The Build Has Begun!!

[patoz]

We got our 40gal fresh water tank which fit beautifully in the lower compartment on the drivers side...

Anyone have a suggestion for a sink? Honestly we've been thinking a large stainless salad bowl or a caterers steam tray may work.

Just in case you haven't thought about it yet, that 40 gal. water tank is going to weigh 334 lbs. plus the weight of the tank itself when it's full. That's why most RV manufacturers put it in the center of the frame if possible. Of course with an ambulance, mounting options are pretty limited.

As far as a sink goes, I'm just going to use one I bought new at a flea market for $10.00, I think. It's a 14" x 14" x 8" single bowl stainless bar sink, similar to the one in the picture below. It has 1.25" drain (bathroom) instead of the normal 1.50" (kitchen) drain, but that will be fine for a small camper since nothing but water should be going down it anyway.

If you use a stainless bowl or serving pan, it's not going to have the recessed area for the drain and even though you can still get the drain to install and seal, it's going to be hard to clean due to the lip. The sealing flange on most drains also taper out to a thinner edge, but without the matching recessed area in the bowl, it will sit even higher in the bowl. Just something to consider...

Yeah, I worked for a plumbing company before I became a firefighter.

 

[EXPO365]

Just in case you haven't thought about it yet, that 40 gal. water tank is going to weigh 334 lbs. plus the weight of the tank itself when it's full. That's why most RV manufacturers put it in the center of the frame if possible. Of course with an ambulance, mounting options are pretty limited.

Yea I was thinking the same thing actually...I thought about mounting one under the rear but I wAs worried about something getting kicked up by accident and tearing it up...of course I could make a skid plate for it but I really don't have the time for that.

Plus I think I'll be mounting about 250lbs of batteries in the opposite compartment so it should even out. I was also thinking about mounting those underneath but maintenance would be a pain in the butt.

Now I'm wondering if I'm gonna need some helper springs in the rear

 

[EXPO365]

NEED HELP!!!

Ok guys, so I ran into a minor problem last night.

I went to start the truck last night and it look forever to start.

It was cranking strong, but wouldn't fire up...I noticed the speedo bouncing a bit with the KOEO and the odometer was blinking. Seems like a battery issue. The WTS light may have been on a second of two longer then normal.

It was about 50*F out and raining. The wife said it was blowing white smoke which sounds like fuel not being burned. She also said the maker light were blinking when cranking, ******???? Maybe a short somewhere?

It eventually turned over after about ten tries...

Any ideas???

 

[rlrenz]

Welcome to the wonderful world of ambulances. As you get deeper into the project, you will discover that you need to track down connectors and interior parts. Post your questions here, and we'll see if we can answer them. For instance, your front light bar looks to be a Whelen. The connectors in your photos are also Whelen, and you can easily buy connector parts from the web ambulance parts suppliers - I've bought a lot from Select Tech (http://selecttechambulances.com/). Chris runs their parts department, and they are easy to buy from, either from the web site, or by phone. Also, keep an eye on Foster Coach (http://www.fostercoach.com/parts.html) - their listings of parts includes new and used parts, and the prices are usually about half of new. You'll also find lots of your parts are off the shelf from a supplier - example: Perko vents are common, and they are off-the-shelf at marine dealers.

Have fun!

 

[EXPO365]

Welcome to the wonderful world of ambulances. As you get deeper into the project, you will discover that you need to track down connectors and interior parts. Post your questions here, and we'll see if we can answer them. For instance, your front light bar looks to be a Whelen. The connectors in your photos are also Whelen, and you can easily buy connector parts from the web ambulance parts suppliers - I've bought a lot from Select Tech (http://selecttechambulances.com/). Chris runs their parts department, and they are easy to buy from, either from the web site, or by phone. Also, keep an eye on Foster Coach (http://www.fostercoach.com/parts.html) - their listings of parts includes new and used parts, and the prices are usually about half of new. You'll also find lots of your parts are off the shelf from a supplier - example: Perko vents are common, and they are off-the-shelf at marine dealers.

Have fun!

Awesome! Thanks for the links!

It's been fun already and we're only a month into it!

Btw I'm subbed to your build and love it, you got yourself quite the rig.

 

[rlrenz]

Thanks. Right now, it's headed to a 4x4 shop to have all the existing brake lines replaced. It turns out that brake lines are a common problem for both ambulances and fire trucks - after they come in from a run, they park in a nice, warm fire house - usually right over a long trench drain, and the result is about a 15 year life on brake lines. I've just built up a new 120 volt battery charging package using a more sophisticated charger than the Vanner inverter/charger provides - my next project is reworking the radio cabinet into a circuit breaker cabinet for both the 120 VAC system and the 12 volt system. The 120 volt system will also select between "shore" power and the Onan generator. I started by removing the cabinet for easier access, then I closed off the access port for the oxygen bottle. As soon as I install a new piece of Formica to finish the back, I can install the panels.

My friend, MNtal, is also working on his Freightliner - Horton as well. We have the advantage that we help each other with ideas and where-to-buy ideas. I don't bend as well as I used to, and he has also been a help getting into places that find darn near impossible to access.

 

[EXPO365]

Thanks. Right now, it's headed to a 4x4 shop to have all the existing brake lines replaced. It turns out that brake lines are a common problem for both ambulances and fire trucks - after they come in from a run, they park in a nice, warm fire house - usually right over a long trench drain, and the result is about a 15 year life on brake lines. I've just built up a new 120 volt battery charging package using a more sophisticated charger than the Vanner inverter/charger provides - my next project is reworking the radio cabinet into a circuit breaker cabinet for both the 120 VAC system and the 12 volt system. The 120 volt system will also select between "shore" power and the Onan generator. I started by removing the cabinet for easier access, then I closed off the access port for the oxygen bottle. As soon as I install a new piece of Formica to finish the back, I can install the panels.

I'm still trying to figure out the whole power setup in mine, we're gonna keep the vanner for now as its brand new and we're trying to keep this project on a low budget while trying to get everything we want out of this rig. I'm starting to look into building a battery bank for the house w/ a 200w solar setup. It's looking like it's gonna be a large project to get the solar to charge all the batteries plus all the wiring and what not. Gonna be a learning experience for sure.

I was lucky enough to get ahold of Pierce Manufacturing(the builders of my MedTech Ambo) and was able to get the FULL wiring diagram for the whole vehicle.

 

[rlrenz]

By the way - if you still have the aluminum light bar mounting brackets, I'd like to buy them - $60 for the pair, shipped to MN.

 

[EXPO365]

By the way - if you still have the aluminum light bar mounting brackets, I'd like to buy them - $60 for the pair, shipped to MN.

I'll let you know, the Mrs. came up with an idea of re-mounting them lower to stick a low profile cargo basket above the cab. But if it doesn't pan out I'll hit you up.

 

[rlrenz]

There's a trade-off between battery size, solar cell size, charger size, etc. I installed a 55 amp IOTA charger (4-step charging), with a Xantrex Echo-Charge to keep a deep cycle battery happy. The Xantrex works from the vehicle batteries, so it will charge the deep cycle when I'm driving or plugged in. You will probably want either a standard ambulance 15 amp 120 volt connection, or a marine 30 amp connection - that way, you can plug in where possible, and let your batteries charge overnight. When I built mine, I looked at 3 chargers -- Xantrex, Iota, and Blue Sea. The Blue Sea is beautiful, but the most expensive. I've heard good and bad about both Iota and Xantrex, and then decided on a 55 amp Iota after I'd already bought a 40 amp Xantrex (complete with their remote access module - the original plan was to run two paralleled 40 amp Xantrexes, but I decided that was definitely overkill, and that 55 amp was all that I would need).

Most of my electrical components are Blue Sea, and the cheapest place I've found for Blue Sea is Amazon (search the Blue Sea web site for the Blue Sea number, then search Amazon for that number). Plan on using convoluted tubing for wire protection - it works very well, and ambulances are full of the stuff already. Also, plan on a bushel or two of crimp terminals.

By the way -- want a great deal on a Xantrex 40 amp TRUECharge2 battery charger with the remote monitoring/control package? $225 for the pair, shipping included.

 

[EXPO365]

There's a trade-off between battery size, solar cell size, charger size, etc. I installed a 55 amp IOTA charger (4-step charging), with a Xantrex Echo-Charge to keep a deep cycle battery happy. The Xantrex works from the vehicle batteries, so it will charge the deep cycle when I'm driving or plugged in. You will probably want either a standard ambulance 15 amp 120 volt connection, or a marine 30 amp connection - that way, you can plug in where possible, and let your batteries charge overnight. When I built mine, I looked at 3 chargers -- Xantrex, Iota, and Blue Sea. The Blue Sea is beautiful, but the most expensive. I've heard good and bad about both Iota and Xantrex, and then decided on a 55 amp Iota after I'd already bought a 40 amp Xantrex (complete with their remote access module - the original plan was to run two paralleled 40 amp Xantrexes, but I decided that was definitely overkill, and that 55 amp was all that I would need).

By the way -- want a great deal on a Xantrex 40 amp TRUECharge2 battery charger with the remote monitoring/control package? $225 for the pair, shipping included.

Possibly, I still gotta do my research. Did you try the charger on the vanner before you switched? I know it's rated at 55amps also...

I'm wondering if it can do my two main batteries under the hood as well as 4 6v house batteries I plan on installing...

Maybe a cross over switch to allow the charger to maintain the main batteries then switch to charging the house batteries?

 

[rlrenz]

Here's a link to the Vanner charger/inverter that's standard in ambulances: http://www.vanner.com/manuals/20-1050CUL-DC.pdf. It can be set for either 15 amps or 55 amps maximum output. The only GOTTCHA is that it's final voltage is still a bit high. If you leave it on constantly, it can be hard on batteries over time, but if you just use it periodically, with the solar charger constantly "on", you will probably be OK. I suggest that you get a very good controller for the solar panel, though, since it will be on 24x7 (or is it 12x7??).

The Vanner is designed for one output, but if you use something like an Xantrex Echo Charger, then the primary batteries can be the house batteries, with the Echo Charger supplying the under-hood batteries. The Echo Charger (http://xantrex.com/power-products/power-accessories/auxiliary-battery-charger.aspx) will charge the secondary batteries at up to 15 amps, so it should solve your problem. Other wise, a charger like the Xantrex TRUECharge2 is designed to handle up to 3 banks of batteries, provided they are all the same type (such as 12 volt wet cell)

 

[rlrenz]

Other cheap advice: Be sure to install fuses with any new electrical installations. Use blade-type automotive fuses and not the electronic glass tube fuses. You can buy in-line fuse holders from Amazon (hint-get the Blue Sea number, then go to Amazon) - they even offer water-proof fuseholders. You need to fuse any tap from a battery close to the battery, and I also fuse at the equipment that's connected. My refrigerator is fed from a panel, and there's a fuse right at the refrigerator. The same for my water pump - there's a fuse at the pump. It's also worth buying one of the fuse assortments from Amazon - you'll pay a whole lot less than the auto parts store charges.

 

[EXPO365]

Here's a link to the Vanner charger/inverter that's standard in ambulances: http://www.vanner.com/manuals/20-1050CUL-DC.pdf. It can be set for either 15 amps or 55 amps maximum output. The only GOTTCHA is that it's final voltage is still a bit high. If you leave it on constantly, it can be hard on batteries over time, but if you just use it periodically, with the solar charger constantly "on", you will probably be OK. I suggest that you get a very good controller for the solar panel, though, since it will be on 24x7 (or is it 12x7??).

The Vanner is designed for one output, but if you use something like an Xantrex Echo Charger, then the primary batteries can be the house batteries, with the Echo Charger supplying the under-hood batteries. The Echo Charger (http://xantrex.com/power-products/power-accessories/auxiliary-battery-charger.aspx) will charge the secondary batteries at up to 15 amps, so it should solve your problem. Other wise, a charger like the Xantrex TRUECharge2 is designed to handle up to 3 banks of batteries, provided they are all the same type (such as 12 volt wet cell)

Hmmm... That echo charger looks like what I'll be needing...

I'll most likely be running AGMs for the main/starting batteries and WET ones for the house, so the truecharge may not work. I gues I could alway run a separate charger for the 6v batteries. I'm still a n00b so I'm starting to get confused hahahaha!

I've been looking at those DC panels as well...there pretty nice

 

[rlrenz]

I looked at the Xantrex manual, and it looks like it can handle different battery chemistries, IF the batteries can handle the same charging profile:



The simplest solution might be to dedicate a separate charger to the vehicle - you don't need a lot of performance, maybe 6-10 amps. Check with West Marine (www.westmarine.com) and see what they have available. Since the vehicle battery charger wouldn't be needed constantly, a simple charger might handle it just fine.