Living In An Ambulance Pros And Cons | Ambulance Conversion Life

Comments · 373

• RI

  @richardsmith1966 · 5 years ago

  Might I recommend one or two ground clearance cameras and even a couple of side blind spot cameras😃. Reference earth romer class c and other super c RV's. Being a paramedic I am well aquatinted with these ambulances⚕️

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• OL

  @OldRadioAl · 5 years ago

  Thanks for making these. I’ve been binge watching, from oldest forward. I’m seriously thinking about taking the plunge, part time anyway. Like you divorced guy with dog, two in my case. Lefty has a lot of personality! Your videos, to this point, from the beginning, have improved in video, sound and editing, greatly, very watchable. Thanks for all the content. Thumbs up👍🏼.

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• FR

  @frenchfryfarmer436 · 5 years ago

  My 7.3 was sluggish until I put a basic "chip" in it for mileage. It woke it  up and saved on fuel. I am not a fan of a TON of modification but a better air cleaner and a simple chip make a BIG difference. Don't worry about the driveline....totally durable and appropriate.

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• MA

  @Maggie-Gardener-Maker · 6 years ago

  Thank you for making this, lots of food for thought when considering ambulance for camper. Safe travels.

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• DA

  @Da103Man · 5 years ago (edited)

  You&apos;ll have to learn to plan farther ahead as ambulances are heavy and dont stop like a van. &nbsp;<br><br>Dont ever put it in a skid, the rear will want to come around on you. &nbsp;<br><br>You will have to get use to driving without being able to look out the rear, use the side mirrors. <br><br>Use a daily checklist and check out your campulance daily and pretrip.<br><br>I&apos;d try to maintain some of the original ambulance wireing...they come with great side and rear lights. Most have front reds which can be modified with regular clear covers so you can switch on front area lighting when stationary.<br><br>I would suggest wireless tire pressure monitoring,,,check tires daily and maintain the pressure,,,tires are expensive.<br><br>Dont skimp on service, service regularly.

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• JB

  @JB91710 · 4 years ago

  Everything you said is spot on but here is the single most important point. &nbsp;Every person has to meet their own specific criteria. &nbsp;What they &quot;Think&quot; they want and need and the only way you will &quot;Truly&quot; find that out is to jump in with both feet and try it and be ready to say, &quot;Well, I guess this wasn&apos;t what I really wanted.&quot; &nbsp;Then you sell it and buy your next choice that you are &quot;Sure&quot; is the right choice. &nbsp;<br><br>Examples. &nbsp;For camping, I started out with an extended cab, short bed 4x4 that I already owned and put a used, tall, cap on the back. &nbsp;I made a plywood platform on one side and put a twin mattress on it. &nbsp;That was doable but I wanted to be able to climb in more comfortably and walk around a little.<br><br>Then I bought a high top, awd conversion van with doors on both sides. &nbsp;I liked the compactness of it and the luxury interior, but the rear folding seat was just a back and bottom which was too short to sleep comfortably on. &nbsp;I learned latter that they make some with a leaf that extends them. &nbsp;If a tree hadn&apos;t fallen on it, I would probably still own it.<br><br>Then I went to my next choice which was a Turtle Top shuttle bus. &nbsp;That was great but it was too big for a daily driver.<br><br>Now I&apos;m in a Chevy Tahoe which has a shorter wheelbase than my pickup and a Suburban, but I can still put a beach lounge chair in back to sleep on. &nbsp;With the back seats removed I can climb in a side door and sit on the bed, so I think this is a great daily driver/camper combination. &nbsp;I&apos;ll do my walking around outside. &nbsp;I put a Harbor Freight folding carrier on the trailer hitch for my electric, two-wheel drive bike for the bike trails and beach.<br><br>To live in, I always thought of a 45&apos; Coach Bus so I could bring my &quot;furniture/stuff&quot; and it would already have a bathroom and some have generators with converters to 110v. &nbsp;But then there is maneuverability and parking issues. &nbsp;I would have to tow some kind of vehicle behind it. &nbsp;If I get rid of all my suffocating &quot;Stuff&quot;, an ambulance should be the better, &quot;Swiss Army Knife&quot; alternative.<br><br>Bottom line is, you really have no idea what you want until you try it. &nbsp;&quot;The best laid plans..........&quot; &nbsp;If I could get my head right, that high-top, awd van would be really sweet to live in. &nbsp;It&apos;s hard to give up the space you have with an apartment or home, and, you have to get over the feeling of, &quot;Living in a van down by the river.&quot; &nbsp;Especially when your mind is programmed that to be an adult, you have to live in a conventional structure.

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• PO

  @potcrak1 · 6 years ago

  Everyone is waiting for a complete tour inside and out, if you wouldn&apos;t mind when you have time. Happy travels.

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• JJ

  @JJfromIA · 3 years ago

  Tiny tips from a truck driver... Get an air chuck with the straight dual head, add valve stem extensions to inside duals, get flow through valve caps so you can check and fill without removal.

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• HA

  @hawkeyetec · 1 year ago

  Get a cats eye dual wheel remote tire inflation line. One does both.

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• KE

  @kellyclarke8754 · 5 years ago

  I love it. After driving ambulances and having a diesel long bed pickup truck, I am used to these vehicles and most of my EMS work was in the Houston - Galveston areas. I&apos;ve driven the Ford van chassis, the Ford F450 chassis, the Chevy van chassis, the Chevy Duromax diesel and even a Dodge Ram chassis. <br>One of the earlier ones was a big Braun box on a Ford van chassis. This big Braun had stabilizers and had such a smooth ride that I said it was like driving your living room. <br>I owned two at one time back in 2010 when my ex husband (also retired medic) had our own service. Starting out, we were running out of a small office but we were on call 24/7 so we took the unit everywhere we went. I had a couple of spare cabinets on the outside where I stored our cooler, bedding and backpacks. <br>We alternated ambulances each week. One was a Wheeled Coach and the other was a large box McCoy Miller.<br>The big difference in your diesel ambulance and regular vehicle is to have regular preventative maintenance done on a regular schedule and we kept a maintenance log.

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• KA

  @kathlynterry8196 · 5 years ago (edited)

  You made my palms sweat when talking about the wiring. I don’t even know where to begin and that may effect my decision to purchase an ambulance.

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• DO

  @dorothydemaree7544 · 4 years ago

  I appreciate your point on how loud it is to run a diesel ambulance. &nbsp;Unfortunately that was a horribly disappointing shock when we were shopping one to convert. &nbsp;My noise sensitivity runs stronger than most folks, so THAT had to be a deal breaker for me. &nbsp;Sure glad others can live with it and gain a mighty fine home and rig for travel. &nbsp;New sub- learning from and enjoying your shares.

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