Point Five Ambo Build

[rlrenz]

Hey Pat, you lucked out on the stretcher - it looks like it's new!

Since you aren't planning on using it to move 400# patients around, the small crack shouldn't ever cause you any problems (unless your portable kitchen really gets heavy...)

You should be able to find a set of brackets somewhere that aren't corroded, probably somewhere away from the ocean salt water. I'm checking with my contacts to see if anyone has any brackets, and I'll also check with my upfitter contacts to see if anyone has anything.

 

[patoz]

Thanks Bob! A little cleaning and TLC and it will be like new.

I found a couple of potential candidates for the Cot Fastening System and some parts on eBay, but I'm not going to pay #40.00 for a thumbwheel, or $65.00 for a hold down clamp, etc. These people are crazy! You add the words 'Ambulance' and 'Safety' to the product title, and the prices go sky high.

 

[rlrenz]

Your best bet will probably be a junk yard, bit I'm checking with my contacts. The best possibility appears to be out of town right now, though.

 

[patoz]

10-4 on that! See if he will send some closeup pictures, if you will.

 

[pappawheely]

Nice work on that front receiver.

 

[patoz]

Nice work on that front receiver.

Thanks Mike!

It was a little aggravating, and I probably fussed over it too much, but I do like to have things done right.

 

[patoz]

We finally had a very nice day today with temps about 65°, so I decided to paint the areas around the tow hooks on my F25, and then mock up the winch mount and winch just to make sure everything will fit like it's supposed to. I have learned over the years to test fit everything first, even though the manufacturer swears it will fit perfectly. Been there, done that, and got burnt before!

I still need to treat the plastic part, but I want to give the pain 24 hours first. No, I didn't put the dent in the bumper, it was there when I bought the truck. I've held off replacing it, because I still want to find a full size winch bumper and put a 16.5 winch on it. This setup will do for now and is more that enough to get myself out of a ditch or move downed trees or debri out of the road after a hurricane, etc.

The synthetic line I have for the winch is 100' of 3/8" AmSteel-Blue Dyneema AS-78, 19,600lb. Breaking Strength, Gray from West Marine. With a 19,600lb. breaking strength, along with a snatch block, this will do anything I'm going to use it for. I weighed the 100' steel line that I took off of it and it weighed right at 22lbs. The same amount of synthetic line weighs 4.6lbs. That makes a big difference in the overall weight of a winch setup that is designed to be carried and deployed by hand.

 

[JeEpXjSaM]

Looking good

Sent from my S40 using Tapatalk

 

[DzlToy]

For moving a downed tree or pulling someone out of a snow bank, I can see it, but when I am stuck in the muck, bound up in the rocks or on a precarious slope, the absolute last thing I want to do is go retrieve an entire winch from the back of my truck, install it into a receiver, connect the cables and remote and THEN start the recovery process on the vehicle (tree saver, shackle, block & tackle, etc)

I see that you are searching for a winch bumper, so hopefully you don't need to haul the winch out too many times before you find one.

A mate of mine owns a fab shop and builds quite a lot of bumpers for various 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks if you are serious about doing something for your 16,500 winch.

 

[patoz]

For moving a downed tree or pulling someone out of a snow bank, I can see it, but when I am stuck in the muck, bound up in the rocks or on a precarious slope, the absolute last thing I want to do is go retrieve an entire winch from the back of my truck, install it into a receiver, connect the cables and remote and THEN start the recovery process on the vehicle (tree saver, shackle, block & tackle, etc)

I see that you are searching for a winch bumper, so hopefully you don't need to haul the winch out too many times before you find one.

A mate of mine owns a fab shop and builds quite a lot of bumpers for various 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks if you are serious about doing something for your 16,500 winch.

As I said, that's not what this one is for. It is temporary and for light duty or one to use on the rear if need be. I live in Pensacola, Florida so no rocks, cliffs or mountains to negotiate, and as far as mud boggin...well I'm almost 63 y/o and I grew out of that a long time ago. Oh, and we can't drive on the beaches any more either...damn goberment!

Since my ambulance is now a 6,000lb. camper trailer, the winch may come in handy maneuvering it into tight camping spots, or if I do get bogged down on a forest road, etc., I may need to unhitch, put the winch on the rear receiver, and pull the trailer through the bad spot, then hook back up. Most likely, it will sit in my storage building until I'm actually headed out on a trip, or before a hurricane hits us, and it will then be plugged into the front receiver and ready to go. I don't plan on carrying it around on a daily basis. I'm also going to run a second winch control from inside the cab, like I have on all my other trucks in the past, and have it set up so it can be connected at the same time the power cables are.

Not as good as having one permanently mounted on the front that's ready to go all the time, but it will be out of sight from theft and out of the weather.

I like the design and style of the Buckstop bumpers, but at $2,000.00 plus the cost of the winch, it will have to wait a while. I need to devote that money to building the camper right now. I have a lot of tools, but no shop or fabrication tools such as welders, benders, etc. so I need something that is ready to just bolt on.

 

[tgreening]

Pat have you looked at MOVE bumpers? They're a diy bumper kit but for the price you could pay someone to weld it up and still be WAY under most other bolt on deals. I'll be danged if I'll pay $1,500+ for a stinkin bumper just to hold a winch.

 

[mk216v]

Why not just get an ARB and be done with it. Plus it actually looks good and is properly engineered.

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Sahara-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3936030-P3344.aspx

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Deluxe-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3436030-P3312.aspx

 

[patoz]

Pat have you looked at MOVE bumpers? They're a diy bumper kit but for the price you could pay someone to weld it up and still be WAY under most other bolt on deals. I'll be danged if I'll pay $1,500+ for a stinkin bumper just to hold a winch.

Tom, I didn't know they existed, but they do have an interesting concept and product with weld-it-yourself bumper kits.

If I had the capability to weld and finish it myself, it would no doubt be the best deal around, but I don't. I would have to hire out every bit of the work, including mounting due to my lower back injuries. Plus, since the truck is used as the jig for alignment purposes I would be stranded without a vehicle for a day or so, depending on how fast the welder works. I sold my Toyota Sequoia, so the F250 is my only vehicle now.

One thing that concerns me about these, they don't specify what model winches will fit. Also, it looks like once the winch is installed and the bumper is mounted, you don't have any access to it without removing the entire bumper. Of course you can design and fabricate any modification you want for it, but again that's work I don't have the capability to do.

I saved their website in case I come up with a private welder who will work with me on it.

Thanks for the info...

 

[patoz]

Why not just get an ARB and be done with it. Plus it actually looks good and is properly engineered.

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Sahara-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3936030-P3344.aspx

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Deluxe-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3436030-P3312.aspx

Jeremy, I've actually had this one from Amazon on my wishlist for about two years. I kept hoping the prices would come down some, since this is for a 12 year and older truck, but it hasn't.

Both of these models do require some minor cutting and drilling to install them, and neither one offers any provisions for a front hitch receiver, which is an absolute must for me. Most all of the newer designed bumpers I've looked at have this feature.

The ARB bumpers do specify what model winches will fit, so that is reassuring. And they do have access plates so you can get to the winch if you need to.

Thank you also for the info!

 

[tgreening]

Why not just get an ARB and be done with it. Plus it actually looks good and is properly engineered.

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Sahara-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3936030-P3344.aspx

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Deluxe-Bar-Ford-Super-Duty-1999-04-3436030-P3312.aspx

Not a bad looking bumper for sure, but at $1600-$1700 plus the the adapter you and MG are working on, plus the modifications required, plus the repaint/ re-powder coat, I'll pass. That kind of money into a bumper, for me, just doesn't have the value that it does for some folks.

The MOVE bumpers, if you can believe the company propaganda, are made for each application. They have bumpers for all the major manufacturers and a specific unit for the Ford E-series, not something that has to be modified from something else. Basic bumper is sub $500, and I've already got welders n stuff.