WHAZAMMO & THE GILLIG
use the "Archives" link at the top left to get to #1
I took my own advice and spent a 1/2 day poking around under the bus, envisioning penetrations and routings for water, electric "in", and my grey water out, lying underneath a Gillig low-floor bus for an hour or so, explains a lot... this is a very peculiarly built bus, it is a new "type" of bus, not for us hole saw crazies of the world.
I will add-in some pictures on the Gillig low-floor chassis specifics and obstacles next post, but, it really needs to be seen firsthand, the front suspension-steering subframe assembly (all of it) is as heavy-duty, over-designed, and massive as any vehicle built, and the rear axle-engine-tranny rear subframe was built to the same standards... my old GM H8H Buffalo would have killed for this heavy grade of construction.
What connects the front subframe to the rear subframe...(that 30-ish feet of body can, or passenger compartment, fuselage, cargo box), is usually attached to the "frame rails" (but, there is no frame on a Gillig low floor bus), before I do my item by item, and overall dissertation on what it was that surprised me about this inspection... I have an "old timer" comment and warning alert for bus newbies to consider before ever buying a low floor.
In Whazammo's bus world, I never really differentiated between the "Schoolies", the Coach Bus, and the Tour Bus (other than size and number of windows differences), but, there have always been FIVE distinct "types" of busses .... after reviewing my Gillig low floor inspection yesterday, as of today... there are now SIX !
1) The Dog-nosed "Schoolie" has many small windows (front-engined, rear dually driven) like a dog-nosed box truck, it has a high floor --- notice there is a firewall separating the driver's compartment from the engine compartment and this has full frame rails)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2) The Flat-nosed "Schoolie" has many small windows (also front-engined, rear dually driven) high floor, like a cab-over flat-nosed box van/or cab over --- notice there is NO firewall separating the driver's compartment from the engine compartment, the driver sits almost alongside the engine hump, but there are full-frame rails).
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
3) Rear-engined (flat-nosed) high-floor "Schoolie's" have very identifiable small windows, but are similar to a transit/city bus, and they have full-frame rails.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
4) The rear-engined large windowed, (flat-nosed) VERY high floor Road TOUR BUS usually has a tag axle or two drive axles, is 40-45 FOOT, has full frame rails. (Prevost-top-of-the-line style)... these are luxurious Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes, and Jaguar level road beasts, with crawl-through storage bays.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
5) A Rear engined large windowed (flat-nosed) highway Coach BUS (like a Greyhound, Trailways, Charter), usually has only one rear axle, is 35-45 foot, and has NO FRAME (Uni-body or semi-monocoque construction), but is high floor, that passenger compartment deck is high, allowing a 3 1/2 foot high crawl-through storage bays underneath, look carefully at the two decks in the image below.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
6) And now, my "new" number 6, the LOW FLOOR Bus has full surround large windows, but is still a Coach BUS... Rear engined (flat-nosed), one or two axles, 35-45 feet (Uni-body or semi-monocoque construction), because there is NO FRAME the LOW floor passenger compartment deck is 16-18 inches above street level, (making it sort of the lightweight economy car of the bus world), no cargo stowage space, and wheel wells in the passenger area make it smaller than a high floor.
Again, let me restate... the front and rear subframe and suspension subframe assemblies are of higher quality and heavier duty than on any of the previous 5 designs ! (shown above), that empty slingshot frame area aft of the drive axle(s) is also used on the number 4 and 5 category tor and coach busses I discuss (above).
For "MY' needs, this is all impressive and will work, but this bus was designed, and "specifically" built for the asphalt, and highway use only.
Without the "raised floor" or second deck that allows a structural "box" to be inherent, (plus offer up a superlative storage and machinery space), without a frame, the low floor is very strong and excessively adequate for what it was built for... "on highway" usage... meaning, asphalt, not gravel, mountain pathways over undulating terrain, not mid-point chassis bottoming out, fulcruming, rocks tumbling underneath, or running over debris... "Asphalt, Asphalt, Asphalt."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Having built a few chassis in my lifetime, I know a little about stresses and building for intent, plus, what goes wrong when you jump out of that designed intent, and into another mode.
See any similarity here? As a builder, you learn to respect drag car, asphalt oval, street car construction vs. cross country, Baja, Mud racing, or dirt oval building. Too much discussion for here but, the Low floor buses are Asphalt buses... period.
If a low floor does not suit your needs or intents, of what you expect to encounter, stay away... this will be a tricky build, and designed for "my" on-highway, RV park, plugged-in, Interstate traveling, and overnighting (asphalt) use, not off-roading, gravel roads, or converting to 4WD like a schoolie.
NEXT UP: The actual "how to" of routing water-electric-grey water wiring and piping on a low-floor Bus... "things your father never told you about putting large things into small nooks, crannies, and tight spaces" ... Gillig Low Floor specifics for sure, but applicable to all builds.
Comments
Post a Comment