Heavy bus

[inhabor]

Hi everyone. Here is mi situation : I carried a honda generetor in front of my bus everywhere I go. I think that is like 240 pounds all together,including the spare tire and the cage. The bus ride very straight. The problem that I have is that the lower torsion arms are touching the rubber stop all the time. I think that's why I can feel the bumps on the road. I have new konis, 2.5" raise spindles, sway bars,tie rods. I even have power steering on this thing. The only thing already installed is the power steering . My question is :what can I do to raise the torsion arms so they don't rest on the rubber stops? (Getting rid of the generator isn't an option ).I would like to keep the part that I already bought.

[Brian]

You need coil over shocks to hold the front up. Double sheer the shock bolts and get some king/fox 2.5"s and you're good
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Wash your hands

'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper

Only losers litter

[skills@eurocarsplus]

wow..............
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[cmonSTART]

Wow, what else do you have in that thing?
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'78 Bus 2.0FI
de K1IGS

[GTV]

I'd loose weight and stop punishing that bus... But if you must, put some adjusters in the beam to raise it up.
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EMPI Power Rules!

[inhabor]

I have everything you have in a tiny house except shower. Brian can you please elaborate a little bit more.?What do I need and where to get it, pictures would be awesome. Thanks guys.

[Busstom]

Just know that the 2.5" raised spindles only changed your chassis height relative to the ground, it didn't change your torsion arm geometry, hence your snubber bottom-out situation. Also, the farther your load is from the front of the Bus, the greater effect it has on your bias...if you can move the gen closer in, and fab an aluminum carrier, you'd be heading closer to solving your problem. Good luck.

[inhabor]

Yes, I know that. I want my chassis higher. I'm also installing plates on the back .

[Jim Bear]

Any chance you might be able to show us interior and engine and engine pics?
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"You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus." ~kk
'85 Vanagon Westy - George In the Stable 2020-?/'74 Weekender - Ophelia In the Stable 2007- ?/'69 Beetle Convertible - SOLD 2017-2020/'67 Beetle - September SOLD 2013-2016 /'67 SO42 Westy - Sage SOLD 1996-2001 /'69 Transporter - Baby Blue SOLD 1995-1995/'72 Westy - Nelly - SOLD 1990-1995--STOP FRACKING

[1967250s]

Criminy you've got way too much weight way too far forward. Put the tire somewhere out back or top. Cut away as much of that frame as you can. Take the generator out of the cage and bolt it to the frame. Get as much weight off as you can. All that weight is putting an enormous strain on the chassis, body, axles, and suspension. All those little 45 year old spot welds are crying for relief!
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'72 Elm Green Deluxe

[secretsubmariner]

Holy shit!
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-Tony
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
1978 Champagne Edition Bus FI
1970 Auto Fastback FI

[Wildthings]

I can't imagine you aren't doing something illegal with that rig, with the visibility of the headlights and turn signals being blocked. Some states also have rules as to how far a load can protrude out the front of a vehicle. What could you possibly need a generator of that size for? Some LED lights, a decent sized solar collector, an inverter and a couple of decent sized batteries should do you well enough unless you are running an AC or an electric cook top.

[jtauxe]

In part your problem is the weight, but worse it is torque. Recall from high school physics that

torque = weight x distance.

You can reduce both, here. Move the tire and fire extinguisher somewhere else, as far to the rear as possible. In fact, moving anything with weight rearward anywhere in the bus will help.

Then remove all the dead weight up front that you can. Replace the diamond plate top with wood. Replace that steel cage with aluminum, preferably just a minimalist frame that you can bolt the generator to. As for the generator itself, can you remove any non-essential covers or anything?

After you have reduced the weight to its absolute minimum, go after distance. You want to hold the weight as close to the bus as possible, minimizing overhang. Mount the generator with its heaviest part next to the nose of the bus. Or get a lighter generator. Certainly you don't need that much power for the bus as a living space. Is tht an air conditioner on the roof? If you are concerned about cooling the interior, especially in Florida, you need to paint the roof white, not black. That black roof is adding a LOT of heat when it is sunny. You will be amazed at how much cooler the interior will be with a white roof. That will translate into less demand for electrical power as well.

Perhaps, however, you are using it for other purposes, so you will have to be the judge.

It's the torque that is stressing your poor bus.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[LivinInnaVWBus]

Are those tires rated to handle that kind of weight? Looks awfully dangerous to me.
I live in my bus as well and need no where near that type of power. With low power electric appliances, LED lights and propane powered items, I need less than 200 watts continuous on a bad day.
I can only assume what you need that generator for, but ditch the AC and microwave.
Here's what I've got;
http://www.campchef.com/deluxe-outdoor-oven.html

http://dickinsonmarine.com/product/newport-p12000-heater/

http://www.grapesolar.com/portable-products/refrigerators/glacier-1-1-detail.html

http://www.fantasticvent.com/fan-tastic-vent-s-oem-12-volt-fans.html#onethousandseries

http://www.fantasticvent.com/fan-tastic-vent-s-retail-stand-alone-fans.html

No matter what you do, I don't think you will ever be able to carry that load on the front of your vehicle without severely risking safety and a life of continuously breaking parts.
If tiny living is your goal, keep in mind the idea is to live as minimalistically as possible - a large generator for under 100 square foot of living space doesn't seem very minimal but if you need one, Honda makes super small and light generators now. 2000 watts, 46lbs - 3000 watts, 78lbs. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators

If for some reason you still need that generator, the only place I could see that will handle that type of weight is directly in the center of the bus. I've never said this before and I likely will never say it again, but if none of this will work for you, perhaps you should consider a vehicle more made for that type of life.

I'd love to see more photos of the rig though, maybe thesamba could help you alleviate your bus of the extra weight with some ingenuity.

[LivinInnaVWBus]

[obnoxiousblue]

Alternatively, you could sell the generator and buy one that's is smaller in size. Modern generators, like those by Honda and Yamaha have plenty of juice.
What you're asking for is like the captain of Titanic wanting a hair dryer after the 'berg.
The bus wasn't intended to carry weight where you have it. You can modify the suspension all you want, but at day's end you're overweight and pushing other systems more than they were intended.
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Mike
1964 Beetle
2001 Eurovan Camper

[lil-jinx]

Get a trailer!
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1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy
1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.

[Wildthings]

[Tom Powell]

[notchboy]