40ft bus into RV aero

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by elhigh

That's just excellent. That's an awesome idea.

You know what, I thought so too. I'm just channeling the Cosmos (only the good parts ) Compared to other methods, it improves the sight-lines from inside.

Bucket lift — I've wandered into that part of the Cosmos again. Sorry. maybe a weeny little robot arm? Here's what led me down that path, Luigi Colani's Sea Ranger:


www.diseno-art.com/news_content/2014/04/colani-sea-ranger-amphibious-insanity-1979/

The bucket/escape pod could hang over the rear bumper for aero. Reflector vs solar cells: the price of solar cells is dropping all the time. Insight: I'm stiill wondering about conventional vs pusher bus.

[dalez]

I've read many pusher buses have a pretty hefty frame under the engine to the rear bumper, on the bus forums it's generally considered that they can pull thousands of pounds with a proper hitch. Of course I'll consider that when looking at buses.

RE pusher is kinda a must for me, for reasons of underbody storage space, driver's noise levels, and weight distribution. I'm tired of getting stuck on wet grass in my front engine bus bc there's no weight in the back!!

"Escape pod" bucket mounted in the back suffers issues with the engine being back there too... I dont want to have to remove too much to work on it!

[slowmover]

What gets to me most about rigs like this is the sheer weight just to support a couple of people. Sure, folks ought to buy or modify what they want -- that isn't the question -- but rather from the perspective of design. Lighter means less fuel. Short of commercial reasons it's hard to justify

That said, my favorite RV bus is on DoItYourSelfRV in a post entitled, "Can't Miss Open and Airy Converted School Bus" An engrossing video.

Second is the maintenance and repair costs. Nothing is inexpensive. From the towing bill to the hourly labor to the parts. Why I asked if there are commercial considerations. None of my business WHAT they are, just that --if so -- they must be able to pay for the thing.

Offsetting fuel cost a minor amount won't do it.

The beauty of some aero will be better handling. Fewer steering corrections. The long term average MPG should benefit, but one has to run a lot of miles for that to pay.

The box cavity thread, post #8, is where I'd start. A neighbor of aerohead. Also on pickup wing thread in an October post.

Look forward to any pics you may care to post.

[dalez]

Yes, it's heavy. Compared to a stick and staple RV, it's also virtually indestructable. This isnt just for vacations, this is my HOUSE. I live in my '84 International right now, and it gets 8.2MPG foot on the floor at 60mph, which is actually better than many smaller gas RVs.

As far as expense, this is why I'm picky about my engine and transmission choices. My '84 has an international straight six DT466 mechanical turbodiesel. Extremely common, parts arent insanely expensive, and very reliable. The transmission is a MT643 which is rated for vehicles up to 80,000+ lbs, also virtually indestructable. I can work on this bus myself. I intend on getting a similar drivetrain in my RE bus.

Why would I do aero? Personal mission. :P I'm going to be doing alot of body work anyways, with the roof raise and window delete. I will be building tons of storage underneath, might as well make it smooth. I've heard rumor of people getting these buses into double digit economy with gear changes and careful driving, I'd like to see just how far into double digits I can get. There's a huge difference between 8 and 12 mpg when you go cross country.

[slowmover]

My 35' travel trailer is my house also. With my truck it's full out 17-18000-lbs. 14-16/mpg towing. 24-mpg highway solo. I need two AC units, not 4-6. Still have 95-GPS fresh water. Washer/dryer. Etc.

I can change the tow vehicle any time.

My point about size/weight was in line with practicality. Go back and re-read what I wrote. It wasn't a criticism of the choice. Mines not "better". But it's a helluva lot lighter. And will last as long or longer. Freebeards trailer is well past a half century. Mines a mere babe at 26.

As you're altering sheet metal and structure, you really do have some nice options. And you should of examine aeroheads threads/posts on trailers for a bus type vehicle.

So, grab a cold one and drink in the mysteries of the video above.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by slowmover

my favorite RV bus is on DoItYourSelfRV in a post entitled, "Can't Miss Open and Airy Converted School Bus"

I guess I'm going to have to ask for a link. Google failed but I found the website. But 10 pages into the videos I came up dry.

Re: Weight
I've thought some about weight and aerodynamics and [for me] it comes down to "What's the largest geodesic dome you can stuff through the 8ft wide, 14ft tall hole mandated by the various highway departments." Here's my solution in 24ft and 40ft versions:




Length width and height are variable. six tired tricycle on the 40 footer. I also applied the same geometry to a belly tank race car but that's off topic.

[slowmover]

Sorry I can't post link. Page 8 in bus section.

I'd also add see the road trailer rooflines by Don Burr. This site and ksewhere.

[skyking]

My solution is cut it off at the bottom of the window line and build a super lightweight roof that telescopes in minutes about 18". Goes down the road shorter than the original, and has the proper taper at the back to make aero. Don't put air conditioners or traditional RV vents up there to make drag, and incorporate your tracking solar system into it.
Add a slide while you are in the cutting mood, but make it very light.

[aerohead]

[freebeard]

What's worse, I couldn't even find the Bus section. But I allowed additional Google API scripts until site search worked. Turns out there are more categories than the 10 in the page header. It's under Builds, Buses and Popular. I'd call them tags.

Can't-Miss Open and Airy Converted School Bus. Plus an Awesome Shower Rod Idea.

I think it has the same problem as my Airstream, the curve above the windows means they are positioned well for sitting down; but standing, they are too low. And the 360° windows might be nice in the mountains, but in an RV parks? What makes my park living tolerable is the side windows are 80% blocked (opaque or transluscent) and there are four 14" skylights. I found a bus that uses the plan I proposed: 1990 Thomas School Bus Tiny House With Wood Burning Stove



Window area is not reduced. There's a lot of interesting stuff on that site. I'll have to look around some more.

Edit: aerohead left this one out, also apropos of skyking's suggestion:



Note the simple curves, and the horizontal edge at the front and vertical edge at the rear.