Point Five Ambo Build

[rlrenz]

Looks like the right solution - the fact that you could easily pull it says a lot.

 

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Ambo

Looks like she's coming along great.

 

[CLynn85]

Holy Crap what an axle! This thing is a beast!

 

[rlrenz]

Any way you look at it, that axle is loaded with vitamins...

 

[patoz]

Yep, and they mounted it right too!



The top plate is 1/2" steel, and the U-bolts are 3/4" dia. The wheel studs are 5/8" vs. Ford's 9/16" studs.

 

[patoz]

Didn't get much done today, but I spent all morning searching the internet for stabilizer jacks. I figured since I'm getting older and more lazy, I should get the good stuff, right? You know...flip one switch and the jacks come down and level the camper automatically. I found this used set, but I would still have to mortgage my house to afford them. They will lift 9,000 lbs. each, so changing a tire would be no problem.

Seriously though, finding stabilizer jacks that will mount under an ambulance body is not as simple as it sounds. The body hangs down (the compartments) on three sides, making the frame inaccessible from the sides or back. Light weight jacks used for stabilizing only, could be mounted to the underside of the body itself, but then I would lose valuable ground clearance and probably knock them off.

And to make things worse, the more I look at that picture of those power jacks, the more I want them.

 

[Baloo]

Great build, glad to see another ambo build!

 

[patoz]

Thanks Dodger!


After two days of researching battery technology for my house bank, I have decided to go with two Trojan 6 Volt T-105 Deep-Cycle Flooded Batteries wired in series, instead of two 12 volt batteries wired in parallel.

Why 6 volt instead of 12 volt? Since I have no big 7.3 diesel engine to start any longer, it's basically about reserve amp hours and not cranking amps. These articles explain it better than I can.

Posted by wrcsixeight on 10/04/2010...

6 volt golf cart batteries are good because they are true deep cycle batteries. They have more room under the plates so more debris can accumulate underneath before a cell shorts out rendering the battery useless. They are a good deal because of the quantity made for golf courses. They are a couple inches taller. They say if you need to power high draw devices like a microwave then 12 volt batteries will suffer less voltage drop than 6 volt batteries, but unless you plan on drawing 150 amps for 10 minutes, this is not really a factor...

It's about amp hours, not cranking amps unless you are starting an engine.

A lot of 12 volt batteries will claim "deep cycle" in their attributes. Most are not deep cycles but dual purpose battery, which is just a starting battery that is slightly more tolerant of deeper discharges. Most true deep cycle batteries will not list a cold cranking amps number, because they were not built/ designed to start an engine, but power a lower load over a longer time. Thus amp hours and reserve capacity are much more relevant figures for that purpose.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/50122-2-6-volt-batteries-or-large-12-volt-battery

Also...

http://www.doityourselfrv.com/best-rv-battery-choosing-reviews/

http://www.rv-boondocking-the-good-life.com/rvbatterybank.html


These will be mounted in the OEM battery box located in the right front corner. I'll start with this arraignment, but if it's not enough I'll add two more to a compartment on the driver's side. I'll be going to pick up two of these bad boys Wednesday.

 

[java]

You will love power jacks. Can you use ones that mount to the bottom of the frame? You lose a little clearance but not a ton. My HWH hydraulic ones swing down from the bottom of the frame rails. The tire guys did think it was nuts when I just picked the front end up

 

[patoz]

I'm sure there is a way to make them work, but that set there is $3,200.00 and came off of a Fleetwood RV. I've got a lot to do yet before I consider something like that. I'll probably be using my old 6 ton Goodyear jack stands for a while yet.

 

[java]

I'm sure there is a way to make them work, but that set there is $3,200.00 and came off of a Fleetwood RV. I've got a lot to do yet before I consider something like that. I'll probably be using my old 6 ton Goodyear jack stands for a while yet.

Fair enough. They are nice though, the kick down ones you don't need to find all the vertical space for them, onmly 4-5" deep when closed up, do need to find a spot for the hydraulic pump though.

 

[patoz]

Interesting...do you have a link for those so I can get more info?

 

[patoz]

Duplicate post...deleted.

 

[flightcancled]

If you go to 6v doesn't that limit what you can run on the system? All the 12v goodies won't work without modification.


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[java]

If you go to 6v doesn't that limit what you can run on the system? All the 12v goodies won't work without modification.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tie the two batteries together in series and its 12V

Interesting...do you have a link for those so I can get more info?

Website is a fair bit clunky, but here:http://www.hwh.com/after-market3.html and here:http://www.hwhcorp.com/newhome.html