that his district refused to permit used bus- es to populate the fleet. Instead, Lawrence reported, a number of fleets nationwide are relying on frame-off restoration. “(Maine) State Director of Transporta-
tion Pat Hinckley utilizes a phenomenal program for overhauling their buses through a company that rebuilds all of the Humvees for the U.S. government and also does school buses,” Lawrence said. One company that performs these kinds of refurbishments is Buck’s Wheel & Equipment, which has been operating out of Fort Worth, Texas, since 1951. Te company has devoted a portion of its business to school bus refurbishment, specializing in complete replacements or repairs of brakes, suspension, A/C systems, flooring, special-needs lift con- versions, seat repairs, interior and exterior body repainting, and installing up-to-date safety standard features that a new bus would have. Arthur Laxson, GM at Buck’s, pointed out that, more often than not, bigger districts are able to purchase new buses every year, so they generally don’t require refurbishment services. “We are working with smaller districts whose budgets are limited,” Laxson said. “One new bus is costing around
$95,000 these days. We help them stretch their budget by refurbishing three buses for the price of one new bus.” Te environment wears down buses, the specific impact depending on where in the country the fleet operates. If a fleet runs in the northern region of the U.S., for example, snow and salt can rust out the bus bodies as well as components. In contrast, areas that don’t have to deal with particularly harsh winter climates, such as the West Coast and parts of the South, operate the same bus bodies for decades without a need for refurbishment. However, the tradeoff, Lawrence noted, is that “the chassis and mechanical items are subject to more wear, since the buses tend to be in service much longer than in the Snowbelt.” “Our current average vehicle age is roughly five years. We
have a 10-year bus replacement plan based on environmen- tal conditions that include snow and salt (granular sodium chloride treated with magnesium chloride) that tends to be corrosive on metal parts,” he said. Sterling reported that a majority of the 82 school buses in the Anaheim fleet are almost two decades old. He estimated that, combined with the ages of the special education buses, the average age of the entire fleet is 16 years. Te repairs that involve immediate action are the ones that deal with safety, and “major repairs are scheduled for
RUST PROOF
Rust is a relentless adversary to the longevity of a school bus. Its corrosive nature strikes no matter the season and its reach spans the entire country. The constant battle against rust is hard won by the persistent efforts of transportation departments. To ensure that a fleet runs at optimal performance, transporta- tion departments typically utilize routine washings or anti-corro- sion packages, or a combination of both. Jason Sherman, director of facilities and transportation for Delaware City Schools in Ohio, has to repeatedly deal with seasonal road salt, which must be flushed away immediately to prevent rusting. He said he finds that “regular washes provide better overall protection.” Oftentimes, the utilization of anti-corrosion packages is not a central concern, or as Mark Weaver, director of transportation for Jefferson City Schools in Georgia, stated, “So far, regular washes have provided the same amount of protection.” On the other hand, some transportation departments are unable to wash vehicles thoroughly or frequently enough and “corrosion protection seems to make components last longer,” said Jerry Ford, transportation supervisor for Delaware Valley Regional High School District in New Jersey. This viewpoint was supported by Raymond Gesaman, transportation coordinator for Northwest Local School District in Ohio. “We make sure all units are undercoated. No hosing out of vehicles to protect floor, and the vehicles are washed when time allows,” he said. Peter Lawrence, transportation director for Fairport Schools in New York, said his district uses a product called Carwell Corro- sion Control as a measure to maintain the integrity of his fleet’s bus bodies and allow mechanics to better service the buses. “This product’s rust inhibitors has kept our bus bodies in great shape and allow mechanical parts to be unbolted as opposed to torched off due to corrosion,” he said. Ryan Lyman, transportation supervisor for Lincoln County School District #2 in Wyoming has to deal with the harsh winters. Yet, through it all, he has tackled any rusting problems through a mixture of both options. “Not sure if it’s the anti-rust or regular washing, but we don’t
Rusting ABS teeth.
www.stnonline.com 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
