Destroy the Orcs Skoolie
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Advantages And Disadvantages of Bus Conversion Motorhomes
You have seen them as they go down the highway. They are the
behemoths of the motorhome and RV industry. They are bus conversion
motorhomes. People often associate them with traveling entertainers,
politicians and corporations because they are used a lot by those folks.
Of all the options for traveling on the open road the bus conversion is
by far the most luxurious. But there are disadvantages to consider too.
Here is the list of both advantages and disadvantages to consider:
Advantages:
1. Durability. These vehicles are built to last from the ground up. You just can't kill them. They generally outlast any other type of RV made by a long shot.
2. They are easy to handle and drive. Although they are huge vehicles, the suspension has been tuned to make them surprisingly easy to handle as they go down the road.
3. If you are into features and luxury appointments, this the motorhome for you. It's a rolling mansion on wheels.
4. The engines used for bus conversions are very powerful and you should not have any problem with not having enough power to pass other vehicles or tow a vehicle behind. It's comforting to know that when you step on the accelerator the power is there to do what you need.
Disadvantages:
1. Price. If you think Class A motor homes can be pricey, you haven't seen anything yet. The most recognized bus conversion companies include Newell, Bluebird and Prevost and their bus conversions can run well into the millions of dollars so they won't be in everyone's price range.
2. Cost of repairs. Although they can be the most durable of RVs, they also can be the most expensive to repair. They also can't be repaired by the local auto repair shop, so you have to be able to get them to a facility that can handle them properly if they need repair. Just buying a bus conversion does not end your investment. Be sure to factor in plenty of money for needed repairs or buy an extended warranty that can put a cap on your repair costs.
3. If major repairs need to be made you will have to stay in a motel during that time as your home will be in the repair shop.
As you can see the advantages are many and the disadvantages mainly revolve around financial matters. If you have the money to buy one of these fabulous machines, you probably won't be disappointed. But if it will be a stretch for you to buy, you may want to look at a Class A motorhome instead.
Advantages:
1. Durability. These vehicles are built to last from the ground up. You just can't kill them. They generally outlast any other type of RV made by a long shot.
2. They are easy to handle and drive. Although they are huge vehicles, the suspension has been tuned to make them surprisingly easy to handle as they go down the road.
3. If you are into features and luxury appointments, this the motorhome for you. It's a rolling mansion on wheels.
4. The engines used for bus conversions are very powerful and you should not have any problem with not having enough power to pass other vehicles or tow a vehicle behind. It's comforting to know that when you step on the accelerator the power is there to do what you need.
Disadvantages:
1. Price. If you think Class A motor homes can be pricey, you haven't seen anything yet. The most recognized bus conversion companies include Newell, Bluebird and Prevost and their bus conversions can run well into the millions of dollars so they won't be in everyone's price range.
2. Cost of repairs. Although they can be the most durable of RVs, they also can be the most expensive to repair. They also can't be repaired by the local auto repair shop, so you have to be able to get them to a facility that can handle them properly if they need repair. Just buying a bus conversion does not end your investment. Be sure to factor in plenty of money for needed repairs or buy an extended warranty that can put a cap on your repair costs.
3. If major repairs need to be made you will have to stay in a motel during that time as your home will be in the repair shop.
As you can see the advantages are many and the disadvantages mainly revolve around financial matters. If you have the money to buy one of these fabulous machines, you probably won't be disappointed. But if it will be a stretch for you to buy, you may want to look at a Class A motorhome instead.
Jim Johnson writes on many consumer related topics including
motorhomes. You can find out more about motorhome dealers and used
motorhomes
by visiting our Motorhomes Review website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Johnson
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The Law Might Not Let You Make Your Own Biodiesel
Bio diesel fuels (made from plant or animal fats and some form of
alcohol) are used by many localities, to run trucks or buses. But
vegetable oil has some legal barriers. Vegetable oil has to be certified
by the federal government for use as a motor oil. Certification is
required by the Environmental Protection Agency for any engine systems
modified to use vegetable oil. To date, no vegetable oil conversion has
achieved EPA certification. So when you change your bus into a grease
car you are illegally tampering with your emissions system. A properly
converted modern automotive diesel can be fueled by vegetable oil and
meet or exceed the requirements of the EPA emission standards, giving
better results than ULSD diesel fuel from a renewable fuel.
There is another barrier that will slow the production of vegetable oil as a fuel. Vegetable oil can be collected by any individual for their own use without a license in any state as far as I know. Laws very from state to state. Any fuel used to fuel a diesel engine is considered diesel fuel according to the IRS. Therefore Straight vegetable oil ( SVO ) or Waste Vegetable OIL ( WVO ) is taxed the same as petro based diesel fuel. If you considered collecting used cooking oil for processing and resale you will have to pay a fee from a government control on it and then you also pay a License fee for hauling the oil. Now this will very state to state also and the cost is not small. Try storing a half million gallons of ( WVO ), you would have the EPA knocking your door down.
For the home brew small use person there isn't a problem collecting your WVO and processing it in your garage. That is changing bit by bit. I know in Alaska you have to claim it on your tax return. You pay $0.08 per gallon on the state and $0.244 per gallon on the Fed. The user must submit their Alaska Motor Tax on a monthly basis. Weather you do or not is hard to prove. Alaska wants their road tax so there must be a lot of WVO activity up there to get the state worried about tax collection for the roads. I believe we should pay for our roads through fuel tax as long as its far.
Weather its bio deisel, WVO, or SVO you will have to process the fuel or modify the diesel engine. You can pay your taxes or not pay them. If you get into processing on a large scale you will have no choice. Its a bit hard to hide large tanks of WVO. On the small scale though the project of processing your own WVO for your grease car or skoolie should be fun and you should be able to run (in some cases) under a dollar a gallon. That's my plan on the school bus conversion I'm building.
There is another barrier that will slow the production of vegetable oil as a fuel. Vegetable oil can be collected by any individual for their own use without a license in any state as far as I know. Laws very from state to state. Any fuel used to fuel a diesel engine is considered diesel fuel according to the IRS. Therefore Straight vegetable oil ( SVO ) or Waste Vegetable OIL ( WVO ) is taxed the same as petro based diesel fuel. If you considered collecting used cooking oil for processing and resale you will have to pay a fee from a government control on it and then you also pay a License fee for hauling the oil. Now this will very state to state also and the cost is not small. Try storing a half million gallons of ( WVO ), you would have the EPA knocking your door down.
For the home brew small use person there isn't a problem collecting your WVO and processing it in your garage. That is changing bit by bit. I know in Alaska you have to claim it on your tax return. You pay $0.08 per gallon on the state and $0.244 per gallon on the Fed. The user must submit their Alaska Motor Tax on a monthly basis. Weather you do or not is hard to prove. Alaska wants their road tax so there must be a lot of WVO activity up there to get the state worried about tax collection for the roads. I believe we should pay for our roads through fuel tax as long as its far.
Weather its bio deisel, WVO, or SVO you will have to process the fuel or modify the diesel engine. You can pay your taxes or not pay them. If you get into processing on a large scale you will have no choice. Its a bit hard to hide large tanks of WVO. On the small scale though the project of processing your own WVO for your grease car or skoolie should be fun and you should be able to run (in some cases) under a dollar a gallon. That's my plan on the school bus conversion I'm building.
Frederick Carter
http://greasecar.wordpress.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frederick_Carter
http://greasecar.wordpress.com
1980 International - Thomas 4X4 Bus - Marmon Herrington Conversion
1980 International - Thomas 4X4 Bus - Marmon Herrington Conversion
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)