| Author | Message | ||
| Gillig-curious (66.167.78.21) Rating: |
I see a few ads for Harkin and other motorhomes built "on a Gillig Chassis". These are usually in the 33' to 36' length (I don't want to get to 40'). My question: Is this a monocoque bus frame or is this a "sticks and plywood" job on a flat chassis that Gillig delivered? Also, does a 33' Gillig porpoise? Thanks | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (209.128.99.4)
Rating: N/A |
I used to build Monacos on a Gillig Chassis, they were the premium line at the time. They are not Monocoaue, but they are a steel Floor/Wall construction tied together at the top with crossbeams (Monacos that is). I can't speak to the road handliing characteristics, as each coach will act differently, given different centers of balance, centers of gravity, etc. Maybe more to the point, it is not a bus. I have the same size requirements as you, I am using a Bluebird Pusher, ex-Transit bus (30') as a conversion shell. If you are iterested in doing a conversion, you can look at one of thesse. Gary | ||
| Gillig Curious (66.167.78.21) Rating: N/A |
Gary, Seems like you wouldn't have room behind the rear axle for an engine and tranny in a 30' bus...I would have thought you'd have to go mid-engine to make a 30' work? Thanks for your wisdom on the Gillig | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (209.128.99.4)
Rating: N/A |
Fits in there just fine. I had to get real creative on the engine compartment/bed. It was a ton of work. I had to scrap the entire "Rear Seat/Engine Compartment" when building the bed. The Bed is abeam, and I concentrated everything in the engine compartment to be as space-efficient as posible. The Platform for my bed is like 12" below the bottom of the rear window, so the top of the mattress will be pretty much even with the bottom of the window. The bed ends at the after edge of the wheel wells, I'll have a Nightstand over one and a closet over the other. About two feet forward of the wells, is where the bedroom bulkhead will go. I did look for this bus for 20 years though... Gary | ||
| jmaxwell (66.81.211.233) Rating: N/A |
Many of the Hawkins on the higher end came on Gillig steel-rail chassis for their diesel units. Most of their gas units came on the John Deere rail chassis, taken from Dodge when they were forced to bail on the MH chassis market. Hawkin built the bodies, which were steel tube cage. The 'Gillig' Hawkins were air suspension, high end stick and staple units, as were most other models from various stick and staple manufacturers. | ||
| Jojo Colina (Du1jec) (209.75.20.72)
Rating: N/A |
In addition to my MC-5, I also have a 91 Holiday Rambler Limited which is built on a Gillig MHA-3208 Chassis. It is a 40 foot with aluminum tube frame and aluminum sides. Fiberglass front and rear cap. Air bags, Air Brakes, Rockwell Axles, Ross Steering, 22.5" Alcoa wheels, uses regular truck/bus suspension parts, 30K GVWR, Cat 3208 300HP, Allison MT-647. bus: A long motor vehicle for carrying passengers, usually along a fixed route. motor home: A motor vehicle built on a truck or bus chassis and designed to serve as self-contained living quarters for recreational travel. Is it a bus or not? It is definitely a motorhome. So is my MC-5 after I got it converted. In my conversations with folks at Gillig they have stated that there is little difference in their motorhome chassis and their transit bus chassis, in fact a lot of parts are interchangeable. Call the folks at Gillig. They are actually quite helpful. It is not monococque. Even the MCI's are not. I believe that if you want monococque construction you need to be looking for a GM. | ||
| jmaxwell (66.81.61.66) Rating: N/A |
Jojo: I had the same understanding of the Gillig chassis MH, only slightly modified from the transit chassis. I can't think of a s&s manufacturer who did not use them for their high end coaches back before they all started designing their own pusher chassis | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong) (66.229.97.225)
Rating: N/A |
I've been thru the Gillig plant in Hayward, CA, a couple of times, back when I was working for our local transit system. The MH chassis is virtually identical to the Phantom transit's: two big, HEAVY steel frame rails running full-length of the coach, with everything hung off of them using huck bolts for a fastening medium. Now, understand that Gillig is primarily a custom manufacturer. Each order that comes in is specifically tailored to the property that's buying the vehicle, be it a single coach or several hundred. Same with the MH chassis. So it's entirely possible (and I've seen it), where two chassis may start with the same frame rails (that's something Gillig doesn't compromise on), but by the time the coach has reached the next two assembly stations, there's already a difference between them. Assembly quality remains the same, but appropriate changes are made to each unit as ordered. Obviously, if they get a 200 bus order, those will all be the same (usually), but you get the point. The low-floor transit chassis is completely different than the Phantom/MH, and, IMHO, certainly not something that will make a good conversion prospect. For example, the front wheel wells are almost three feet high!! There is so little actual floor space in a low-floor, that the seating capacity goes down from a non-low-floor by 7-8 passengers, and even less room for standees. But they do load and unload faster, as the only step is the one off the curb into the bus. Lots fewer "slip & falls" equals fewer related insurance claims, too. HTH, RJ PD4106-2784 Fresno CA |
