Ground clearance....

[5coates]

Does anyone have info on ground clearance heights. I understand there are variables but I'd like to get some average heights. If anyone has a Setra 417 specifically that's what I'm looking for. I can always run over to the local bus company too and see if they Will let me measure it.

[richard5933]

Welcome 5coates!
Can't say specifically on that coach, but the answer is 'not much'. Even less if you install anything that sticks down below such as generator exhaust, waste tank discharge, etc. Some things like this can be installed close to an axle to help prevent bottoming out, but even going over a big speed hump can be a problem sometimes. Important to know the height with the air bags deflated as well, so that nothing gets damaged if/when your bus is resting on the rubber stops.

[buswarrior]

Coaches are ON road vehicles.

If you're asking, you might want to think school bus conversion for OFF road.

Nobody brags online about getting stuck, destroying their coach, having pieces rippped off by poorly placed tow lines...

Anything but flat, improved surfaces, you need to think really hard about it...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[5coates]

Buswarrior

A schoolie is out of the question. I understand what's your saying and appreciate the feedback. We currently have a 34 foot class a that we boondock in on hard packed unimproved roads. I don't plan on back country boondocking but want to get off the pavement. I see buses doing it so it's possible.

[bobofthenorth]

We took our Prevost into some pretty remote locations and the only time I had to be towed out was when I fell off the road in my own yard.  If you're comfortable off pavement then you'll know what you can handle and what you can't.  If it was me I'd look for a 35 foot coach.  That 5 feet less which will be mostly between the axles will make a huge difference in ground clearance. 

[5coates]

Bob

Good to hear I'm very comfortable taking my class a off road. I suppose it would be the same with the bus. I was under the motorhome today working on something else and my guess is that there isn't a huge difference in the clearance it's just the added length that would cause issues.

[richard5933]

Bob

Good to hear I'm very comfortable taking my class a off road. I suppose it would be the same with the bus. I was under the motorhome today working on something else and my guess is that there isn't a huge difference in the clearance it's just the added length that would cause issues.

There is a huge difference between the clearance on some Class A coaches and a bus. I'm only 125 lbs, and it's not easy for me to get under ours. Once I'm down there, it's really hard to do anything due to the low clearance. Without properly blocking the bus though, I wouldn't want to be under there anyhow, because when the air bags deflate there is not room for a living adult.

Best advice would be to poke around a few coaches and see how they sit. If you let us know what part of the country you're in, I'm sure that there are a few with buses in your area that would love to have someone to show them to.

All that said, a bus can be taken on hard packed dirt or gravel roads, but it calls for "slow - no wake" speeds. I've taken ours across a few fields and broken up gravel roads to get to camp sites without problem, but when there is any chance of soft ground I wouldn't do that. Also have had a few nerve wracking moments crossing particularly high railroad crossings and road crossings with big humps in them.

[Iceni John]

J.D.Finley (JDOnTheGo), a contributor on another bus conversion forum, has a 45' MCI 102 EL3 that he takes way off the highway.   He got stuck once on a beach in NV, but in NM where he spends a lot of time he goes deep into NF and BLM land without problems.
   https://jdfinley.com/cold-just-not-hot/
Would I go where he does?   Maybe, but even with my slightly better ground clearance I would be very wary  -  my transmission oilpan is lower than I would like for off-roading, and my front departure (arrival?) angle is lousy.

John

[5coates]

It looks like jd goes where I would like to go as well. Packed dirt roads I understand the no wake speed for off pavement driving. I'm in eastern Washington if anyone is close I can swing by and take measurements.

Also

I get there is a huge difference between what I have and what I'm going to get. Just that I happened to be under there today and noticed that I bet there isn't a huge difference with the dangly stuff.

[buswarrior]

Careful, the E model has a "high ride" feature, significant jump into the air at all 4 corners.

A similar function may be added to another coach, should you want to do it, with varying improvements in clearance for this purpose.

So long as you've been "out there" ... too many inexperienced peeps empowered by the internet think they can do stuff...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Jim Blackwood]

It also makes a huge difference where you are. Out around the Rockies and surrounding areas where there isn't much rain and what there is runs off quickly, the ground tends to be quite a lot harder than it is in the east. So you can get by with a lot more if you have soil that is not particularly enriched by humis (organic material), doesn't hold water, and is mostly silica, shale, and related materials. You get into an area where the subsoil is mostly clay and the topsoil is rich and the moisture retention is a great deal higher even during dry spells. What you can do out west and hardly even leave a track may have you making ruts three inches deep even if it doesn't break the crust. That's OK and you can get by with that, but if you spin a wheel even a little or do too much steering you're done. And with a vehicle that heavy, don't even think you're going to rock it and get out. Unless you are extremely lucky or throw down some traction mats or something that just isn't going to work.

Jim

[5coates]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know what the ride height change system is called?  I'll ask google too.

[buswarrior]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know what the ride height change system is called?  I'll ask google too.

No off the shelf, it either comes installed in a new coach, or you make your own.

Often the busnut desire is campground leveling, but raised clearance can be achieved the same way.

System will bypass the ride height controls and over-inflate the suspension air bellows to raise the coach higher on the suspension.

Busnuts have rigged every conceivable mixture of push-pull cables, electronics, solenoids, etc to accomplish the task of getting the bellows filled with more air when desired, and returning to proper ride height when done.

Changing the mounting point position to fool the existing  valves, bypassing the existing and adding more bits, you name it...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Boomer]

Here's the ultimate bus off road story.  Years ago I ran into a burned out ex hippie that drove for the infamous Green Tortoise.  Somewhere in Colorado he and his stoned out passengers on the way to the east coast were heading out to a camp ground property that was owned by GT.  They came to a river that normally they could ford but it was running high.  He back tracked to a pay phone and called the boss in San Francisco.  Boss said to pull every thing out of the bays and stack on top and inside.  Leave bay doors open.  Cross river with raging torrent passing through the bays.  He did it.  True story.  The Tortoise was something else.  Every driver carried spare parts including cylinder head, injectors, etc. and was trained to repair on the fly.

[Brian Diehl]

It looks like jd goes where I would like to go as well. Packed dirt roads I understand the no wake speed for off pavement driving. I'm in eastern Washington if anyone is close I can swing by and take measurements.

Also

I get there is a huge difference between what I have and what I'm going to get. Just that I happened to be under there today and noticed that I bet there isn't a huge difference with the dangly stuff.

Hello there - I'm in the Boise area in case you were interested in checking out our 96A3.  Let me know ...