Skoolies vs OTR bus nuts

[luvrbus]

OTR- bigger canvas for bigger ideas . We did a transit then a schoolie and 15 years later we have an MC9. That being said I have 16 lithium batteries going below deck and 400 gallons of water . Neither previous vehicle could dream of either of those with room to spare . My nine floats down the interstate effortlessly and sings a pleasant tune, give it a few years and all those skoolie folks will seek more space and flexibility  that the big yellow bananas cannot provide !

That is a lot of weight in bay rated for 1200 lbs lol they don't do that to new Prevosts

[windtrader]

Where's Gary?


I posted on BCM figuring there might be some yellow bus fans and thought he might even cater to that crowd with another site or some sort of cross-over.


If someone was had a priority of going off road with a bus converted to off grid living, then that crew is likely in these rigs https://rvshare.com/blog/best-off-road-rvs-and-campers/

[dtcerrato]

Our great Alaskan next door neighbor's best friends - a husband & wife team just finished building a rig like the one Don posted. The truck is a large 4×4 flatbed and they designed the house box for rugged travel. They well named it the "Farther". It's an awesome rig extremely well insulated and suited for extensive remote travel.

[somewhereinusa]

I'm not your typical skoolie owner, at least I don't think I am. There are a number of reasons I chose a school bus. I think number one is original purchase price and cost of maintenance. I have a 1991 Bluebird All American rear engine. While I don't have as much storage as a coach has I do have quite a bit. One of the first comments I get from visitors, even some coach owners is "It's so big inside" not sure why, maybe just the layout.

Everything is designed and built by me. I'm kind of a "I don't really need it but, I want to see if I can build it just as good and cheaper than just buying it" guy.  I have dual mini split AC, hot water in floor radiant heat, 828Ah lithium batteries, 1530 watts of solar. I can run one ac all night off of the batteries.  My awnings, one on each side, are electric and can be controlled by my phone. Everything is electric, no propane. Much of the later interior woodwork is walnut from my property, cut and processed by me.

I have spring suspension that rides as good as or better than some air ride coaches I have been in. It is old enough that the engine is mechanical. I can do all of the maintenance myself. Since it isn't as "pretty" as a coach I'm not limited by what I can or can't add to the outside.

As for costs, EVERYTHING, including purchase price, fuel, insurance, registration, camping fees, dues and registration is under $50,000. Fuel cost per mile is $0.36, conversion cost per mile is $1.73. Total solar cost panels, lith batteries, inverter, wires etc is $6,152.23.



Walnut speaker grill.

[Utahclaimjumper]

Even with your dedication and effort,, unfortunatly it still has that "schooly" stigma that's hard to shake off..>>>Dan

[luvrbus]

Even with your dedication and effort,, unfortunatly it still has that "schooly" stigma that's hard to shake off..>>>Dan

Not really I saw a blue bird school bus a guy in  Pahrump smooth sided his and it looked like Wonder Lodge he welded square tubing to the body and covered it look sharp with siding and baggage bays he made
   

[dtcerrato]

Dick (somewhereinusa) has a fine Bluebird and his ingenuity is second to none IMO besides he's one of the few busnuts that will still be in another chair in the wee hours of the morning when just hot embers in the camp fire are still emitting a little heat...

[luvrbus]

Gary's help Sandra has a nice schoolie ,it is a close nit group they have a huge gathering in the Az desert every year and all chip in to help others convert a school bus free of charge without all the pissing contests

[Jim Blackwood]

I bought a Bluebird bodied I-H conventional back in about '92 and although I considered converting it, what I mostly set it up for was a mobile workshop before eventually selling it a few years down the road. It had the gasoline 345 engine and manual transmission, drove and rode reasonably well. Being pretty familiar with that, when the time came to seriously consider a bus for conversion the limitations were clear.

First, head height. Being 6'2" tall that was always a consideration and was the reason for choosing the Bluebird, that and the purchase price. At that time I could buy that bus in pretty fair condition for $1000 out the door. I would have liked a pusher but at twice the money it wasn't happening. So the Bird was tall enough but not much more. If I wore my Stetson inside it would sometimes touch. No room for extra insulation and it was a pretty safe bet there wasn't any already there. At the time that I first started looking for a conversion platform most everything needed a roof raise or was too expensive. A complication that put off the project for probably 10-15 years.

The second big consideration was storage. Having recently owned a S&S I now understood those limitations as well and there was simply no way a Schoolie was ever going to approach the capacity of an OTR bus, even if you added racks. Going that route also meant fabricating bay doors, not at all a simple task, or cheap.

And by this point we were almost comparing apples to apples. Bring that $1000 in '92 up to date, add the premium for the pusher, and how far below the $5000 I paid for my '96 102DL3 would it be? My guess is, not enough to spit at. So from my point of view all the advantages had shifted to the OTR bus.

But people want what they want. And if they don't take the time to understand what they are doing, invariably they DO what they want. So you have Skoolie conversions. No doubt there are a few advantages, that has to be just because they are different. I've gone in school buses over roads and not roads into places that an OTR could never begin to consider going and that is a very distinct advantage. They are simpler creatures and as such more closely match the demographic that grew up with tent camping. Go from a tent to a skoolie and you are in heaven, quite literally. Even if all you did was pull the seats.

Jim

[luvrbus]

Back in days of when Bus'N USA  was around  I got a little pissed about the way school bus owners were treated,there was a woman that drove all the way from Texas to Or to attend she had a nice conversion on the inside solid wood. First they made April park in the field away from buses which to me was wrong since she paid the same as I did,second deal that got to me they had a flea market and guy was selling some roof mount AC units (take off). April offered to buy the units and the guy told  her no. My wife was standing there and it set her off and bought the units for her then told the guy how she really felt.There no excuse for actions like that because people have different ideas so I have a soft spot for those people even today because of that ordeal .We stay in touch with April she retired from Dell and tours the country in a 2010 Prevost now but says she still has her school bus 

[windtrader]

Even though OTR busnuts do flock together it does seem the stereotype and reality that skollie folks feel a greater sense of community and camaraderie as shown with an occasional let's gather for a "barn building" bus project.

"Fuel cost per mile is $0.36, conversion cost per mile is $1.73."

Just curious what you are trying to say here.

The yellow school bus stigma is real for sure, so camping in commercial campgrounds will be more challenging for sure.

[luvrbus]

Your facing the camp ground issue with otr buses ask Dave C and he has a nice bus ,they are getting hard nose about it around here ,state,county,city and federal parks don't seem to care how old or what type all they ask is what type MH ,trailer or tent around here the few that abuse the Walmart overnight parking are causing problems for the nice guys both of our Walmarts have gone to no overnight parking now.DaveC told me Texas is passing laws where one cannot over night in any parking I haven't found the article yet that would suck   

[Dave5Cs]

Not a law YET but here is the Bill.

https://drivinvibin.com/2021/04/15/proposed-texas-senate-bill-criminalizes-rv-parking-overnight/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=proposed-texas-senate-bill-criminalizes-rv-parking-overnight

[Dave5Cs]

We have been turned down they said because of year and they said it wasn't because it was a bus, but we wondered. We asked if they needed a picture and told them it was shiny. They said it didn't matter the owner didn't want anything later than Ten years.

Crossroads right across the street said come on ahead we don't care and it was one of AZ nice rv parks. Very clean and quite. A little tough to get into the spaces because they put the power pole in the middle of the pull through spots and a concrete pad at the other end. You had to go in at an angle and then back up while turning the other way. But manageable. Wendy the manager was very friendly.

Out in BLM for a few more days and there is lots of it here. This morning we were out in the wash using our wrist rockets and setting up targets with our music going in the bus so we could hear it outside. Our cats were watching us out the windows. No one around for miles. We watch the sun go down every night and come up each morning, Life is good.

Schoolies are cool and have seen a few with really neat designs and very creative and yes it seems like the schoolie people aren't as chesty as some OTR people we have met. They all seem to get along nicely.

And we met Dick with his BB and it is a very nice Bus and he is a very knowlegable guy.

[neoneddy]

I'd most of it is upfront cost.  But the truth is, and I tell people this, the cheapest way to get into a bus RV is to buy someone else's dead dream.  Saw some where recently a $60k Prevost h3 with slides, owner started on it years ago, lost interest or whatever and was dumping it.  pretty much a blank canvas with all the hard work done (slides, electrical, water / utilities, etc).

School buses are going for $3k or so?  It's about what I paid for my MC9 shell.  Sure it was lacking some maintenance items, but I know the frame wouldn't rot out on me. 

The upfront cost is such a small part of the build, you see these beautiful conversions on Instagram or whatever and all shiplap / pallet wood interiors.  What no one ever mentions is most don't go more than 55 mph, they ride rough, have a low ceiling and don't have much storage.  Sure you can add storage and raise the roof, but now you're getting closer to an OTR in features and in initial cost.  However you still only go 55 and it still rides like a dump truck.  No offense somewhereinusa, I'm sure yours rides nicely I'm painting with a broad brush here.

I still remember when I told people we bought  a bus to convert, they all assumed it was a school bus.  Then when they found out it was an old Greyhound they figured it was because it already had a bathroom.  Wrong again.

I do wish I had a control nob for ride height, I'd like to adjust it from time to time.  I lost stuffing this 34,000 lb beast in tiny campsites down dusty dirt roads.    I don't mind if our paint get scratched a bit, it all buffs out. I love the BLM land and boondocking for weeks, but I also like a nice ride in comfort and style.

It's like someone else said, both groups are happy, and that's what really matters.