| Author |
Message |
Mark & Michele (Busnut_pd4106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 8:46 am: | |
We have a GMC 4106 bus (35ft long, 11ft high, 8ft wide, weigh 26,000LB) to tranport about 1100 miles. We need the use of a Landoll or Lowboy (http://www.metrac.com/rgoose.gif) trailer. We have already secured a tractor and driver,but need a trailer. We tried Penske but no luck so far. Our driver is willing to get a trailer anywhere in the southeastern United States. all and any help or comments are welcome. Thank you! |
TWODOGS (Twodogs)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 9:27 am: | |
not sure if they are still in business...try POWER EXPRESS in Tulsa,Ok. (trucking company) |
T. (Bluegrass)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 9:52 am: | |
Mark
You might want to send these people an email, I dont know If you can get a Trailor from them without there driver or not.
Tony
www.FrankcoTrans.com
www.DASAutoShippers.com
www.PassportTransport.com
www.AutoTrans-Express.com
www.AutomotiveTransport.com
www.IntercityLines.com
www.HoreslessCarriage.com
www.MoveCars.com |
Mark & Michele (Busnut_pd4106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 12:01 pm: | |
Thanks for the leads TD and Bluegrass. I found a company (Scientific Brakes & Trailer) in Saganaw MI that will rent us a Wilson Combo Drop Deck trailer ($90/Day $250/Week $750/Month). I am waiting on them to fax me the specifications.
My main concerns are getting the bus on the trailer and the height & length of the trailer's drop deck. I remember seeing a picture of a 4106 on a lowboy type trailer can anyone recall the pic. or know what make trailer that was? |
TWODOGS (Twodogs)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 12:17 pm: | |
If you wind up over 13'6'(tall)...you will have to file for a permit,MUCH paperwork and they route you... |
Mark & Michele (Busnut_pd4106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 1:00 pm: | |
I just got off the phone with another busnut and he is suggesting that we remove the tires once the bus is loaded on the trailer. I also wonder if there are points underneat the bus to secure chains to.
The specs on the trailer I am renting is as follows:
102" wide, 10'2" air ride, 40" deck heightm bulkhead, combo drop deck with beavertail ramps approx wt. 11,000lbs.
They sent me a pic of the trailer:
http://www.geocities.com/crazy4buses/WilsonTrailer.JPG
I am still not clear if this trailer will work so I will be calling Wilson Tariler to get more details. Once again I welcome and value your comments |
TWODOGS (Twodogs)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 3:24 pm: | |
that's a TALL trailer....have a friend that moved his bus with a wrecker,(a big wrecker)pulled out rear axels & lifted the front end & GO |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 11:59 pm: | |
How will your height come out if you just let the air bags down? |
JOhn MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:38 am: | |
TD's got a point. Why a trailer when you can go four down? |
Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 8:52 am: | |
Call charter bus companies & find out how they tow their buses. Some will be most helpfull, others will be useless.
In SC when I moved my 'free bus' the big wreckers were $100 to $150 per hour for the whole time they were out. Then I called the right bus company & got their guy to move the bus for less than $100/ hour.
If no luck with the bus companies, try the BIG earth moving contractors, they may have something.
If you move it with the air bags down, they will probably be damaged & need replacing.
Are the tires on it good enough for a 1100 mile trip? If the tires are good & the bus holds air well, towing by lifting the front wheels may work. But I prefer trailering to reduce potential damage to the bus.
If the tires & air bags are old, I would let the air out of them & see if that lowers the height enough for a more common trailer. It would be easier than removing the wheels.
Please let us know how this works out! |
Mark & Michele (Busnut_pd4106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:44 pm: | |
Thank you fellow busnut once again for your understanding and for letting us lean on you for more information. We are still new at this bus conversion thing and really appreciate the feedbacks. I know I should just give up on this bus craze of mine and sell the bus where it is, but I am known to be stubborn. Beside that my better half wont allow me to sell the bus (I tried) So now we are looking for the most inexpensive way to get our bus home.
We were able to barter a deal with a trucking company where we get a 2002 Volvo tractor & driver at our disposal for a week . We are required to located and pay for the trailer rental for a week ($250 ), fuel the tractor while the bus is in route ($500apx), and perform our part of the barter agreement.
I don’t know what would happen if I tried to drive this bus 1100 miles with a faulty clutch or even tow it with the tractor on all four or with the front end up. I have read and heard mixed comments on both these methods of towing. It was recommended that we tow the bus using a Landoll or a similar trailer. I scoured the internet for almost 8 hours straight before finding a company in Saginaw MI that do rent these specialize trailers.
The trailer we found is a Wilson Combo Drop deck with Beavertail and fold-up ramp(CFD-900BT). At first we thought the ramps would come in handy but the angle (pitch) is too steep to drive the 4106 onto this trailer (or at least so I believe). We’ve located a local wrecker company that could assist us in loading the bus if needed for $100.
We are not certain how the bus will ride or if any damage will result to the under carriage once the wheels are removed. If we deflate the tires how low will it sit? Will the tires be damaged at the end of the journey? Also, how low will the bus sit if the air bags are deflated? We are somewhat comfortable with this plan. Who knows what we may have missed, so feel free to criticize our plan if you see something wrong with it.
Trailer Specifications: http://www.geocities.com/crazy4buses/P609081.pdf
Trailer with bus diagram: http://www.geocities.com/crazy4buses/TrailerBUS.JPG |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 7:52 pm: | |
How much to fix the clutch locally so you can drive it? |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 8:27 pm: | |
For a few million reasons, I decided not too long ago, to
-never-, -ever-, fall in love with a vehicle again. All they'll
do, is break your heart, break your bank, and leave you
with a major stain in your driveway.
Call ABC bus, and ask how much they'll charge to tow/haul it. |
TWODOGS (Twodogs)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 8:45 pm: | |
I'd have the clutch fixed & drive it home,if that's the only problem,......where is the bus?close to LUKE ?.......(N.J.) |
Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 10:20 pm: | |
Mark & Michele, when construction companies want to move large, heavy and oversized loads, they often load at a ready mix or gravel plant.
There are always loaders available and moving enough rock to make a suitable ramp for getting the equipment onto the trailer is pretty easy.
Then, you drive the equipment up onto the trailer and lash it down. If it won't drive, then the loader can pull it aboard with a chain. Then, you pull the trailer away from the gravel ramp with the tractor.
When you get near your destination, you reverse that procedure after building another ramp. You need to figure on a fair charge for the use of the equipment, but that's low cost for people in the gravel business.
It won't hurt your tires to let the air out of the airbags; the bus will only settle about 3 or 4 inches and there are bottoming rubbers over the axles that will take the weight of the coach when it's down.
Be sure that you are aired up loading and unloading, lash down after lowering. Unlash at destination and then air up.
Why can't you repair it and drive it? Ordinarily, that would make sense, if you plan on being able to drive it. I would think that $300 in fuel would get it home, even at today's prices.
There is enough monkey business to go through trailering it that I would look real hard at repairs, first, if there is a choice.
Your weight suggests that this is a converted coach, so fuel could be another $50, if it's an automatic. If there are roof AC units, that's going to make you a bit tall.
That's what people around here do.
For what it's worth.
Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576
Suncatcher |
James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:59 am: | |
I'm w/TD on this. Have the clutch replaced where it is, then drive it home, if that is the only thing preventing it from being driven. Afterall, after you go to all this expense and trouble of trailering it, you still have the problem to resolve, so why not just resolve the problem and forget about making more for yourself. |
Mark & Michele (Busnut_pd4106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 11:32 am: | |
This is the third attempt to move this bus. If circumstances were different, we would repair the bus where it is and drive it home. However, we have decided on the opportunity of bartering for the tractor and driver. This way it will be hauled home without the risk of it breaking down.
The height of the bus and trailer unit is 14'3" as seen in the trailer and bus diagram (above). We realize this height exceeds the legal limit of 13' 6" and that we need to loose about nine inches to be legal.
Since lowing the airbags will only take off 3” to 4”, then we will need to remove the wheels from the 06. Help is needed in determining if this will lower the bus enough, also will the axel, and bottoming rubber, provide adequate support, to prevent damage?
We don't want to go pick up the bus and realize we cant loose the nine inches and then forced into oversize permits.
The bus is an empty shell without AC units on top. The weight I mention is an assumed maximum weight and not the actual weight. Tom thanks for the Gravel Plant suggestion.
Thanks again! |
niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 1:15 pm: | |
The OTR permits may be cheaper than all the work involved in "lowering" the overall height - If you are traveling 1100 miles you are traversing a number of states - call a local truck stop in that area and ask if they have a permit service - they can give you the cost of the multi-state permit needed - If you can merely permit the "route" and do not need escorts or pole car, the cost of the permit(s) is probably negligible - HTH - Niles |