Hi Tech, Do or Don't ??

[TomC]

Being an old owner/operator cross country truck driver, I do have a few parts with me.  Mainly fuel filters and oil.  I do carry plastic ties, silicone sealer, silicone tape (very cool-doesn't have sticky but sticks to itself.  Can even wrap a fuel line leak while it is leaking and it will seal!).  Electrical tape is usally more usuable than duct tape.  Changed my 12R-22.5 bus tires to more common 11R24.5 truck tires since they are more available on the road.  The rest of the bus is practically like a big rig truck, so don't carry any more than this.
As to the motorhome part, I bought name brands from Camping World, Home Depot, Graingers Wholesale, etc.  Rare is the time you go through any town now and a Home Depot isn't there.  There is a point where carrying too much just is loading you down to the point of having a measurable effect on your fuel mileage.  Last July coming home from Rickreal, Or, I took 299 from Redding out to Eureka.  While a beautiful drive, a mother of a road to drive (maybe try it once-in a sports car would be prime).  My remote mounted engine oil filter broke off and dumped 7 gallons of oil in a very few seconds.  Needless to say, shut off the engine immediately when the oil buzzer came on and swung into the oposite side of the road into a turn out.  Called the Detroit Diesel rep in Eureka and sent out a road mechanic with another similar oil filter.  Was down for 5 hours, then on the way.  Just about anywhere you go you'll be within 2 hour drive of some type of mobile mechanic.  Since the millions of trucks on the road don't carry hundreds of pounds of spare parts with them, I don't either.  If you keep your bus maintained properly and repaired the correct way, it will give you many miles of faithful performance.  Do you think the original bus operators of your bus carried anything more than fuel filters with them?  Just my opinion from 21 years of cross country truck driving.  Good Luck, TomC

[busboy]

On the bailing wire topic...I had a boy from Oklahoma working for me in the Campground...someone reported that the futon that makes into a bed in one of the cabins had been overloaded...busted the welds on the springs...it was the weekend and we did not have a welder so my Oklahoma hand went to his tool box and did the nicest wrap job you have ever seen on the springs and we were back in business...about two years later we had some super heavyweights use the futon/bed and I had to finally take it to the welder for the right fix.
Happy Trails,
Brent

[Danny]

I always used biling wire and grass string - of course I live in the south and didn't know what bubble gum was  ;-)

Danny

[edvanland]

If you can not find bailing wire, a good substitute is a roll of tye wire for rebar, get it at any lumbar yard.
ED

[phil4501]

When I had a sticks and staples I carried a starter, alternator and water pump in addition to the normal stuff. Does anybody carry hard parts like these for thier bus.

[gumpy]

I have a spare air compressor on board, just because I got a decent deal on it and it didn't make sense to leave it home when in all likelyhood it would fail on me when I'm not at home. Also carry a spare governor, again, because I have it, but that's not really a major part.

Of course, the big problem I had last year was the alternator, not the air compressor, which I didn't have a spare for.