Belafonte Reboot....Ambulance to 4x4 Camper Conversion

[patoz]

Most ambulances have a Vanner 20-1050CUL inverter, and you are limited to 1050 watts output, plus a surge of 2100 watts for 3 seconds. I'm facing the same problem with my ambulance - my wife also has a Kurig. I'm wondering if they make a 240 volt Kurig for Europe, and if they do, could I put a 240 volt European element into my 120 volt Kurig? A 240 volt element running at 120 volts would only pull 1/4 the wattage, so if the 250 volt element is rated at 1500 watts(??), it would only pull 375 watts at 120 volts. This would let it make a cuppa, but it would take a while to heat the water

I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I do like a cup every now and then, especially during cold weather (I'm in Florida remember.. ). I have the Keurig 35 B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System . It has no water tank and doesn't have to maintain a constant temperature. You insert your K-cup, pour a cup of water in the top, and place your cup under the spout to catch the coffee that comes out. The nice thing is, it will make a cup in approximately 2 minutes from the time the start button is pushed, and it only draws 700 watts according to the label on the bottom.

Considering the limited power situation with the inverters, I seems to me a better solution would be to spend $70.00 for a brewer like mine and have it dedicated to your camper, rather that trying to use the power hungry one from your kitchen and having to move it back and forth.

And if you're drinking coffee faster than a cup every two minutes , you have a much bigger problem than power useage!

 

[rlrenz]

You have a different Kurig than I knew about - and you just solved my problem. Thank You!

 

[patoz]

You have a different Kurig than I knew about - and you just solved my problem. Thank You!

Sometimes we work way too hard to solve a problem, when the simplest solution is probably the best. I hear engineers are notoriously guilty of that...do you think that's true?

 

[rlrenz]

It looks like the 35B30 coffee maker has been obsoleted, but the idea caused me to dig into other brands of single-serve coffee makers. Unfortunately, coffee maker companies, like microwave makers, don't seem to readily show the input wattage on their web sites. I'm going to have to take a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohls, and other stores to see what the display model labels say.

 

[tgreening]

Speaking of inverters microwaves, I need an education.
Looking for a small micro to justheat up coffee. (800 - 1000 watts)

Been told that most micros will trip the inverter.
Read somwhere about a "low power" type of unit.

Thanks for any info.

Any advice

I bought an Emerson and it's 700 watts, and pretty dang small. I don't recall seeing anything smaller and/or less power in any of the brick & mortars. You might check out some place like Pilot or T&A. Those are fairly big truck stop chains and they generally have a whole slew of stuff meant for mobile operation in the sleepers of the semi trucks. Maybe you can find something suitable there. If I'd had any sense I would have checked them out as well.

 

[tgreening]

I have the Keurig 35 B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System .

And if you're drinking coffee faster than a cup every two minutes , you have a much bigger problem than power useage!

That's the one in my not-too-clear picture. The big boy is in the 5th wheel camper.

 

[tgreening]

So many plans with this thing. Hopefully I'll live long enough....

Anyway. Does anybody know how painful it is to get this type of front end onto a 1992? I like the old style much much better. (Image stolen from another thread)

 

[rlrenz]

It's a whole lot cheaper to look for smaller appliances than it is to price out larger inverters...

I've found 600 watt microwaves at Wally-World and at Target, also on-line.

There is a 12 volt microwave (Power Hunt---http://www.power-hunt.com/12-volt-microwave-DC.php) - it requires wiring sized for 55 amps at 12 volts. The microwave is rated at 425 watts, so I'll stick with a much cheaper 600-700 watt 120 volt microwave

 

[patoz]

Don't mind us Tom, we're just hijacking your thread! :coffeedrink:

It looks like the 35B30 coffee maker has been obsoleted, but the idea caused me to dig into other brands of single-serve coffee makers. Unfortunately, coffee maker companies, like microwave makers, don't seem to readily show the input wattage on their web sites. I'm going to have to take a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohls, and other stores to see what the display model labels say.

It looks like this one replaced the model I have.

Keurig K10 MINI Plus Brewing System, Black

http://www.keurig.com/Brewers/Home/...ng-System/p/Mini-Plus-Personal-Brewing-System

http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K10-Br...keywords=Keurig®+K10+MINI+Plus+Brewing+System

Some people complained about the model I have not getting hot enough, but I thought it was fine. Personally, I don't like having coffee blistering my lips as I try to drink it.

 

[patoz]

That's the one in my not-too-clear picture. The big boy is in the 5th wheel camper.

Tom, you have the newer model I just posted about. This is the older one I have, but in white.

 

[NEPolarbear]

Would it be more cost effective to brew your coffee in a small stove top percolator if you have an induction stove?
Can reheat leftover coffee in the 600 watt micro.
Also save money on the cost of coffee.

 

[patoz]

Sorry to keep hijacking Tom, but I figure you want to know this also.

Below is the sender's email that sent me the pdf of the electrical layout.
Don't remember which ID #'s I had to read to him to get to the vehicle, but he knew that it was a GSA box.

don.estabrook@us-ambulance.com

NEPolarbear, do you remember the approximate date when you contacted him? Just wondering how current this address is.


The domain name of this address was confusing me, so I looked it up. It belongs to U.S. Ambulance Corporation, who bought out Wheeled Coach in 2011.

Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV), the parent company of U.S. Ambulance, began expanding the Winter Park facility in 2011, and U. S. Ambulance has since acquired several key brands including Road Rescue of South Carolina, and McCoy Miller and Marque of Indiana. ASV is also the parent company of E-One, a fire truck manufacturer located in Ocala.

U.S. Ambulance now manufactures under the names Wheeled Coach, McCoy Miller, Marque, and Road Rescue. The expansion will allow U.S. Ambulance to extend their product offerings throughout the U.S. as well as the Caribbean, South America, Middle East and Asia.

http://www.enterpriseflorida.com/ne...ce-manufacturer-adds-126-jobs-in-winter-park/

http://www.alliedsv.com/index.php

 

[patoz]

Congratulations on finding the relay lead!

If you want to trim the edges around the microwave, go into the McMaster web site. They have aluminum extrusion trim identical to what the ambulance builders use in 3-4' lengths. Part number 1104A62 is 3/16" x 1/2", and 1104A93 is 11/64 x 3/4".

That place has a lot of stuff I've been looking for. Being able to buy small quantities is good, and the prices aren't too terribly bad. However, larger quantities are cheaper though. Thanks for the link!

http://www.mcmaster.com/#

 

[tgreening]

My tires and wheels shipped today. WOOT!!!! Good news. Still waiting for springs and spacer/adapters though. Lower case woot. Chris is on it though.

Went to my salvage yard today to pick up a transfer case for the build. "All gone". Huh? "All gone. Everything. Everything on the shelf and everything in the yard. Yard is gone. Empty"

I was so confused I just kind of did that fish out-of-water mouth thing they do, and hopped back in my truck. When I was pulling out of the lot I glanced in my rear view and found out he wasn't kidding. Their yard was empty, like a parking lot, except for an absolutely huge pile of scrap. I mean a mountain. It looks like someone went in there with a giant blender and shredded everything in the yard. Trucks, vans, axles, you name it, is now just a mountain of metal confetti. What an amazing waste. I'll have to get back over there and see if I can find out what happened. Not more than 10 miles from my house and they dealt pretty much with trucks, vans, and SUV type stuff. Perfect. Game over man! GAME OVER!

I'm going to travel tomorrow and see if I can pick up an E40D 4x4 core For the build. Best I can tell it should bolt up to the recommended NV271 and if I get lucky they'll have the proper version of that as well. I hope that's the case, literally. Then I can have everything rebuilt without putting my van down for the duration, and just swap out trannys when it's ready.

Visited Chris at Ujor yesterday, and boy pictures don't do some of those rigs justice. It's amazing how big they actually are. V4 is a monster and I dig the ever lovin snot out of that bed. I wouldn't mind having that to dress up one of my shop trucks, but it would probably be an overpriced waste in that application.
You need more space guy, without a doubt. Or maybe a north central Ohio franchise. I've got a spare 7,500 sq ft of industrial I'm not doing anything with. Hehe.

Tribeof5: Dude, if you read this thread, I'm really sorry about the drool puddles on your hood. Couldn't help it. Like a bulldog lusting after a bone, the drool just flows.

The plasti-dip example Chris had on the lot looked good enough in person to sell me on giving it a go at least once. I know it doesn't have the longevity of paint, but it's much cheaper to do, and you can changer colors around a whole bunch easier. Perfect for a project where I can't make up my mind on it's final look in the first place.

In that vain, I think it's time for a name change. I've got two on the list so far;

Zed Sled with a personalized plate. ZED SLD
Battle Wagon " " " BTTL WGN

Suggestions?


Got to pick up the van tomorrow from the Fjord garage. I think the block heater went south (kept popping the GFI on the charger) and I didn't have time to dink with it. Bit the bullet and sourced it out.

 

[patoz]

That is weird about the salvage yard. It sounds like he just decided to liquidate everything into scrap metal and get out of Dodge. Maybe someone made him an offer on the property he couldn't refuse.

Tribe of 5 is my model! I love the outside accessories of that thing and the way it looks, including the modified ambo stripes. I've saved every picture of it I could find until I now have a 360 view of it. But then I wanted to see the inside of it, but he doesn't have a build thread because it was done by HD-RV. So, I did a little forum detective work and finally found two pictures of the inside. I think I found them on the UJOR thread, so I hope he doesn't mind me reposting them here.





I don't have any use for the double couch/beds, but I love the style it's done in.