[Guest]

I've always dreamed of buying a school bus and making it into a RV camper. Well the nearby high school is having a auction to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Computers, desk, office equipment, kitchen equipment, etc, etc, and a school bus. The last time I went to the school auction they had 2 buses and both went for only around $200. each. They both was in running order but high mileage.

Well what if any ideals could you do with a school bus? I've also thought about buying one and remodel it into a commercial kitchen for my wife to use. I would park it and put it up on blocks if I done this.

Or, park it on a leased hunting land and make a hunting lodge out of it.

 

[Jenn]

Drove by a GA melon processor broker/processor plant which had dozens of 'convertible' school buses with the back cut off. Saw several on the road stacked high with melons.

 

[Ken Scharabok]

If you can talk to the head mechanic at the bus barn. They are likely VERY familiar with any bus being sold and can give you a history of past problems. May just be 'old', but may have also been a shop queen.

 

[michiganfarmer]

cut the passenger area off, and build a round bale hauling truck

 

[michiganfarmer]

If you can talk to the head mechanic at the bus barn. They are likely VERY familiar with any bus being sold and can give you a history of past problems. May just be 'old', but may have also been a shop queen.

that is a good tip. Also probably available are common breaking part numbers at the local parts store, oil filter numbers, etc

 

[Michael W. Smith]

All kinds of possibilities!!!! First thing that comes to mind is a movable chicken or goat building. Take out all the seats (except the driver's seat) and you can move your livestock from place to place - think chicken tractor except the bus is the tractor and you would need movable fence.

A school bus would also make a wonderful storage building. While it might get hot in the summer with all those windows, storing lumber, hay, feed, or other supplies could make it pay for itself.

You could even live in it if you needed to. I know of a guy who used to be a junk man that his wife left him and having very little money, he lived in a school bus for several years. Seems to me that he died in the winter - I wouldn't doubt froze to death.

Even if the bus doesn't run, any of the above would still work without raising your taxes - it's moveable!!!!! Either under it's own power or towing it if the engine is dead (or missing)!

 

[michiganfarmer]

All kinds of possibilities!!!! First thing that comes to mind is a movable chicken or goat building. Take out all the seats (except the driver's seat) and you can move your livestock from place to place - think chicken tractor except the bus is the tractor and you would need movable fence.

A school bus would also make a wonderful storage building. While it might get hot in the summer with all those windows, storing lumber, hay, feed, or other supplies could make it pay for itself.

You could even live in it if you needed to. I know of a guy who used to be a junk man that his wife left him and having very little money, he lived in a school bus for several years. Seems to me that he died in the winter - I wouldn't doubt froze to death.

Even if the bus doesn't run, any of the above would still work without raising your taxes - it's moveable!!!!! Either under it's own power or towing it if the engine is dead (or missing)!

portable milking parlor for pastured cows

 

[DenverGirlie]

as you mentioned earlier you can make it into an RV

http://www.rv-busconversions.com/
http://www.vonslatt.com/

Could also then always have a guest cottage for overnight visitors

 

[susieM]

My Mom's neighbor lives in his.

 

[Lynne]

Portable round bale feeder.
Saw an old one converted to a motor home going down the road once. Had a small window unit AC in the back window

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I've thought about converting one into a guest cottage.

 

[Lynne]

just remembered that I’ve seen one made into a flatbed/ roll back for tractors once

 

[Cornhusker]

You could go 4 Wheeling.

Pop a wheelie

Crush your neighbor's car

Build a guest house

Start a collection

Decorate your yard

Use it to pick up chicks

What could be more fun than a school bus?

 

[Guest]

Hey thanks Denvergirlie, my wife may just have to wait on that commercial kitchen! Wow, I may have to just go put a bid in on that school bus. Hopefully I'll be paying only $200. or less for my future RV schoolbus.

Cornhusker, I've tried that last suggestion of yours. I would try it again today but I'm afraid Coach Mordecai might still be alive and take me to the principals office again.

 

[Melissa]

I wanted to get one and turn it into a green house. Kids were not impressed...

 

[georgec]

Farm Show magazine has a special edition for school bus and combine conversions. It is amazing what people can do with those things. Check out http://www.farmshow.com/store/books.asp , I received it free when I subscribed. (It's a very cool magazine by the way)

 

[Hoop]

For every schoolbus that has actually been converted into a completed, usable RV, there are 20 others (many would say 50 others), half completed, rotting away in some field.

Don't know about other states, but in Wisconsin, schoolbuses must be certified on a regular basis. Schoolbuses that can't meet certification without the investment of thousands usually find their way into the used bus market.

$200 is an unrealistic price. $1500 - $3000 is more realistic of what these sell for around here.
Wisconsin vehicles commonly experience surface rust long before the mechanical components are even close to needing attention.

One of my friends actually completed a school bus to RV restoration. He made it into a Nascar vehicle, complete with ladders to the roof, railings all the way around, indoor plumbing, sleeping area, cooking area....the entire 9 yards. He takes it to the Nascar race in Michigan and Illinois. Has it painted in Earnhardt Jr #8 colors.

I know of many many other bus conversion "projects" that never reached completion. I guess its because used RV's are out there in abundance, where the only thing required is $$.

 

[buspete]

Just keep in mind that because of it's weight, it is a class B vehicle and you'll need a CDL to drive it.

Take a look at the inspection stickers to see if it is up to par, or just an old beater that they want to get rid of.

I used to be a school bus fleet mechanic, and have repaired more of the big yellow monster than I care to think about.

Some repairs may require expensive parts and tools that are beyond the kind you'd normally find in your tool box. Most of them will have Cummins straight 6 turbochaged diesel engines, some will have International 6's or 8's. Some, depending on age, will have a gasoline powered V-8, but you don't run into that too much nowadays.

I've always thought about converting one to a camper in such a way that it has the sides cut away on the back to make a porch. The porch would be used to haul motorcycles or a Jeep while on the road so we'd have something small to drive when we got wherever we were going.

I've seen lots of busses converted to be race car haulers, they are just wide enough to drive a car up into it if you convert the back to a ramp.

For $200, buy it, have fun with it, and if it dies on you, park it in front of your house to use as a shed and keep property values down. Who knows, it may keep snooty city people from moving in across the street from you LOL.

 

[cast iron]

If I could get a running bus for $200 and I could fit on my race trailer or equipment trailer for transport, I'd run it in the school bus figure eight races at our local fair grounds.

Be very careful if you are really thinking about converting it to some type of RV. While the whole hippy school bus deal is romantic and fun to talk about, the reality is these things can be very expensive to convert, and much of the time the results are less than good.

 

[PyroDon]

Not many RV parks will allow a school bus to park , same goes for a number of camp grounds found this out the hard way . Ours isnt a complete conversion yet but its getting there and close enough for camping .
Ours has a dodge 360 the problem we have had is number one piston burning lean and burning a hole in the piston . the problem was someone had bypassed the vac. reserve tank.
It has made a trip to the grand canyon and had more state troopers search it than its had folks sleep in it
after the 93/94 floods we lived in it for over 6months .
If your a young couple living in a bus Never store canned goods on the shelf over the bed . a can of green beans will put the most amorous man out of the mood