Hey ya'll,
- Gas vs. Diesel. It seems like some came with the 6.8L V10. Any experience and comments going gas? They seem to be a good deal lighter than the standard ambulance boxes.
As others have said, lots of variables. But consider where you intend to go as well as how far and how big you’re planning to go wheel/tire wise.
If your travel will extend beyond North America (ie driving to Argentina), diesel becomes much more attractive due to cost/availability.
Less talked about, but probably more applicable, is where within North America you intend to travel and what time of year.
Almost every diesel ambulance you find will have a modern turbo diesel. That turbo can make a huge impact in performance at altitude. For instance, a Triton V-10 loses about 50 horsepower (vs rated) in Denver and is 100 horsepower down in Breckenridge. The turbo offsets these losses by maintaining a constant (higher) air pressure in the engine so your turbo diesel doesn’t lose power at altitude.
The “when” part of equation involves temperatures. The good news is that single most efficient way to heat an ambulance is with a diesel heater. With a diesel heater on a diesel powered vehicle, you can plumb that heater directly into the vehicle fuel tank and essentially never run out of fuel. The bad news is that diesel doesn’t like to be cold. In cold climates, #2 diesel is usually blended with kerosene to prevent it turning to jelly (#2 gels around 17°, kerosene gels at -40°). This isn’t a problem in 99.9% of the places you might go, but if you’re planning a winter trip up the Dempster, it’s something to be aware of.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
