CrabbyMilton · August 02, 2016, 07:17:46 AM

Well diesel is great for high mileage but not for lower use where the initial cost won't be recovered in a reasonable time. Some just don't want the hassle of DEF and worry about starting in extreme weather. I don't know which truck dealers can service the PSI engine but it does have much GM foundation in place. The FORD V10 in the BLUEBIRD can be serviced at any FORD truck dealer.

buswarrior · August 02, 2016, 07:23:31 AM

It was only a matter of time.

Initial purchase cost of diesel engine systems,
the horrible reliability experienced by fleets of some of these systems,
confusion and misinformation about DEF,
The drivers in most places, part time, by necessity, are not focused on the bus and its workings, quit if there's trouble,
priced a DPF cleaning?
priced a tow truck?
faced fines from the school district for non-performance?
more training for mechanics on juiced medium diesel installs,

Add in the cancer scare of diesel exhaust...

A big block gas engine never looked so good?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

luvrbus · August 02, 2016, 08:04:45 AM

I saw a 38 ft Winne that had a big block Chevy in the pusher arrangement,the owner says it has plenty of power for the mountains out west and pushed 10 mpg.LOL we have a old schooie I play with that has a 534 Ford gasoline pusher I think it gets 11 mpg 1 going and 1 coming.The new gasoline engines have no problem now lasting 300,000 mile with nothing ever done to one maybe spark plugs @ 150,000 miles

CrabbyMilton · August 02, 2016, 09:56:03 AM

Although nothing has been said, THOMAS will likely follow suite and offer a gasoline version too we'll see. They ought to make deal with CHRYSLER and offer one of their truck V8's. That way when people see one, they can ask...Is that a HEMI?
I doubt it since they use a GM big block for their propane version but hey, you never know.

brmax · August 02, 2016, 11:44:08 AM

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me power wise, but then again I'm not the one weighing and counting cost of the exhaust systems maintenance.

Floyd

Iceni John · August 02, 2016, 01:34:19 PM

Wouldn't it be neat if there was a really big gas engine, and it was under the floor to keep a low center of gravity and good handling? Oh wait, there were. RIP, Crowns with Hall-Scotts, you're still missed (except for the 3 MPG bit).

Their drivers learnt that if you turned off the ignition while coasting, pumped the accelerator a few times, then restarted the engine, you could get a 6 feet long flame out the exhaust, enough to scare the living snot out of anyone tailing them too close. However, done too often resulted in the muffler being blown clean off - they couldn't say that they were "just driving along" because everyone knew the real reason why!

John

eagle19952 · August 02, 2016, 01:56:33 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on August 02, 2016, 08:04:45 AM
I saw a 38 ft Winne that had a big block Chevy in the pusher arrangement,the owner says it has plenty of power for the mountains out west and pushed 10 mpg.LOL we have a old schooie I play with that has a 534 Ford gasoline pusher I think it gets 11 mpg 1 going and 1 coming.The new gasoline engines have no problem now lasting 300,000 mile with nothing ever done to one maybe spark plugs @ 150,000 miles

those old 8.1 liter GM's...a ting of beaauty...so Clifford, if you have any influence at GM have the moth balls removed and restart the assembly line

HB of CJ · August 02, 2016, 02:01:34 PM

Failure of elected school board members. False bean counting. Lack luster maintenance budgets. Focusing on dumbing down students. A lack of professional thinking. Letting the tax payer foot the bill for overall schooling incompetence. So on and so on.

45 years ago they made a good schoolie. Crown Supercoach. Problem even then was that Crowns cost at least twice as much as the cheapo mass produced box bus. Crowns went at least 250,000 miles with no issues. The warrantee was 200,000 and 20 years.

Everything on THAT bus was rebuildable using factory off the shelf truck parts. But ... they did not have the flavor, desirability, political correctness or false bean counting over short term only as the cheapo throw a way school bus. The tax payer pays for it all.

So .... we have gone full circle. No more throw a way diesel engines. Now we have gone to another horrible throw a way cheapo gas engine school bus. All cheap. All junk. All throw a way. How about good folks running for the school board? Wow inded!

Sometimes Linux speell chzk is neither.

luvrbus · August 02, 2016, 02:42:15 PM

That not the case now HB it is the Feds and their 10 year old thing.I watched the Needles School district dispose of their Crowns what a waste they could not be sold only junked because of some stupid law .A guy here bought 2 of the Crowns and sold them they came after him and put him out of business in short order

chessie4905 · August 02, 2016, 03:50:13 PM

I'm done with diesels in cars and trucks.Tired of 50 cents more per gallon or fuel. Have a TDI Jetta 03 and a 6.5 Chevy. Jetta gets great mileage, but don't put the miles on it anymore. Truck averages in the 17 to 18 teens. Just more maintenance and the newer Duramaxes without their issues, just more expensive to repair. Next vehicles will be gas jobs. Fill with gas and change oil every 10k with Mobil 1. Plugs every 100k. I think when they went Def, the savings disappeared.

Oonrahnjay · August 02, 2016, 04:50:08 PM

Quote from: chessie4905 on August 02, 2016, 03:50:13 PMI'm done with diesels in cars and trucks.Tired of 50 cents more per gallon or fuel. Have a TDI Jetta 03 and a 6.5 Chevy. Jetta gets great mileage, but don't put the miles on it anymore. Truck averages in the 17 to 18 teens. Just more maintenance and the newer Duramaxes without their issues, just more expensive to repair. Next vehicles will be gas jobs. Fill with gas and change oil every 10k with Mobil 1. Plugs every 100k. I think when they went Def, the savings disappeared.

I'm about to turn over 410,000 miles on my 03 Jetta Wagon. First brake problem 310,000 (rear caliper stuck), second one 350,000 (pads and rotors up front). Even accounting for the price-fixing on diesel over gas, I paid less for the fuel AND the new price of the car than I would have for just gas to go the same distance -- VW gave me a free car. NO WAY would gas have been quicker. My next car will be a rebuilt '03 Jetta, ALH engine, 11mm bore fuel pump, 5-speed engine. No way am I ever going to run anything that needs DEF.

easystreet · August 02, 2016, 08:58:03 PM

Many school districts are now contracting out their transportation needs so it only figures that the contractors would be looking to buy less costly units to do the same job. Bad thing about a district contracting out is that they likely disposed of their own fleet or sold it to the contractor so they are stuck contracting forever as they likely can't afford to buy a fleet of school buses all at once.

CrabbyMilton · August 03, 2016, 04:11:35 AM

HB that story of shooting fire out of the exhaust pipe always puts a smile on my face. That's one way to keep the kids from acting stupid on the bus. Now the only way would be to handcuff them to the seats but the civil liberty types would go after the bus operator if they tried that but I digress.
It is hard to believe that NAVISTAR is just about out of the engine business. Further reading shows that they will offer CUMMINS engines in their pusher skoolie for the first time and likely discontinuing the "around forever" DT(old 466) engine. They already did that in the conventional with CUMMINS being the sole diesel in that one. They were once one of highest regarded engine builders not only for their own trucks and bus chassis but even supplied to other OEM's. True, they have some spaghetti plate deals with VW(I think) and CAT for engines but I'm talking about the light and medium duty N. America market. The disaster with the FORD SUPERDUTY played a major factor but still proof that markets and companies sure do change.