# Sprinter Type II Units



## Kendall (Jul 31, 2006)

Hey,
My service is looking at some new units - particularly the Sprinter Type II's. I've heard alot of great things - particularly the head room. I've also heard that they are very narrow, but the headroom, fuel economy and turn radius makes up for it.

Anyone ride on them? What do you like/dislike?


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## ffemt8978 (Jul 31, 2006)

I personally think the Type II's are too cramped, especially when we meet with an ALS unit that has them.  

We have Type III's with adequate headroom and more space, which is very convienent when transporting more than one patient.


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## MMiz (Jul 31, 2006)

Our service is a suburban private EMS provider.  We have both 911 contracts and interfacility transfers.

Our ALS has always been Type III.  While most of our ALS people have worked in type II rigs before, I don't know of a single person that prefers one.

Our BLS units started out in Type II rigs.  They were much cheaper, easier to drive, better mileage, and all that jazz.  They even had more room up front.  We are now transitioning to Type III rigs for BLS too.  BLS likes the room, the ability to carry additional equipment, the room, the "real" big box shape, and the room.

Some folks love the Type II sprinters though.  I understand they are the most popular ambulance style in the world.  I read that most nations outside the US use the Type II sprinter.  The only two great things I've heard about the sprinters are the great turning radius and the extra head room.

I think it's important to evaluate your needs and see which ambulance best meets your needs.


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## Kendall (Jul 31, 2006)

Absolutely - what we have always done when in search of a new unit is the staff are surveyed, and the top 2 survey results are field tested for 3 months and the crews are rotated on those rigs. Then an educated decision is made. 

What we need is something with a little more headroom - Sprinter. The majority of our events/incidents are stand-bys, so a Sprinter Van on a 158" wheelbase would suit our needs well. The majority of treatment on our standbys are minor trauma - hence the extra space.

Sprinter Ambulance facts - for every 1 Ford, GMC or chevy chassis ambulance, there are 3 Sprinter's. 

Anyone know of any Sprinter conversion companies?


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## Jon (Aug 1, 2006)

I've had occasion to work in a sprinter for 1 day. All in all, I liked it. It drives "like a truck" with an almost horizontal steering wheel.

The headroom is unbelievable in the back... I can stand straight up (I can't do that in Mini-Mods) and there seems to be more room in the back.

I'm not sure how they compare cost-wise with the standard E350 Type-2, but all in all, they seem like decent rigs.

In the US, the only manufacturer I know of is MedicMaster, a division of American LaFrance.


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## Chimpie (Aug 1, 2006)

Now granted it's not an ambulance, but we have one at the Red Cross and I love it.  I'm 6'2 and I can stand straight up in the back.  I don't even have to bend my head down.  The Sprinters also turn on a dime.  I have pulled some Ueys in some tight areas very easily.

I like 'em.


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## JJR512 (Aug 1, 2006)

Maybe it's just me, but they look like they'd roll over pretty easily. Tall and narrow.

Especially if it's driven by one particular driver we have at our station...I keep telling my chief that another way to raise money for the station would be to sell tickets for a ride with this guy, because he beats any roller coaster I've ever seen, hands-down!


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## gradygirl (Aug 1, 2006)

We use the good ol' Ford Type IIs almost exculsively.

Disassociative put the link to the coolest looking ambulance I've ever seen. They're made by Demer. Check them out.


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## Kendall (Aug 1, 2006)

Those Demers units are pretty sweet, eh? Isn't it great what Canadian engineering can do? . I did a ridealong with a service in Alberta with one of those units. They are great! Unfortunatley, my service won't look at them becaue they are type III's. We've got this silly policy going on that we can only purchase or lease type II's.


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## gradygirl (Aug 1, 2006)

Well, poo on them.


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## Luno (Aug 1, 2006)

*Hated it*

We had one when I was still pushing a rig, and there was nothing I hated more, not the 0 dark "I've got an appointment at a hospital 20 miles away," 911 calls, not the psyches, not the GI bleeds, the bane of my existance was that sprinter.  Terrible in the snow, and while it was maneuverable, I would take a 350 any day.  If I remember correctly, the sirens were not pointed correctly, and you'd be on top of someone before they heard you, and felt very unstable at speed.  Not to mention that the head gasket went within the first year.  Definitely not a high point of my life pushing a rig.


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## gradygirl (Aug 1, 2006)

Not gonna lie, but they're ugly as sin, too.


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## Jon (Aug 2, 2006)

Kendall said:
			
		

> Those Demers units are pretty sweet, eh? Isn't it great what Canadian engineering can do? . I did a ridealong with a service in Alberta with one of those units. They are great! Unfortunatley, my service won't look at them becaue they are type III's. We've got this silly policy going on that we can only purchase or lease type II's.


That isn't a Type III... maybe a II.5, not a III...


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## Kendall (Aug 2, 2006)

The Millenium is a type III. It's a complete conversion off of an E450 Chassis cab. 

As for the Sprinters - that bad in the snow? (In AB, Canada, we have snow 6 months of the year)


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## MMiz (Aug 2, 2006)

Kendall said:
			
		

> The Millenium is a type III. It's a complete conversion off of an E450 Chassis cab.
> 
> As for the Sprinters - that bad in the snow? (In AB, Canada, we have snow 6 months of the year)


Living in Michigan, I can say that there is a big difference between driving a Type II and Type III rig in the winter.  The Type III is far more stable.


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## gradygirl (Aug 2, 2006)

I saw a Sprinter today being used as an Office Depot delivery truck. Kinda weird, delivery truck, ambulance. I dunno.


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## Jon (Aug 3, 2006)

Kendall said:
			
		

> The Millenium is a type III. It's a complete conversion off of an E450 Chassis cab.
> 
> As for the Sprinters - that bad in the snow? (In AB, Canada, we have snow 6 months of the year)


I was being smart.... I've seen them - on the outside, they really aren't much bigger than a Type-II. They are just well-designed to use availible space wisely.


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## Jon (Aug 3, 2006)

TCERT1987 said:
			
		

> I saw a Sprinter today being used as an Office Depot delivery truck. Kinda weird, delivery truck, ambulance. I dunno.


Have you ever seen a ford van used as a delivery truck?

Heck, Last night I saw a OLD ambulance (1980's) sitting at a mall with "LoveSac" on the front hood, in reverse... On the side, it says they sell the most comfortable beanbag chairs... (All lights had been converted to clear/amber).

How about a Freightliner chassis? I've seen some that look like delivery trucks.


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## JJR512 (Aug 3, 2006)

TCERT1987 said:
			
		

> I saw a Sprinter today being used as an Office Depot delivery truck. Kinda weird, delivery truck, ambulance. I dunno.


Isn't that what an ambulance is--a delivery truck?


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## gradygirl (Aug 3, 2006)

MedicStudentJon said:
			
		

> Heck, Last night I saw a OLD ambulance (1980's) sitting at a mall with "LoveSac" on the front hood, in reverse... On the side, it says they sell the most comfortable beanbag chairs... (All lights had been converted to clear/amber).



That's hot. What a great idea.


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## Jon (Aug 9, 2006)

Silly question - we all know that UPS trucks "look different" than a regular panel van, right? (The front-end is funny-shaped). Had anyone ever seen a UPS truck being used by someone other than UPS?

No... you know why? The truck is a trademark-type-thing, and they destroy them when they are no longer serviceable.


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## FF894 (Aug 26, 2006)

*Sprinters*

I personally think they are ugly looking - too top heavy looking.  I have driven one and didn't like the layout of the cab too much.  I don't like how the steering wheel is horizontal, too.  Its not a big enough vehicle to have wheel like that, it doesnt feel like you have good control of vehicle.  The engine does not have much power and is sluggish.

On the flip side, the driver does have good visability and good turning radious.  Company owners love them becuase of the limited maintenance required.  They can go 10,000 miles on an oil change and over 100,000 to the first scheduled tune-up.

If I had to pick, I would stick with Ford. B)


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## fm_emt (Aug 26, 2006)

Jon said:
			
		

> No... you know why? The truck is a trademark-type-thing, and they destroy them when they are no longer serviceable.



I was reading that it was a liability thing. But yea, they strip them of any usable parts and then the rest is cut up for scrap.

Due to tax issues & paperwork (further compounded by Sarbanes-Oxley) a lot of computers meet the same fate.


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## FF894 (Aug 27, 2006)

Jon said:
			
		

> Silly question - we all know that UPS trucks "look different" than a regular panel van, right? (The front-end is funny-shaped). Had anyone ever seen a UPS truck being used by someone other than UPS?
> 
> No... you know why? The truck is a trademark-type-thing, and they destroy them when they are no longer serviceable.




You will also notice there is no make/model identifying marks ie: Ford, Mack, etc......


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## badbooboo (Mar 14, 2012)

We have two Sprinter (Freightliner) ambulances, by Demers, at the commercial service where I work, and 5 Ford type II (AEV) and a Ford type III (Horton) for bariatrics.  I like them (Sprinters).  The service I volunteer at has two type III Lifelines, one a Ford, the other a Chevy.  I would love it if the volunteer service would consider a Sprinter for our paid day staff.  The Lifelines cost about $170k, the Sprinters about $80K.  In rural areas transporting two Pt's may be more common, but in the urban and suburban areas where I work, we rarely have more than on Pt.  The company I work for also staffs a nearby volunteer service on weekdays.  They have a Ford type III similar to our Horton, and a HUGE International truck-ambulance (Gargambulance?) that almost everyone hates, including the volunteers.


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## nswAU (Apr 4, 2012)

Mercedes Sprinters here only in Australia.

Skip to 3min and you can see an arrest being run in the back off one. 

(this is a Australian docco based on new paramedics entering the govt ambulance service in NSW, Australia)

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3pXMI1Q6Gk&feature=fvwrel[/YOUTUBE]

Its squished, but roomy.


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## Tigger (Apr 7, 2012)

Road shotgun in a Type II Spinter a couple days ago taking my friend to the ER, there was so much legroom I think I am in love. Granted this was in New Zealand but I certainly liked it, it seemed to ride a lot better than the E-Series.


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## MedicBender (Apr 7, 2012)

We have three different sprinter units that our 24hr crews use. One is made by road rescue, and the other two by wheeled coach. 

The Road Rescue has a ton of leg room up front, and it's great for long trips if you're driving or riding shotgun. The Wheeled Coach however is terrible. If you're a taller person you'll find your knees almost touching the dash. You have to make a choice, either you have a little bit of seat recline and your knees are crunched up, or you sit straight up and get a little leg room. 

The rear on both is pretty standard for a type II. It's workable, but its cramped if you have more then 2 people back there. I've done a lot of long distance transfers with a vent, IV pumps, and the LP12. Once you get it all situated it's not that bad. On the other hand if you have to bounce around from the side of the patient to the head of the patient it can be a bit of an acrobatic act. I don't mind working in them, but I do miss the medium duty rigs we had in Maryland. 

Driving them is hit or miss as well. Our units have a single rear wheel, which was a terrible mistake. With a dual rear wheel I think they would be a lot more stable then they are. Driving in snow is a challenge, the older Road Rescue will shut off the motor if the wheels start to spin. The newer wheeled coaches seem to have phased this out. They do very well on long distance trips as far as ride and fuel economy is concerned. The only down side is the wind. If you catch a good cross wind it will blow the rig almost into the other lane. The rig is basically a giant sail. 

I'm not to involved with the maintenance the trucks have had. I do know the other truck has around 150,000 and has been through 3 transmissions. The 2 newer trucks only have 50,000 on them, but we're concerned we may be replacing them later.  We seem to be filling the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) quite a bit lately. This is a feature that's been added on to the newer trucks. Once the vehicle runs out of DEF it will not allow the vehicle to start. One of our crews found this out the hard way about 150 miles from base. 

I would like to see my company use them as long distance haulers. Utilizing type IIIs for our 911 areas in town. However I don't see this happening any time soon.


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## RustyShackleford (Apr 25, 2012)

So many comments on how "ugly" they are, I didn't realize that EMS was about looking pretty.  From what I have seen of them in Europe and Australia they are an amazingly versatile vehicle and I would sure enjoy the head room instead of being hunched over with my military grade back pain all the time.


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## FourLoko (Apr 26, 2012)

I think they look just fine. They're my favorite units to drive. We have some new, giant Mods that look nice but damn are they heavy and slow and SO WIDE!


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## medicdan (Apr 26, 2012)

Slight change in topic-- does anyone know the height of the sprinter mods, off hand? I'm interested in those with a box and those without (my suspicion is that the "bump" on the back for the lights is the tallest part.
Ideas?

Thanks!


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## Tigger (Apr 26, 2012)

emt.dan said:


> Slight change in topic-- does anyone know the height of the sprinter mods, off hand? I'm interested in those with a box and those without (my suspicion is that the "bump" on the back for the lights is the tallest part.
> Ideas?
> 
> Thanks!



In an attempt to refute the claim that they "too tall and top heavy" compared to E-series Type IIs I think I found most of them to be 9' 10," just like must other Type IIs. I was also under the impression that Sprinter Type IIs keep their stock roof so the vehicle data sheet off Mercedes website should be accurate. 

As for the Type IIIs I imagine that's up to the manufacturer.


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