Bus vs Super C

[windtrader]

Several recent comments about Super C motorhomes renewed the topic for me. Like bus conversions, I stumbled across them but a bus conversion was a better choice, especially when I initially wanted to DIY the conversion.


After a few years with a bus, particularly an older 2 stroke and the increased challenges in maintaining them, the thought of greater access to parts and service sounds appealing.


With Super C created on top of an industry-standard run of the mill semi-trucks and fewer maintenance hurdles, what do others feel the differences, pros/cons with each?

[richard5933]

I'd suggest the first question is whether or not you really wanted a bus specifically or just a platform to hold your rolling house?

For me, I find the old bus something worth having in itself and the addition of it being my house on wheels only makes it better. But then again, I'd take a vintage vehicle over a new one so my opinion on that is skewed.

If you're looking for the best platform to carry you and your motor home, then a truck chassis beats a bus chassis in all ways except possibly ride comfort, in my opinion. That can be corrected to some extent with an air ride.

If I ever went to a Super C, my dream rig would be a restored vintage truck body planted on top of a modern drivetrain.

[Jim Blackwood]

I saw one that was built using the cab from a fire truck. The details are hazy, but it was interesting. My concerns would include the inability to access the living quarters while under way and the extra work involved in adding basement storage. Your space is limited in even the largest sleeper, and then once parked that becomes virtually unused space. In effect a duplication, as you would want at least a fridge in there. Bathroom? And if you want a toad that becomes a bit tricky. Using the tractor for local errands is feasible of course but climbing in and out would get old pretty fast and it isn't very well suited to grocery runs and trips to WalMart. When parked it would be like living on a 2nd story, and the older I get the less I want to do with stairs.

Seems like a more specialized application. I'm very sympathetic to the 2 stroke owners but the 4 stroke buses use the same engine as all the semi's do.

Here's a thought though. You know how articulated buses have that bellows? Maybe you could design something like that between the rear of the sleeper and the trailer. Some sleepers already have wings back there so maybe some sort of a rounded nose/slider setup could be made to give a connection sort of like the airport ramps.

Jim

[usbusin]

Here is our story.  May not work for you but worked perfectly for us in our music ministry where we had to be at a particular place at a specified time.

Here is our 4104 converted bus.
https://usbusin.blogspot.com/

This is our Freightliner truck conversion.
https://www.ustruckin.blogspot.com/

And here are more pictures of the truck conversion.
https://ustruckinpictures.blogspot.com/2016/05/blog-post_2.html

[richard5933]

I saw one that was built using the cab from a fire truck. The details are hazy, but it was interesting. My concerns would include the inability to access the living quarters while under way and the extra work involved in adding basement storage. Your space is limited in even the largest sleeper, and then once parked that becomes virtually unused space....
Jim

While there are many ways to do this, most Super C conversions have direct access from the cab to the house area. There is no wall between at all. Some have a wall but a walkthrough door, but nearly all professional conversions I'm seeing at the shows use a cab with no back wall.

Much more like a cutaway chassis than a straight truck with a full cab, picture a Super C as being built in a similar way to the traditional class C motorhome, only instead of a medium-duty chassis they use a heavy-duty one. Some even use a class 8 chassis.

Sleeper cabs are not used, as you mention they'd just be wasted duplication.

[buswarrior]

One issue, same as everything else related to "RV's" ...

They start with a bottom line truck, instead of a well equipped one.

Suspensions are inferior to a motorcoach. Single air bag on the end of a swing arm, spring front end.

People who own buses, want a bus to fool with. People who want to go camping, need to buy a camper, otherwise, they will be fooling with the bus, when they want to go camping.

A Super C is a more robust choice for a camper, if I was in that market, i would investigate being able to spec the truck chassis, and then turn them loose on the build.

They all need more maintenance done, than the typical owner puts into them...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[usbusin]

buswarrior said;

"A Super C is a more robust choice for a camper, if I was in that market, i would investigate being able to spec the truck chassis, and then turn them loose on the build."

If you read our story that is exactly what we did!


"We purchased the Freightliner from Bakersfield Truck Center. It was built to our specs in North Carolina and then shipped to Transport Designs in Montoursville, Pennsylvania for the motor home conversion"

[lostagain]

With 45 years of driving buses and trucks, my preference for a motor home is buses. The ride is so much smoother and quieter than any truck. Also the space at the front is more useable. Also what I don't like about most super Cs is that they are Freightliners, which to me is the bottom of the line. Freightliners are to trucks what Hyundai is to cars: you see lots of them not because they are good, but because they are cheap. I could be swayed by a nice camper on a Peterbilt or a Kenworth truck... 

[luvrbus]

With a Freightliner you wear head phones to hear the stereo system when driving, the drive train is good with the DD13 engine,a plus is they are easy to get service on but so are the GMC and International they use both of those use Cummins engine 

[chessie4905]

Spec. out a truck chassis. Till you do that convert it after body outfit installs a shell, you are talking serious bucks. Might as well buy a converted couple year old Prevost. Lot of money just to travel some. And you need a decent toad for trips off the interstate to visit attractions in cities or grocery shopping and laundry, etc.
To most of us, owning an older bus conversion is more of a hobby and traveling
is the justification to spending so much money on it.
I get a kick out of owners of top end models fretting about water spots on the stainless.

[luvrbus]

Spec. out a truck chassis. Till you do that convert it after body outfit installs a shell, you are talking serious bucks. Might as well buy a converted couple year old Prevost. Lot of money just to travel some. And you need a decent toad for trips off the interstate to visit attractions in cities or grocery shopping and laundry, etc.
To most of us, owning an older bus conversion is more of a hobby and traveling
is the justification to spending so much money on it.
I get a kick out of owners of top end models fretting about water spots on the stainless.

LOL I like the Snap Tools and boxes the owners show you while in a Prevost service center having minor work done

[Jim Blackwood]

If you have the money why not? But that eliminates most of us right from the start. Happily there are other options, and it isn't hard to conclude that the high roller isn't the best choice anyway. Just take the issue of the frame. It impinges on the design in a big way. 7 stair steps instead of 3 could be a deal breaker. In terms of packaging of user space the bus has been refined to the point that it would be very hard if not impossible to improve on it.

Of course if you are commissioning a high roller then you will not be doing your own maintenance, and you will not be using 50 year old tech. Or 30, or 20, or probably 10 either. So that's kinda like buying a brand new car and then complaining that you don't know where the dipstick is. Until the warranty runs out you'll never touch it anyway. And by then your new rig should be ready for delivery, so why worry?

Here's the thing: All men may be created equal but nobody ever said they were born into equal circumstances and anybody who thinks that doesn't make a difference is a fool. So we work with what we have and the measure of our success could be called our happiness quotient. So the bottom line is to do what makes you happy. If it's a big rig, fine. If it's a cab-n-chassis and a custom carriage fine also. If it's a 50 year old bus that's your choice. Plenty of choices. I maintain that the mid 90s MCI is one of the best and some agree with me. Many don't and that's fine too. Either way it's a dam fine choice as a starting point, especially if your budget is not unlimited.

Jim

[richard5933]

I understand that many are working within a budget, but remember that everyone has a different limit. For some, other priorities have higher importance than cost. Like with me - having the ability to use the bus now was more important than saving money, if saving money meant not using the bus for a few years while I did a DIY conversion.

Some will be fine with having stairs to get into a motor home, whether it be 3 or 7. I've seen lots of Super C conversions that didn't have 7 steps, and I've seen lots of class A diesel pushers with way more than 3. Don't think the number of steps is consistent within any type of vehicle.

Some are seeking a vintage vehicle, some want one with minimal problems. Some want modern features, others are fine as long as they've got a place to sleep at night. To each his own.

Bottom line, buses and Super C conversions each have their pros & cons. No two people are going to have the same priorities so it's great that we have so many options.

[luvrbus]

I never saw a Super C with less than 6 steps 3 on the outside and 3 to 4 on the inside most buses have 4 to 5 steps to reach the inside

[rusty]

I am  trying to get my head around this step thing.  Our eagle is a bit over 4 feet from the ground to the floor. I can't believe a truck with a floor is a lot more than that. Aren't most sticks and staples built on a freightliner frame? Our eagle has 7steps granted they are shorter than normal bus steps but the boss  and I will thank  the builder the older we get
Wayne