Howdy, Same here. I'm actually looking for a coach or possibly an older high floor transit specifically with a 2 Stroke Detroit. I even passed up a nice MCI 102dl3 with the Series 60 Detroit and am holding out for a 2 Stroke bus. I have nothing against the Series 60, great engine too, especially the early non egr model years. A company from Pennsylvania had a Prevost H5-60 many years ago. I got to go on a trip with it. Impressive and massive piece of machinery. I also liked the added safety, or what to me seems like an added safety benefit of tandem steer axles up front. I'm not sure I'm correct, but did Prevost offer a quad axle 40' or plus rigid bus based on the H5-60 front section at one time? Would have been nice to see a 12v92ta Detroit for the larger size and weight of this model. The only bus I can find that supposedly had the 12 cylinder option was the Neoplan Jumbocruiser. I've yet to find what transmission(s) were offered on the Neoplan. Anyone by chance know if an Allison HT740 or HT755 would hold up behind a 12v92ta set at a "reasonable power output" or if they would have used a different model? Many thanks for any info. Much appreciated, C.I.M.
that's what I what to do,....I have the cash already I just want to do as much research as possible so I don't make a big mistake and waste time and money, also i want to build the most powerful motor i can so i dont have to climb hills slow like a turtle ...my wife and I want to hit the road in one of these babies
Landon Varner : Your correct, I've been watching a lot of bus "Schoolies" conversions lately and even with a simple 35'-40' ft conversion busses, people are finding it difficult to locate camp grounds that will accept their conversion. I can imagine calling a K.O.A. or similar ground asking for a camp site to accommodate an articulated 5,000 ft long camper bus...lol🤣
Eric Dee it’s hard to find a campsite in Georgia for just a 35ft fifth wheel camper and then plus a 15ft truck so in total it’s 45ft in length so it’s kinda hard to park the campers better yet one of these
You forgot to mention that the rearmost wheels steer with the bus so that the turning circle of this bus is about 30' radius. It can handle any corner without the rear wheels hopping the curb like typical trailer wheels would.
They were old. They had spent years bouncing down rough roads, so nothing fit tight any more. At times the overhead TV's would just fall down. The AC's didn't work... You'd be going down the road and they would burp a bunch of moisture. Boom, instantly your front windows are completely fogged over. Real fun doing 55mph on a curvy road. Going up Turnagain Pass they would slow down to 11mph by the time you got to the top. The seats had faded. So no matter how much you cleaned them, they still looked dusty. The tail bounced pretty good. And that was were the bathroom was out. I had a few people get bucked off the toilet as we hopped our way down the road. It was an experience to drive them though...
+Todd Stafford the guy said in the video that it had single tire axels but I know that Prevost and Mci ran busses not to unlike this that had dual wheels on the drive axel and single wheels on the front and rear most axels. (tag) so why with all the added weight of the bendable section would it only have single wheels?
I drove the H340 for many years. We bought a bunch of them brand new with the suicide doors. No end of problems with the doors blowing back opened at 65 mph. It would scare the heck out of the passengers, and the driver. Prevost took them all back and switched to regular front hinged passenger doors. Also the mirrors were badly designed and had huge blind spots. The convex was fixed and away out of adjustment. We installed auxiliary convex mirrors to solve the problem. Prevost has since switched to all conventional mirrors on their buses. Other than that I liked these buses. The 6 speed stick was a lot of fun to drive IF you knew how to shift. After they got the bugs out they were a great bus and I enjoyed them for 18 years. Now we drive the 4505 and they're not half the fun.
A man from Canada bought 2 of these from a tour company. He paid $6500 for both. One to drive the other for parts. He and his wife have 5 or 6 kids. And tour United States in the winter. They home school their kids. He did a very basic, nothing fancy, conversion. He had the entire roof covered in solar panels. An electric fork lift battery that ran everything. About 1,000 pounds. This thing is a beast. Turning radius is about 39 feet, the distance between the second and third axle starting at the front. Since the fifth axle turns with the front two axles its quite easy to drive. They don't fit in regular campgrounds. They usually boondoggle. His RU-vid channel is "joel constable". Pretty amazing. Thanks Bob
I remember when Prevost and Greyline of Alaska drove one of these coaches on a test run up to Alaska. I was working for a company in Whitehorse Yukon called Atlas Tours. They did the trip in the middle of winter when the roads up in Yukon and Alaska were at there best. Road crews spend the whole summer fixing the roads that are damaged by the spring thaw. The test was declared a success and the coches came north. Because the roads in the summerare at their worst the drivers had to drive slower than the posted speed limit. They had lots of break downs and had one trailer bounced into the othe lane and cliped an RV traveling in the other direction. I always felt sorry for the poor drivers driving them. A total disaster up there.
Its a good thing they didnt have to use stick on these. I know those days thats all they had on tractor trailers and now days tractor trailers have the option of automated manual which I know many truck drivers hate but I love it.
I wish there were more of these unique buses. Hopefully I can ride on one before their gone. The articulated coach bus model is very rare around the world.
I worked for Grayline and drove this coach. They're used mostly in Alaska, though Grayline used them here. The only problem with them, I found is snow and ice. The coach is so well balanced that it is hard to get traction if you are on a hill in snow or on ice. I don't think they found a solution to engine replacement. It is designed strictly for the engine that is now in it. As far as I know, you would have to replace the engine with a new or rebuild of the same engine.
Only 68 seats vs. up to 61 in a non-articulated bus? That's only 7 extra seats. But, twice the tolls, twice the tires, twice the brakes, twice the doors to maintain, plus the articulation needs maintenance too. For 7 extra seats that are hardly ever used? No thanks!
A 61 pax non-articulated bus would leave your passenger with absolutely no leg room, and if they recline their seats, they are pretty much resting in your lap. A comfort level for long distance in a non-articulated bus is 52 seats. A company like Greyhound which sells individual seats makes sense to have a higher capacity, as opposed to a charter company which hires the bus out where comfort is a big selling point. SO, that said, an articulated bus can be set up with a capacity of 86 seats if you chose to have the most amount of seats with the least amount of legroom. 18 additional seats then what this artic is set up for.
But in reality, the opposite is true. Greyhound runs their 45ft buses at 50 seats, and charter companies all run them at 55-61, with only a very few at 54. It seems that legroom is actually more important to line-run customers. Or perhaps that's oversimplifying the matter. It probably has to do more with the fact that charter customers think "bigger is better" (bigger meaning more seats), and would not be easily convinced that a 50 passenger bus is as good as (let alone better than) a 56 passenger bus......... Also 40ft coaches run at 49pax, so charter customers may confuse a 50pax 45ft coach as being a 40ft coach.
Luke Thompson I agree with Luke, though, of course, that articulation joint in the middle must have wasted a lot of space. The H5-60 would still be in production if it was that great. If one isn't running on toll roads, it would be better. I think it only has 10 tires compared to 8 for a 45'.
Luke Thompson: I agree, those articulated busses seem to be more of a novelty than a practical efficient bus, and I'am sure finding an abundant source of mechanics, parts and facilities to accommodate the beast is probably next to impossible.
Did they make a version exactly like this, just with the back end off? I'd convert it into a series/parallel hybrid, with a smaller, though more modern 4 stroke engine, and A/C induction electric drive on all axles. Putting maybe the newer Tesla battery modules in it. And convert the rear wheels to active steering along with the front. Bet I could almost Formula One drive that thing, lol.
@@sammexp i hear that a articulated bus alone works harder to move forward, infact if you went on a ascending road then the engine will overheat. So to my understanding they will breakdown quicker
I would love to buy this coach!!!!! An articulated H series are rare now at days, and I know Venture Tours of Virginia Beach, use to operate these H5-60 as recently as 2012.
+Nicholas Alexander you can showcase the power features of the bus without using the battery, and you can demonstrate the engine in action. it's just better to have it on, why not have it on?
it's fucking annoying. start it, and then stop it. go ahead and rev it up to 3000 RPMS, I love diesels. But to have it running while we try to concentrate on what you're talking about is not fun.
Awesome bus But turn the bus off when showing the outside of the bus makes it difficult to hear what your saying and maybe then show the engine at the end instead
Yes, the 8V92 engine was mounted at the rear of the first section. Guess the floor over the engine was removable but still had to be a bear to work on.
One they run them because when you have all the lights and ac it will drain the four batteries down fast and if its cold they will not start! The name is Prayvo not Prevo. I have been to the factory in St Clair Canada and saw the h3-45's being make.
Really nice for its age -- but it's not wheelchair accessible so there is only a limited secondary market. EDIT: Are both middle axles driven, like a semi truck?
It's gross vehicle weight (GVW), conveyance of passengers/dependents and its length. Driving a 60 ft bus like this requires even more certification than the typical 40-45 ft buses.
Does this bus require a higher class CDL than regular buses due to its articulating feature?? Also, is the engine maintenance friendly because it looks like a pain in the butt working on a center-mounted frame!
rmatt24 nope Class b license is all you need And it's the closest you ever get to being able to drive a large vehicle that articulates yet it drives like the rear half is a Trailer
Too bad they couldnt keep the concept of Articulated motorcoaches. The best idea would either have the split half way through or more closer to the front. With either a 65' or 70' length or even the length of a typical tractor trailer. The only problem with that is it would require a Class A CDL with passenger endorsement instead of Class B. But I always recommend that everyone who gets a CDL to go with Class A even if they intend on driving a class B vehicle with the endorsements they need for the job they are seeking.
I drove these coaches 1999 & 2000. Greyhound of Alaska had 13 of these. The engine was 8V-92. They were a pleasure to drive after you got it moving. After the merger of Holland America and Princess. they were sold off at pretty low prices and once in a while you can find one for sale, such as this one!!!!Bill Penland
Its a cool looking Bus, buuut the 8V92.... engine the big question is..... Did you check the bearings of the engine ??? Afterall those bearings are the weakspot of the 92 series engines..... If not perhaps it's an idea to call Bus Grease Monkey ;)
“ have off the bus loading dock.. the rest after smal door ad the front rubber cone .. en sleeping space with a small walking spot with a door 🚪 👀’ motorhome
