Community Forums

macnut · 09-03-2016, 07:56 AM

Awesome job!

BigBuszz · 09-03-2016, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra 225

Wow that's really something Ron. You really transformed her that's for sure, very good job! Great looking rig.

I saw one similar on a TV show here in USA called Mega RVs. If I remember correctly, the owner was in Florida. It would be quite an experience to tour the country as a passenger upstairs in the front seats!

What is the overall height of your bus in feet?

Best regards,
W.D.

You are right, these upstairs front seats are something. That's why from the beginning I wanted them to stay (I saw a frenchman with the same bus who made his bed on this spot - a bit weird I think and a loss of those seats). Even if you are parked somewhere, they are nice to sit in.

We made some short videos from up there in Germany, they're here: https://youtu.be/KQRjRIUiNRg and https://youtu.be/Q7LmaQ8AO5c (the camera is on approx. 3.80 meters, so that would be 12.4 feet above the ground).

The total height of the bus is 4 meters, so 13.1 feet. The maximum what is allowed here on the road. Sometime you have to take another route because of some low bridge or tunnel, but you will get where you want.

Regards, Ron.

JMonroe · 09-03-2016, 08:29 AM

Very Cool.
Isn't it a bit intimidating to navigate that big rig on the narrow European roads?

BigBuszz · 09-03-2016, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMonroe

Very Cool.
Isn't it a bit intimidating to navigate that big rig on the narrow European roads?

Depends on what you mean by intimidating...
For me as a driver it's quite simple; it fits, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, there is always a way back.
You have to keep cool, that's true.. I got myself caught downhill between two walls on a quite steep hill, because the bend was tighter than I had estimated it to be. Then I had to back up using the parking brake on a busy road (cars waiting, people cursing that idiot - I can imagine - they we're right too

) with a wall a few inches from the front side of the bus.

In the narrow streets, upcoming drivers tend to give you way pretty fast. So from that perspective, it is intimidating.

This weekend we visited a RV-site, filled with little white RV's (why are these all white? - it's the reason why the German owners of busconversion RV's refer to them as 'Yoghurtbecher' - yogurt cups

) where one guy freaked out. It was outragious, he shouted, impossible! - he didn't say it, but obviously we were too big in his eyes. My wife left the site on foot and although I had the bus almost parked (it fitted easily), I drove after her. She didn't want to be a day near this guy, and she was right. So we drove off to a harbour nearby and had a RV spot far more beautiful, overlooking the boats.
By the way, those ten minutes on that RV spot that we left, were for me the best of the weekend. I was completely confident and I would have chopped this guy - with words that is. The whole place came to see, there were certainly twenty people, maybe thirty, and everybody was smiling, except for this one guy.
'Look what you have done, you have scared away my wife,' I said to him from my seat 'now I have to go after her' - 'Fine' he replied.
So I told some people who were watching 'I told him he scared away my wife and now I have to after her and he said fine'. They all laughed.
I swear, I would have made the whole audience applaud for me, making a fool of this guy when we would have stayed...
Maybe for the best that we didn't stay.

So intimidating? Yes!
Am I crazy? Yes!
Do I like it? Yes!

Regards, Ron.

frankdamp · 09-03-2016, 01:20 PM

Spectacular machine, Ron. As a native of the town of Leyland in the UK, I've always had a conversion of one of Leyland Motors' double-deckers in the back of my mind. I'd have to find an export version to get LH drive for use in the US, but at almost 75 years old, I'll just have to regret not having done it.

Where is the engine located on the MAN? The Leyland design has the engine (a 600 or 680 cubic inch machine) mounted transversely across the back of the chassis with a fairly short drive-shaft going to the rear wheels. Unfortunately Leyland Motors is out of the bus business, having been taken over by Volvo. Their truck business is now part of the US company, PACCAR.

BigBuszz · 09-03-2016, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankdamp

Where is the engine located on the MAN? The Leyland design has the engine (a 600 or 680 cubic inch machine) mounted transversely across the back of the chassis with a fairly short drive-shaft going to the rear wheels. Unfortunately Leyland Motors is out of the bus business, having been taken over by Volvo. Their truck business is now part of the US company, PACCAR.

Not MAN, Neoplan. Though Neoplan is now owned by MAN, it is still a seperate company, with its own brand.

Here you can see how the V6 engine is fitted in the bus, the rear bumper being removed:

I've got two axes at the rear, and the front of those two (four wheels) is driven. The rear axle (two wheels) steers passively, so it just follows the bus. I don't know the English term for that. Is it a trailing axle?

Regards, Ron.

dennis45 · 09-03-2016, 04:33 PM

Ron, the common term for that trailing axel is a "Tag Axel" nice work on your coach. Not sure the Average Owner here would be qualified to handle that rig.

Rich-n-Linda · 09-03-2016, 05:01 PM

That would be a tag AXLE.

BigBuszz · 09-03-2016, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

Ron, the common term for that trailing axel is a "Tag Axel"

Thanks! That's how you keep learning every day..

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

nice work on your coach. Not sure the Average Owner here would be qualified to handle that rig.

Thank you.
Yes, it's the same here. The law over here (I don't know about the US), is that when a vehicle has more than 9 seats (driver included), then it is a bus. So you need a driving license for bus for that. I decided to keep 11 seats, so my RV is on its license still a bus. And not many people have that driving license.

In practice, it is not that difficult to drive. The length (40ft.) makes that it often needs more than one lane, on the front and back, so you have to keep an eye on that, and the height doesn't fit everywhere, so that needs your attention as well. It makes driving a bit more stressfull then with your regular car, but when you get used to it, it is doable... Like everything is...

Regards, Ron.

pt1655 · 09-03-2016, 06:14 PM

Holy Moly! What a great conversion and stellar workmanship! Happy Camping!! And welcome from northern Arizona! (how the heck do you navigate 40' of coach around Europe's streets?!)

Chucks · 09-04-2016, 04:31 PM

Very Nice...

AKOne · 09-04-2016, 11:47 PM

Fantastic!

frankdamp · 09-05-2016, 10:43 AM

Ron:

On the Leyland buses, the engines are in-line 6-cylinder and fit nicely in the 8-foot width, with the fan and radiator at one end, even though the biggest was 680 cubic inches capacity. I don't think any Leylands had tag axles - since the longest was 35', maybe a tag wasn't needed.

I find it a bit odd that on three-axle, rear engined rigs, the aft-most wheels aren't the driven ones.

BigBuszz · 09-05-2016, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankdamp

Ron:

On the Leyland buses, the engines are in-line 6-cylinder and fit nicely in the 8-foot width, with the fan and radiator at one end, even though the biggest was 680 cubic inches capacity. I don't think any Leylands had tag axles - since the longest was 35', maybe a tag wasn't needed.

Think so too.. btw. the first double decker I ever drove was a British Routemaster from 1943.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankdamp

I find it a bit odd that on three-axle, rear engined rigs, the aft-most wheels aren't the driven ones.

No, that's not odd, because they have to be steered and it is very complex to make them both steered and driven. Apart from that the drive-wheels are double - that axle has four wheels, and you wouldn't want them as the rear-ones, steered. They would wear as hell...

Regards, Ron.