Wanderlodge Structural Questions...

[Andy Coleman]

Hello Wanderlodgers,

I just joined your list and I'm very excited! A friend of mine just
turned me on to the Wanderlodge - which might be the perfect vehicle
for me!

I just spent the last 6 months shopping for another school bus to
customize into an RV.

I have an old Dodge bus that I bought in college in the late 80s.
Since that time I customized it and built a very nice aluminum
platform (with ladder) on its roof. The platform, as it turns out, is
my favorite part of the bus.

Now in my late 30s, I'm ready to step up to a larger, more fuel
efficient and reliable diesel platform. I've been shopping for rear
engine Thomas and Blue Bird All American buses to convert. Both have
strong frames to support another (possibly larger) roof rack.

My question is, since the Wanderlodge is based on the All American
body, will it be able to support the weight of a rack with people on
it? Maybe over 3,000+ lbs? The All American School bus by law is
required to handle 1.5 times its weight on the roof in the event of a
roll over.

Also, does the Wanderlodge have the same interior and exterior height
as the All American bus? I'm 6' 4" tall. My head nearly touches the
ceiling in the All American School buses.

Finally, by studying all the fantastic information posted by your
group, I have learned that some of the 80's Wanderlodges had Central
Air - without the individual AC units on the roof (less obstructions
for a rack). Is the Central air a good option? Do the vents blow air
near the ceiling of the bus? Is it difficult to maintain?

Thank you so much everyone! The Wanderlodge just might be the vehicle
I have been searching for - and it might save me much time and money
over converting a school bus! I look forward to being a part of your
group!

Andy Coleman, Central New Jersey

[Blair]

From: Andy Coleman

Also, does the Wanderlodge have the same interior and exterior height
as the All American bus? I'm 6' 4" tall. My head nearly touches the
ceiling in the All American School buses.

you just made it! On some birds, anything taller and you'll
develope horizontal fault lines in your forehead from the air
conditioners on the roof. Just remember to leave your shoes
at the door. This is experience talking....also, you really
have to learn to walk with no bounce.

Blair in Oregon










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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jeff Miller]

The roof structure is the same, with an added corregated steel roof
deck (pre '82 I believe) or diamond-plate aluminum ('82-'91ish) or
extruded aluminum.

With your height and intended useage I would recommend a central-air
coach, not sure of your budget but I have a friend with one for sale
at:
http://www.millercoachworks.com/Coach02.html

Anyway, the central A/C is three cruise-air units mounted under the
floor, each ducted to near ceiling height but not through the
ceiling, the advantage being clear walking roof-height interior and
an almost unobstructed roof deck on top.

Maintenance of the Cruise-air units is not difficult, however repair
can be more expensive as a compressor failure will be around $500
installed compared with a complete new roof A/C unit for less. Three
A/Cs are standard in most Wanderlodges, and in most conditions two
healthy ones will chill the unit well, three don't have to work very
hard (unless they need maintenance).

- Jeff Miller
in Holland, MI


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Andy Coleman"
wrote:
>
> Hello Wanderlodgers,
>
> I just joined your list and I'm very excited! A friend of mine just
> turned me on to the Wanderlodge - which might be the perfect vehicle
> for me!
>
> I just spent the last 6 months shopping for another school bus to
> customize into an RV.
>
> I have an old Dodge bus that I bought in college in the late 80s.
> Since that time I customized it and built a very nice aluminum
> platform (with ladder) on its roof. The platform, as it turns out,
is
> my favorite part of the bus.
>
> Now in my late 30s, I'm ready to step up to a larger, more fuel
> efficient and reliable diesel platform. I've been shopping for rear
> engine Thomas and Blue Bird All American buses to convert. Both
have
> strong frames to support another (possibly larger) roof rack.
>
> My question is, since the Wanderlodge is based on the All American
> body, will it be able to support the weight of a rack with people on
> it? Maybe over 3,000+ lbs? The All American School bus by law is
> required to handle 1.5 times its weight on the roof in the event of
a
> roll over.
>
> Also, does the Wanderlodge have the same interior and exterior
height
> as the All American bus? I'm 6' 4" tall. My head nearly touches
the
> ceiling in the All American School buses.
>
> Finally, by studying all the fantastic information posted by your
> group, I have learned that some of the 80's Wanderlodges had Central
> Air - without the individual AC units on the roof (less obstructions
> for a rack). Is the Central air a good option? Do the vents blow
air
> near the ceiling of the bus? Is it difficult to maintain?
>
> Thank you so much everyone! The Wanderlodge just might be the
vehicle
> I have been searching for - and it might save me much time and money
> over converting a school bus! I look forward to being a part of
your
> group!
>
> Andy Coleman, Central New Jersey
>