The Baja Bus

[tomcycle]

Its been weeks of work but its finally done

THE BAJA BUS is READY



Note the front windshield decal



Bus has basement storage on both sides, make sure that anything you are going to store here is OK toget wet and cold, they should not leak but no way I can check befor the trip.



Agian note the decals that stand out the most, no I did not miss Honda, you will find the Honda wings used as rear hubcaps.



Still a little messy but you can see the TV, Sattilite Radio, Computer set up.

Still have to install the coffee cup holders.



Looking towards the back you can see

Fridge on the left

Bike area beyond that

Two bunks to the left that can be used durring travel, if you want to use the bunks make sure you bring you own sleeprest of other type of camping mattress

Microwave is still sitting on the floor, I will get that mounted before we leave

To the right you will see a small grrey box with a red switch on it, that has the rear heat control and aux 12 volt power, so you can power or charge anything you want

There is also 110 volt outlets throughout the bus

Any Questions?

TT

[tomcycle]

Here is a picture of the Dashboard, for those of you going to Baja please make yourself familiar with this. You may be driving at night and that will be a bad time to learn where the controls and instruments are.




All pretty simple here and self explanatory

THE BUS HAS AIR BRAKES

Please study the parts of the driving manual that are about air brakes

Here is the link

http://www.icbc.com/licensing/lic_ut...commercial.asp

Chapter 7 — Air Brakes (page 153-202)
Chapter 8 — Air Brake Adjustment (page 203-216)
Chapter 9 — Vehicle and Air Brake Pre-Trip Inspections (page 217-254

Any Questions

[vanmixman]

Don't forget you need your air brake endorsement to drive a vehicle with air brakes. bad things can happen if you get caught!

[tomcycle]

vanmixman wrote:

Don't forget you need your air brake endorsement to drive a vehicle with air brakes. bad things can happen if you get caught!

Funny you bring that up

In Washington you can only get a air brake endorsment on a CDL (commercial drivers licence) but here is the rule on CDL

Who doesn't need a CDL?

The following groups are exempt and do NOT need a commercial driver license (CDL):

• Farmers transporting farm equipment, supplies, or products to or from a farm in a farm vehicle are exempt as long as the farmer or a farm employee operates the vehicle. This includes Christmas trees or wood products transported by vehicles 40,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or less.
• Fire fighters and law enforcement personnel operating emergency equipment are exempt as long as they have completed the Emergency Vehicle Accident Prevention Program (EVAP) and carry a card certifying completion of the program.
• Recreational vehicle (RV) operators are exempt when driving RV’s for non-commercial purposes. This includes 2-axle rental trucks, and horse trailers for non-commercial purposes.

So the way I read the rule is if the vehicle is two axels and registered as a RV we are good to go.

[line]

In Oregon this is directly from the DMV

Note: You do not need a CDL to operate a vehicle equipped with air brakes unless the vehicle otherwise meets the definition of a commercial motor vehicle.


Exceptions exist for recreational vehicles operated solely for personal use (Thats Us)

[line]

For now I will have to study Californias rules but for now I have this from the DMV site

They seem to use the term Housecar???not RV

NO CDL required for

40' Housecar with Air Brakes
You are not required to pass an air brake law test or to perform an air brake system check if your housecar is equipped with air brakes

[line]



So there you have it

TT

[tomcycle]

For any of you guys on the Bus to Baja

If you want a chance to drive the bus and learn a little about air brakes maybe we should get together next weekend

You can take the bus for a spin and I will give you some of my bad driving habits

What do you think?

[leadsled]

To operate any vehicle in B.C with Airbrakes you still need your air endosement

[tomcycle]

leadsled wrote:

To operate any vehicle in B.C with Airbrakes you still need your air endosement

Correct, but we will be in the USA

[cactusreid]

TOM: THAT'S VERY INTRESTING, DO YOU BY CHANCE KNOW WHAT THE RULES IN THE USA ARE IN REGUARDS TO AIR BRAKES ON MOTORHOMES/BUS'S?

[tomcycle]

Nope, just what I have read on the DOT sites, seems every state is different.

My take is if your bus is registered as a RV, motorhome and has air brakes you can drive it with a car licence. If it is not a commercial vehicle you do not require a air ticket. Some states limit your GVW to 26000 lbs.

Im going to make some inquiries before we leave but I see no problem with driving in the USA

Tom

[cactusreid]

thks tom,i just reread the above posts. the kamloops baja bus numero towoe is slated to hit the asphalt in jan 08. we all have air tickets,and it's registered as an rv so we should be good. we always set it up so the more experienced drivers do the mountains,and the newbies slug out the miles on I5 in california

[tomcycle]

cactusreid wrote:

thks tom,i just reread the above posts. the kamloops baja bus numero towoe is slated to hit the asphalt in jan 08. we all have air tickets,and it's registered as an rv so we should be good. we always set it up so the more experienced drivers do the mountains,and the newbies slug out the miles on I5 in california

This trip I am the only one with a Class One with Air. I get to drive the mountains and the cities.

You guys got the BB All American still? Our bus is a little smaller only 36' but we have a much shorter wheelbase only 14'6" thats less than a foot longer than a full size pick up crew cab. So it actually turns sharper. This thing is like driving a 8 foot wide VW Bus.

I have spent the last few weeks installing noise absorption panels. With the engine in the rear and all the panels installed this bus is quieter than my Dakota

What date do you guys plan on leaving? We should be in the El Rosario area around the 20th of January.

Tom

[cactusreid]

we just purchased a 92 40' thomas flat nose this fall. it's got a 8.3 cummins pusher in it. we are transfering all of our beds,kitchen,pottie,tables etc over from our 1975 thomas ( old blue ). we are tentatively blasting off south on the 6th of feb 08. back about the 20th. i'll try to attach some photos with this reply. it's in my shop for some plumbing right now. Cactusreid

[cactusreid]

#2

[cactusreid]

#2

[tomcycle]

Sweeeeet

Lots of good things about the 8.2 Cummins, Next bus for sure.

Our bus has the CAT 3208 natural 210 hp with the MT643 Allison little slow, on the Coq just past the snow shed she could hold 37 MPH and cruises at 60 mph actual speed. All that an a solid 10mpg. about the same as my dodge with the V8

If you look at the interior pictures I acquired sound absorption material from a compressor manufacture. Made a huge difference, its quite now and the stereo sounds great.

I also used Rustoleum 3700 acrylic enamel paint, water based ez to spray and cheap about 45 buck a gallon. School out on how good it is but so far Im impressed.

Nice wheels man

Tom

[cactusreid]

i'll try to post some more pic's as our new ride takes shape.