buswarrior, I always stand in amazement of your phraseology and analogies!!!
As is almost always the case, you hit the nail on the head, or cracked the egg, or whatever
Yes, our buses have a pretty substantial GVWR. However almost all DO NOT have a GCVWR (gross combined weight rating. Most have an "arse end" design that will only accommodate the engine/transmission. Hanging a bunch of weight way out past the engine can really do a number on the structure/suspension capacity.
One of the things I always forget to say is that the 1-2K hanging on the engine cradle is only part of the picture. The other big component is the dynamic loading of the tongue load as the bus/trailer goes over the bumps and swells on the highway/roads/parking lot approaches/etc.
When I write about my concerns, I often mention that my other concern is the consideration of degradation of structural strength of the engine cradle system due to corrosion and fatigue.
It has been said a couple of times, but I want to emphasize that my reason for posting my concerns is not DKO's situation - he handled the situation very well. It is to make sure that the readers of this thread understand the implications trying to pull large trailers behind their buses - that may not be able (or designed) handle the loads correctly.
Jim
