T1 Terry wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 3:25 pm
The door is mid vehicle ... well, towards the front from the middle, the rear escape door is gone but big windows in the bedroom that can easily be kicked out it we need to escape that way if a fire blocks the path to the door.
NP, it drove ok around Lithgow and on the freeway, but it is a 9 tonne monster with the aero of a block of flats, so ...... The longer term plan is to either convert it to a 5 or 6 speed Allison or even the hybrid electric drive box ..... or adding a hybrid drive assist to the motor for hill climbing and regen braking ...... if I upgrade it to 48v, then the drive assist and house can share the battery pack, but the hybrid auto is nom. 700vdc, so it would have it's own battery and a 900vdc to 24vdc step down to charge the house battery ... maybe, although the Mitsubishi engine etc is 24v, so, maybe just a stand along traction battery and a 240vac to 900vdc battery charger if required .....
I'm trying not to get too fixated on this purchase, if it falls through I don't want to be shattered as well as Margaret ... just the navigator will be bad enough
Margaret mentioned this morning, the price was as much as she paid for the house in Lake Illawarra, I replied that it was 2 1/2 times as much as I paid the house in West Wollongong ....... and by far, the most I've ever spent as a cash purchase ..... but apparently it isn't my money we are spending ... it's ours .... and every married man knows what that means .....
T1 Terry
That's a heavy vehicle for it's length, my 78 Bedford is 12m and weighs 12 tonne fully loaded (1000lt oil). The Isuzu gets 3.5kpl and is mated to a 4 speed allison but a pleasure to drive at 85-90kph, doesn't go much faster other than downhill unless I really push it then the kpl drops well below 3kpl. When first got it was wondering of the 4 speed allison would be adequate for big hills and found it went up big steep hills without slowing down in top gear and that was a pleasant surprise.
Talked to the head of the EV conversion crew in Tas last year about converting my cruiser to an EV and just out of interest asked if the cost would be about the same with the bus. Which produced a big smile when told him size and weight, said if had $100-$130000 easy for the bus and $75-90 thousand for the cruiser depending on range. For the cruiser, said it would be best to use the Australian made wheel motors which at 15inch would suit the cruiser perfectly and supply excellent regen. Also said the manufacturer was working on 20inch truck/bus motor wheels and they should be available in mid 2024. He claimed and have also read that wheel motors provide much better all round performance, range and regen returns and you can switch from 4 to two wheel drive or any combination, which would make them excellent for off road and long range driving.
Love my bus, fully fitted it or myself including making the swivel chairs which engineers actually passed which was a good shock and with it's low profile we can get to places others can't because of low branches etc. I paid $4000 for my ex school bus and have invested another couple of thousand, have lots of materials at my place accumulated over the years when living by a tip then transfer station, so been able to cherry pick many materials which have been getting for over 20 years. Now the council has taken over the transfer station and they charge for dropping things off and taking things,which is ridiculous a locals used it as a swap station bring some junk in and take some junk out.
It looks a good bus, bit underpowered and in my eyes expensive. I'd be looking for something less heavy, lots of available parts, easily converted, something like a parkway or big coaster, there's a lot around well fitted out and most $100000 cheaper/ Giving you lots left to play with in conversion and reconfiguring. I added exhaust brake, which makes a massive difference and was going to add air suspension but yet to get around to it. That's mainly because it's a mid mount engine and they sit really low and have bottomed it out a couple of times. The air would enable me to lift it up at times for better clearance, did check out lift blocks for it but the cost was over the top for the benefit it would give, but at the moment having it for so long, happy with it as is.
Your idea of a hybrid drive system sounds good, read about some trucks that have tried that and had mixed results. You'd probably need to put in a reasonably sized diesel genny to keep the batteries charged, but that just adds more weight and reckon you'd need a 4 cylinder motor to drive a genny capable of recharging. Then again a good regen system on a big rig should put back a heap of energy. Once had an ex Adelaide to Darwin volvo Ansett coach with 18 speed road ranger which cruised at 130kph on long runs and it had a 4 cylinder perkins driving the A/C and it made a hell of a noise, but things have come a long way since then. Still regret selling that beauty, but back then had a wife who demanded it be sold or she'd leave. Problem is sold it to satisfy her and she still left
The tears are for the bus not her
Go on bugger off, the thing is all set up for comfort.
but by the engine number, it is a 6D15 non turbo so a massive 125kw (the Prius has 80kw petrol and 80kw electric) so it will need assistance performance wise ... and I'm guessing it will need to be an automatic for Margaret to drive it because as N/P said in his post, under powered so it needs to be "rowed" via the gear lever ..... .... and 20ltr/100km is starting to get a tad expensive as far as fuel costs go ..... so electric assist makes sense and hopefully saves cents 
