Getting bus to fit garage

[chtree]

We have 44' of 16' ceiling then drop to 11'10" will our 04 H3-45 fit in this space? If not can we adjust ht. with air? Front of coach is free of horns lights etc. Also, floor has not been poured and we thought about sloping floor. Approximately 4.5" drop in 42'. Looking for any suggestions anyone might have. PS ceiling hts. are if floor was poured level.

Thanks,

chtree

[garyde]

Hi Ch. My coach is approx. 12" 6" to the top of my Satelite dome at ride height. I can drop approx. 6 inches in front and/or back but not while driving. If you have not determined your ride height , you should find out as you will need to know this while travelling. You did not say what height your garage door opening is, is it 16 feet as well? I believe an H3 is approx 6 to 8 inches higher than an XL in ride height but you need to measure your coach.

[Alek&Lucia]

With our KVH dome and Datastorm dish our H3-45 is 13'6" tall

Alek

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Ideally I would have 14ft door and that would put the ceiling somewhere between 15 and 16ft.

Some buses are right at 13.6

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Having built the perfect garage for a 40 foot bus, I found out the garage is not so perfect when I fit a 45 footer in it.

The lesson was simple. Build it as big as possible in all directions, especially height and length.

For an H3 I would consider anything less than 13'6" in height totally inadequate. If you have to lower the bus to get under a ceiling or door opening (as I do, and as others on this forum have to do) it is just a question of time before you damage something. If the inside ceiling height is 12 feet for example, an accidental switching of the level low system is going to raise the ceiling of the garage or wipe out everything on your bus roof or both.

You have megabucks invested in a coach. It makes no sense to not provide adequate housing for it. You will pay to do it right now, or you will pay later in repairs to the garage or bus. Trust me.

[chtree]

The garage has a 14' door and 16'+ ceilig for 44' then mezzanine at 11' 10". I was hoping that the bus's sloped front would allow it to fit at it's road level. We haven't brought the bus home from Nashville yet. We can slope the floor when we pour it in the next couple weeks and gain 3" to 4.5". From the prevost factory site I think that the front is only 11' 2" at the slope of the body right above the windshield.

thanks,

chtree

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Take a chunk out of that mezzanine. Is it wood frame?

With a saw not the bus:o

[Alek&Lucia]

Or you have to have a good Pilot that will be watching how you drive in or back out from your garage that you will not damage anything on top of your roof eg: spot lite.
JOE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG ? :) :p

Alek

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Aren't you two suppose to be leaving soon:confused:

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Sounds like Alek knows something. Post it. We are constantly looking for nominees for the wide turn award.

Also sounds like advice about clearing the roof with room to spare.

Garages generally are used not only to keep the bus protected from weather, but to do some service work from time to time. If the bus is sitting low, and cannot be raised that is going to prevent doing any work that requires the bus to be up in the air a little. Maybe that is not important.

[tdelorme]

You mentioned sloping the floor 4.5" over the first 42'. Also consider loosing that 4.5" in a much shorter span. Say at a point from the 40ft. mark to the 42ft. mark. Just ramp down in a shorter span so as to have the floor level over most of the barn. I like a level floor to work on, others may not care.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

This is a tough one because your question was answered and and you have backed off. There is much more information required about your site and use to be able to give further comments and opinions.

If you want to go further, let us know and we will ask you what we need to try to come up with a reasonable and solution.


JIM

[chtree]

I guess I was hoping that someone might know the exact ht at the angle right above the windshield. The Prevost co site said 11' 2". Do any of you guys know if this is so ?

Thanks for all the info so far! We're pretty green.

chtree

[lewpopp]

Chtree,

The engineering dept of POG is in the middle of trying to sort out the can of worms that has formed.

[garyde]

I have to agree, a garage or barn is more than a glove to fit your Coach into. Step back and consider the long term implications before you set everything in concrete. Is this your first and last Coach, do you have ample room to work on the top, bottom, sides, front, and back of the Coach. If you have an oil leak, wheel bearing leak, etc., can a mechanic fix it without towing it out of the barn. Do you intend to level the coach in the barn for use. (with a 4-5 inch drop at the front with air bags dropped, you won't be able to level the Coach at the back.) Finally, if you specifically design for this Coach, how will this effect the use of the barn for other uses, and for resale.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

chtree, this is a delicate question, but I must ask.

If you have the bus and you need a certain dimension, why don't you measure it exactly where needed. That way there would be no error or misunderstanding. I would be glad to measure mine for you but it is an XLV.

The odds are against you being happy in a tight fitting garage.
Pulling the windshield up close to a mezzanine is a sure way to disaster.

One slip up and it's $$$$ every time. You will have a foot on the brake and on the throttle, and with a down slope you suggest..............:eek:

You may feel that your garage is so close to fitting that you can make it work and get by, but I think not.

JIM

[chtree]

You guys are right. The carpenter is coming monday to give us another 4'. We'll just notch out the floor of mezzanine. Problem solved.


Thanks for all the help.

chtree

[Joe Cannarozzi]

So what do I get for the winning suggestion:confused:

[Will Garner]

CH,

I too had garage issues to deal with. Mine was a set of stairs from a loft that came down perpendicular to the bus bay. The bay was too short with them in this configuration. Fortunately, I could (and did) take them down and relocate them to the loft so they came down parallel to the bus bay. Once moved that left me six inches in front of and six inches in back of the bus (41'). I admit I can't work on either the front or rear of the bus without opening the garage doors and leaving them that way as well as backing the bus partially out to work on the front. It also eliminates upgrading to a 45 footer.

Since my wife was always concerned with me smashing the front of the bus into the loft I nailed a scrap board to the loft railing, tied a string to it and put a tennis ball on the end of the string at eye level when in the drivers seat. When the tennis ball touches the windshield I know I can close the garage doors. Why go through all this just to garage the bus -well the garage space is free!

Now the driveway into the garage is another story. The door is at the back of the building. To get the bus inside I have to execute a three point manuever out back to get lined up to enter. Small price to pay for a free garage. Carole does all the spotting both going in and backing out of the garage.

The loft gives me access to look at the roof without using a ladder. The loft goes completely around the sides and front of the bus. The garage floor is level and if it were sloped I might not have considered free as being such a good deal.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Hey Joe............why does a guy that doesn't have a garage think because he said what all of us said he deserves and award?

Send me an email so I can reply with some travel info.

[chtree]

Jim,

sorry I didn't answer your question about measuring the bus. It's still at Prevost of Nashville til we go to pick up.

chtree

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

That explains it then.

By the way, you sneaked in the back door and didn't get a proper welcome, so howdy chtree. What's the ch for, cherry? :)

You've got 8 posts already and no one knows anything about you. Check out the website, and fill in all the blanks. Try everything you can't break anything.


JIM;)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Our bad.......yes, welcome to the asylum. You now see how easy it is for us to offer advice.

Consider how well we did with your first question. You got answers from someone without a garage, from someone with a garage that parks outside in the snow and from someone with a garage for a 40 foot bus that stuffs a 45 footer in it.

I hope you realize what you have gotten yourself into. Welcome aboard and do not hesitate to join in the festivities. Just stay away from Truk's sheep.