Exploring Rare Articulated Prevost H560 & More: Inside UMA Motorcoach EXPO 2024 at Raleigh NC
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2024
- What happens at a bus expo? Its a Bus enthusiasts dream come true! Check out all the cool stuff I got to see at the 2024 United Motorcoach Association Motorcoach Expo in Raleigh NC. There was a articulated Prevost H560 there!
special thanks to Albert Lua for helping me with some awesome camera work. @alblua
youtube.com/@alblua?si=ndzDMS...
Be sure to check out Magna and Tom's Channel
@bussmagasinet1
www.youtube.com/@bussmagasine...
check out Rachel Greenwell's channel@motorcoachlife
Also don't forget to checkout ABC companies website for all the specs on the Van Hool CX45
abc-companies.com/
Also don't forget to check out Thornnie Rouse's Company Pedal Pro
gopedalpro.com/
Some of the Music used in this video were from one of my favorite artist's.
Vexento
check out his music list!
/ @vexento - Розваги
as an introvert, i am so glad you mentioned sometimes you just need to step out and not be social! appreciate you saying that and validating that for us introverts out there, especially one that is on UA-cam. Thanks for showing us all the great stuff at the Expo!
I remember riding a Gray Line of Seattle H560 for a field trip and it was cool because it had an attendant and a snack galley which as a kid was just the cherry on the top.
That little window on the left of the driver seat is actually for shoulder checking on the original H series when they came out and didn't have the angled first window pane. It was the H3-40 that had it after the H5-60.
I remember those. The company (Polynesian Hospitality) I worked for had all Prevost fleet, prestige, Le Mirage, Le Mirage XL. Then Prevost sent my company a new demonstrator 1995 H3-40 (loved that square window). It was originally sent to Oahu but the agents started fighting for the use of the new bus, so the owners sent it to Maui, about a year later we took delivery of the 1996 H3-41's and then 1997 H3-45's. I had the opportunity to drive them all and my favorite one was the
1994 Le Mirage XL's and the H3-40 and H3-41
That long prevost bus is gorgeous
I had so much fun hanging with you! Thanks for the shout out. I have some videos on here as well as FB and IG!
Always a lot of fun hanging out with you Rachel. Keep in touch.
@@MotorcoachWorld ua-cam.com/video/v-COyV917H8/v-deo.html prevost H5 60
I think If James and Dennis both take a opportunity to check out Prevost Factory in Quebec , will be fun .
I’d join that trip!!
They need to buy a new bus for that
James as always great video!
Rode in an H560 26 years ago during a skiing week in Banff, Alberta. They were using one as a shuttle between the downtown hotels and one of the ski areas, about a 30 minute ride each way. That is the only place I have ever seen one. What a BEAST!
If I remember correctly there is/was a you tube family that modified a H5-60 into a live in RV and last I heard they are touring North America.
I walked in an h560 at a dealership and found a batch of kittens in the middle of it from a stray cat. So even cats like the bus.
It was awesome meeting you James! Glad you enjoyed your time in Raleigh!
So glad to have met you. Please keep in touch with me. Im good you were able to come with me to UMA!
That H5-60 is sweet!
In San Jose, CA, there was an H5-60 in a Home Depot parking lot a few years ago that a person was living in. That was the first and last one I saw in person.
When I first saw the swing out headlight I just assumed that it was for passenger comfort - lighting up the footpath where they enter the bus!
Also would like to mention the rear axle was a steerable axle on the H5-60
🤔 Operator Hurley looks familiar.✌🏾
I really loved the H560 Articulated Prevost I used to drive them when i lived in Seattle.
That H560 is a bucket list coach. Glad I got some good time in the D60HF when I did transit.
I had the privilege of being able to drive the H5-60 when I worked for Ops at Gray Line of Seattle. By the time I was there, and able to get qualified (which included parallel parking), it was in 2009/2010 shortly before TMS bought Gray Line of Seattle from Holland America. At that point we have 2 H5-60's in service and they were both showing their age. I used to joke that it was like going out on a date with a crazy girlfriend, you never were sure if you'd make it home, but you didn't care because you were having so much fun. 80% of the runs they were used for were cruise ship transfers. The expeditors at the pier loved them on disembarkation because of their capacity, but the driver had to be a grand master at Tetris because in spite of their size, due to the engine placement amidships of the front half of the coach, you really didn't have much more luggage space than you would in an H3-45. They were definitely unique and I feel fortunate that I am able to put that notch in my belt.
Was it difficult to back up in them?
@@MotorcoachWorld not difficult, no, but you had to be thinking and staying ahead of the trailer. The trailer axle turns but it is through a passive system the driver cannot directly control or stop. The steering axle on the trailer is controlled by way of a connection to the pivot plate in the center articulation that counter steers to the direction of the turn (think tiller axle on a ladder fire truck). What that means is if you are backing up and you reach a certain pivot angle of the articulation, there is no amount of turning you can input to the front steering that will overcome the trailer turning the way it’s already turning and if you continue, eventually you will jackknife. Thankfully Prevost put in a safeguard where at 15 degrees of articulation you’d get a buzzer and a warning light and at 20 degrees the park brake would set. (It may have been 20 & 25 degrees, it’s been a decade plus) and the only option ways pull forward to reduce the angle and resume the backup. The other minor oddity because of the trailer steering axle was if you were making a right turn and you were coming close to the curb with your trailer, instead of relaxing the turn on the wheel to open the turn up, instead you would turn into the corner as sharply as possible to put as much articulation in the center plate as possible to counter steer the trailer axle as much as possible. The result was a lot of button hook turns. It was a blast to drive for me because it made me really think about what I was doing. After a point, you get in any traditional coach and it’s easy to maneuver, you still must be careful of course, but how the coach will react to your inputs becomes intuitive, the H5-60 (for me at least) demanded that I slow down and actually consider the outcome of every input. As a bonus it really helped me personally at the boat launch, once you have to learn to stay ahead of a turning axle on a trailer, a straight axle trailer is easy mode.
I liked the drinks menu with the bus brand themed mixed drinks! As always I am enjoying this because it allows us to see whats new in the industry, thanks James for taking us along to the expo!
I absolutely love this video, and as a bus fan, it is a bucket list item of mine to actually ride that articulated bus. I wish they still made them. They look so cool!
James it was really great to meet you face to face .
Same Here man! Lets keep in touch.
On mine H3-41 I was always told the dash was like that ( kevlar a like) to reduce glare!
Definitely a cool Prevost!
Thanks James I always wanted to see what that looked like in there!
Ok now this is very cool !!!
Awesome video, I wish I could've made it out. Back when I lived in Alaska, I drove the H5 60 for Holland America tours. I really enjoyed that job.
I was the person who speced the 17 H5-60 that were purchased by Holland America and used in Alaska for 10 years. This Venture Tours coach is ex-Holland America either bought through MCI from Holland America or from Gray Line of Halifax who bought 11 from Holland America. FYI, the additional ventilation pods were not original. We tested an H5 in Alaska and the Yukon in January of 1990 or 1991 before we bought them.
How did they perform? How was access to the 8V92 for servicing? It looks difficult.....
They performed well. We (I was with Holland 32 years, retired from there in 2009) ran them for 8-10 years on the Alaska Highway. The only problems we had were a few fan drive issues and a significant number of cracked right cylinder heads once they got about 5 years old. The cylinder head problem would only occur after the 14 mile pull out of Skagway from sea level to 3,300 feet (3.9% average but much steeper in some places). The ECMs ever showed signs of overheating but we replaced a lot of cylinder heads in Whitehorse, Yukon. We never did figure out the issue but we started using some of 40+ MCI E4500's on that run so it was no longer an issue. When the H5-60s ran Anchorage to Seward and in Seattle there were no issues. The access to the engine is no worse than an MCI or Prevost. @@bryce2680
@@davidbeagle7606 Thanks for the story. Very interesting about the heads.
James as always AWESOME video. I am so happy you portrayed the H3-60. I had seen them as a kid, but never up close. Kudos . Great Cameo appearance for Kevin.
that H5-60 brings back memories. I remember when I was around 4 or 5 years old, going on a ride from Quebec city to Montreal and the rear section was a smoking area 😂
Hi 👋 James WoW fun tour & Meeting friends again.(Magna Tom👋).Networking the fokes in ths Bus Biz !..I had a opportunity to photograph a PREVOST H560 & Walk through on roadtrip in Alaska ..When the Bus was newer in service with Alaska tours..Taking Fokes on coach tours from the Alaska Cruiseships 🛳 ..That Brings back a lot of memories 😌 Thankyou..GodBless You & Your Family James...🙏 🇺🇦
What a rare treat
A long time ago (late 80's), I was able to ride in an H5-60. Mid-American Charter in Chicago had one. We were on a charter from Pheasant Run to downtown Chicago to take a dinner cruise on the lake. Had an accident. The H5 was a secondary victim. Someone hit a car at an intersection to our left kicking the car into our path. The driver swung right. The front of the bus missed the car but the tillering of the back wheels caught the car. The Mid-American driver did a great job. I was in the first seats behind the "wheel" at the joint. It was interesting to watch the wheel area. It was independent of the front and back so it moved at half the angle. Made it easier to walk through the bus even in a tight turn. I enjoyed the ride until the accident. Correct my recollections of the bus.
I understand the engine was a major reason there are no more H5-60's. I am not blaming the DD 8V92 engine. But you had to either have a lot of space (60 feet long), a very weird lift for 4 axles (8 lifts) with an expensive engine lifting lift, or a very special pit to take the engine out if it needed repairs. I don't think it came out the side but I don't know. But you could not slide it out the back. It was not a pusher setup. It pulled the bus. So it was up under the front part of the bus. I thought it was a fascinating bus. I would not want to work on one though.
Greyhound didn't want me ,but you guys did ,and I want ever forget that fact . 🇺🇸
on 9 March i will also go drive a motorcoach for first time
Venture is from my hometown area of Virginia Beach. I’ve used to see that articulated motorcoach when i was young. They’re still a very good bus company today. Even one of my friends who used to drive my home transit system drives for Venture.
Snoopy's! Good choice. I lived in Raleigh for 12 years and their chili dogs are still my favorite. Go Pack!
I thoroughly enjoyed their dogs. I got a chili dog amongst several other things while I was there. I wish we had one here!
Raleigh......My old neck of the woods, lived there from 2012-2019.....Fun(ish) fact: That Kings is in a popular shopping area called North Hills. There is a Panera right across the street I used to be an Assistant Manager at.......I spent many a night at Kings and the Yard House directly across after work.....Ahhh the memories
I noticed that Panera that you mentioned. Beautiful area.
A few words about that Prevost 560. It is a great looking coach and that's about it. It is a drivers nightmare, it is a mechanics nightmare and I would not touch it with a ten foot pole!
Yes I've heard many horror stories about doing repairs on it. I have not heard any stories about drivers having a difficult time operating it though. But I can imagine what they might be.
Well done as always James. Yes those 2 guys have an interesting channel as well. I actually rode on a H5-60 when I took my first and only cruise in Alaska in 2006. Nice coach but it was bit off putting since the engine is in the front section hence more overall noise from that 8V-92. I would imagine servicing it presented a spaghetti plate of potential problems. Too bad they didn’t have the engine in the rear like most other artics. Alignment was likely an issue with dual front axles but I could be wrong. I think double deckers are the better choice to add capacity but watch the low bridges. Thanks for posting that James. The general public can’t go in there so that’s well appreciated.
I cant imagine how they would pull that engine out! It seems like such a bad idea to stick the engine in the middle of the bus!
@@MotorcoachWorld Here in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Transit System had 40 CROWN IKARUS artics back in the 1980’s. Other than impressive size, these things were the epitome of crap. A CUMMINS horizontal engine which was way too big for a transit in both size and HP under floor in the front section. Horrible in summer because no AC. Many maintenance instructions were in Hungarian. Drivers were told not to shut off the engine because they were too hard to start when warm. They couldn’t get rid of these lemons fast enough.
@@MotorcoachWorld the engine is mounted to a plate and the driveline had an “easy” disconnect. All lines to the engine, like fuel were soft and long enough so that a tech would use a forklift and pull out the plate the engine lives on through the side access hatch you showed to give them “full access”
I always enjoyed the networking at the UMA Expos. The product showcases are a valuable asset to any bus operation.
The guy standing on your right at 4:15 looks almost identical to the man who played Amy Farrah Fowlers’ boyfriend in season nine played by Stephen Merchant for a very short time in The Big Bang Theory!!!!!
lol
Very cool!
Venturetours has 2 of those H560
Great job 👍 thanks for going
That 60 foot coach is the A-380 of buses!
I drove an Ikarus 60 foot transit bus with engine set up near front in the 80,s and the exhaust was dirty and engine was noisy,I preferred the 60 foot pushers with engine in the rear,when we got those buses we had to go from two to three post hoists in the depots,I did see several of those buses in the early 90,s from a Quebec charter company.
Lol I've never put two and two together but it's a perfect analogy!!!! Love it.
A380? Try the double-deck, articulated (yes, double-deck AND articulated...!) Neoplan JUMBOCRUISER N138/4 from the 70's! Also mid-engined (a Mercedes-Benz V12 diesel underneath the artic joint/bellows)...
As a past Venture tour bus driver I can say this is the one coach I never got the chance to drive. But I sure was curious to see how she felt going down the road!!
OMG! Prevost made a practical version of The Big Bus! I wonder how many people get that reference?😆😆
Just some tidbits about the H5-60. As I remember, this was originally developed under a government grant to build an inter-city coach with expanded capacity, specifically for the Montreal-Toronto run along the 401 (main highway). In operation, the big issue was the limited power available from the largest diesel of the time, the Detroit 8V-92. That was coupled to only one drive axle; there is only so much power one differential can accept, thus even if a heavier motor could be fitted, neither the axle nor the transmission could accept the torque. The upshot was that these things could not engage if stopped on a grade. Drivers had to be careful not to get trapped in a line waiting for a traffic light on a grade, or they would not be able to start up if with a full load.
The vertical clearance would limit a replacement or swap-in engine as an aftermarket refit, also not accomplishing much unless you could use two axles as driving axles. Another solution would be to fit hydraulic motors to other axle positions and add a hydraulic pump onto the engine, which if coupled with an accumulator tank bank would give you the torque to start up a grade. I don't think anybody ever did this, though. Remember that the whole idea of these extended buses was to have one driver haul more passengers, not so much for wage savings but because there were not enough drivers, a problem that continues today. Instead, the industry has gone over to double-decker buses for additional passenger capacity (which leads to its own big problem, drivers crashing into low clearance bridges at full throttle, with fatalities).
At one point after discontinuation of the project, only due to the lack of sufficient engine power available, Prevost would still do a special build if you ordered a minimum of 10 units. Then Volvo bought the company and that marketing dropped out. An interesting experiment. PS: apparently the biggest headache for maintenance on these old units is that the accordion curtain is not available, so don't tear it!
👍👍
Great James, also was good to see the great test drivers together!!!!!
Man i wish i knew about this i would guess they would have cdl classes or information about at these things?👍😎
That articulated bus is so cool. Only thing that might be cooler is if it was also a double decker like the Skyliner :D
So good james and maybe ask Busmagassinet the Norwegians who were with you to go to their country and try out the buses over there. Van Hool CX45 & TX45 should have their own European versions however the difference is that Highway buses in Europe such as Norway tend to use an automated manual transmission instead of the torque converter motorcoaches here.
I would love that
I was wrong about the window by the driver's shoulder. SORRY
No worries sir. I learn more about these buses while making these videos than I ever have just driving them.
@@MotorcoachWorld I drove this model. But it's been awhile.
American bus is use down model mirror for looking back😊👍
The best part of that articulated coach was the old school two stroke Detroit 92 series. That bus must have been built before the mid 90's?
I see the VanHool has the engine brake and cruise on the steering wheel. Last VanHool I had was a 2016. MCI has had them for a while. It’s so much more better on the steering wheel. More control without having to take your eyes off the road to find the dash switch.
Sad to hear about the essential forced demise of the TX line. Glad the TDX remains, though...
you have a videographer now? 😁
Lol. Moving up in the world
Hey James I would love if you made a video of rating Mexico buses logo designs like primera plus,etn,futura,omnibus de Mexico,ADO, turistar, chihuahenses, tornado, elite and many more
Dennis is on vacation? But, after watching Motorcoach World for a while now, I thought that going to these bus industry shows with James IS Denis's vacations! (By the way, I'm sorry, but I never know if Dennis has one 'n' or two. We, sort of, use either in the UK.)
What is the overall length of the Prevost H5? I Wonder why they don't still make them?
60 feet. The cost and maintenance issues didn’t justify it.
@@crabbymilton390 You sure you dont want to come work at PCC? I could use a guy like you LOL!
@@MotorcoachWorld You flatter me too much James. 😀
I really can’t think about such a thing right now. My 81 year old mom in frail shape but generally ok. She has nobody else to look after her. I as appreciate the kind words just the same.
James, I am disappointed that you only covered the well known brands. I thought the H5-60 was cool. Nonetheless I would have liked to have to known more about the ancient wood bus and the Ultra Coachliner and any other buses that haven't been covered exhaustively.
16:27 bellow
Busses are sweet I want to turn a bus in to a resting bus for drivers on break to sleep
Vanhool cx35 vs Temsa TS30
Which do you prefer?
When is the new VanHool T series coming to the US?????
Did you hear somewhere that thats going to happen? I don't think there are any plans for Van Hool to introduce a different model to the US market... But I would be excited if they did.
Hey James I may know of a H-5 60 you may be able to test drive let me know how to contact you if you are interested
jwang@peoriacharter.com. I'm very interested!!!
I mean down mirror model, not like European bus wich is use up mirror model
I think you forgot the music here...music and talking dont go well together but great channel.
I disagree. I find that the music compliments the talking. It adds depth and conveys emotions during the talking. But thank you for the compliment.
re pedal pro, so the manufacturers of the coaches have made such a bad driving enviroment that you need to have a silly step in the way of the pedals! surely simply having the seat in the correct position for the correct seating posture negates the need for your product
Pause
Greyhound didn't want me ,but you guys did ,and I want ever forget that fact . 🇺🇸