School Bus Back Deck WITHOUT WELDING | Motorcycle rack | Key Takeaway | Bus Build 7
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Learn how to build a school bus back deck WITHOUT welding. Our back deck is also being used as a motorcycle rack, so it is strong enough to hold quite a bit of weight. We see many people weld back decks to their school busses, but we chose to bolt ours on with grade 8 bolts. Enjoy the video and good luck on your own back deck for your school bus!
TOOLS/PARTS USED IN THIS VIDEO:
PB blaster: amzn.to/3gFvA41
Ratchet Wrench: amzn.to/3FNt99L
Socket Set: amzn.to/3I9pbK0
Drill bit set: amzn.to/3BkYUGA
Drill bit 9/16": amzn.to/33gFKVs
Speed square: amzn.to/3uML12k
Drill/Impact driver set: amzn.to/3LxQ0tK
Center Punch: amzn.to/3gLECfP
Hammer: amzn.to/3HNCqQR
Safety glasses: amzn.to/3BimCTG
Ear plugs: amzn.to/3rLnNI3
Grade 8 bolts: amzn.to/3oLRsPA
Eye bolts: amzn.to/3gJY24A
Screws for deck: amzn.to/3oLGj1c
Reciprocating saw: amzn.to/3uKFV6K
Metal file: amzn.to/3oMPdvj
Circle Metal file: amzn.to/3sB1Af2
C clamps: amzn.to/3uU7j2a
Spray paint: amzn.to/3JoNBzP
Primer: amzn.to/3sCTzX1
Clear coat for holes: amzn.to/3HM8uob
Orbital sander: amzn.to/3Bg6phX
Orbital sandpaper: amzn.to/34DELPY
Ramps: amzn.to/3Ls9S1s
Wheel chock: amzn.to/3LxCypK
Hinge for ramp
Padlock: amzn.to/3GNdLuv
Hinge for lock: amzn.to/3gKuxQm
Forstner bit: amzn.to/3Jth23R
Ratchet straps: amzn.to/3sFUplE
Metal Used:
6”x 2”x 1/4” C channel (2x at 80” long)
1.5” x 1.5” x 1/8” square tube steel (3x at 90” long)
1.5” x 1.5” x 1/8” square tube steel (2x at 48” long)
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Hey! We’re Chris and Jessie and we’re making the best of this life by living out of our self converted Promaster Van. We have a passion for wellness, music, craft beer, and are dedicated to not taking ourselves too seriously. Our goal is to visit all 50 states, 63 National parks, countless breweries, and share our adventures with you!
One day, shortly after we started dating, Jessie mentioned she had the bucket list item to live in a van for a summer. Chris thought this idea was absolutely crazy at first, but after a little more thought and research, decided living in a van would be exactly the kind of excitement he would enjoy. We both love seeing new places, spending time outdoors, and don’t need a whole lot of physical things to be happy. In January 2019, after just 8 months of dating, we purchased our 2019 Ram Promaster and began converting it into our future tiny home. One year later, we finished the build and hit the road!
We’re excited to see where the road takes us and to share our adventures with you! Big thanks to all of you who have supported us and encouraged us to live out our #vanlife dream!
#backdeck #schoolbus #skooliedeck
this video should have more views this was SUPER helpful
Glad it was helpful! We always try to include info that we couldn’t find in videos and had to learn for ourselves. Please share! 🤗
Wow. Thought of everything and it works perfectly. Great work. Door hinge is the best idea.
Thanks! :)
This looks awesome. I wonder if a flat tow could still be attached to the bus behind the deck. I love the fact that it was bolted and not welded.
Very helpful video! Looking forward to giving this a shot on my bus
What a great idea!!!
Thanks for the tips! I've been looking for a similar video, but nothing great until this. I'm thinking about doing something similar, but not as long. It might even be super short as almost a step, because I want to haul a small trailer and have something so I can climb up on the roof. I can climb in and out of my back window, so this could be handy. I could also put a spare or my cooler on it, or just somewhere I can keep stuff off the ground.
Good call on the bumper 😅
All great points, the bus frame is heat treated, to make it stronger , welding weakened it. I’ve been told.
Great job!
Nice job. Looks like it was well thought out. I hope it doesn’t come across as nit picking but I for one would prefer to have the 6 inch C channel iron resting on the 10 in C channel iron provided that such a configuration allows the use of the pre drilled holes. I’m betting you thought of that already though…😉👍
Hey man, great video! Wanting to do a back desk on my bus as well. Quick Question: Where'd you get the C channel?
Nice work, a couple of questions: any change in mpg with that bumper scooping air? Is it easier to bottom out in steep driveways etc? Thx
How did this affect drivability in the city did the swing prove difficult
Awesome video!! I wonder if you can enclose that deck to be like a shed or garage. Plus are you allowed to make the deck wider for bigger bikes Indians or Harley’s ?
I like the sign that says do not drill holes or weld right next to the extension piece that is welded in place.
Did you watch the video? Lol We did not weld OR drill new holes. We used the existing holes.
@@AcrovanAdventures I know, I just find it humorous that there is a sign next to the factory welded stuff. I mean THEY drilled holes and welded to the frame. So why can't you do it? Although I do understand the purpose of the warning label it's still funny.
@@chrisgentry7195 ahh yeah I hear you. It also blows my mind how some people completely ignore that warning and weld anyways lol
@@chrisgentry7195 "THEY drilled holes. Why can't you?"
Do you think it's about permission? 🤔
@@C.Church It's really about structural integrity and ratings. An engineer designs your frame rails and calculates all the variables needed to rate the rail for a certain application and usage. If you modify the rail in any way, then you have introduced variables that were not figured in, and the rail could fail in certain conditions. However, drilling holes and welding onto the frame rails does not break them outright. They are typically overkill for any application and you can tie a lot of things onto them without having to worry about them failing. My observation was about the sillyness of the label. If you don't have any knowledge of such things, then why would you be drilling or welding in the first place? If you do have some knowledge, then you can ignore the warning if you chose to take a chance on your modifications.
I thought about doing it on my bus but was scared of all the stuff I would hit with it hanging out the back
Do not drill holes or weld on the frame FLANGES. That is why you see no holes in the section of the frame rails that are horizontal and many holes on the vertical piece of the frame rail.
What did you use to attach your decking to the metal frame and did you use pressure treated boards?
Is length now a issue??
Tail lights are not where the bumper is??
Even the manufacturer that installed that sticker ignored its own recommendations by welding about a foot long extension to the rails lol, ive seen this on many buses so its not anything wrong with welding to it if its done right.
I was going to do the same for my motorcycle. But I had the idea of using a wheelchair crane lift like you see on the back of pickup trucks to get the bike up and down. Does that seem plausible?
how heavy do you think a bike could be on your deck build? it looks really great, thinking about doing it the same way.
This bike weighs about 450lbs and it doesn't seem to be a problem. The 6" C channel could certainly hold any motorcycle (even 1000+lbs) , but I might use more tube steel and thicker decking if mine weighed that much. I've seen some people with busses put a Harley on a similar deck!
How did you get the bumper back on?
doesnt that block your lights from being seen clearly?
The motorcycle does partially block the original lights which is why we added additional lights onto the bumper! There’s also the lights up on the top back of the bus so there’s lights everywhere ☺️
Hey just wondering what kind of metal you used for the c channel? I figure steel, but that seems pricey.
It is “mild steel” which is much less expensive than stainless steel but still very strong. We recommend painting mild steel because the surface can rust if you don’t paint it
I just bought 2 piece of 4" C channel at my local metal shop for $89. 6' long each. Going to put 2' into the existing channel and 4' past where the bumper is now.
Are you still in Austin TX?
No, we're in North Carolina. We just picked up the bus from Texas! :)
Dude......a half inch bolt needs A HALF INCH HOLE...DRILLED WITH A HALF INCH DRILL BIT.......use the exact size bit for the bolt your using.....fyi..........you need a spacer between the c-chanel and the frame webbing....the deck will eventually sag only relying on the bolts to hold it up......otherwise nice job
True but since they did like 5 holes they would sag evenly and only 1/16" so you wouldn't even notice that
This is really not a good idea. Even if you use grade 8 nuts and bolts, the torque generated by the weight and over hang will shear the holes in the mild steel frame. Welding is the answer.