Ambulance Conversion - New Modifications.

[patoz]

Looking at the pictures Mark posted, he's probably right. Remove those and build your own rack.







'Tribe of Five' built his own rack out of aluminum, and if you'll notice his extends from corner to corner, with a center brace on it. The corners of the ambulance are extruded aluminum channel, and are pretty strong. If you can get to the inside of them, they are a good place to mount the supports using bolts, washers, and lock nuts.

I have another solution for watering your batteries, but I'll need to get some information together first.

 

[emtmark]

I swear life will be easier for you by getting rid of and sealing up the light bar rack horns. At the very best they can hold and are wired probably for lights.


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[yzeevy]

I swear life will be easier for you by getting rid of and sealing up the light bar rack horns. At the very best they can hold and are wired probably for lights.


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.
How about this?
I'll find me a pear of Texan Longhorn horns and install them instead of the lights bar?!

 

[emtmark]

Far more fearsome


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[patoz]

This is what I would recommend for easily adding distilled water to your batteries mounted in that location. It's called a 'HydroLink Battery Watering System'.

The HydroLink system is 100% compatible with the Trojan T-105 & T-105RE batteries, but it looks like you have the T-105 Plus batteries, which have the staggered caps. Due to that cap configuration, the HydroLink Watering System manifold caps may not fit, but that would need to be confirmed with a phone call to Trojan. The system is somewhat expensive, but can be purchased from many different places including ebay.



Another option is the E-Z-Go Golf Cart Battery Watering System which is basically the same thing, but the valve/caps are individual (universal kit) so it will fit many different battery brands.



You might also check at your RV place or any place that sells/works on golf carts or forklifts, and ask them about a used kit. When I purchased my batteries, the parts man offered me a used E-Z-Go 36V partial kit (the expensive part), which I bought for $10.00. I just need the hand pump and some tubing to make it work. The number of caps can be reduced by simply removing them, reconfiguring the tubing, and capping any open ends of the tubing.

 

[yzeevy]

I swear life will be easier for you by getting rid of and sealing up the light bar rack horns. At the very best they can hold and are wired probably for lights.


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.
I had this morning a very nice surprise.
While "digging" in the kitchen corner I exposed the aluminum wall.
Turns out that between the two ribs where the horns are installed,
there are three plates of 3/8" and that's the base holding the horns
with bolts, washers and nuts.
.
I think I have a very strong base for a rack.
.

.

 

[emtmark]

Keep the area accessible for the leaks


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[yzeevy]

Keep the area accessible for the leaks


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.
I'm quite sure there is a rubber insulation, anyway I will check it out.

 

[emtmark]

Good luck with the build


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[yzeevy]

This is what I would recommend for easily adding distilled water to your batteries mounted in that location. It's called a 'HydroLink Battery Watering System'.

The HydroLink system is 100% compatible with the Trojan T-105 & T-105RE batteries, but it looks like you have the T-105 Plus batteries, which have the staggered caps. Due to that cap configuration, the HydroLink Watering System manifold caps may not fit, but that would need to be confirmed with a phone call to Trojan. The system is somewhat expensive, but can be purchased from many different places including ebay.


Another option is the E-Z-Go Golf Cart Battery Watering System which is basically the same thing, but the valve/caps are individual (universal kit) so it will fit many different battery brands.


You might also check at your RV place or any place that sells/works on golf carts or forklifts, and ask them about a used kit. When I purchased my batteries, the parts man offered me a used E-Z-Go 36V partial kit (the expensive part), which I bought for $10.00. I just need the hand pump and some tubing to make it work. The number of caps can be reduced by simply removing them, reconfiguring the tubing, and capping any open ends of the tubing.

.
I wasn't born yesterday, but I never new something like that exist.
.
I'm not sure I understood how it's working, but for the price of a
NEW set I can buy two new batteries and change.
.
What's the problem, ones a month or so (I still have to learn the recommended maintenance),
removing the caps and adding water as needed with a dropping bottle?
As I know the water level should be just above the plates.
.
I'll put it on my list and I'll ask about a used set.

 

[patoz]

.
I wasn't born yesterday, but I never new something like that exist.
.
I'm not sure I understood how it's working, but for the price of a
NEW set I can buy two new batteries and change.
.
What's the problem, ones a month or so (I still have to learn the recommended maintenance),
removing the caps and adding water as needed with a dropping bottle?
As I know the water level should be just above the plates.
.
I'll put it on my list and I'll ask about a used set.

I thought the video made it pretty clear, but I guess not.

The advantage to using this is, you can add water to a set of batteries that are somewhat inaccessible, like yours will be once you add the shelves above it. The caps have a check valve in each one that will close off once the proper level of water is reached. It allows you to fill the batteries without spilling any clean water or any electrolyte solution and prevents accidentally overfilling a cell. Remember the solution is highly corrosive.

If all you're going to do is stay in pay campgrounds with full hookups, you can get by with very little in the way of an infrastructure, but if you're planning on doing any real camping in wilderness areas or in a disaster situation, you won't have the luxury of running to the closest RV store to get a new set of batteries when yours fail.

"If you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, you will rarely be disappointed."

 

[yzeevy]

I thought the video made it pretty clear, but I guess not.

The advantage to using this is, you can add water to a set of batteries that are somewhat inaccessible, like yours will be once you add the shelves above it. The caps have a check valve in each one that will close off once the proper level of water is reached. It allows you to fill the batteries without spilling any clean water or any electrolyte solution and prevents accidentally overfilling a cell. Remember the solution is highly corrosive.

If all you're going to do is stay in pay campgrounds with full hookups, you can get by with very little in the way of an infrastructure, but if you're planning on doing any real camping in wilderness areas or in a disaster situation, you won't have the luxury of running to the closest RV store to get a new set of batteries when yours fail.

"If you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, you will rarely be disappointed."

.
I'm familiar with batteries and their toxicity from my military service (not in US).
.
The way I see it I'll be moving most of the time.
C. America for sure and S. America seriously considered.
The Darién Gap can be very frustrating and expensive,
especially for a non standard sized vehicle.
.
Since I don't have any previous similar experience, at this point I'm doing the
must have and the necessary, as I understand and advises I get.
After a brake-in field trip I'll make changes and repairs.
.
Of course noting is more educative then time and experience.

 

[patoz]

Of course noting is more educative then time and experience.

That's very true and that's cool! There's no substitute for experience, even if it's learned the hard way.

As the saying goes, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!" I've been camping pretty much all of my life, in trucks mostly but also canoes, kayaks, sailboats, pontoon boats, mountain bikes, and backpacking. So, between all that and my 35 years as a Firefighter/EMT, I've gained quite a bit of experience when it comes to equipment and maintaining it. I just hate to see anyone make the same simple mistakes I made when I was starting out, only to say afterwards, "If only I would have known ahead of time".

Designing your rig and building it is all part of the overall experience of owning one, so enjoy it above all!

 

[dlh62c]

View attachment 319294

Do you plan on placing a cover over the Honda EU2000i generator?

 

[patoz]

Do you plan on placing a cover over the Honda EU2000i generator?

That is not my rig, it belongs to another member on here. I was just posting those pictures as an example of what kind of shelf/rack could be built, and how it could be anchored to the front wall of the patient compartment.