The International 3900 was a front-engine Type D bus chassis manufactured by Navistar International, used for school bus applications. It was the replacement for the 1853-FC chassis, based on the International S-Series "Schoolmaster" introduced in the late 1970s. Introduced in 1990, the 3900 was produced until 2010.
International 3900 | |
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A IC CE using the International 3900 Chasis | |
Manufacturer |
Navistar International |
Production |
1990-2010 |
Body Manufacturer |
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Engines |
Diesel |
Related |
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Predecessor |
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Sucessor |
None |
Availability[]
Early in its production life, the 3900 was widely used in the school bus industry by body manufacturers as a replacement for the General Motors S7 and the Asia Smith chassis. In 1993, both Carpenter and Wayne Wheeled Vehicles both switched chassis suppliers, leaving AmTran and Canadian manufacturer Corbeil as the sole users of the 3900; Corbeil switched to a rear-engine design before abandoning production of Type D full-size buses for good in 2000. Corbeil's transit-style buses (nor any of their other full-size offerings) were never sold in the United States of America.
The final bus model that used the 3900 chassis was the FE300 from IC Bus, which was and is an evolution of the Ward Senator from 1990. In 2010, IC discontinued production of the FE with no vehicle replacement currently announced. The IC Bus Corporation unfortunately sadly but truly currently only offers Type C International 3300 , and rear-engine Type D International 3000 full-size buses exclusively with no Type A (cutaway cab/chassis) International AE-AC small shuttle bus and Type B IC BE International 3300 Low Profile small buses and as well as Type D front-engine full-size buses available from Navistar International and as well as IC Bus Corporation .
Buses produced on the 3900 include:
Manufacturer | Model Name | Production Years | Notes | ||||
AmTran |
Genesis FE |
1992-1997 1998-2002 |
The AmTran Genesis and AmTran FE are evolutions of the Ward Senator | ||||
Carpenter | Counselor FE | 1991-1992 | In 1993, Carpenter switched to a chassis from Spartan Motors | ||||
Les Michel Enterprises Corbeil Inc. | EMC 1st Premier | 1993- 1999 | The 1st Premier was never sold outside of Canada. | ||||
IC Bus | IC FE300 | 2001-2010 | IC Bus was the final user of the 3900 in school bus form. | ||||
Ward School Manufacturing Inc. | Senator | 1990-1992 | The Ward Senator was the first bus to use the 3900 chassis. | ||||
Wayne Corporation | Lifestar | 1991-1992 | In 1993, Wayne Wheeled Vehicles restarted production of the Lifestar with a chassis from Crane Carrier Corporation |