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Maintenance Archives - Page 13 of 14 - BUSRide

How to make a trolley magically appear

Twelve years ago, sign-painter-turned- illusionist, Stan Mitts, reconfigured his first transit bus into a trolley for Jackson Transit, Jackson, MI. Painting on blank white siding using traditional brush and airbrush techniques, Mitts created the appearance of wood paneling and traditional trolley detailing with pin striping, scrolls and custom lettering. The Bluebird bus underneath did not change in any way but lent the appearance of a trolley car with all the trimmings.

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Prison on wheels serves the security minded

While a number of prison systems still rely on the more archaic school bus-style vehicles, and even book inmates onto commercial transport for longer distances, the truly security-minded government agencies favor the safety of coaches designed and built expressly for prisoner transport.

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Get your kit together and protect that parking brake from freezing

I recently came across a solution specifically related to preventing the parking brake from freezing — a device anyone can make in the garage.

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Retrofitted seat belts could come at a price

Last year it became clear that the government would issue a seatbelt mandate for new motorcoaches. This would not come as a complete surprise to the industry given recent high profile fatal accidents involving ejections, and especially the motorcoach-specific crash testing NHTSA has conducted on the effectiveness of passenger restraints.

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Chase down that cracked air filter indicator

For about a week I had been hearing a high-pitched whistling noise coming from an S-60 engine. I inspected it and drove it personally, but was still unable to locate the source. With a little more probing, I eventually diagnosed the disturbing noise as coming from the air intake system on the engine.

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DPF regen in a slow moving bus requires TLC

The emission standards that went into effect in 2007 have created further issues in an industry that has one of the lowest pollution emissions per passenger in the entire transportation industry. Nonetheless they are here to stay.

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Cummins reports no shortage of urea for 2010

As 2010 approaches bus and motorcoach operators will read more and more about Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and the fluid that makes it work — diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Contrary to the popular belief that DEF will be in short supply, Cummins, a manufacturer of diesel engines based in Columbus, IN, says this is not the case.

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Go Clean: Bus washing is a best practices basic

The easiest, fastest and least expensive measure bus and motorcoach operators can take to make a lasting impression is to keep the vehicles washed and shining. How clean is clean? A question both private and public operators are asking to promote a more positive public image and a more inviting option to upscale riders.

The extra care given to the exterior surfaces of transit buses has become a greater concern with the advent of sophisticated bus-wrap advertising, and with transit buses sporting a more polished upscale appearance. A bus wash system represents a significant capital investment from initial planning to installation.

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New lifts give maintenance a leg up

Introduced at APTA Expo 2008, the Rotary Mach 4 is the company’s most recent iteration of its mobile column lift. Rotary sales manager Roger Perlstein says this product sets up fast and raises a vehicle 70 inches in 78 seconds. The company claims this is quicker than comparable lifts.

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Work less, save more

With a reputation for its design and production of fully automatic transmissions for a wide variety of vocational applications, Allison Transmission, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, is dedicated as well to helping its customers operate as efficiently as possible, particularly in a down economy.

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