Ambulance Camper/ Expedition Rig Conversion FAQ

[Abitibi]

David, I'm finding with my build that for every good reason I find to do something, there always seems to be two reason why it won't work!

Once you get everything mounted and operating, I would love to see a few pics of 'lights off' vs. 'lights on', maybe taken from the top of the vehicle so we can see the coverage area accurately.

Will do for sure, pretty confident it will be way better than now, Hahaha!

Bikersmurf, never heard of the need for side lights to be aimed down, not too worried about it
In either position, LED with flood pattern like these lights should get the job done. Can't wait to finish that project though, it's been on my work bench for months!

Cheers
David

"Another great day ruined by responsibilities"

 

[Coachgeo]

Not sure how thick the pan is, but I'd throw a fender washer on the nut side of the pan to help prevent leaks and cracking. It's my understanding that 'work lights' on the side of the vehicle are supposed to be aimed downwards. My scene lights aren't really, but so far so good... it's been out of service for 9 years now and I've not got grief from the police. When I bought it, all the lights were even working As were the sirens.

Might be better to fill the lip with something... be it braze it full or epoxy or even strips of rubber ripped from trucker tire peices on side of the Interstates.

 

[Abitibi]

Yes, the lid isn't flat so my plan is to make a gasket and fit it inside the lip or pack the lip with marine sealent (which makes great seal but is messy!!!).

Cheers
David

"Another great day ruined by responsibilities"

 

[rlrenz]

The trick is to apply masking tape about 1/8" from the edge of the pan on the body, and at the edge of the pan on the pan itself, then apply sealant, then use a finger to wipe away the residue and shape the bead. Some brands can be tooled with a Popsicle stick, and some can be tooled with some solvent (mineral spirits or alcohol) on a rag - but a finger always works. Check the manufacturer's data sheet to see what can be used to tool the joint, or try a test bead on a piece of lumber.

 

[Coachgeo]

Ambulance Box Mounts. Saw on Ebay an ad for a single Box mount. Appears to be rubber mount that went over one of the mounting bolts. Any info on using these for a remount?

With that in mind..... How are Ambo Box mounts done on 4x4 units? Same mounting as typical truck or different, aka mounts with more flex orr? .

 

[patoz]

I have a 1993 Wheeled Coach and mine is mounted using very thick rubber isolators, that you can see in the top center of the picture. The Patient Module (box) has two approximately .75" thick aluminum bars that run full length on each side directly over the vehicle frame rails. The mounting bolts run through these bars, the rubber isolators, and then through the mounting brackets. Other manufacturers may do it differently.

Mine is now a trailer using just the rear module, which is why you see the Rockwell 10,000 trailer axle instead of the Ford OEM one.




Unless an ambulance with 4WD is a 'special purpose vehicle', most of them are built like any other ambulance. Just because it has 4WD does not mean it's capable of rock hopping or mud bogging, it's just there to get you out in case you get stuck in the sand on a dirt road, etc. A lot of rural communities order them with 4WD as a precaution.

 

[Coachgeo]

I have a 1993 Wheeled Coach and mine is mounted using very thick rubber isolators, .... The Patient Module (box) ...mounting bolts run through these bars, the rubber isolators, and then through the mounting brackets. Other manufacturers may do it differently.
....
Unless an ambulance with 4WD is a 'special purpose vehicle', most of them are built like any other ambulance....

Thanx for the info. Many rigs as you know from here in Expo Portal that have boxes on back use some flex mount from as complicated as pivots at Stern, middle and Bow too solid mounts on one end and a bit of spring mounting on the other. Was just curious of the ambulance industry did similar.

 

[lockedwheels]

So when you plug these ambo's into shore power does that charge the batteries? Only house batteries? Starter batteries and house?

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[patoz]

In most cases yes, but not always. Most standard ambulances have three shore power requirements and plugging the vehicle into an outlet of the proper amp rating will provide this.

1. Power to the battery charger.
2. Power to the inverter.
3. Power to the engine block heater.

The charger and inverter are usually combined in one unit, most commonly made by Vanner, but some may have separate units also.

Most Ambulances are designed to be used with their engines running and the alternator(s) charging. They may have more than one battery for starting, but don't really have 'house' batteries. House batteries are not needed because the engine is always running anytime electrical equipment or emergency lighting is being used.

A lot of people don't understand this and try to run their 'camper' requirements off of the existing OEM battery system, and end up killing their starting batteries. The way to correct this is to add a separate deep cycle house battery bank, which is electrically isolated from the starting batteries, and provide a separate charging system for it. When parked and in 'camping mode' with the engine shut down, there should be no draw on the starting batteries at all.

This is just a basic overview and there is a lot more to it than I can cover here, but hopefully this will help a little.

 

[lockedwheels]

In most cases yes, but not always. Most standard ambulances have three shore power requirements and plugging the vehicle into an outlet of the proper amp rating will provide this.

1. Power to the battery charger.
2. Power to the inverter.
3. Power to the engine block heater.

The charger and inverter are usually combined in one unit, most commonly made by Vanner, but some may have separate units also.

Most Ambulances are designed to be used with their engines running and the alternator(s) charging. They may have more than one battery for starting, but don't really have 'house' batteries. House batteries are not needed because the engine is always running anytime electrical equipment or emergency lighting is being used.

A lot of people don't understand this and try to run their 'camper' requirements off of the existing OEM battery system, and end up killing their starting batteries. The way to correct this is to add a separate deep cycle house battery bank, which is electrically isolated from the starting batteries, and provide a separate charging system for it. When parked and in 'camping mode' with the engine shut down, there should be no draw on the starting batteries at all.

This is just a basic overview and there is a lot more to it than I can cover here, but hopefully this will help a little.

Thanks for the response. So either my outlet isn't providing enough amps or mine isn't designed to charge it up.

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[rlrenz]

Ambulances commonly have a Vanner charger/inverter with two settings - a low charge of up to 15 amps, and a high setting of up to 55 amps. If your Vanner is set for 15 amps, you will run out of DC with just the interior lights running. There should be a small slide switch on the face of the Vanner that can be set to 15 or 55 amps.

The Vanner charger/inverter can be hard on batteries - their low voltage setting is a bit high. I disabled my charger, and added an IOTA 55 amp 4-stage charger that provides a more controlled charge for the vehicle batteries. The Vanner is still installed to serve as an inverter.

In my own case, I'm adding a set of house batteries for the refrigerator, interior lighting, TV, etc. These batteries are being charged by a pair of Xantrex Echo Chargers. Each can supply 15 amps to a separate battery bank, so the two should be able to charge deep cycle batteries at up to 30 amps. Since my interior lighting is all LED, and the refrigerator only pulls 4 amps, 30 amps should be plenty.

 

[Coachgeo]

I have a 1993 Wheeled Coach and mine is mounted using very thick rubber isolators, that you can see in the top center of the picture. The Patient Module (box) has two approximately .75" thick aluminum bars that run full length on each side directly over the vehicle frame rails. The mounting bolts run through these bars, the rubber isolators, and then through the mounting brackets. Other manufacturers may do it differently......

Been thinking about this and wonder if another purpose to the rubber is to keep the dissimilar metals from touching (Aluminum Box and steel chassis of truck). When dissimilar metals touch it breeds breakdown of the metals atomic structure (aka corrosion ) If the bolts running thru the rubber do not touch one or both Ambo Box or chassis that is a sure sign that is big part of the intent.

 

[patoz]

That's a possibility, but since the Type III ambulances have the cab and the module mounted rigidly together, I figured it was just to duplicate the rubber mounts the cab uses, so they would flex together. For that matter, they may even be the OEM Ford locations and mounts that would have been used if it were a full van instead of a cut-away version.

I don't really know, but that's just a thought.

 

[Pangle]

Hey everyone.. I picked up another ambulance project today which I am thinking is pretty rare?? I was wondering if anyone had seen one like it. Its a 1997 Chevy 3500 6.5 Diesel 4x4 with the pass through cab. This is my 4th ambo and I have not seen another like it, so I was curious.

Thanks

 

[patoz]

Other than it's on a Chevy chassis instead of a Ford chassis, it made by Wheeled Coach which is extremely common. Wheeled Coach is located in central Florida.

However, the rear module does look to be taller than what was standard back then, but that's a good thing for converting to a camper.

Nice looking rig, and welcome to the club!