Another boring do nothing day

Zephod · October 07, 2017, 07:49:31 AM

I really envy those of you that have a garage big enough for your busses.

It's raining here and forecast to rain all weekend and of course the weekend is my only free time. Working my schedule leaves no time for anything.
I rise at 4am, drive a bus from 5:40am til 8:45am by which time it's already warm enough that the back of my shirt is moist and I'm exhausted by the heat.
I head back home where I nap for a couple of hours before heading back to work for the afternoon run.
1:30pm I leave on the afternoon run. This is the most punishing. No air conditioning and limited opportunities to reach into the console box for my warm bottle of water. Friday the signs said 93F and by the time 4:30pm came, sweat was running down my back.
When I leave the work Bus at 4:30 I am unsteady on my feet and eventually get home, drinking my bottle of water on the way.
When I'm home I collapse onto the bed to cool off and drink more water. There's no doing any work on my conversion, aside from eating, I'm done for the day.
I've a ton of work I need to do but it all needs dry weather as it's all underneath, under the hood or ventilation related.

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TomC · October 07, 2017, 08:02:49 AM

All the school buses here in Los Angeles (LAUSD) have A/C, tinted windows, seat belts, infant seats, high back padded seats with air suspension, automatic running on natural gas.
Not quite the school buses I rode in the 60's that were Crowns-some still with Hall-Scott gasoline engines, manuals, spring suspension, no A/C, barely heat, bench seats with low backs and no seat belts.
Safety for students have come a long way. Good Luck, TomC

brmax · October 07, 2017, 08:34:49 AM

They use the very same style yeller here in Missouri as i used in the 60's&71 had to walk and drive if lucky after that.
They are New although Bench seats with no ac, same slider windows. What has changed is better diesels, signage and mirrors.

Good times for sure
Floyd

Zephod · October 07, 2017, 08:41:48 AM

Quote from: TomC on October 07, 2017, 08:02:49 AM
All the school buses here in Los Angeles (LAUSD) have A/C, tinted windows, seat belts, infant seats, high back padded seats with air suspension, automatic running on natural gas.
Not quite the school buses I rode in the 60's that were Crowns-some still with Hall-Scott gasoline engines, manuals, spring suspension, no A/C, barely heat, bench seats with low backs and no seat belts.
Safety for students have come a long way. Good Luck, TomC

The special needs bus I Drive is 5 years old. It has ac at the back above the emergency exit. The driver bakes even with the ac full on. The front 4 seats have infant seats with harnesses. I have a strap in seat with a harness at the back for one specific child. I've had the same thing to hook to restraint vests too. The seats are regular padded vinyl covered seats. Suspension is leaf spring front and rear. Automatic transmission and the engine is Diesel.

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Kirby-XL40-FL · October 07, 2017, 01:46:29 PM

My wife used to wear one of these when she got stuck on an outdoor stage playing bluegrass bass in the summertime. She'd shorten the cord to get the fan in just the right position to blow up on her neck and face.

https://www.o2-cool.com/FN02001?page_id=844

Zephod · October 07, 2017, 01:59:06 PM

Quote from: Kirby-XL40-FL on October 07, 2017, 01:46:29 PM
My wife used to wear one of these when she got stuck on an outdoor stage playing bluegrass bass in the summertime. She'd shorten the cord to get the fan in just the right position to blow up on her neck and face.

https://www.o2-cool.com/FN02001?page_id=844

I have a fan but it just blows hot air. My best thing at the moment is just keeping the drivers window wide open.

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kyle4501 · October 07, 2017, 04:30:40 PM

I don't know about the other guys here, but I didn't build my bus garage by taking naps ! ! !

I didn't think anything could be worse than digging swimming pools . . . . . Working 10 - 12 hour days in a textile plant (so hot & humid that 100F in the sun felt cool) sure taught me different.

Maybe it ain't so much the weather as attitude. . . . . Just sayin'

You have 3 hours in the middle of the day --- Put on some big boy pants & get-r-done !

PP · October 07, 2017, 05:31:46 PM

You guys are all crying about the heat and I'm looking at snow in the forecast by Thursday. It's dropping into the teens at night already. The DW is upset with me for procrastinating here an extra month. She keeps reminding me now that we might get snowed in. I have chains, but no intentions of using them. I have to get over a pass that 5800 plus feet and snow is predicted all the way down to 4500'. Where's an Indian Summer when you need one?

At least I have a full tank of fuel if I have to take an alternate route out of here. Staying is not an option! I want to try my speedo out on a beach before I die

windtrader · October 07, 2017, 06:11:11 PM

The Donner party had a similar predicament, hope you fare better.

Zephod · October 07, 2017, 07:38:47 PM

Quote from: kyle4501 on October 07, 2017, 04:30:40 PM
I don't know about the other guys here, but I didn't build my bus garage by taking naps ! ! !

I didn't think anything could be worse than digging swimming pools . . . . . Working 10 - 12 hour days in a textile plant (so hot & humid that 100F in the sun felt cool) sure taught me different.

Maybe it ain't so much the weather as attitude. . . . . Just sayin'

You have 3 hours in the middle of the day --- Put on some big boy pants & get-r-done !

I am seriously exhausted and I know my afternoon driving is poor when I don't get to nap at midday. That's too big of a risk imho when I have a 16 ton 35 foot Bus, limited time and other people's children plus my aide all relying upon me to get them there safely.

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Jim Eh. · October 07, 2017, 08:28:02 PM

Quote from: Zephod on October 07, 2017, 01:59:06 PM
I have a fan but it just blows hot air. My best thing at the moment is just keeping the drivers window wide open.

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Rig up a plastic tall glass with a magnetic bottom, fill it with ice at the start of your run and place it in front of your fan.

Ed Hackenbruch · October 07, 2017, 10:33:36 PM

Also fill a bottle 1/2 way up with gatorade, freeze it overnight, then finish filling it with gatorade in the morning when you leave for work.

richard5933 · October 08, 2017, 04:51:46 AM

Sounds like you need one of the cooling vest these guys sell:

https://www.glaciertek.com/

There are many other companies also making similar items, many originally designed to keep soldiers from overheating inside tanks and other enclosed areas. Should help in a bus for sure and they don't appear to be too expensive.

Richard

Zephod · October 08, 2017, 06:56:16 AM

Interesting ideas guys. That vest really looks interesting. At the moment the best option seems to be keeping the window open. I do have a bottle of water but given I drive a 57 mile route in just over two hours in the afternoon, making 16 stops, I don't get much time to grab more than an occasional sip at a red light.

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Ed Hackenbruch · October 08, 2017, 08:37:41 AM

A few years ago i was working here in Az. in 122 degree temps. (It's a dry hell.

) That is when i found out how much better i felt drinking gatorade than drinking water. This year the guys fighting the fires here were using something called Drip Drops that they added to water. Tried it and it does the same as gatorade but is more $. Then i found that Pedialyte makes the same type of powder as Drip Drops but is cheaper.