Ambulance as tow vehicle?

SVreX wrote: In reply to TxCoyote: Do you have tools loaded in your ambulance, or just camping?

Most tools and personal supplies like food, clothing, etc. Trailer now only holds car, fuel cans, spare tires and pit bike.

NGTD wrote:

SVreX wrote:

NGTD wrote: Take out some of the internal E36 M3 and most of them are just a fibreglass shell. Not much different than a cube van.

There is a very wide variety of ambulance bodies, but generally speaking, most ambulance bodies are not fiberglass. Once you include the inner walls and shelves, a utility body or ambulance body has pretty much double the surface area of a cube van. They are very overbuilt. Curtis has the right answers (except I doubt that much effort will be put into calculating the weights for a Chump tow vehicle!) .

This is the type I am talking about: Body is either fiberglass or aluminum. Gutting some of the insides can drop the weight. This was another one used by a Fire Dept. I found it at a local recycler. It was a 7.3 Powerstroke.

I don't think that body is fiberglass.

It looks identical in construction technique to the Spartan utility body I own. It is a fiberglass skin laminated onto a plywood sub-base. The corners and trim are aluminum extrusions riveted to the plywood.

It looks like fiberglass, but it's plywood. Plywood is not light.

A true fiberglass body has molded doors, which usually have rounded corners.

Some are all aluminum though...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOteB9HMwJ0

TxCoyote wrote: In reply to SVreX: Sorry, haven't had my third cup of coffee yet. Doing it from memory but 7k sounds about right. That would be unloaded.

OK, so your truck is an F-350. That means it is a Type 1 ambulance.

Type 1 ambulances have GVWR's from 10K- 14K lbs, unless it is a Type 1 AD (Additional Duty).

If your unit has a curb weight of 7400#, and a GVWR of 14,000# and is only loaded with camping gear, then I agree, you have plenty of towing capacity- somewhere around 6000#.

But if it is a 10,000# GVWR unit and the boxes are loaded with tools, then it has no towing capacity at all.

As Curtis has pointed out, generalizations about "towing capacity of ambulances" is insufficient information.

HoserRacing is looking at a cutaway van- an E-450. That's a Type III ambulance body. Cutaways typically have lower GVWR's and capacity than the truck based units, but not always.

My utility body is a cutaway. It is built like a Type III. It can't tow much at all.

However, the bottom line is we don't have enough information. As Curtis noted, it is a pretty easy calculation with the right info.

ebonyandivory wrote: Some are all aluminum though... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOteB9HMwJ0

Yep. Some are.

That one is 1/8" thick double wall aluminum. Does it look lightweight to you??

SVreX wrote:

ebonyandivory wrote: Some are all aluminum though... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOteB9HMwJ0

Yep. Some are. That one is 1/8" thick double wall aluminum. Does it look lightweight to you??

Uh I guess not, but that wasn't my point. Just showing that there are various construction materials used out there besides plywood.

All I have to add is I got passed by Nickel_Dime's tow rig on I-75 and it was moving at a pretty good clip up hill.

This is the one I'm looking at

SVreX wrote:

TxCoyote wrote: In reply to SVreX: OK, so mine is NOT an Additional Duty unit. I don't bring a ton of tools (300lb max estimated). My Funbulance is towing a tad under 4000 lbs (Car, trailer, pit bike and tires) so I guess I'm good to go. Makes me want to add an anvil just for fun! Sorry, haven't had my third cup of coffee yet. Doing it from memory but 7k sounds about right. That would be unloaded.

OK, so your truck is an F-350. That means it is a Type 1 ambulance. Type 1 ambulances have GVWR's from 10K- 14K lbs, unless it is a Type 1 AD (Additional Duty). If your unit has a curb weight of 7400#, and a GVWR of 14,000# and is only loaded with camping gear, then I agree, you have plenty of towing capacity- somewhere around 6000#. But if it is a 10,000# GVWR unit and the boxes are loaded with tools, then it has no towing capacity at all. As Curtis has pointed out, generalizations about "towing capacity of ambulances" is insufficient information. HoserRacing is looking at a cutaway van- an E-450. That's a Type III ambulance body. Cutaways typically have lower GVWR's and capacity than the truck based units, but not always. My utility body is a cutaway. It is built like a Type III. It can't tow much at all. However, the bottom line is we don't have enough information. As Curtis noted, it is a pretty easy calculation with the right info.

HoserRacing wrote: This is the one I'm looking at

Nice!

That's a 14000# GVWR unit. I doubt you'll have much trouble towing with it. 7.3L is another bonus.

It's all aluminum, built by Wheeled Coach. It's got a 55 gal fuel tank, so have fun at the pumps!

Well, I am now the proud owner of an ambulance Hope to pick it up this evening & start playing with it!

Cool! This should be fun...

This would make a great article!!

Ok, I'll try to document as much as possible. My wife always rolls her eyes about what I'm bringing home, it was funny how she found out about this one. We had gone with the 4H to Medieval Times (I was a chaperone - lol), and the auction ended while I was there. Got a message from the seller, turn to the kid next to me and say "Cool! I just bought an ambulance!" He was a little stunned to say the least I had to show him the pictures from the auction and the message to get him to believe me. He then went over to my wife & said "I can't believe your husband just bought an ambulance!" My wife leaned back, looked down the table at me, and rolled her eyes. I love my wife!

HoserRacing wrote: I love my wife!

You should. I've seen your place!