Buying & Building a Medium Ambulance into an RV – The FAM-BULANCE

[rlrenz]

I just got some photos of the neonatal transport ambulance that I wrote about a while ago - BEAUTIFUL!

Complete with an extended cab, it would make a fantastic conversion. Only problems are that I already have a conversion in-process, and I doubt if this would fit into my driveway, let alone into my garage. Regardless, it would be a beauty!

All for only $19,900!

 

[Abitibi]

Nice!

 

[rlrenz]

I've been debating the propane cooktop that I need to install. Here in MN, there are several criteria to qualify as an RV, and one of them is a permanently installed propane cooktop. An electric cooktop doesn't qualify - it has to be " a cooking facility with liquid propane gas supply". I'd looked at lots of RV and marine cooktops, but I wanted small, simple, and reasonably priced. I didn't want an oven. I ruled out a marine cooktop with piezoelectric igniter for $300+, and wound up buying an Atwood DV20S with a stainless top for $122.



Murphy's law being what it is, I wanted to pick up some more of the cabinet/drawer latches that are used in my buggy. They show up in so many different manufacturer's ambulances that I knew that they were someone's standard. While I was searching for the manufacturer, I ran into a gent in Florida who had a pile of them that he wanted to sell. End result was that I now have about 50 Lbs of spares, but what can I say - the price was right!



If anyone needs a few, let me know. I can probably spare some....

 

[patoz]

I just got some photos of the neonatal transport ambulance that I wrote about a while ago - BEAUTIFUL!

Complete with an extended cab, it would make a fantastic conversion. Only problems are that I already have a conversion in-process, and I doubt if this would fit into my driveway, let alone into my garage. Regardless, it would be a beauty!

All for only $19,900!

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Bob, tell them to wrap it up, I'm coming to get it!

 

[rlrenz]

And those are crappy wirenuts as well !
Looks like Marquette, Which is a T&B brand, & thats odd as T&B is otherwise respected electrical products.
Then again, possibly no-name generics what are equally crap.

Ideal & 3M are the two major brands of wirenut what are excellent.

I don't think the brand would help - wire nuts just aren't a good idea with very finely stranded wire (I don't like them even for normal stranded wire). I didn't have to unscrew them, they just pulled straight off.

My neighbor is an electrician - when I mentioned this to him, he wasn't surprised. He told me that he uses a crimp connection (Buchannan) for fixture wires, particularly when there are multiple fixture wires.

I did something similar - I had a stock of 3M pigtail crimps from when I worked at 3M, and they worked fine. Normally, I'd use a butt connector, but I wanted more length in the crimp.

 

[rlrenz]

Pat, all joking aside, this would be a great rig to turn into an RV. Most of what you'd need is already there. The inverter isn't the normal 1000 watt ambulance inverter, it's a 2600 watt unit. Everything on this unit is emergency-rated. It has running water, an 8000 watt diesel generator, and loads of space.



The Westerbeke generator alone lists out at over $10,000.

Check it out - Global Emergency Vehicles has it (http://www.globalemergencyvehicles....Line-Neo-Natal-Refurbished-Ambulance-For-Sale)

And if you buy it, tell them that I sent you --

 

[patoz]

Bob, I wish you hadn't posted that, because I'm actually starting to think seriously about it now. I wonder if they deliver?

Too bad it's not 4WD, because that is pretty much limited to pavement. of course you could always add a big winch on both ends too.

 

[rlrenz]

Now for more bad news -- yes, they can set up delivery. When I bought mine from GEV, I flew out to verify that the one I wanted was the one I wanted. I had a cashier's check in my pocket. I bought it in mid-April, and I picked it up in mid-May. This was to give them time to do the last of the items on their overhaul list, to remove the lettering, and to remove the red/blue lenses. I had asked them to replace the red/blue with clear, and they did so. They removed the siren.

Removing lettering, red/blue lenses, and the siren are required by PA law for a dealer to sell an emergency vehicle to a non-emergency customer.

I traded them the oxygen equipment, plus $200, for a pair of new front tires.

My son and I drove it home from PA at a steady 70 MPH, with stops for fuel, food, and johns.

I recommend Global Emergency Vehicles to anyone looking for a good used ambulance. They treated me well, and they were a pleasure to work with - I sent them a new AM/FM/CD/XM cab radio and speakers, and they installed them as part of the package. I asked for extra 12 volt receptacles in the cab, and they installed some. I asked for some paint repair, and it was done. The vehicle was cleaned totally before I picked it up. I would readily buy another ambulance from them if I needed to.

The GEV sales contact is:

Shawn McCusker
Global Emergency Vehicles, Inc.
1991 Hartel Ave.
Levittown, PA 19057
Phone: 215-547-9111 x502
Cell: 215-932-5031
Fax: 215-405-3700

www.globalemergencyvehicles.com

His email is: shawn.mccusker@globalemergencyvehicles.com

Give him a call or email with any questions. He's easy to talk to, and very helpful. Also ask him for more photos - there are probably many that didn't get used for the ad.

 

[rlrenz]

A thought, Pat:

Bear in mind that this thing has an extended cab, so it will be large enough that you probably would want to stay on the pavement anyway. You could always add a carrier to the rear bumper to carry a boonie-bike.....

 

[patoz]

You're killing me Bob, especially since it's storming here (all day) and I have nothing else to do but think about this!

I thought about the extra cab, what I could use it for, and how long it makes the entire vehicle. This vehicle would change my original concept of have a trailer that I could park and then drive away from in the tow vehicle. It adds additional maintenance, storage, tags, insurance, cost of parts, tires, etc., but also adds more room, additional height inside, and is pretty much ready to go.

Even at an additional cost, delivery would be good for me, considering where I live, however it might make sorting out the final details harder.

I am going to give this some serious thought though.

 

[rlrenz]

Sorry, Pat -

Murphy's Law has struck again. It turns out that GEV has TWO neonatal ambulances..........

One is a 2009, and one is a 1999. Guess which sells for $ 19,900?

The first photos I posted were for the 1999 - the exterior photos and the added interior photos were for the 2009.

The 1999 is a Medic Master on a Freightliner chassis, the 2009 is a Life Line on an International chassis.

 

[rlrenz]

This is a similar shape connector by Marrette, But its internal connection principals are very different over conical coilsprings.
Its excellent for stranded conductor. Their screw on insulation caps still need adhesive tape or similar for high vibration uses.
Easily taken apart for testing, reconfigure & tinkering... (How many of our campers are ever really "finished" anyway)
http://www-public.tnb.com/fulltilt/pdf/1SHB.pdf

I used to use a nearly identical connector for fixture wiring, but I haven't seen them for years. Looks like a good idea has come back.

 

[rlrenz]

Boy, is Murphy in charge today.....

The 2009 Life Line neonatal ambulance is available for $110,000

The 1999 Medic Master is still $19,900

 

[patoz]

Like I just said in my email, I'll sleep better now... :agree:

 

[rlrenz]

Update time: - darn little is happening.

I had plans that would let the buggy slide into the garage so I could work on it more easily this winter, but it didn't work out that way (so what else is new?).

Right now, it's sitting in front of the garage, and plugged in so the Iota smart charger can keep my $400+ worth of batteries warm and happy. I have all the measurements for some projects that I can work on in my indoor shop, so when spring comes, I can jump back in. The project list includes:

---Building a pull-out drawer for the propane cooktop (I have to install a propane cooktop to qualify for an Recreational Vehicle license plate here in MN).
---Tunneling through water tank catalogs looking for water tanks that will fit in my #1 compartment - the current question is do I install two tanks side by side, or one on top of the other?
---Trying to make a decision on 120 volt air conditioning. If I install an RV roof-top unit, the installation will wind up 8" higher than my garage door opening, plus I want to keep the vehicle height under 10 ft - which points me to an ambulance stand-by system. An ambulance stand-by system is designed to keep the module cool while the vehicle is parked waiting for an emergency call, so they are typically about 11,000 BTU versus the running ambulance's 24,000-30,000+ BTU. There are two basic versions - ProAir has one with a self-contained compressor/condenser, while Hoseline offers a separate compressor & condenser. I'm leaning towards the Hoseline system since they use a dual condenser that can handle both the ambulance AC system and the stand-by system versus ProAir's smaller condenser, but price will also be a big decision factor as well. Tune in tomorrow on this one.
---Figuring out where to stick a spare tire. Right now, it looks like a new shorter bumper with a swivel tire mount on top, though I'm also thinking about mounting the spare in compartment #3. If I rework the cabinet's bottom shelf, there is room for a spare tire in the compartment - this one may win out since the overall vehicle length will be shorter than with a bumper mount.
---Figuring out the installation of the Onan generator. I've seen installations both with & without vibration isolators, and I'm leaning towards vibration isolators, however they will complicate the installation.