Schoolbus Anhydrous Nurse Tank

Schoolbus Anhydrous Nurse Tank FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 19-2-6 Old schoolbuses make great anhydrous ammonia nurse tank haulers, says Raymond Heer who mounted a 1,000-gal. tank on a stripped down 1966 International bus. "We custom-apply anhydrous and about 10 years ago we needed a new running gear for our nurse tank wagon," explains Heer, Syracuse, N.Y. "A new running gear would have cost $800 or more so we modified this old schoolbus we'd bought from a local bus garage for $150." To begin converting the full-size bus, which is powered by a straight 6-cyl. engine, Heer took off the roof of the bus from just behind the driver's seat by drilling out the pop rivets holding it on. He did the same just ahead of the rear bubble and emergency door. Heer next removed the seats and sheet metal sides, keeping the 3/4-in thick ply-wood flooring. He moved the rear bubble and emergency door forward to form a cab and bolted and reriveted it into place. The emergency door gives him easy access to the tank. Heer then welded 2-in. channel iron across the frame and bolted springs to it for a 1,000-gal. anhydrous tank to ride on. A 5 hp Briggs & Stratton motor behind the tank transfers material from the tank to applicator. The whole setup cost just under $2,000 including a new tank. "We've hauled at least 400 tons of material with it and about all we've had to do to the bus is change the oil and tune it up," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Raymond Heer, 3783 Brinkerhoff Rd., Syracuse, N.Y. 13215 (ph 315 673-2044).

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