International 4700 4X4 Rescue Conversion

[quickfarms]

It is an allison 634. The 545 would have been a deal breaker. At least this locks up and is 1:1 in fina. l Will probably go to 41' tires as we have 4 low

Good idea in the service shortbus! The vehicle has recieved a full service and filter change in anticipation of our journey
I have another set of filters here and will change them all again. All the bouncing around should suspend any trash and send it through the appropriate filters

This thing also has a pto hydraulic 6kw generator that i will remove and sell anyone have a need for a service truck generator?

Do you mean 643?

Never heard of a 634

If it is a 643 make sure the torque converter is locking up and drive it foot to the floor until you get up to the desired speed

Does the transfer case have low range in it? What transfer case is in it and is it air shifted or lever shifted?

 

[motorman]

cjken i saw that one too back in june. it closed at around 18k+ and had 95k miles and 8500 hours with a non-working generator i was temped and then bowed out of the bidding

i later became resolved to find a medium duty 4x4 and then this next one showed up

i think it is a great platform for the value it contains. perfect . . . no way but a great place to start and not get slaughtered when i make the inevitable mistakes with system design and development

quickfarms sorry for the preemptive senior moment 643 is correct im told it locks up but i will try as you have suggested. the air system is great air bags & springs for the box, air cab, air seats, air brakes, air transfer case w/ high and low.

the transfer case is FABCO as is the front axle. the door sticker say the front is 12k and the rear is 12k steering angle is supposed to be 42 deg

ill post some pics when we take possession tomorrow!

 

[charlieaarons]

I would suggest June or July for the Arctic Circle rather than October

 

[cjken]

Good luck with the pick up and trip home.
I am excited for you!!

 

[motorman]

Well the pickup went off without a hitch
Stopped by napa for windahield wipers
Fueled up and hit the road
Put about 200 miles on it today and runs great. The telma is awesome
Have to stomp it at 45 to make it shift and lockup but then it purrs along at 1700rpm and 55 mph
Going to hardwire a usb outlet tomorrow for all our electronics

Its a monstah!

 

[motorman]

Climbed 5000 feet 2 separate times
The trans temp gauge barely moved
Water temp stayed below 190 or so
Very pleased so far

 

[Fatboyz]

Good luck with the rest of the trip home!

 

[DzlToy]

Cool project.

Crested Butte is a really cool town, but at 9,000 feet AMSL, will be a bit chilly this time of year.

Hypertech has tuning options for the 466, should you require them.

I am in metro Atlanta if you need a hand with anything.

 

[motorman]

Well im home and back up to speed
The truck performed better than expected
Was super clean and maint records to choke a dog . . .
Traveled over 700 miles in CO exploring
2100 miles total
50-60 miles on dirt
50 mph @ 1700 rpm = 12+ mpg (up to 12.5)
55 mph @ 1900 rpm = 11+ mpg
60 mph @ 2100 rpm = 10 + mpg
Fiddled around and was able to make the cruise control work!!
Only field repair was hot wiring a 12V power source in the cab
4 X 4 with air shift high & low range is PURRRFECT
Went through 6-8” of powder snow like a dose of salts where the subie wagons dare not tread!
1st gear high range and the truck just idles up the curves in RMNP
Left Denver area on Monday at around 2:15pm and arrived ATL 5 am on Wednesday morning.
The last leg was driving 18 of 21 hours, 1030 miles!

 

[motorman]

cottonwood pass
independence pass
1 other that i forgot
went to Pitkin to attempt the crossing into Tincup but the pass was snowed in.
we turned back
i thought the trans temp gauge was broken until it barely moved past 100 on the steepest climbs
water temp never over 200
great time with my daughter too
EPIC trip overall

 

[motorman]

pics to follow when i can make them smaller
they are too large to upload

 

[cjken]

Great!!
Sounds like an awesome trip and a perfect rig!!

 

[motorman]

 

[motorman]

for those interested here is a comparison between a 1990 F350 Type 1 4X4 with a wheeled coach box next to a 1998 international 4700 4X4 with an E-one box

wheeled coach box is 144 x 90 with 65" interior height
E-one box is 172 x 96 with 72" interior height

overall the MD ambulance is only 12" longer

i personally believe that the MD ambulance is a real option

there is no way we can overload this monster and the durability of the platform is not for dispute. finding a f-550 that does not have 200k + on it is difficult while frequently MD trucks are available with 60-70k


we are starting on our unit during the thanksgiving break and hope to begin the soundproofing 3 part process for the cab as explained on soundproofcentral.com

dynamat/fatmat/hushmat type product
mass loaded vinyl product
closed cell foam

 

[cjken]

Love your truck.
Thanks for the comparison.
I agree most light duty ambos are close to their weight limits before much gets added. Definitely a good reason to consider a med-duty.
I see something like yours in my future.
Being that I put a mini-mid box on mine and travel light (short duration) mine is working, but I aspire to do more serious longer term trips in the future so thanks fo sharing your setup. I’m excited to see how it progresses.
I just want to make sure that whatever I ultimately choose as my next project is comfortable enough for the inevitable long highway runs.