Chevy Ambulance

[emt9577]

The service I work for just picked up 5 brand new chevy type 2 ambulances direct from wheeled coach. And they have ordered at least 8 more to be delivered at the end of the month. And I heard rumor from my boss that they might be getting 20 more after that. I am just wondering what everybody else is thinking of the new chevys? Out of the five, I im sitting here stuck in Orlando waiting for wheeled coach to open in the morning so I can take one back, because of a minor wiring issue, and the check engine light is on along with the reduced engine power light. It cant get out of its own way, and it only has 250 miles on the odometer. The service from wheeled coach is excellent, I just wish the chevy matched up. I like the looks, they are quieter it seems, and they have more power. Just this one with issues. The other four made the 900 mile trip home without a problem. Whats everybodys thoughts on the chevys?

 

[Emtgirl21]

we just got 4 new ambulances from wheeled coach. They are all type three's. The air conditioner on two of them blew up. I mean boom, smoke, whole deal! They had to be towed away. I think however our trucks are ford 450's but dont get me to lieing. the other problem was that on one of them someone somewhere in the ambulance making place forgot the powersteering fluid. That apparently is a BIG problem. Other than that I am loving the new trucks!

 

[Grady_emt]

I went with my partner to our local McCoy Miller Rep here in Atl who also does our PM program to swap out trucks the other day. We swapped into a new 08' truck with 4560 miles on it that just had coolant system flush done to it. Well they forgot to put the anti-freeze back in the engine and we made it about two blocks down the street responding to a call emergency before it overheated.

They had fun explaining that one to out management staff (maybe also be why we are switching to Frazers???)

 

[Rattletrap]

The Vol FD I ran with for 13 years has ran chevy 4x4 trucks with Horton boxes on them with very little problems for several years now

 

[Epi-do]

My "urban assault vehicle" is a Chevy with a Horton box on it. When we first got it, there were all sorts of bugs in the computer system that needed to be worked out. The truck has been in service of a little over a year now, and everyone here loves it now that the bugs are out. It has a nice smooth ride and for something that big, it handles great.

 

[Mercy4Angels]

thumbs down on the chevys. ill only use E450 type III's. the f series is a POS too. ill consider an international type III but only cause they atopped making the E series

 

[emt9577]

We have since picked up the other 8. We have had a handful of problems, mainly with the chevy emission system. Wheeled Coach on the other hand has been great. Our crews are hating the emissions/exhaust filter light on the chevy that seems to come on alot. However they seem to handle better than most of the ford type II's Ive ever driven.

 

[reaper]

We have 4 Chevy's. They are not designed to handle the abuse of ems. They are all 1 year old. All 4 have been in the shop more then the 15 fords we have. The Engines are great. Only problem we have had with the engine is blown turbos.

The frame is what is falling apart. The front ends breaking. Have blown rear ends in all 4. Cracked frames on 2 of them. Chevy frames are maxed out on the weight limit, with a box on it. They are not designed to carry the weight and work load.

They eat tires like they are made of paper!

We have had normal engine quirks with the fords, but have never had a problem with the frames or running gear.

Our trucks run constant for 12-24 hrs a day. so they do get worked out.

 

[chico.medic]

My service just took delivery of a Chevy Type I from Leader Emergency Vehicles. I had the pleasure of working a 72 hour shift out of this unit and I have to say, I like it. I'm 6'4'' so I've pretty much come to terms with the fact I'll never be comfortable in ANY ambulance, but this truck doesn't quite have the leg room that some of our new Ford's have.

The wheel base is longer than the Fords, so it rides smoother, and seems to handle better at high speeds.

 

[rmellish]

My service just received two chevy minimods from Medix. The boxes arent any different, but I like the cockpit quite a bit more.

It seems as if you sit higher at the steering wheel, providing better visibility. They also seem a bit quicker. The cockpit also seems a bit roomier.

 

[MikeRi24]

they just got 4 new Chevys at the place I will hopefully be working for. from talking to a bunch of people there about various things, including the new Chevys, they said the chevys seem to be lacking room between the bench and and where the stretcher goes, making it very difficult to move around the side of the patient. hopefully i'll get this job and can experience this myself then I'll report back lol

 

[Ridryder911]

It is the ambulance manufacture that makes the interior and patient compartment, not the vehicle manufacture.

R/r 911

 

[emt9577]

Ryder your exactly right about the conversion manufacturer making them smaller, but it would help it the vehicle manufacturer would make the vans a little wider to give them a little more room for the cabinets.

So far two of our chevy type II's have over 15,000 miles on them. Still going good. Had to send two of the 5 back to chevy because of intake tubes coming off, and getting deformed setting a check engine light. We havent had any more problems with the exhaust filters once we banned idling the engines at low idle, we now require the idling chevy's to be idled at high-idle, if they arent on the road or turned off. Our crews are still loving them, especially the suspension, handling, and power.