Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: slimjim on January 08, 2016, 03:59:58 AM
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Oh where to start, the name came to Dan And I one evening on a jobsite in Connecticut.
Emily is my wife's initials MLE ( she is the one that let me have the money for our project so I had better put her name on it)
Ollie, she is our road warrior, those of you who have met her know full well that like any female, she is possessive, opinionated and simply wants things her way!
Magic, Oh well, I think enough said on the subject
Liberty, it's all about promoting the true Liberty of burning wood to heat your spaces
EOMLB started out as a 2014 International 31 foot Handicapped School Bus from the Baltimore county School district, it sports a 7.3 litre Diesel engine and a 5 speed Allison automatic transmission, air ride on the rear axle, capable of 27,500 pound gross vehicle weight, air over juice brakes, all 4 wheels are disc.
I found her on the internet, flew to Baltimore and drove her home that evening without a singl issue!
We realized this past spring that my service trailer was in need of replacement when we did a brake job and found 5 major cracks in the frame, I looked around and replacement cost would have been over $10,000
After giving it some thought, we realized one of my biggest issues in installs was that we almost always had to make 2 trips, one to deliver the boiler and the second for the service trailer, EOMLB solved that issue by making camping quarters in the front of her and shop/ parts storage in the back, we then built our own version of a brindle that accommodates a full roll of Logstor on a big Lazy Susan and behind it a trolley type crane with an 8 foot I beam, the winch is an 8000 pound single pull doubled with a home made pulley.
This now enables us to show up at the customers jobsite with the pipe, boiler, parts and camper all at once!
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Here is why we have EOMLB in the shop for a paint job, it seems that all though Maine does not require it, the federal regs say that we can't run School bus yellow and MUST paint it.
Next is the boss making sure we are traveling right
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haha i luv it man! looks great, cant wait to see what it looks like after your paint job!!!!1
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Camping quarters, don't mind the Mess, remember Dan and I are a couple of old hippies from the western Maine woods
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Oops, that first one was before we put the fridge, stove and oven in
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Shop and parts storage area
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Slimjim and Dan that is looking awesome !!!!!!! Look forward to seeing it in my driveway and having a few adult beverages !!!!!!
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Ready for primer, that happens today! The guys are hard at work!
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Take yer mudflats off, or do you have some custom Heatmaster ones lined up?
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Are you gonna paint it like the "Nice Dreams" truck.
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This is a great project that I can't wait for the next pics to be posted. :thumbup: I absolutely love your MAPP gas torch holder (a large PVC PIPE)! O0
That said, I kind of have a hobby of knowing tools and equipment so I hope you don't mind me asking a question. What brand of vice is that on your workbench? It looks like a REAL vice from decades ago. Very nice. I think your entire bus setup is very well thought out and visually appealing. Good job Rchard! Keep the pictures coming my friend! :photo:
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Out of curiosity, whats the farthest you have driven to do an install Richard?
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Believe it or not Slopster, I have 4 of them, 2 came from yard sales and 2 are from a sale that VIP ( car parts store Chinese made ) had about 20 years ago, they have all been abused pretty badly even to the point of using them as an anvil if I'm in a pinch and they all still work.
Mlappin the furthest I've been to do an install was Edmunton Alberta Canada, I left on that trip January 3, went to Columbia Ky, did an install, then to Piney Manitoba, then Prince Albert SK, and finally Edmunton. The return was Prince Albert, Piney, Louisville Ky for a show, a week with the Amish in Northeast Ohio, Syracuse Ny for a show and then back home. 2 1/2 months on the road with my old Ford and not a single mechanical issue, the first 3 days on the job in Edmunton, the daytime highs never came above 30 degrees below zero. That was the trip of a lifetime and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
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Very nice, I like it.
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We finally got the paint done over the weekend and pulled all the tape and paper off yesterday, got some of the lights, mirrors back on last night, we should finish and I get my shop back tonight.
I'm really impressed, the color looks great to me and I think the vinyl that we will be adding will make it stand out in a crowd. I'll get some pictures today!
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Hate to say it out loud, but your kids look a lot like a dog ,maybe the orange coat is messing with my eyes…...
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Where are those pics Slimjim???? :o ;)
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The lighting inside the shop wasn't great for pictures and it's first trip outside was in 6 inches of snow, when I get back from Vermont tomorrow I'll probably give her a bath and get some good pics before we decal her up. Right now she looks a lot like a military transport bus, I think I get more head snaps from other motorists now than I did school bus yellow.
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What do you think, does it still look like a School bus
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The boss hard at work and the other side.
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That is the schizzle!
(http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/school/school-bus-smiley-emoticon.gif)
Ollie and Emily have been working hard I see. ^-^
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That paint job looks great!
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Thanks guys, it took a lot of work, 3 men, 7 days of prep work.
I sure hope it pays off well this year at the shows as well as job sites.
At least I won't be getting pulled over by the PD any more for looking like a School bus!
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Rich you and the magic bus made finishing up my install a breeze. It's like a rolling supply house and with those nice amenities inside perfect for what you guys do. can't wait to see it with all the decals on it
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It doesn't get mistaken for a school bus any more! Has Jack been over to see your unit yet?
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Cleaned her up a bit in our down time, if you see us on the road Please be sure to say Hi!
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I put in a portable crapper, kitchen sink and shower, man oh man I needed that!
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I saw a tractor trailer full of heat master stoves go by in my town and they looked like they was looking for a dealer! is there one by me? are you coming behind them slim let me no I have work for you and the buss
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Where are you at, I'm expecting a load next week but not yet.
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Sussex county new Jersey
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Was there one missing on the font left side?
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it did look that one was missing but not sure what side it was, how many do they put on the trailer? do they use the same truck all the time? it was not a heat master truck it was a owner operater
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I just asked about the empty spot because they dropped one off here last and the driver said he was heading east.
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Still working in December, what a great investment this old bus has been, here we are setting a boiler this week
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That 7.3 will last forever how many miles are on it now? I talked to a guy this past summer and he had a little over 500 and the only thing he did was a clutch , don't recall when he did it ! It was all highway miles,but still they are bullet proof
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This one has the Allison automatic 6 speed, I hear it is bullet proof as well, I think it has just over 230,000 miles on it and the trailer we built new from new steel last summer, new 8000# winch and new Dexter 7000 pound axles and tires.
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Does the pipe sit right on the trailer frame or is on something that turns?
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I used a good axle end from a mobile home axle welded to the trailer frame and then bolted the pipe framework to it so it can be easily removed if need be, the vertical poles you see are welded steel pipe with 4 inch electrical conduit slid down over them. It sure makes setting a boiler easy compared to relying on a contractor or waiting for the neighbor to show up with his undersized John Deere!
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Looks like a fantastic investment and tool for you and the dogs, Richard. :thumbup:
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Being able and willing to replace an old unit anywhere east of the NY / Pa line to the Maritimes in under 24 hours seems to be working well, we are putting a lot of miles on her still, I'm heading back to St Johnsbury Vermont Monday morning with another 200 for a swap out on a competitors unit then Wednesday back out to Cornish Flats NH for another one. I was told early on that I was crazy, it isn't a good image, not once have I had anything but good comments from customers, they are amazed at how it is set up with the stocked shop in the back, camping quarters in the front and pulling a specialty trailer as it does. It was a lot of work and a big investment on our part but I'm thinking it will soon pay off!
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It really is a great tool for what you use it for , or for anyone who travels to do repairs or service. Saves on expenses of lodging and having a really good stock of supplies on board cuts down on delays searching for a supply house. The custom trailer is great too since most customer don't have a way to unload or set the boiler either. Just bring your own coffee when you climb on board unless you like instant. Sorry Rich ;D
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When it does pay off trade it in for a helicopter and and you could be home every night lol!
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Although I wouldn't mind being able to fly my own small plane someday, I don't think you'll ever get me in one of those, I don't even enjoy the occasional trip in the commmercial planes because they won't let me drive. I do a pretty good job maneuvering around in my bus, I think I'll stick with it!
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Although I wouldn't mind being able to fly my own small plane someday, I don't think you'll ever get me in one of those, I don't even enjoy the occasional trip in the commmercial planes because they won't let me drive. I do a pretty good job maneuvering around in my bus, I think I'll stick with it!
I love to fly, also love the occasional helicopter ride when I can get it.
Seems like half the time we fly we get upgraded to business, sit back, relax and drink free high dollar hooch I normally couldn’t afford.
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Just north of St Johnsbury Vt, up a very steep snow and ice covered hill, turn around in a tight driveway and blind side back around 2 sides of the home then jack the trailer into position, YES it can be done!
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The boiler change out program seems to working well
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Work smarter, not harder.
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What's wrong with the 1400? Looks like it's in good shape.
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I haven't had a chance to look it over yet, it wasn't leaking but the home owner did not like the effort involved in its cleaning and maintenance. It's for sale, do you need another boiler already?
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See if you had the helicopter you could have lowered in place lol and be home for lunch!Lol good job backing in there!
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I know for a fact that there isn't enough money nor fame to get me into one of those things in the wind we felt up there, Thanks for the kudos on the backing in job, I've been told before that I'm pretty good at doing things backwards, I'm not sure if they meant it in a good way or not!
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I like helicopter rides, wind just adds to the excitement.
I’d really like to take a ride with a crop duster someday.
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Haha, no I don't need another one. Just curious about the swap out.
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Darn and I thought I had a sale!
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Well over 30,000 miles on her and still looking/ running great
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Ever get into the Wisconsin area for shows??? I'd love to see that bus! Make sure u keep the transmission filters changed yearly, I am a heavy diesel/trans technician.
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With the amount of time and money invested in the Liberty Bus, please make sure you install an in-line Magnefine transmission filter Richard (you can thank me later).
http://magnefinefilters.com/main.sc
Just one of those things in life that plain works. I have no affiliation with the company nor sell its products.
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:post:
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Thanks Slopster, it already has one, and it's synthetic oil as well.