| Author | Message | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A |
I plan to raise my roof on the MCI 8. Whats the max hight I can raise the roof. I want to put a couple ceiling fans in and they are 18 inches high, I am sure I can shorten them some. I'm not a big airconditioning person so if I install ac it will be in a heat pump not roof air. I want to keep the roof as clean as posible. I also want to put as much of the mechanicals as I can in one bay. Water tanks, batteries, inverter, electrical panel and heat pump if posible. opinions? I'm also going to level the floor as this is a very nice bus and I plan on keeping this one for a while I want it right. Captain Ron | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Rating: N/A |
I was able to fit my water tanks, a 13k quiet box generator and the 11 gal hot water heater in one bay. 165 fresh 115 grey 58 black my bays are about 44" x 44" by 97" Inverter went above bus batteries behind the tag axle. Batteries went back there too. I used every available space, so when the bay doors close there is space for the hinges and latches, but that's it. I cut my water fittings in half so they took less space (don't need 200 lbs pressure rating) and put my dump valves behind the bay, in front of the duals. The water pump is in the bay with the bus air-conditioning. It takes a lot of calculating, mock ups and maybe some custom made tanks. I spent hours using the Ronco catalog (same as Ardemco) playing mix and match with space and sizes. Got lucky and some of the stock sizes fit, although after I bought, I had to return / exchange one tank for a smaller one because it was 3/8 inch larger than the nominal dimensions provided. It is a good goal and should be doable. You will have to make some compromises along the way, and each time you will have to weigh in your mind if its really worth it. | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A |
the previous owners father has a fire truck building company. and just bought a machine for bending plastic and will make my tanks for material cost and also all my metal I need. | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A |
Ceiling fans... Ohhh come on??? There actually are ones for RV's that hang down 4 inches or so. As for what good they would provide well thats debate-able. Probably more trouble than they would be worth. The general max overall height should not be more than 13'6" for the tallest point with the bus aired up. If you go up that high expect a lot of tree damage and scrapes on city streets. You also will have to watch where you go as many northern towns and cities have stuff lower than 13 feet. Many raise their roofs by 8 to 10 inches to leave room for clearance for low profile a/c units and satellite dishes. (King Dome's unit is 15 inches tall ). Enjoy..... | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Rating: N/A |
Ron, We raised the roof on our MC-8 8", then dropped the interior ceiling 5". This gave us a 3" increase in interior height and a 5" space for all our wiring and AC ducts. It has worked out fine for us. We installed a 24" ceiling fan over the bed. We have found that even in Florida, at night the fan is all we need to sleep comfortably. The fan is not as "ceiling hugger" type but does have a very short down tube. This is just "our way", YMMV. Hope this helps, Jack | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A |
Another Myth busted... Jack, You must watch Mythbusters??? I used small boxer fans to move air around my bedroom in the RTS for years. Quiet and easy to clean or replace. The best part is that if you stick your finger in them all you get is a buzz..Not a whack!  | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
Hello Ron. I'll support David's advice. The taller you are, the less flexibility you have in where you fit, you have to think about clearances and watch for the little roadsigns warnings constantly. At best, running through the trees make marks on the coach, at worst, a heavier limb will punch a hole or dent you. Personally, for an MC 7,8,9, I like Jack's middle sized raise of 8 inches with a drop ceiling. Coupled with your desire to keep the roof clear, that makes a nice inside height, and an outside height that requires less attention going off the beaten path, than winding up to the 13' 6" popularly legal limit. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: |
Why waste a bay ? For many its the reason for WANTING a coach. Using a bay as a basement for piling in all the RV conversion junk is not the ONLY option. WE choose to kiss off the lowest drawers in the cabinets and installed the fresh and combined waste tanks , where they won't take usefull room and can easily be heated in winter. The HW tank is under the sink , no basement room, the Suburban furnace is built into a cabinet that removes easily for service. (Rather than repair it in a bay with snow falling at O ' dark 40) Sure its easier if you choose a costly marine 12 gal heater , rather than a HD 40 gal unit , but this is a Bus Camper , not the Holliday Inn so usually only 2 showers at a time are needed . And HD units cant be heated without electric , just using waste heat from a noisemaker. DO it your way , but realize the most common way is usually just the easiest(cheapest) for the converter , perhaps not the BEST? way and certainly not the ONLY way. Do it YOUR way, Works for me, FAST FRED | ||
| Camill Paul Elbisser (Paul)
Rating: N/A |
Check with the cap mfg. Front cap 10" raise OK. Rear cap 8" raise OK. $300.00 more for 10" raise rear cap. This was for a MCI 102A3. Hop this helps. I enjoyed your web site. | ||
| David Dulmage (Daved)
Rating: N/A |
Putting the holding tanks in one of the bays helps keep the centre of gravity low and also put thems in a location where a leak, should it develop, will do minimal harm to the bus. Waste tanks should at least have a combined capacity as great as the fresh water tanks. Dave D | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A |
Bay space allocation should be based primarily on the intended use of the coach. For some the intended use is primarily the relocation of a household from summer quarters to winter quarters with use as a motor home to stay in for extended periods of time of secondary importance. For that group of people, then keeping the bays open for transporting personal belongings from one residence to another would be of primary importance. For others, myself included, one of the primary purposes of converting a bus it to have the generous amounts of space available in the basement for installing the RV type luxuries and large holding tanks so that a couple or more weeks in the boonies presents no hardship. I really had no need for large open empty bays. I also had no desire to give up valuable cabinet or drawer space to house furnaces or tanks or other appliance type items that more properly belonged in the basement. My wife had too many goodies she wanted to take to with her to give up this valuable space inside the coach. I can not in my wildest dreams imagine pulling out a propane heater, or any other device, from underneath a sink and trying to repair it in the middle of the night. That was the reason for a good diesel genset and assorted electric heaters if the main source of heat failed. I think it is extremely important to determine, in advance, the primary use of the coach and build accordingly. Richard | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A |
I know this response may be I a little off, But so am I.. Location, Location, Location.. Many conversions including mine have the tanks and potentially heaviest items located in the rear-most bay. This is done so that you don't get too much weight on the front axle or an unbalanced weight on one side or the other that affects the steering or front tire wear. The rear bays are not that sensitive. For Fixed loads like generators and batteries or other ancillary stuff I use the front A/C bay and section of the front bay and try to keep the weights balanced as much as possible. My fresh tank is 196 gallons and Grey+Black are close to the same capacity and take up my whole rear bay. Maybe a little heavy on the curbside with a full water tank but balances out after some use. (my tanks were built for a prevost/vogue) and I got such a deal I couldn't say no. | ||
| Marc Bourget Rating: N/A |
Buses give so much capacity, beyond the pale of most non-professionals (bus related) that Numerous examples of what would appear to be an abuse by a lay-person turned out to be "OK" But this can lead to a false sense of confidence. As a "ball park" guideline, consider the seating distribution of the bus with an average of 170 lbs passenger, sitting in each one and 40-60 bags, say another 2-3000#. This will enable you to "guestimate" location of various parts your putting in the bus and, at least CONSIDER how your weight distribution compares to the original problem confronting the Buses' design engineer. The real proof is the axle weights after you finish, but I'd like to see mine have roughly the same increase (%wise) front to back. I'd like to maintain something similar to the balance "designed into" the bus by the original suspension and vehicle dynamics engineer. Onward and Upward |
