Bus vs Rv

[someguy]

FYI, the front of MCI Js are designed to fold up and back in a collision to protect the driver as much as possible.   Supposedly way safer than a Prevost H.  Though neither is very good compared to a Class 8 truck.

[luvrbus]

This my Country Coach with the Dynomax Chassis and HWH slides only way for me was HWH slides it is beefed up if you look up Dynomax the generator is mounted in the front to absorb a head on.A long time bus owner I did a lot of research before buying a class A RV so far I am very happy     

[richard5933]

This my Country Coach with the Dynomax Chassis and HWH slides only way for me was HWH slides it is beefed up if you look up Dynomax the generator is mounted in the front to absorb a head on.A long time bus owner I did a lot of research before buying a class A RV so far I am very happy   

I hear that a lot about the generator, and on initial thought it makes sense. But, have you ever seen any studies showing the generator makes any difference in how the RV holds up? Or that it make the subsequent damage further back any less?

I know that we hit a Honda head-on at 55 mph in our 4106 and walked away. The structure of the bus held together largely intact. I imagine all but a very few motor homes would have disintegrated on impact. Very few use a metal subframe throughout the coach, and the ability of the coach to stay together is only as good as the materials used.

[luvrbus]

I hear that a lot about the generator, and on initial thought it makes sense. But, have you ever seen any studies showing the generator makes any difference in how the RV holds up? Or that it make the subsequent damage further back any less?

I know that we hit a Honda head-on at 55 mph in our 4106 and walked away. The structure of the bus held together largely intact. I imagine all but a very few motor homes would have disintegrated on impact. Very few use a metal subframe throughout the coach, and the ability of the coach to stay together is only as good as the materials used.

Mine is a raised rail frame  9" from front to rear 45'and 5" same as a truck.There is nothing in the way of metal in the center of a bus just look at the spare tire compartment the corners are beefed up on a bus,I always thought it was a joke when people would say always carry a spare on a bus it will protect you if have a head on

[sledhead]

Nice unit.  You totally changed my mind about high end RVs.

Is that the original interior or did you update it ?

the original inside was like a stripper mobile with a ton of mirrors and a lot of gold . but no stripper pole ! heck there was mirrors on top of mirrors . yes I redid a lot of the interior with cherry and removed all the old carpets . redid the aqwahot system and redesigned the a/c system as well .plus lots of other stuff as it gives me lots to do , but the bones were awesome so it was worth it .

from front to back the coach has a stacked frame and the 12.5 k genny is right behind the front bumper with a ton of steel frame up front under the floor and under the front window . so in a head on crash I believe it would do better then my old 102c3 . 

before        https://photos.app.goo.gl/A9e1p2dqxCALjqsY7

after     https://photos.app.goo.gl/LxL2jMYa7yT9cwMW7

and tons more work went into it and I love the coach and the POWER !

from what I found out if you want a huge engine with over 500 hp they are only in the top of the line rvs

dave

[luvrbus]

Yep I am at 650HP now up from 600 on my ISX Cummins 3500 miles so far on this trip SilverLeaf says 7.3 mpg average in AZ,Utah and Idaho and cooling running 188F,LOL I didn't care much for the $504.00 oil change and grease job at Boise Peterbilt though ,2 oil filters,fuel filters and a water filter plus 12 gals of Delvac 15/40

[dtcerrato]

Mine is a raised rail frame  9" from front to rear 45'and 5" same as a truck.There is nothing in the way of metal in the center of a bus just look at the spare tire compartment the corners are beefed up on a bus,I always thought it was a joke when people would say always carry a spare on a bus it will protect you if have a head on

With the spare tire butted tight to the front axle there doesn't need to be anything down the center but their is at the bottom compartments floor - double corrugated at right angle solid aluminum side to side and front to back. Where my hat comes off is your 3 Xs the HP, size, & weight at the same mpg. Too big for the places we like to go but an awesome rig... 

[richard5933]

...There is nothing in the way of metal in the center of a bus just look at the spare tire compartment the corners are beefed up on a bus,I always thought it was a joke when people would say always carry a spare on a bus it will protect you if have a head on

It's not the spare tire per se that protects - it all the cross bracing and extra pieces of structure that go into making the compartment.

Granted, it was 'only' a Honda that hit us, but between the bumper and the structure up front the impact of the car was diverted towards the side of the bus. The structure of the bus, nose to tail, absorbed the impact. It wasn't just the front that took the hit, but the way things are tied together front to back ripples/waves were present along the length of the bus after impact.

I'd imagine that at the least the front cap and side wall of a common modern motor home would have come apart during the impact.

On you coach, do the raised rails go all the way to the front? If not, then what connects the front stub frame to the main frame rails?

[luvrbus]

It's not the spare tire per se that protects - it all the cross bracing and extra pieces of structure that go into making the compartment.

Granted, it was 'only' a Honda that hit us, but between the bumper and the structure up front the impact of the car was diverted towards the side of the bus. The structure of the bus, nose to tail, absorbed the impact. It wasn't just the front that took the hit, but the way things are tied together front to back ripples/waves were present along the length of the bus after impact. 

Yes it does the generator slides between the raised rails the has 2 inch square tubing holding the front fiberglass on the generator slide,it will take hit ok,The driver and passenger area has a cage also to protect both the driver and passenger.The way the manual reads the generator is supposed to go down not up into coach area when involved in a front end wreck lol I hope I don't need to verify that,We almost had to depend on it in Tuba City last week when a pickup flipped in front of us   



On you coach, do the raised rails go all the way to the front? If not, then what connects the front stub frame to the main frame rails?

[Jim Blackwood]

Back when I owned the Coachman I saw a big RV that had gone into the median in SC where they had a line of pine trees in the middle. Yep, the RV hit the pines but apparently it had flipped on its side first. Opened it up like a zipper. Two big pieces and a whole lot of scattered garbage. Doubtful there were any survivors, an airliner crash would be safer than that one was. That was about the point where I decided I wanted a bus. Would a bus have done any better? Good question. I suspect the driver would have had it in any case.

Jim

[muldoonman]

Feel pretty safe in my XL have seen a couple fender benders in the class a rv's in a crash. Not pretty.  Heck if the original poster was looking for a bus I'd take $200,000 and give Him a $150,000 rebate. 

[dtcerrato]

The Class C S&S accident that made us Bus owners:
1973 Fireball on a Dodge chassis.
Got rolled over in an extreme crosswind climbing the I-5 Grapevine southbound - lights were flashing, young & foolish.
A tall chain link fence peeled open the entire passenger side before I tried steering back for the highway which was the move that laid it on it's side.
Notice the overhead sleeper is not in the photos, it landed 30' from the wreck my boss was sleeping in it - a ton of dirty laundry saved his life...
After an accident like that I've (we've) driven the bus event free for 40 years now & hope to continues the same...

Footnotes:

The chain link fence ran along the fresh water aqueduct feeding LA. The holding tanks exploded causing a shut down of the aqueduct.

A federal marshal was following me up the hill & assisted immediately at the accident. He said if the rig caught fire we'd need to walk away.
When I climbed up to get into the drivers window - he came after me and our 100 lb Malemute nailed him - dog went to jail (the pound) and damn near lost him, they wanted to put him away - like the wreck wasn't bad enough to deal with...

[Utahclaimjumper]

That rig sure appears to be top heavy..>>>Dan

[luvrbus]

That rig sure appears to be top heavy..>>>Dan

Which rig ? mine is not top heavy solid as a rock around curves and in the wind it's friggn heavy period 52,000 lbs GVW

[someguy]

What are we looking at in this pic ?
https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34803.0;attach=35137