Would you go back to an older bus? Why?

[sledhead]

I went from a 1990  6v92ta ddec at   350 hp , ht740 4 speed auto 40 ' er     to a    2000   4 stroke cat 3406e and a 6 speed auto at 550 hp and ton,s of torque      45 ' er

would I go back    NO WAY !

but the 45 ' er is to big for some camping sites   

dave

[mikelutestanski]

Hello:     Cant because of the money and my age.. I would love to drive a more comfortable better handling bus . BUT its not going to happen so be happy;  enjoy what you have... Time is marching on and my age is catching up and starting to limit options.....
   Still I am working on a smaller conversion..  a 30 foot  89 orion one with a cummins L10 ,B400R .  30 foor city coach.. needs to raise roof 16 inches and much other work..presently in the garage getting ready to cut the roof loose with the front dash. To raise..cutting the front under the lights..
     SO Can I sell everything and buy a newer bus.. probably but If you look I have a newer bus under construction...WIll it finish?  Hopefully ...  My age is  helping me downsize..Easier to drive and maintain..etc.   
    Regards. And happy bussin..  FWIW. My opinions  biased of course.
      Mike

[dtcerrato]

Geoff, well put! A man after my own heart. I stay very much in tune with the ole' bus - sometimes if I want to (or not). :-)

[Jon]

Olde Jon likes to control everything in the coach from his easy chair with a remote.The Crestron system is nice only problem they get outdated about every year and then it is $$$$$.
I hate it when ones goes down and I am paying some geek $125.00 per hr with a laptop watching the system boot up for hours 

Clifford is right but nothing in life is free and I think the ease of use and reliability outweighs the cost when something pukes and I need to hire a geek to fix it.

I thought a few years ago a nice original Ford built in 1950 and without all the electronics of today would make a great toad. The car was as good mechanically as I could make it and it drove like crap and was not safe for today's roads. The brakes, steering and handling were lousy. I ended up completely redoing the car with a new Fatman chassis, PS< PDB, vintage air, a Tremec 5 speed, small block 302 V8, etc. and now it is as easy and safe as any car today. Go back? Nope.

[TomC]

I've had my '77 AMGeneral 10240B since 1993. All mechanical, everything installed by me, VERY reliable. Would I do an older conversion again-yes and am working on ...
1985 Kenworth K100E 90" Cabover with Cat 3406B jacket water aftercooled, Allison HT740, custom made Wrico 12kw with both electronic controls and mechanical override, custom made 32ft box with 13ft garage. Zero electronics on my truck and the Cat 3406B is still made as the 3406C (nearly identical) for 3rd world countries that don't want an electronic engine for generator, pump, etc. 3406C is also made as an natural gas engine. So should be able to get parts for a long time. California has some strange rules. Since my truck is now a registered Motor Home, I'm exempt from smog laws.
Also, my truck and bus are both 40ft-which means anyone can drive them (Class C can drive a 3 axle house car no mention on weight or brakes) AND pull up to a 10,000lb trailer behind. Also can go on any highway. If you're over 40ft, then you're restricted to truck routes. California is 102" wide and 14ft tall (my truck is 13'6"). Good Luck, TomC

[uncle ned]

Jon  You might say huggy is like your toad.  every thing to make her drive like a new coach except with the best mechanical 6v92 than i could afford

Which is great.

uncle ned

[Scott & Heather]

I'm still in the "not sure yet" camp. My former bus was a 1984 MCI 9 with a mechanical 6v92T and an Allison 740 auto trans. That coach really didn't give me problems at all. Radiators leaked and needed replacing, coach was a bit sluggish and I never figured out why, but it never ever had electronic issues.

My new coach is a 1992 DDEC II MCI 102C3 with an electronic Allison 748 ATEC trans with touchpad controls. I LOVE how the trans shifts, I LOVE my throttle by wire instead of a stiff cable, I LOVE the power and being able to turn it up or down with a laptop. But I hate the electronic gremlins that have plagued this coach. If I can sort them out and have a good many years of fulltiming without more issues, I'll be sold on the newer tech. If I continue to have issues, I'll be pining for my old bus.


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[windtrader]

I was under the impression DDEC systems offered better diagnostic logging and reporting, more like OBD II for cars. Maybe the later DDEC versions offer more and better reporting for helping sort out mech and elec issues.

[Geoff]

I figured it out!  Buy two or three brand new top of the line conversions​, so when bus #1 is in for warranty repairs​, you have another bus to drive, or have a third bus if #1&2 are broken down.

--Geoff

[Lin]

Geoff-- Yes, that's exactly what we do with our jets.

[Scott & Heather]

I like geoffs idea. I'm down with that.


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[Dave5Cs]

Lin you have Jets too.... I thought we saw you fly by us at the Jet Rally....

[Lin]

Dave, maybe.  If it was the one with duct taped wing, it was us.

[sledhead]

you know .... when you guys get the three coach's ... you can't just let them sit or they will go bad ... so if you want I will go out of my way to exercise one of then for you 

dave

[pabusnut]

If I went back to an older bus, it would have to be horse drawn to be older!