The Rambulance: FL50 Freightliner Ambulance / Camper / Tow Rig - Conversion

MNtal

Observer
The Rambulance

preAMBUL:

I am F___ing done sleeping in a tent (that is unless I choose to.)

I am also F___ing done packing up my crap, then unloading it, then setting it up, only to take it down, then to pack it up again, then unload it again, and finally put it away, just to repeat the process the following weekend.

I've been dreaming of the day when I could replace my tent with something a little more comfortable, something that can go 70 mph, something with locking storage, something capable of handling a trailer with 1 or 2 rigs, something that if I wanted to I could take out camping without a trail rig.

I've also been on the lookout for a different pull rig After looking at different setups for the last few years and weighing out my options Light Duty Trucks with Campers, Medium Duty Straight Axle Trucks, RV's, and Heavy Duty Tractors with sleeper Cabs and gigantic Trailers, I think I may have found the perfect setup for me.

I give you The Rambulance

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While I was researching my decision I looked at a ton of Builds and Conversions that other folks have done and found that ambulance's make a great platform for expo or camping vehicles conversions, couple that with a Medium Duty Truck Chassis, and a Drivetrain designed for reliability, not to mention the cheap price point some of these used trucks have, and I was sold on the Idea.

After some serious internet searching I was able to track down a few candidates. I made a few phone calls and after weighing out the pros and cons of different configurations I decided on the Freightliner FL50 MDT Ambulance pictured.

Spec's:

Freightliner FL50,
Horton MD (14'5", 173") Aluminum walk through Ambulance Body,
Miles: 118,000,
Engine: Cummins 8.3 Liter,
Transmission: Allison MD3060, 6 Speed Automatic,
Rear Axle Gear: 4.30,
Air Ride Cab, Box, Suspension, and seats
110 volt Power Inverter,
Battery Charger,
Shoreline Hookups,
Heated and Air-conditioned box,
Full code 3 light bar & Siren,
Locking Inside and Outside Storage Compartments,

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The gAMBUL:

What really sold me on this unit was the Drivetrain, Low miles, and the Price. Though I admit I'm taking a bit of a gamble as I haven't been able to look the unit over in person (yet). At least I'll find out once I get off the airplane and drive two hours north from Albany New York Tomorrow to get it... You feeling lucky punk?

Nothing like flying half way cross country to drive an unknown vehicle home 1300+ Miles in the middle of winter to get yourself acquainted with things.

You guys in for the Adventure?
 
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MNtal

Observer
Couple of Stops Planned so far for the trip home...

Trip Route

A.) Plattsburg DMV to get a 30 Day permit.
B.) Back to Albany to Drop off the Rental Car.
C.) Meeting up with a PBB member to have a couple barley pops and shoot the poo.
D.) Stop and Shop at Factory RV Surplus
E.) Home.

I wanted to add this great link to RV Salvage & Surplus Yards myrvparks.com: RV Salvage & Surpluss Yards



Couple more pictures I got from the Seller.

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MNtal

Observer
I did some research on getting the Rambulance registerred as an Rv in MN and it looks like its going to be very simple.

2013 Minnesota Statutes

168.002 DEFINITIONS.


Subd. 17.Motor home.(a) "Motor home" means a recreational vehicle designed to provide temporary living quarters. The motor home has a living unit built into as an integral part of, or permanently attached to the chassis of, a motor vehicle or van.

(b) A motor home must contain permanently installed, independent, life-support systems that meet the American National Standards Institute standard number A119.2 for recreational vehicles and provide at least four of the following facilities, two of which must be from the systems listed in clauses (1), (5), and (6): (1) a cooking facility with liquid propane gas supply, (2) a refrigerator, (3) a self-contained toilet or a toilet connected to a plumbing system with a connection for external water disposal, (4) a heating or air conditioning system separate from the motor vehicle engine, (5) a potable water supply system including a sink with a faucet either self-contained or with connections for an external source, and (6) a separate 110-125 volts electrical power supply.

(c) For purposes of this subdivision, "permanently installed" means built into or attached as an integral part of a chassis or van, and designed not to be removed except for repair or replacement. A system that is readily removable or held in place by clamps or tie-downs is not permanently installed.

(d) Motor homes include a:

(1) type A motor home, which is a raw chassis upon which is built a driver's compartment and an entire body that provides temporary living quarters as described in paragraph (b);

(2) type B motor home, which is a van that conforms to the description in paragraph (b) and has been completed or altered by a final-stage manufacturer; and

(3) type C motor home, which is an incomplete vehicle upon which is permanently attached a body designed to provide temporary living quarters as described in paragraph (b).

(e) A motor vehicle with a slip-in camper or other removable equipment that is mounted into or on a motor vehicle is not a motor home, is not a recreational vehicle, and must not be registered as a recreational vehicle under section 168.013
 

MNtal

Observer
A little background on myself and my lifestyle, I will forever be in love with the outdoors, I will also forever enjoy the adventure that comes from setting off into the wilderness, especially when it's at the wheel of one of my own creations.

I have been camping in the same tent for over twenty years, my father bought it for a father son canoe trip and that was the last time he ever slept in it. He said it was due to his back and after breaking mine five years ago snowboarding, I've been having more and more trouble with sleeping on the ground.

I do have to admit that tent in particular is pretty Legendary, atleast in the Minnesota wheeling comunity. It is probably the most envied tents of all my friends and wheeling buddies, legend has it can be setup in the dark while holding a beer in one hand in under a minute. (I've been timed.) It's also to be rumored that you don't need to stake it to the ground because while you are out wheeling it will stake itself if its needed. It also floats, I once had to swim to the middle of the lake when it blew away. A legendary tent of the Coleman dome popup breed, rated for 3 people, it comfortably sleeps two. Big enough to hold a queen size Air mattress with a little room on the sides for bags and a place to keep simple gear. Make sure to put your gear on the middle of the air mattress when out wheeling or it will be wet when you return. I have yet to meet an air mattress made to the quality of this tent and I am tired of crawling underneath them so they can re-inflate fully in the middle of the night. After having set the tent up more times in the dark than I can remember and in more places than I dare to try and count, It has been a good tent but it is time to move on. I'm Sure it will still be around in twenty years, maybe I will give it another go then. or not.


This will be my first Camper Project and I am pretty excited about it... Infact I have never even slept in a camper.


Former Trail Rig of 8 years.

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Last year I was fortunate enough to participate in Peterson's 4 wheel and Off-road Magazines 2013 Ultimate Adventure with my best friend in his CJ-10a pickup. We had spent 3 years building the truck with the goal in mind of using it for just this type of extreme wheeling and camping. Little did we know that we would be selected with his Jeep to partake in the actual Ultimate Adventure We grew up reading about. In preparation for the event we threw the gauntlet at his truck to repair and change out known weak links. Without much time it came down to loading an untested rig on a trailer for an 1100 mile Drive from Minnesota to South Carolina. Once there we had to unload and finish the jeep for the shake down run, a 330 mile drive from South Carolina to Alabama to get us to the start of the 1600 mile on and off-road UA trip. Needless to say it was absolute rush and a completely different type of wheeling than I am used to. I am proud to say we never pulled cable and the only failures we had were the used Master cylinder and two power steering pumps. The original pump burnt up from abuse, and the new pump failed when the pump shaft sheared in half at the end of a gruelling 400 mile road day in 100+ degree weather, fortunately we were able to reinstall the old pump to finish out the trip. Besides a few run ins with fire Ants, Chiggers, Ticks, and 100+ Degree days in the Florida Swamps it was everything we dreamed of.

This UA taught me a lot about the comforts of camping, and that for most of my trips I really wanted to make it more enjoyable by adding some of them, atleast when it comes to being back at camp and not on the trail. Where Al's Cj-10A excel's in wheeling it lacks in comfort and convenience for Camping.


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Most recent Project's. A Willys Buggy that I am helping a friend put together, just need to finish driveshafts and Floor Panels. The Cj Buggy is for a customer and is nearing the end if a 9 month rebuild and overhaul. The 4 seat Ibex will be the shop rig and my next wheeler once I find the time to finish it.



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Other Past Projects:



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98roamer

Explorer
It looks like a really nice rig and perfect for what you need. I'm impressed that it comes with most of the gear/ first responder bags.
Quite the variety on here.
 

dave1014

Adventurer
Where in MN are you? Why not license it as a recreational Vehicle? Less hoops to jump through in your build
 

dave1014

Adventurer
It looks like a really nice rig and perfect for what you need. I'm impressed that it comes with most of the gear/ first responder bags.
Quite the variety on here.

I doubt it comes with that stuff. Probably was still in service when the pics were taken. That ambulance cot is 12,000 dollars alone
 

java

Expedition Leader
Looks good! Should make a nice toy hauler too, 8.3 TD should move some poop.

Whats the head height inside? Tell us what you paid?
 

EricM

Standard American Mutt
1300 miles, no radio. Mod 1. Install radio.

Cool, and good luck with the return trip.
 

Ozrockrat

Expedition Leader
1300 miles, no radio. Mod 1. Install radio.

Cool, and good luck with the return trip.

After driving mine from Miami to Phoenix I would suggest no radio but noise canceling headphones.

Does it gave the 8 x 275 weird lug pattern?
 

HOOLIGAN

The 4x4 Podcast
My $.02...

I would not buy it! Here is why... If you are going to buy a med-heavy duty truck get one with air brakes! That is my only dislike of my truck ( Casa Azul), but I have WAAAAAY to much invested in it to change now.

That truck has air brakes.
 

MNtal

Observer
Well a little over 2750+ miles, 1400 of which were in the Rambulance, a bunch of Diet MT Dew, one truck stop siesta, 3 million toll booths :eek:, and we are finally back in Hastings Minnesota where we left from less than 48 hours ago.

I am now the proud owner of one Gigantic Ambulance that runs like a Rape Ape with power to spare, and I am going to have a beer and go to bed.

Trip report to follow shortly...
 
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Ozrockrat

Expedition Leader
Being that you are a Pirate guy you might want to check these guys out. http://www.tdsdrive.com/index.cfm/EZTrac/landing

EZ Trac - Power and Performance
The EZ Trac Hydraulic All Wheel Drive System brings power and performance of hydraulic power to your medium or heavy duty truck while maintaining the factory ride height and steering radius of a typical two wheel drive.
EZ Trac, an industry standard in the Utility and Crane Industries, has expanded its benefits to the Military, Construction, Oil Field, Mining and Fire Apparatus industries. In fact, any severe service truck application requiring all wheel drive performance can benefit from the advantages of EZ Trac.
 

MNtal

Observer
Trip Report:

Wednesday night; I headed over to my buddy Brads place in Hastings since his Girlfriend was going to drive us to the Airport the following morning for our 8am flight. In preparation for our flight I had printed off our flight itinerary, our car rental confirmation, and my Insurance information that I would need to pull a 30 day Permit to drive the truck home from NY. Not feeling very tired I didn't really turn in till a little after 4:30 am.

Thursday Morning

5:45 came and Brad was knocking on the door, thinking we had plenty of time I started leisurely packing up my stuff and grabbing my things. Unfortunately when I checked the Itinerary to see what terminal we were at, neither the time nor the terminal were listed. Not seeing the time I frantically opened my computer trying to figure out what the terminal and time was...

5:55 A.M.; I get the computer fired up and crap, the plane leaves at 7:00am !!!

Having the first of my Home Alone moments for the day, In a panic we cram what’s left of our crap in our bags and frantically rush out the Door by 6:00.
Let me be the first to say that Brads Girlfriend is a mad woman behind the wheel and what ensued was a 30 mile white knuckle ride weaving through traffic trying to get the airport before our flight that we probably wouldn’t make took off.

6:24 A.M. we pull in front of the door and book it into the Minneapolis St Paul airport and Straight to the ticket kiosk to grab our tickets. Tickets in hand we run to airport Security where we are stuck waiting in a line that confirms our fears that we are totally screwed.

6:50 A.M. we make it to the front of the line and get past the TSA officer checking tickets, frantically we shove our crap through the x-ray machines without trying to end up being detained for a full body cavity search. No sooner than getting my shoes on and clearing the Security check point we here our names called over the loud speaker telling us that our plane is about to leave without us.

6:56 A.M. Summoning the powers of cheetahs or the McCallister’s we bolt down the terminal, belts in one hand bags and tickets in the other we make it to our Gate as they are about to close the door, thus completing our second home alone moment.
Philadelphia here we come!

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Once we landed in Philly we grabbed some lunch and then jumped our next flight to Albany New York.

1:05 PM; we land In Albany International Airport and our second race against the clock began. Step one Get a rental Car and go make sure the truck was mechanically sound and as advertised. The second step was to get a 30 day permit from the local DMV office so we would be able to leave NY.
Once getting off the plane we headed to the Avis Counter and attempted to get the subcompact car I had reserved. “What’s that, you are all out of subcompacts?” Nothing like a free upgrade…

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2:04 PM after jumping in the $22 dollar 2014 Mustang GT we headed north to Ausable Forks to check the truck out. We arrived shortly after 4:00 Pm and spent the next half hour checking the truck out, taking it for a test drive, and finally signing over the tittle.

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Tittle in hand we headed 30 min north to the Plattsburgh DMV to get the 30 day permit. After some back and forth with the DMV Clerk and a close call with my Insurance Company 5:45 Pm with permit in hand it was time to grab some dinner, pick up the Rambulance, and start the nice long leisurely 1400 mile trip home.

Ausable Forks is in the Mountains very near Lake Placid and is an absolutely beautiful part of the country, too bad I forgot to take pictures, as it was something to take in. While on our way to drop the twenty two dollar car back off at the Albany International Airport I started to notice the seats of the Truck where really uncomfortable. I mean like so uncomfortable that it feels like someone is rubbing your legs with 80 grit Sandpaper while simultaneously kicking you in the tail bone, Super comfortable to say the least. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to that next 1300 or so miles.

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Rental Car gone we headed to the nearest Walmart to grab some Diet mountain Dew, junk food, and a couple pillows to ease the butt pain that was inevitable. Leaving around 11:00 I drove while brad slept till I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, the last I recall its was just after 3:00 Am Friday morning and when I decided to pull over at a Truck stop for a little road side siesta.

6:30 Came and I’d had enough of sleeping in the cold ambulance box with nothing other than my coat and a cold case of beer to keep me company. Brad on the other hand, had found a nice uncomfortable spot stretched between the two front seats, butt on the floor feet and head on the seats.
Thinking back on it, I was a bit of an Idiot, I should have let the truck run on high idle as I would have been able to heat the back with the furnace and been rather comfortable, Instead I chose to conserve fuel at low idle and chilled with my beer.

Speaking of fuel up until this point we had made only one pit stop for fuel so after hitting the road for a bit longer we stopped and grabbed fuel and breakfast sometime around 9:00 AM. After some crappy food and a full tank of fuel it was back on the road. A few more hundred miles, plenty of toll booths, and it was time for more fuel. Then more miles, more tool booths, and more fuel. We drove most of the day switching on and off as you can only sit for so long in those seats that I had grown to love at that point.

By the time we hit Cleveland the half way home point we had hit a stride cruising at 70-75 with absolutely no problem. Even the fuzz paid no attention to us which is enough to make you feel a bit like Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in The Cannon ball Run.

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The Rambulance was running great and other than the awesome seats it is actually a lot of fun to drive. Once hitting Indiana we knew we were going to miss my planned stop at Factory RV Surplus as they would close a few hours before we would be able to get there. Oh well you win some you lose some. Fueling up at a rest stop somewhere in Indiana.

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This is what you do when its 10° outside and the pump handle has the spring latch broken off.

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After a stop for burgers and beers it wasn’t long before we hit Gary Indiana, the roads had started to get a bit more congested as it was close to 8:30 PM at that point and we were headed on the Chicago Skyway which is usually busy. Traffic started to clear up as we got out of Chicago and it was smooth sailing out of Illinois and into Wisconsin up I-94. One last fuel stop north of Madison and we were within range of making it back to Hastings, MN. I gave up the helm to Brad about 1:00 AM as he had been sleeping through most of Illinois and I was getting tired. This time since we were at cruising speed I turned up the thermostat to 90° and went and to go take a nice nap in the back.

As soon as we were north of the Wisconsin Dells the weather picked up and we started to run into some snow, pushing on Brad and I made the MN boarder and it was just about 4:15 am when we pulled into his drive.

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2750+ miles, 1400 in the Rambulance, a bunch of Diet MT Dew, one truck stop siesta, 3 million toll booths, and we finally made it back. I had my celebratory beer and went to bed. The following Day I Drove the Rambulance down to Rochester and parked it for the week, feeling Ill I went to bed, staying there most of Sunday and Monday as well, now I’m just playing catch up at work and typing this all this out.
 
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