BOY SCOUT TROOP 42, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

Troop 42 is very lucky to have some of the best troop equipment in the nation. Below is a description of our two largest investments.

Bus
Our bus is a '2007 rear engine activity school bus with an International DT466 diesel engine. This was new to us in 2018. This is the sixth bus that our troop has owned and we couldn't operate without it. We customized it ourselves and some of the upgrades include custom BSA uniform paint scheme and Troop 42 graphic package. We have added a air ride hitch to pull or troop trailer and of course we had to add back up cameras on the bus and trailer. The inside has charter coach seat set up in pods of 4 so scouts can play cards on our frequent road trips. Of course we have cup holders in each pod a sound and light show on board we like to travel in style and keep it fun.

Trailer
We have purchased a brand new enclosed trailer in 2019. Here are some highlights of our trailer.

• 2019 7' x 14' tandem axle enclosed trailer with ramp door
• Extra tall sidewalls, almost 7' high in the center no ducking to walk in.
• Heavy duty shelving, and a 30 tent cubby
• Milk crates for organizing; a different crate for everything (yes they are legal)
• First aid kit and fire extinguisher mounted just inside door.
• LED interior lighting powered by a deep cycle battery charged by the solar panel on the roof
• Equipment checkout board
• Split interior design -
  • front third personal gear (packs, sleeping bags, etc.)
  • back two thirds troop gear (tents, coolers, patrol boxes, etc.)

To see additional photos of the inside, please roll over drawings below.
Rear part of trailer looking at left wall. Roll over drawing for actual photo.	Overhead floor plan of the trailer showing both the personal gear area and troop area
Rear part of trailer looking at right wall. Roll over drawing for actual photo.
Rear part of trailer looking in from the back. Roll over drawing for actual photo.
Front part of trailer looking at left wall. If you look in the drawing above you will see this area is used for the scouts personal gear (packs, sleeping bag, etc.).	Front part of trailer looking at front wall. You can see the battery box sitting in the lower part of this picture. The battery powers lights when we are not hooked to anything.

If you ever want to pull a trailer with a bus contact us so we can give you some very valuable information. We learned the hard way by braking the tongue off first.

Retired in 2018 - new photo coming soon!

We have a lot of people ask us about the advantages and disadvantages of owning a troop bus. If you have any questions about our equipment please feel free to email us. If you haven't seen our custom patrol boxes you need to.