[convertkit form=1899477]
There are so many ways to remove school bus seats, so I wanted to figure out the best way. Any method is exhausting, but I experimented with several different strategies to discover the fastest, easiest, and most economical approach.
Remove School Bus Seats with a Wrench
The most straightforward approach seems to be using wrenches and/or impact drivers to remove the nuts. This approach world best for two people: one inside the bus and one underneath. However, for most of this process, I was by myself. Moreover, the nuts were so rusty on the bottom that I doubt they would have come off anyway.
Impact Driver
Second, I tried snapping them off by cranking them extra tight with an impact driver powered by my 8-gallon compressor. In 10 attempts, I only managed to break off one bolt.
Remove School Bus Seats with a Cutoff Wheel
Onto strategy #3! Using a 4 1/2 angle grinder and a cut-off wheel, I cut the heads off a couple of bolts. I averaged about 1 1/2 minute per bolt…7 minutes per seat. While this worked, it also presented a couple of challenges. First, I began chewing through cut-off wheels at an alarming rate. Living in the woods, I really didn’t want to lose a couple of hours of bus work driving into town for more tools. Second, I found it difficult to get under the bolt head. I would cut through the head leaving 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch of the head which made it difficult to snap the seat out.
Angle Grinder Grinding/Cutoff Wheel Combo
So, I next tried cutting a groove into the head and attacking the bolt with an air chisel. No luck. I don’t know if I needed to sharpen the (brand new) chisel blade even more or if air chisels with 8-gallon compressors just aren’t powerful enough to get the job done.
Which brings me to the method I found the best: grinding a starter groove at each bolt with a grinding wheel, then finishing it with a cut-off wheel. Even with a 2-step process, it only took a few more seconds per seat and I managed the entire job on one grinding wheel and two cut-off wheels.
Best of luck! Please post questions or your strategies in the comments!
Check us out on youtube!
Next up…rust removal!
If you like this blog post, you’ll love our free PDF that shows you how you can save HOURS or even DAYS over the course of your build. Click here for immediate access!