| Author | Message | ||
| Joe Watts
Rating: N/A |
I'm completely new here...looking to RV fulltime & wondering about the weight of a bus. Sorry I don't know the correct language here...but how much weight it can carry & pull? Joe | ||
| Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj)
Rating: N/A |
Depends upon the manufacture, year and type of bus model. Usually 2 axle coaches can handle around 30,000 pounds, sometimes less, sometimes even more. Three axle busses can handle more weight, depending upon the model, type and sooos forth. My '74 Crown 40-foot 3-axle has an exceptionally high... GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of over 47,000 pounds. Three axle coaches with a tag axle usually can handle up to around 40,000 pounds. How much weight a coach can pull depends upon how good the cooling system is. The engineers designed busses to haul passengers and not a great deal.... ....of weight. Practically speaking, one can fill up the interior of a RV converted bus almost completely with living stuff and not exceed the capacity of... ...the bus by too much. I once spoke to a German gentleman who was a geologist and collected rock samples. He said he had over 5 tons inside the coach. Good luck. | ||
| Jay Smith
Rating: N/A |
I had my 87 Thomas Saftliner weighed this afternoon, on the way to have the Corian shower/vanity/countertops/dinette, and their associated cabinetry installed. It has a 33,320lb GVW according to the manufacturers placard, and crossed the scales today at 23,740lbs. Jay Smith 87 Saftliner | ||
| Robert Fischer Rating: N/A |
Anybody know the GVWR for a 4018 ?? | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A |
Robert - Are you talking about a P8M-4108 GMC? If so, there should be a blue sticker on the LH windshield post, near the fresh air gasper. If it's gone, figure the Fed's standards for two axle coaches: 12K front 20K rear 32K GVW HTH, RJ PD4106-2784 Fresno CA PS: What's the VIN on your coach? | ||
| Joe watts
Rating: N/A |
We are looking at a coach (1978 MCI 40'). Don't know the VIN yet, we go look at it on Thursday in Nashville. Trying to find someone in that area to look at it for us....anyone out there got any ideas? We are a family of 4 (2 teenagers) & will be fulltiming with our construction company. Lots of tools which will be heavy. Thus, the worry of weight capacity. We don't know anything about a bus, YET. Trying to learn & excited about this coach. Thanks for any help, Joe | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Joe- You can put every tool you own and use, and all the tools your co-workers own and use, into those bays and not have to worry about a thing. Your bus was designed to carry every passenger seat with a passenger and as many standees that will fit from the rear to the stand line at the front.... And all the luggage they can possibly have in the racks, under the seats and in the bays. Plus any cargo that the "hound" was under contract to carry in the bays. Towing...? Now -that's- another entire topic... | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A |
Joe, You have every reason to be concerned, and I need to disagree here with JTNG. Others here are more knowledgeable about MCI's than I am, but I believe you would be looking at an MC-8, with a GVWR of, IIRC, 36,500 pounds. I don't know the empty weight of an -8 (though I'm sure someone here does -- RJ?), but I would guess it's at least 16,000. Which gives you, on a good day, 20,000 of capacity for your conversion, all your fluids (fuel and water), your tools, and yourselves. The empty shell might weigh as much as 20,000, though, which gives you even less to work with. Speaking from experience here -- I have a 40' coach, in which we full-time. There are only two of us, and the only tools we carry are what we use for our own maintenance. Our conversion "innards," including water, fuel, LP, etc., weigh 19,000 pounds in road trim, putting our coach very close to its GVWR of 46,000 pounds. Bear in mind, also, that to effectively use the bulk of the GVWR, you will need to carefully balance your floor and bay plans so that you remain under the GAWR for each axle. The closer you come to the GVWR, the harder it is to keep under the respective GAWR's. Contrary to JTNG's assertion, buses are not designed to hold everyone that can cram in plus all the luggage that can be crammed in. Rather, the formula uses a rather middling 250 pounds as the "average" weight of a passenger with luggage. And each bus has a rated passenger capacity, which is usually equivalent to the number of seats (although some make allowance for standees). For an MC-8, I believe that was 49 pax, or roughly 12,500 pounds capacity. To which, of course, you would add the weight of fuel, seats, parcel racks, etc., which probably gets you to about the same number I cited above. I bring all this up because of your stated intention to full-time. Many who convert their buses for occasional, recreational use underestimate the weight of both the conversion elements necessary to support full-time living, and the worldly possesions of an entire family. Remember that water, for example, weighs eight pounds per gallon. If you intend ever to spend time away from a water spigot and a sewer connection, you will need to figure how much water your family requires per day, multiply by the number of days you may be away from such connections, add a reserve, and figure you will need at least that much gallonage in fresh tanks, and again in waste tanks (though you will only need to count the weight of one or the other). In our coach, for example, water tankage alone accounts for 1,500 pounds of rolling weight. Batteries, inverters or chargers, and generators are also very heavy items, and, again, you will need some or all of these in order to be able to function away from a shore power connection. Add in the weight of cabinets, counter tops, appliances, LP tanks, heaters, air conditioners, chairs, tables, mattresses, etc. etc. and it doesn't take much to bring you right to the brink of the GVWR or one of the GAWR's. We ended up doing weight-and-balance calculations several times during the course of the project to keep within the weight budgets. At one point, we had to move a bank of batteries (1,200 pounds worth) from the back of the coach to right above the front axle to even things out. It is certainly doable with a 1978 MCI, so go for it if the coach is in good shape and what you want. But keep in mind that you may have some tradeoffs to make during the design and implementation in terms of choice of materials, capacities, and things of that nature. HTH, -Sean | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A |
More data, this for the MC-8 & 9, from the builder's plate(s): GVWR = 36,500 lbs. Front axle = 13,340 lbs. Drive axle = 22,000 lbs. Tag axle = 6,000 lbs. ~~ IIRC, not too long ago, someone posted, either here or on another bus bbs, that they weighed their stripped MC-9 shell, and it was about 25-26,000 lbs. MC-8 will be very similar, as the only real difference between the two are the windows and the roof. FWIW, RJ PD4106-2784 Fresno CA | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A |
Oops! Forgot to add that the above weights are with 12Rx22.5 (G) tires inflated to 95 psi front & tag, 85 psi duals. Sorry 'bout that. . .  RJ | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Rating: N/A |
The ID plate in our 73' MCI list Front axle GAWR 12,500, Drive axle GAWR 20,000, and Tag axle GAWR 6,000 for a total GVWR 38,500. We weighed the coach when we purchased it, still a seated coach with restroom. The weight was 27,000. After stripping and an 8" roof raise the weight was 24,000. After the conversion the weights are front axle 11,180, drive axle 18,280, tag axle 4020 for a total weight of 33,480. This weight was with full fuel and water tanks, fully stocked closets, pantry and refridgerator, and my wife and I in the bus. We were not "coach weight concerned" when we converted our coach, but more interested in the final conversion being what we wanted. This included ceramic tile bathroom floor, shower, entry steps, counter tops, and backsplashes. I also carry a large full toolbox. You can see photos of what you can have for 33,480 pounds at http://members2.clubphoto.com/jack217421 Just click on the Orange Blossom Special II albums. By comparison, the 63' 4106 we converted, with no roof raise, weighed 27,445 fully converted. Jack | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
Jack: I am surprised at how close the 4106 is to the MC-8. For 6000 pounds you get an extra axle and five feet of bus. Everyone refers to the 4106 as a light weight bus but your weights would indicate that the basic structure in steel is similar weight to the basic structure in aluminum. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A |
Stan - My 4106, stripped, with 70 gallons of fuel on board (1/2 tank) and all the heavy OEM HVAC stuff downstairs still, weighs 20,633 currently. A friend of mine weighed his 40-foot two-axle 4905 when it was fully stripped, except for the dash HVAC and a full (165 gallons) fuel tank. His coach weighed just barely over 21K. FWIW, RJ | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
It is many years since I converted my MC-5 but I think it was under 21000 stripped. When converted and living in it full time it weighted 28200. My MC-7 combo which is a lot heavier than a normal MC-7 weighted 34155 after conversion when being used for full time living. That puts the converted 5 within 1000 pounds of an 06 and that could be just the difference in size of water tanks or amount of fuel on board. Like I said in the previous post, I had always been told that the GM was a light weight. Not by much! | ||
| Brian (Bigbusguy)
Rating: N/A |
I weighed my 4905 with lots tools shop air compressor and 1/2 tank of fuel 10 gal of extra oil some ply wood And its all striped out I have temp. bed and chairs no factory AC. And if I remember right it was way over 10000 under GVW . I have the numbers in the bus but Im not at it now. Joe I think if you dont go stupid with the marble and tile over sized ply wood walls you should not have any problems carrying all the tools and stuff you can cram in it. Brian 4905 | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
That 5000lb+ difference between a GM and tin bus is more than the conversion , Complete, needs to (or should ) weigh. Remember that excess 2 1/2 tons needs to be drug UP every hill and stopped at the bottom of every Rocky Top , the extra fuel and brakes , You get to pay for . The slower acceleration and hill climbing ,and poorer fuel milage ,, You have to live with, FOREVER. 9.5mpg or 5.5 mpg , your choise, FAST FRED | ||
| Brian (Bigbusguy)
Rating: N/A |
I wish I know what FF was saying?? 10 mpg for me also towing my 4000lb truck. Brian 4905 | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
Joe- I'll perpetuate the argument, and stand by my initial comments. It never ceased to amaze me, what these buses are capable of carrying. You have to be aware of the daily use these vehicles were put to task. Full buses, with standees and full bays were common, and the bus was built to take it. I seriously doubt that any construction tools you have can outweigh the passengers, seats, luggage racks and the luggage they carried, along the crap they put into the bays..... Nashville bus companies? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nashville+bus+company Before you buy it, take it to any one of the local bus companies for a complete inspection. You ain't buying a car.. You're buying a dream. Don't make it a nightmare. | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
JTNG, I'll back you up. Dirty secret about buses historically: They ran way "overweight" regularly. Enforcement community just looked the other way. And the manufacturers knew it when they were building them. Trouble with some of the newer 45 footers is that the engineers haven't been building in the same degree of "overkill" and the buses are flexing enough to cause the vinyl flooring to delaminate and the plywood flooring to crack in places. Take note that the new buses have the fuel tank and AC much further back in the coach trying to keep the front axle from being way, way too heavy. The tag axles are carrying as much weight as the steers now. Now, each of us have to worry about the civil issues of running "overweight", and if they ever decide to scale us, the expence of an overweight ticket.... As long as you pay attention to your brake adjustment....? happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Jtng Rating: N/A |
buswarrior- Thanks! | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A |
I'm not even sure what the argument *is* here, (  ) but I'll put this up with my actual numbers. 20% Converted. MC9/8V71/5-SpeedStick  | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A |
Anyone know about what the factory a/c stuff weighs? Compressor, condensor, fan, etc? | ||
| Doug in St Louis
Rating: N/A |
I saw an earlier post where someone assumed (you know what that means) that the sum of the axle weight GVWRs was the vehicle GVWR. This is not correct! The vehicle GVWR is stated separately. Don't exceed either number to stay safe! My stripped MC9 with a full tank was a shade over 25K lbs. Doug St Louis MC9 | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
Hello Chuck. Each of these: the fans in and out, the compressor, the evaporator, the driver's parts and the condenser are an armful one at a time. So, my WAG would be just under 500 pounds, but not by very much, also factor in 25 pounds of refrigerant, if fully functional. Doug, excellent advice, stay under the manufacturers ratings to be legal. "Safe" is a word that is open to interpretation, especially around here! happy coaching! buswarrior |