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MCI 102-C3 coach to RV - Chassis/Suspension

87manche said:
it seems like singles would be ideal for a bus, so I don't know why you'd ever want to go back to duals.​
There's a long-standing argument against super singles on buses. I'd stick with singles so long as they're available. I started copying and pasting my SketchUp drawings last night to overlay parts and pieces. Taking exact measurements right now to get the drawings lined up right where they should be. 455's cleared everything, but I still double and triple check it all between physical measurements and CAD.

BTW, you're the only other person I've seen that reasoned with running super singles on a bus in a single sentence lol. Personally, I love the idea.
 
Pt_Ranger_V8 said,

What are the arguments for/against super singles on a bus?

I mean, lower rolling resistance and better traction are always good - plus the load is pretty constant. I don't see any disadvantages to the idea.
 
Pt_Ranger_V8 said:
What are the arguments for/against super singles on a bus?

I mean, lower rolling resistance and better traction are always good - plus the load is pretty constant. I don't see any disadvantages to the idea.​
I think a lot of it comes from fear of change. Best to find it all on the other forums so I don't fill another page or two with stuff that's already beaten to death online. We will be using 455/55-r22.5's on both rear axles and sticking with 315/80r22.5's on the front. I found those two sizes to be the closest match of rolling radii.
 
bdkw1 said,

I am contemplating super singles for mine right meow.

Pro's,
work better off road
look bitchen

Con's
spares take up a lot of space
cost
ease of replacement on the side of the road
lack of redundancy in the rear
need different rim front to rear, no swapping front to rear (for me at least)

Feel free to chime in if I missed anything.
 
bdkw1 said:
I am contemplating super singles for mine right meow.

Pro's,
work better off road
look bitchen

Con's
spares take up a lot of space
cost
ease of replacement on the side of the road
lack of redundancy in the rear
need different rim front to rear, no swapping front to rear (for me at least)

Feel free to chime in if I missed anything.​
That's actually a pretty good chunk of it. Though I do drool over the wide tire look, the technical aspects make them much more attractive. I know most say they don't have room for spares, but I think you guys have seen how much space I have in the engine bay without the bathroom and air filter junk in the way. Of course I'd have to install a heat shield separator of sorts so I don't cook my tires back there. I'm not really afraid to hang them on some spare tire carriers off the back either.
 
350TacoZilla said,
JNHEscher said:
'Cause I like wide, dammit lol​
So what your saying is a set of 495\45r22.5's are in your future? They are widest I have ever seen for a on road type of tire. Sorry if I missed it but I'm guessing the bus is hub pilot 10 lug not lug pilot or "budd", if it was budd you could just run the military take offs in 335\80r20-395\85r20 for an aggressive all position tire.
 
350TacoZilla said:
So what your saying is a set of 495\45r22.5's are in your future? They are widest I have ever seen for a on road type of tire. Sorry if I missed it but I'm guessing the bus is hub pilot 10 lug not lug pilot or "budd", if it was budd you could just run the military take offs in 335\80r20-395\85r20 for an aggressive all position tire.​
495's are still available? Our bus is currently stud pilot that will be changed to hub pilot and I plan to run 455/45's. Off-road tread would be pretty sweet, though I don't think the military tires have the load capacity and probably aren't the best to run on the highway for long trips.
 
DE Jeeper said:
Fyi military tires have big weight ratings. Our military freightshaker floats r rated at 10k each and 8800 as duals, each.​
Whatcha running? I have to check the speed rating too.
 
bdkw1 said,

But, but, those aren't super singles!

Although, I could get by with a single 315/80/22.5 at each corner. Might even be able to swap front to rear with the right offset.
 
DE Jeeper said,

They r michelin 315/80/22.5 xzus. Not sure what the speed ratings r but we have hauled for days staight over 70 and have gotten it almost 100. Not really worried because they r opperating at half the weight they can handle also the dual rating is 8270lbs.

Edit: The 455/55 say 75mph, my size says 65mph in the literature.

Yes they r not super singles, i was just stating our military take offs can handle heavy trucks.
 
bdkw1 said:
But, but, those aren't super singles!

Although, I could get by with a single 315/80/22.5 at each corner. Might even be able to swap front to rear with the right offset.​
Just be sure to put them on a 9" wide wheel with proper offsets. Our bus came with 315/80's all the way around, but they were put on the stock 8.25" wheels. I might be able to get a pic later on - you can easily see where the sidewall lettering of the duals rubbed on each tire during sharp turns and the tread crown is too high. Bit of a no no on OTR rigs.

I officially decided to run super singles on both rear axles a while back and to not worry about front-to-rear swaps because we will be carrying spares regardless. Always liked a wider footprint anyway.

Our stock drive Rockwell is rated at 22k, so I'm making sure I match that fairly close with axle swaps and tire choice. The tag axle is not rated to hold the weight of the rear at all - only to supplement the drive axle. That'll get a major upgrade if we ever get ahold of the AxleTechs.
 
[486] said,
JNHEscher said:
Whatcha running? I have to check the speed rating too.​
speed rating is relative on tires
it all comes down to heat from friction between the plies

less pressure, more heat
more load, more heat
more speed, more heat

so, if you are running at a fraction of their load rating of 10k apiece (at 55) you should be fine with running them 75 all day provided proper inflation pressure
 
[486 said:
;44521972]
JNHEscher said:
Whatcha running? I have to check the speed rating too.​
speed rating is relative on tires
it all comes down to heat from friction between the plies

less pressure, more heat
more load, more heat
more speed, more heat

so, if you are running at a fraction of their load rating of 10k apiece (at 55) you should be fine with running them 75 all day provided proper inflation pressure​
I don't wanna count on being nice to our tires. Lots of load expected, bit of a lead foot. Pressure will be well monitored at all times.
 
Next debate. Legality of a tow truck style hook on the highway. Put all the fab work talk aside. Any idea if I could get away with towing our daily behind our bus with this, or would a DOT officer ream us a new one? Reason for this idea is that we could load or unload the daily quickly and still be able to back it up like a trailer when loaded. Tow dollies pivot on the ball, making reverse maneuvers pretty much impossible unless you're some god-like pro at it. A trailer is in the talks, but another large expense that will definitely take more time to drop and move aside if the need arises.

676.jpg
 
arse_sidewards said,
JNHEscher said:
Next debate. Legality of a tow truck style hook on the highway. Put all the fab work talk aside. Any idea if I could away with towing our daily behind our bus with this, or would a DOT officer ream us a new one? Reason for this idea is that we could load or unload the daily quickly and still be able to back it up like a trailer when loaded. Tow dollies pivot on the ball, making reverse maneuvers pretty much impossible unless you're some god-like pro at it. A trailer is in the talks, but another large expense that will definitely take more time to drop and move aside if need arises.​
It's almost certainly legal. I can't think of anything that would make it illegal, I know some states don't want you towing unregistered vehicles though but that won't be an issue for you) so long as your weights stay legal.

Considering that you're going to be the only person the DOT officers have ever seen do that you're probably gonna get stopped a hell of a lot more because you'd pique their interest.

I'd flat tow and have the wife drive the duallly when you need to back up.
 
Elwenil said,

The problem will be how each state will see that. If they take it as your vehicle being towed by your vehicle, then you may get away with nothing else. If they take it as it being like a wrecker or other towing vehicle, you would need emergency lights in most states since you have a vehicle in tow and possibly towing insurance. It may even come down to how picky the cops are in the areas you are traveling in.

Also consider the thousand pounds of steel and hydraulics you are going to be adding to the tail of the bus to get all that to work. Not to mention the "tongue weight" of the vehicle added in.
 
Mr. Mindless said,

Class A CDL territory potential.


That’s NOT gonna be cheaper than a trailer. No way.

I’d LOVE to have a wheel lift.

Yes, some stupid states would require you to run ambers fulltime. Emphasis on STUPID STATES for that. Those should be for when there’s a hazard. Only. Running clean down the highway with functional lights ain’t a hazard.

Read up on towtruck regulations because someone will call you one and you need to be prepared for that.
 
Flat tow is alright. Much like a dolly, though, still have to unhook in order or back up more than a foot or two. Our future toad is the current 2018 4Runner so there shouldn't be the tire wear problem that fwd cars have.

I've seen plenty of trucks hauling with lifts as well. Just didn't know if there was any kind of highway restrictions or specific licensing. Kinda hard to get answers on stuff like this when there's nothing in the books for anyone to reference for the particular situation.

I fully expect to get the stink eye from officers at some point or another. There are the few officers that know a lot about vehicles and can spot a mod from blocks away. Never know.

As far as cost, I don't see the lift being the least bit cheaper than a trailer. Alas, something I can fab myself in sections rather than shelling out several grand at once. The rear bus frame is getting some major structural upgrades anyway. A bus couple I follow recently had their hitch break off of their bus frame and they had to follow their Jeep tracks through a field where their Jeep stopped in a tree line, hence I do not trust the work of a single shop one bit. I still have to build up the rear frame because even the tongue weight of a trailer is a bit much.

We've been checking out enclosed trailers so that the Runner doesn't get hit with hail and such, but it got hit the other day anyway. Brand new ride and it's been smeared in a parking lot, got hail dents, and windshield cracked all over because of rocks. So much for keeping it nice. Box trailer also opens a lot more room for solar if one wanted.

I'll be damned. Looks like the typical weak product for the overpriced RV, but it's good to see that a company has done it. Maybe I can make it happen.
 
350TacoZilla said,

There are a ton of companies that make repo lifts for 3\4 or 1 ton pickups so I dont see an issue with the bus handling it. The cops thing would be the only concern I would have if it was me personally doing it, its one of those deals where you can talk to 20 different people at DMV and police and no one can give clear answer but when you finally do it those same 20 will know exactly how to fine you.

On that note you may be able to find a used repo lift and then convert it to use on the bus, that way you have a lift that has spare parts\service available but you get to be the one attaching it for piece of mind.

On the 495's I didnt realize they were hard to come by or anything, about 10 years ago I was looking for floats in either 425\65r22.5 or 445\65r22.5 and kept finding the shorter 45 or 50 series and local shop had a used set of 495's I looked at.
 
350TacoZilla said:
There are a ton of companies that make repo lifts for 3\4 or 1 ton pickups so I dont see an issue with the bus handling it. The cops thing would be the only concern I would have if it was me personally doing it, its one of those deals where you can talk to 20 different people at DMV and police and no one can give clear answer but when you finally do it those same 20 will know exactly how to fine you.

Man, if that isn't the truth.

On that note you may be able to find a used repo lift and then convert it to use on the bus, that way you have a lift that has spare parts\service available but you get to be the one attaching it for piece of mind.
I was planning on scouring the CL for a junked tow truck on the cheap so I could snag the heavy duty lift. We've actually been looking around for an affordable roll back as a daily for me to replace the subie with because I could be hauling everything we need to pick up for the house and bus without a sweat. A roll back with a lift that I could swap to the bus would be the bee's knees.

On the 495's I didnt realize they were hard to come by or anything, about 10 years ago I was looking for floats in either 425\65r22.5 or 445\65r22.5 and kept finding the shorter 45 or 50 series and local shop had a used set of 495's I looked at.​
When I first started comparing duals to supers, I was going through every size. I did find the 495's but they appeared to have been short-lived in the U.S. market years ago and mostly a European product. I called a truck shop in PA about their 495 listing and the guy I talked with said they'd have to be imported.
 
MarkObtinaro said,

When you suggested a wheel lift for towing your toad I was hoping you were going to say you were going to rework the back end of the bus first.

Unless it is a school bus with a frame that goes all the way back to the rear bumper there are very few buses that have the strength to carry any weight on the back bumper--no structure other than the body sheet metal to support the tongue weight and no structure to withstand the pulling.

I saw GM bus that had been converted to an RV that hit a bump on the highway hard enough that the toad pulled the power package out of the back of the bus. The rear end of the bus was sitting on the ground and the engine, transmission, rear end was about twenty feet behind the bus with the toad still hitched to the rear bumper.
 
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