Maybe a little help along the way, for some young honnies

[Dennis The Bus Dweller]

Hi Kids

Listen kids, a young hommie of mine and a bunch of his friends are bringin a skoolie rig home to the east on a shoe string so I told him to join this fine fourm and to post the route that there taking east so that maybe some of you kind folks might meet them along the way and maybe give a few pointers. He's says the "Blue Bird" is in pretty good shape but has a few bugs so if it's not to much maybe some of you folks could help them chase some of the bug out along there trip back? This is there site and it tells a little of what there intended use of the bird will be. http://medicroadshow.wordpress.com/ So if some of you guys or gal's could give these "Youngin's" a leg up Im sure they would appreciate any help or pointers big time I beleive he joined under the screen name "medic road show"

[medicroadshow]

Thanks Dennis!
Right now the other two in my crew who are getting the bus are hanging out in California. Taking there time heading up the coast. Not converted to veggie oil yet so trying to have people donate them some fuel. But as far as I know they plan on hanging out with some bus experienced friends in cali for a week or two and try to get that figured out.

I will post the root as soon as I know it, but if anyone has suggestions. Especially folks with time to help do veggie oil conversion on the west coast that would be really appreciated.

-Greg

[Dennis The Bus Dweller]

Hey Greg, take a look on www.tribe.net there are some bus tribes on there as well

[Headache]

I'm leaving next Friday to start head west TO Washington. My trip is going to be a long pokey one so I don't know exactly where I'll be when after Ohio the weekend of the 17th but I'll be traveling I80 for most of it.

I'm not going veggie oil. Right now I'm just not convinced with the gumming issues in the fuel lines as well as other issues I may face. The engine is your most expensive item on your bus next to the electrical and tires and without it you won't get anywhere. I'm not ready to take the chance with something that will cost a minimum of $5000 to rebuild(in my old UHaul) when that gumming affects the cylinders. So far the "best" option I've seen for alternative diesel fuel is filtering used motor oil and burning that. Not exactly environmentally friendly but sadly even solar panels and other components are made from petroleum products. The other thing is that if you aren't installing the required components for burning veg you won't know how to fix the system should something happen on the road. Finding someone that knows how to repair it is another obstacle I considered. Given all the negatives I was facing I decided to wait until a more viable option was developed.

By "root" I'm assuming "route"? Or did you mean something else? If you mean the highways you are traveling I'm taking the flattest route possible. I don't know where you are starting from or where your destination is so I'll give you what I'm doing in the middle. Heading out of WA that would be taking your best way to I82 to I84 in Oregon. Continue on I84 to Salt Lake City in Utah where I15 runs into it for awhile then continue on I84 when they split. Stay on I84 to I80 then ride east for a looooooooooong way! I'm riding this route heading your way.

I'm a former truck driver so living on the road is nothing new to me. These next 2 recommendations were essential tools for me on the road. Obviously they are trucker oriented but since you won't be able to park that bus just anywhere these will direct you to your best options; truck stops.

Despite the cost I highly recommend this truckers road atlas which will help keep you out of trouble by informing you of low clearances(if you decide to travel on the little roads) that GPS just can't do as well as rest areas with truck parking. I definitely buy the laminated ones. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've spilled something on them:

http://www.amazon.com/McNally-Deluxe-Ca ... pd_sim_b_1

and a truck stop directory which lists what amenities you can find(like showers and free wifi), this is the one I used:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Truckers-Frie ... 1890141437

The above 2 are the ones I used for 15 years. There are others published. You can look at them and decide at any truck stop.

Good luck on your adventures!

[Mark R. Obtinario]

I am coming to the discussion a little late.

First off, the bus in the pictures is a Thomas Saf-T-Liner RE. Most of the school buses of that vintage had Cat 3208 or Cat 3208T engines in them.

Second, unless you know what you are doing you really don't want to mess with veggie or SVO, particularly on a maiden voyage. Robin/Headache has outlined some very good points in regards to using veggie or SVO. The other issue is finding your raw stock. Going into McD's and getting five gallons for a M-B or VW sedan is a lot different than going into McD's and needing 100 gallons. The logisitics of using veggie and SVO can become really counter productive when you need to process large volumes of dirty fryer grease.

Third, as you head out on the road watch all of your temps and pressures, including tire temps and pressures. Purchase a handheld infrared thermometer so you can discover how hot something is--dash gauges are good to get an idea of what is going on but rarely tell the truth. Watching tire temps will help you avert blowouts.

Lastly, be prepared for some real sticker shock. The engine will hold more gallons of oil and coolant than most cars hold in quarts. 6-7 MPG should be expected. One off-brand Chinese knockoff replacement tire will cost more than four premium car tires.

If you need help I am very willing to diagnose or commiserate over the phone.

Good luck.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

Also realize that when you have a breakdown (notice I didn't say if you have breakdown) it will occur in the most disadvantagous location at the worst time of the day.

Breakdowns most usually occur in the middle of a busy intersection during drive times or out in the middle of nowhere on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon. Weather also plays a part. It will usually be roasting hot, freezing cold, darker than the inside of a cow, or raining like Noah is waiting to launch his Ark.

[Stealth Camper]

I would add that filtering used motor oil to burn as diesel is a very bad thing to do to your engine/injection system. You don't want that at all - probably better to use veggie oil.

As for breakdowns - yes, it will happen. At the worst possible time. I keep a membership to the Good Sam Club (for about 25 or $30 per year) and with that, I can get their roadside assistance program - about $120 per year and they will bring a little fuel to get you going, or haul you to the next town to get fixed - pretty much whatever you need to get going again. Kind of like AAA for RV'ers. Works for all your vehicles when you are driving them. Cheap help insurance to me.

Edit; $112.95 for the highest level - Platinum

http://www.goodsamers.com/rv/platinum-ra/