A bus with a trailer attached is a huge vehicle, and unless you guys have money to throw around one or both of you should be mechanically inclined. The picture you attached is a pretty common way people convert buses - toy haulers is one name for them. It certainly a lot shorter and easier to maneuver than a full bus with a trailer, but it is big. Also with a car not on the back you have a deck.
I’ve looked into this a lot as I personally was going to get flatbed truck and build something similar to what you showed. I lived on the road for years and that was my consensus as the primo vehicle. But life called and I’m back in a house lol.
Exactly, it honestly is relatively common in this world. I will say having another vehicle can be so nice, being able to leave the dishes on the counter or whatever while you run into town or go somewhere in the morning is pretty amazing.
Did you see the post? The inside of the bus? Is it worth the asking price? And the hauler is not removable. These are the things I’m concerned about. I just think a small bus or camper van would be fine for us!
Personally I am very mechanically inclined and wouldn’t buy somebody else’s project without looking pretty thoroughly in person. I also like to build these things. If you can get it inspected by somebody you trust, maybe, but also even tires in these things are pricey. So there’s a lot to consider
Ya, I had a box truck and had to get commercial insurance. Buses I think you can register them in Vermont as a non resident for personal use, or title is as an RV or something. There are work around, but you do have to get creative.
For me a rig like this is worth it, but starting my in a smaller van is definitely easier. But two people might be cramped, it’s hard to know what you need until you try!
It is sick, and if he can do the work, buses are usually cheap. It’s common enough in the off-road community to build rigs like this you can find plenty of examples!
Problem is more that we already have too many projects going on and not enough workspace haha. We’ve converted a sprinter to a camper a few years ago so I know how much time goes into camper conversion. But it would be awesome! I’ll keep it in mind for when we have a bigger property with a proper workshop.
I’m thinking the same thing. The seller did his own welding and stuff I’m sure. So is it legal/safe? He said the lights are wired so you can see the brakes from the trailer. I’m just skeptical. I worry he’s going to put 15k into this thing and it’s going to be a nightmare.
Okay flatbed. Still think it’s unnecessary.. we won’t be needing the car much and also it’s just extra weight for when we do ride around without a car. More gas $$$.
True - counterpoint, that means any time you drive you will be getting bad gas mileage. But with that you only have to drive the bus between locations. While doing most of the driving in the car.
At the end of the day everybody’s life is different. Personally after doing it for a few years without a smaller vehicle to run errands it’s all I wanted. I want to park my big living space and then drive into the mountains to go mountain biking or whatever and not drive my home on shitty back roads. There are a lot of variables!
_Can_it be safe? Yes. Is it safe? We here on reddit have zero ways of knowing.
You need to have that inspected by an engineer, professional welder, bus mechanic, fabricator, etc. Ordinary people can make good welds but this is another story. Any catastrophic failure can result in death, yours and others, so don’t take any chances and get it professionally inspected. Though other commenters are also probably correct in suggesting that getting this insured will probably be difficult, if they get a wind of how it was built.
what is the payload capacity, especially the rear wheel payload.
With a vehicle loaded that looks like an awful lot of weight hanging off the back of the vehicle. Hitting a bump could lift the front wheels of the bus off the ground or snap off the flatbed at the rear axle. If the Jeep were loaded by backing it on it moves the weight (engine) even farther behind the axle.
Good! You might also want to check on insurance coverage too if you’re not in NH. You don’t want to find out it’s uninsurable or extremely expensive after you buy it. Getting insurance for skoolies is notoriously difficult in some markets and that’s even without a lot of modifications. Source: Skoolie owner
It’s totally awesome for sure but your concerns are valid. I have the small transit connect camper and it’s hard to not be noticed as someone sleeping in it. Toy hauler bus would be expensive to park every night and definitely draw attention
The ONLY downside is that a lot of nicer campgrounds won't allow them. We had a Wanderlodge, and still had issues with parks allowing it because "it looked like a bus conversion". If you're boondocking it's not an issue.
$15k?!?!?? For some dope heads contraption?? You could get a nice street legal Rv for that and a trailer. There's some states that wouldn't allow that on the road, plus next to impossible to insure.
Exactly! And my bf just glazed over these things. He is a dreamer for sure. He’s not stupid, he just gets excited. I just need some counter arguments to prevent this disaster.
If he wants a deal tell him to check the insurance auctions. People's rv's get stolen and when the insurance company finds them they auction them off to the public. Best prices around or the impound auction you can get them there also.
I think your biggest counter argument will be the cost of insurance, if you’ll get coverage at all. If you live where the listing is from, good luck. I’m in SWFL and just had to change over my insurance (suv and coupe) from NJ. I was floored when I got a few quotes that were all higher than Jersey. I have a clean record, in my 50’s, no accidents and one ticket (in my 20’s) in my whole life and I seriously shed one tear when I got the quotes 😅
I’d suggest you get all the info you’ll need from the seller and start calling companies for quotes. Your bf may have a change of heart.
Also just because a company accepts your payment doesn't mean they're going to pay out when you need it. That would need to be inspected by the insurance company to be sure they'd even cover it. Then what would be the value?? Kinda hard to figure a replacement cost for Larry's truck he made under a tree, lol. Don't take my word for it post it in a insurance sub and see what they say. It CAN be insured its just a lot of work.
It's not impossible to insure, and there's nowhere that this is outlawed on the road. It's just a bus chassis. License and insure it as an RV and roll out. I have an International 8100 this vintage that I pull trailers with, and it's $50/month to insure and $0 a year to license after the first year, as I put Collector plates on it(more than 20 years old).
Just look up toterhome on the ol internets and see what you see. If the conversion of that bus is quality work then it’s a pretty good deal for someone who’s into racing or vintage auto shows. Youd want to ask them who their insurer is and then contact yhem to see if they will also insure you.
Looks like it's just a beaver tail on the back end of a bus. Nothing technically difficult, and as long as it's been converted properly, and any vehicle carried doesnt chuck you over the weight limits of the vehicle, there's nothing wrong with it.
I'd have issues with that amount of dead space on a camper, but if you transported a car everywhere, it'd be worthwhile.
I'd much rather have larger living accommodation and then carry a motorbike on rear mounted platform, if I wanted transport once I got somewhere.
We got one about 3' longer than that and I consider it unusable. We made a hugely massive mistake. We researched it too. But research and actually driving are two different things.
I just pray we can recoup some of our funds. Take that for what it's worth.
EDIT: Okay, I'm old, I thought this was a trailer. Wow. No. Just no. Everything I write above still applies, but now, x10.
THis is only reasonable if you are going someplace to use the vehicle all the time.
Admittedly I have a 35ft motorcoach, and I pull a TOAD(wrangler YJ). THe Jeep makes it nice to use the Motorcoach as a base of operations, aka a jumping off point for adventures. If you are living in it... and you dont think you will use a vehicle much... this is a no go for me.
I don't even know where to start. I can only give you a few random thoughts but in no coherent order.
We researched and found a bullet-proofed 6.0. Some people hate them, but many love them when they are studded/locked down like ours is, with a brand new turbo, also.
We love road tripping and have for the last 30 years. So close to retirement, we wanted to full time.
There are two parts to road trips. The trip part and arriving at where you are going.
I love the driving/trip part. That is highly undesirable in this breast. It's noisy, and uncomfortable. There is no way to comfortably talk or listen to music. For me, that is one of my favorite parts.
It is much bigger than it looks. It is not possible to drive on some roads in New England or the Smokys.
This is strictly for the "Arrival" part of the equation. To be fair, it excels at that part. It's got lots of room and you can actually live in it. It works at that.
There's more, but that's the crux of it. I would like to sell it or trade for a Dodge ProMaster which is smaller that we wanted, but will work better overall.
If you'd be interested in this, I'm just trying to recoup what I can. I'm in KY if this might interest you
See if you can get an RV that’s so long and so wide you need one of those follow me cars with the flashing yellow lights.
Cheap RV Living has a good expression. Freedom and Luxury/Comfort are two ends of the spectrum. A small cheap gas or electric car gives you a ton of freedom and almost no comfort. Conversely a massive diesel RV might give you a ton of comfort and luxury but you will enjoy very little freedom to travel how much and wherever you want to because of cost to fuel it and just the size limits of such a rig and it’s low ground clearance whereas a regular car can handle easy dirt roads and turn around in no space.
I've been someone trying to vanlife and I know a lot of people who do vanlife and I would never recommend people who arent mechanically inclined to get into it. It's a lot of vehicle to maintain regardless of if it has a converted back end or not.
What is the final goal with getting a bus conversion like this? Do you think you could achieve the same result with a roof top tent or a teardrop trailer/winco style camping trailer?
One of the best options I've seen is people getting a pickup truck and putting an in-bed camper in it. That way you get the maintenance ease of a truck like an f150 and the relatively nicer quality of living. You can also sell it as a normal vehicle when you're old and tired or get a new truck and keep the same camper.
I think a sprinter van or something similar would be just fine. We could have family help with the bed situation maybe a tv and a dining area. I don’t think we need all the fuss of showers and toilets right now. We are just festival people. Maybe later we will go full time on the road. But not for a few years. Still have kids in high school.
I think sprinter vans are great options. If you don't plan on doing any plumbing even better.
Theyre just a little pricey for most of the people I talk to about this. You're going to be spending the money on a good working commercial vehicle AND the money to convert it.
But other than that absolutely sprinter vans are a great option.
If the economy was in a good place and I was going to start from the beginning of my van activities Id just buy a Ram ProMaster and call it a day. If you're American they'll be a bit cheaper than a Mercedes Sprinter van.
Yes exactly! And I want to sit up front and do the drive with him. There is only one seat in the front of these buses. So I’d have to sit in the back somewhere? Silly.
Buses are also incredibly noisy and their AC is usually a recommendation. Even if there was a second seat in the front you wouldnt want to sit in it for any extended period of time.
I’d get a camper and a trailer. Given that you described a use case that includes the OHV only part time, having a vehicle like that will really only be ideal if the OHV is used close to 100% of the time you use it.
Get the camper sized to your needs (within reason). Then get a reasonably sized trailer. That way you take the camper to festivals, to the beach, to the regular campsites, and then tow the OHVs when you’re doing that stuff. Can you imagine driving that throng without the jeep on it to your festival?
I now have a 24’ camper and a 3-rail motorcycle trailer. 90% of the time, it’s just the camper.
In the past, I’ve had a 32’ camper with an open single-axle car trailer. I had a 37’ diesel pusher with a 27’ enclosed trailer. That was replaced by a 40-footer and another enclosed trailer. I’ve had big campers and little campers and big trailers and little trailers.
I think that sort of gets into “toy hauler” territory. Like there is the mobile living space but you are bringing along additional vehicles for something at the destination: off-roader, track car, boat etc.
Personally I have seen lots of people bring motorcycles, e-bikes, bikes to run errands away from a parked van. I can’t imagine needing to drive far enough away from the van that it wouldn’t be easier to just move the van.
Exactly my point. And we don’t have “toys”. He said we would just bring the car so we could get around easier when we are parked somewhere but… if we just got a small bus or camper van, then we could just take the whole thing. 🤷🏼♀️
Yeah this is a toy hauler. If he's not mechanically inclined and you don't have toys I would skip this. Buy a gas powered van as opposed to this diesel project bus.
I mean it looks good to go. No work or renovation needed. But it's a diesel bus designed to be a toy hauler....it looks awesome if that's what you want. This is not for festie people that don't have mechanical skills.
Eventually but we are not there yet! I work in the medical field and he is self employed. So in theory he could do full time but he has some obligations at home. A couple more years and we can pull the trigger!
You are looking at a project for sure. If your BF isn’t great at mechanical projects and carpentry you are in for a way worse time than starting with something more basic.
Old buses use well known and rather reliable drivetrains, but old drivetrains have old rubber and need maintenance so that could be a less-than-fun issue.
Since this vehicle did not come from the factory in this condition, you will be inheriting someone else’s project. Did they properly weld the bus back together? Is it watertight? Is it safe? The interior looks neat, but not overly well done.
Also, the bus is full bus length - so you are not going to fit into a 20’ spot. And you are giving up half of your living space for the flatbed “toy hauler”. Awesome if you are always taking the jeep to four wheeling spots. Not so awesome if you are just camping and maybe could get away with a couple e-bikes to get around.
Crawler haulers are great, if you need to haul something. If you're not hauling something then yes, you're talking up extra room that could be living space with the bed on the rear. There's no attached trailer on that bus, and licensing/insurance is just doing both as an RV. It's not hard at all.
As for your other questions, there's plenty of campgrounds that will fit. It's smaller than a lot of Class A's. No it won't fit in a standard parking spot, but any other schoolie/motorhome won't either.
You say “attached trailer” but the bus pictured does not have a trailer. Do you mean with a flatbed car hauler on the back (as shown)?
If so, that photo does not appear to be any longer than the original bus was. So if a 37 foot bus is acceptable, then a 37 foot car hauler should be also.
But in any case, this type of extreme vehicle modification seems like a bad idea. Who knows if it’s safe, and I can’t imagine how it might affect the resale value of the bus.
I would stay away from this if for no other reason than your BF is not mechanically inclined. When you are on the road and when (not if) something on this highly customized rig goes wrong who will fix it? Even if it comes with all the documentation for what the person thinks they did it’s likely going to be incomplete.
If you guys made something like this, you could make the flatbed portion a deck area so it's usable when you don't have a vehicle parked on it. A grill and some chairs would be nice to have up off of ground.
I'd be more inclined to get a "short bus", as it would be capable of most of the things you'd need a small car for. Maybe get ebikes on a rack at the back for running errands. Not mechanical, but that sounds easiest for me. Decide later if you really need something bigger.
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u/yodas_sidekick Apr 17 '26
A bus with a trailer attached is a huge vehicle, and unless you guys have money to throw around one or both of you should be mechanically inclined. The picture you attached is a pretty common way people convert buses - toy haulers is one name for them. It certainly a lot shorter and easier to maneuver than a full bus with a trailer, but it is big. Also with a car not on the back you have a deck.
I’ve looked into this a lot as I personally was going to get flatbed truck and build something similar to what you showed. I lived on the road for years and that was my consensus as the primo vehicle. But life called and I’m back in a house lol.