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Originally Posted by raj_5004 on a serious note, no seatbelts, no airbags & no crumple zones which is very very sad. but there is very little I can do about it. |
Airbags are not compulsory on heavy vehicles, AFAIK. In fact, manufacturers did not provide even power steering till it was made compulsory by law.
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Originally Posted by muke31 do you know who takes care of passenger safety aspects and is it done by Ashok Ley while building the chasis or prakash(while building the body)
is there a crumple zone in bus chasis or body? |
There is something called OLWAH.
Our Lord, Who Art in Heaven.
Seriously, safety of heavy vehicles (and risks posed by them) is an ignored aspect. Just look at the safety features offered in various heavy vehicles outside and within India.
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Originally Posted by pugram I have heard a corporation employee (TNSTC, Tamilnadu) quoting mileage figures of 6 ~ 10 for a bus, based on city or mofussil duty. Any idea if this can be true ?
I am thinking of joining a heavy driving school, just for the heck of driving a bus :-). |
Yes, the old AL buses with the AL 370 engines used to give up to 5 KMPL on B'lore - Ernakulam route. That was in late 1980s.
BTW, I do not see any spare tyre carrier on the chassis. The last chassis we got was in 1978. It did not have a spare tyre carrier or even the tyre. We had to get the carrier fabricated and buy a used "disc".Later on, in mid 1990s, AL started to provide spare drums, which were mounted above the chassis, behind the diff. houring aka "axle". In the chassis pics, that point has some wheel "chocks" mounted now (the triangular thingies).
All I can see on your the chassis are four tyres and six discs. So, I assume that you purchased three tyres extra.
You should consider "upsizing" the tyres - from recommended / OE 16 PR ("ply rating") to 18 PR. These tyres will last longer.
And some advice.
5 forward gears does not mean that the 5 gears will be used. Check the owners manual. It will show the first gear as "push the shifter far left and push behind". That is what the drivers would call the "load gear". In actual practise, they will use only 4 gears, with positions similar to what is there on most cars. There is no overdrive.
Memorize the owner's manual.
Look at the various greasing points and ensure that the greasing points (water pump, leaf / suspension parts, transmission points - at the proppler shaft, etc) and lubrication poitns, especially enar the "king pin" - the part which connects the front wheels to the front axle) are oiled. Failure to do this can prove costly.
At least once a month, ensure that the engine switch off connection cable from the fuel pump to the "bonnet" is intact - the drivers will tend to "jam" / stall the engine in case this is not working - they never complain.
Ensure that the wheel bearings - front and rear - are regreased every 7500 / 10K kms (or whatever your manual recommends).
DO NOT change lubricant brands. Pick one during first six months, and stick to it. (like castrol, servo, "servo pride" etc.). Quality and effectiveness varied a lot with brands.
DO NOT use wheel caps. They look good, but cause heating of the wheel hubs.
Insist on replacement of oil filter and the 2 fuel filters during oil change.
Insist on return of every changed part and lube oil. The worlshop guys (even your own staffers) will cay "sir, it is not worth to you". It is worthless for the workshop guys too. Insisting on return of replaced parts ensures that they actually replaced the part and do not "recycle" them.
Remember that preventive / scheduled maintenance is the key to a breakdown less operation. The drivers / staffers may claim "sir, everything is ok"; but it is your vehicle, your business, your vehicle. As Behram Dhabar says in some other thread, "every vehicle talks" about its health to whoever is willing to listen.
Count and check the number of leafs on the front suspension (you have air suspension on rear only, right?) at every possible occassion. Sometimes, one leaf may break and fall off. Ensure that the 2nd leaf has a "loop" at the ends, which covers the first/main leaf.
Check air pressure
daily. Have a spare "fan belt" on bus
always. (most drivers / "cleaners" - whatever you call them - know how to replace it in case of emergency - if they do not know how to replace a fan belt, he is NOT a driver , or not experienced enough).
What is the seat configuration? 2x2 or 2x3?
How many seats on all? What are the taxes (based on seating capacity, I presume?) Did you get the "pucca" permit? Or are you operating on a temporary permit?
And a tip on insurance - ask for "unlimited third party
property damage". This would cost maybe a hundred or thousand extra, but a nasty accident by a heavy vehicle can cause very heavy (in financial terms) damage to property, and is very risky).