FORD E450 VS. MEDIUM DUTY(GMC,FRIGHTLINER ETC.)

emt30khl

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My fire station has a E450 horton. We are looking at getting a new one,but some of are new truck commitee is thinking of going with the medium duty chassis reasons, is that on are e450 it has brake problems of heating up and the second is the cab is very tight when driving with gear on or gear off. second is visablity in the intersections is poor,and i dont like the way it shifts and the power going up hills. Where with the medium duty you are up higher and have better view in the intersections and brakes are bigger so it can handle the box whieght better plus there is more room in the cab and you can put a bigger motor in it. but we are going to stay with horton and keep the horton box size that we have this will be are first time buying a new truck and keeping the current truck for a back up are current truck is 9 years old..........so, what does every one think e450 vs medium duty chassis.................
 

Jon

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My one squad has a 201 Horton E350. We are replacing with an E45 this year, again Horton. We are space limited, and a "standare" size horton box on an E450 chassis will BARELY fit our building, so we are maked out. Yeah, it is a little tight to drive with gear on, but doesn't NFPA reccomend that fire apparatus drivers NOT drive with gear on, instead put it on onscene? Most of our drivers Fire / EMS do it that way.

I've seen and worked with medium duty Co's and drivers.They are big, heavy, quite a few lack the "get up and go" of a ford E350 / e450. It is nice to have the room in the back, but remeber, you will want some type of intercom between front and back. Also, it is a different kettle of fish to drive a frieght-shaker or international then a ford van. Different design of brakes, etc. Air brakes sometimes.

It also depends on your territory - a good driver can get a medium duty to fit 99% of the places an E450 can, but narrow alleys are a BEAR with a medium duty.

Also, what is your crew size?how many patients will you transport. If you want more room in the front, you can have them take room from the back and extend the cab back into the boc, losing some box area, but giving more room in the front.

Ask Horton to bring demos by. Take a look at a "New" E450 and a new medium duty rig. drive them around. See where they fit/don't fit.

Jon

Anyway, home this helps.
 

BloodNGlory02

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we're also looking at going to horton from road rescue. We're looking for more storage space mainly, but we go thru brakes like oxygen. We ran almost 2000 calls last year so its pretty warranted. Hopefully we can still get the features of our road rescue though. Im so anxious to get a demo cuz ive never riden in a 'big rig'.
 

dlkelleytn

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This is always a tough question to answer when someone contacts me about buying a new rig. Here are a few of my pros and cons concerning the E-450 versus the Medium Duty chassis.

E-450 - Built specifically for the RV industry so it will provide a much better ride than the medium dutys. The E-450 generally provides a better turning radius which is not a major factor since we all have only the best drivers in our organizations. On the down side it is a lighter chassis therefore the E-450 will wear out quicker and is a bear to work on - mechanics hate them. Overall if patient ride/comfort is one of your primary goals the E-450 has a definite advantage.

Medium Dutys - Built for the medium duty truck industry and modified for the EMS/Rescue market. Much stiffer ride, even with air bags the ride can be quite rough. The medium duty chassis will last longer and require less maintenance than the E-450. One consideration in the markets I deal with is the fact that when you move to a medium duty chassis you also move to medium duty mechanics which will cost you more when you do have service work done. Some drivers also get the "I'm big and bad and can run over anything in sight" attitude when driving the medium dutys. For longevity and service considerations the nod goes to the medium duty chassis.

The end result is no one chassis is perfect, each department has to decide what works best for their area and go from there. A salesman can make either one shine or stink depending on how you want it presented to the board or purchasing agent.

And of course my opinions are like a certain anatomical part - we all have one...
 

Jon

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Originally posted by BloodNGlory02@Apr 11 2005, 11:31 PM
we're also looking at going to horton from road rescue. We're looking for more storage space mainly, but we go thru brakes like oxygen. We ran almost 2000 calls last year so its pretty warranted. Hopefully we can still get the features of our road rescue though. Im so anxious to get a demo cuz ive never riden in a 'big rig'.
Umm..Steph:

I think you might be a little confused - Horton and Road Rescue both manufacture ambulances. Both make ambulances on F350/450 and E350/450 chassis, as well as medium duty rigs.

Actually, Spartan / Road Rescue made a really cool ambulance for Cambridge (MA) that takes the "big chassis" idea a little TOO far... will bost pictures...

Jon
 

Jon

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This is a Medium-Duty Ambulance:
rescue1.jpg


This is Type 3
4587.jpg




This the ambulance mounted on a custom chassis (like fire apparatus) I mentioned earlier:
CambridgeR1lowe.jpg



Manufacturers have different features, and if you look, we all swear by different brands.... think cars... every manufacturer has different models and different features, and not every feature is availible on every model
`
Road Rescue
Horton
 

KEVD18

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ms jon: you live/work in the cambridge area??? if so, we might be collegues in short order.
 

MedicPrincess

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Originally posted by KEVD18@Apr 29 2005, 09:59 AM
ms jon:
:lol: :lol:

Hey "Ms Jon"...Got a date Sat night, if not you wanna come hang out with the rest of us girls????



:lol: :lol:
 

rescuecpt

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Originally posted by EMTPrincess+Apr 29 2005, 10:29 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (EMTPrincess @ Apr 29 2005, 10:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-KEVD18@Apr 29 2005, 09:59 AM
ms jon:
:lol: :lol:

Hey "Ms Jon"...Got a date Sat night, if not you wanna come hang out with the rest of us girls????



:lol: :lol: [/b][/quote]
lol!
 

KEVD18

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before i get caught up in this, i was abbreviating medic student, not reassinging his gender

oops!
 

MedicPrincess

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Sure, Sure...its okay!! I have "reassigned" someones gender not so long ago...isn't that right TTLWHKR
 

Jon

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I'm hurt....
 

MedicPrincess

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Its okay...girls are allowed to cry!!!


ahahahahahahahahaha!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Jon

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Originally posted by KEVD18@Apr 29 2005, 09:59 AM
ms jon: you live/work in the cambridge area??? if so, we might be collegues in short order.
I was born in Mass. I've lived in Chester County PA for the last 15 years.


Jon
 

KEVD18

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guess i got confused w/ all the cambridge fire pics.... oh well
 

Jon

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Originally posted by KEVD18@Apr 30 2005, 08:54 PM
guess i got confused w/ all the cambridge fire pics.... oh well
they were the easiest to post.

Jon
 

ECC

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After riding in them all...American LaFrance, Horton, Southern, Wheeled Coach, Grumman, P&L, Braun, McCoy-Miller, and Med-Tech...not to mention Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Freightliner, and International...lest us not forget Type I, II, and III, I have this to say:

Chevy and Ford make the best chassis for YOU to ride in. Type I's generally survive a little better in accidents than III's and especially II's. If you are cramped in a E350/E450 look to get an F350/F450. They ride better and if you have to post in them, this will mean the difference in a good and bad back later in your career!

Box wise I would stay with the Horton, Wheeled Coach and Braun lines. If you have not heard of the comapny building your rig, there is probably a reason for it!
 

Jon

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Originally posted by ECC@May 16 2005, 09:01 PM
After riding in them all...American LaFrance, Horton, Southern, Wheeled Coach, Grumman, P&L, Braun, McCoy-Miller, and Med-Tech...not to mention Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Freightliner, and International...lest us not forget Type I, II, and III, I have this to say:

Chevy and Ford make the best chassis for YOU to ride in. Type I's generally survive a little better in accidents than III's and especially II's. If you are cramped in a E350/E450 look to get an F350/F450. They ride better and if you have to post in them, this will mean the difference in a good and bad back later in your career!

Box wise I would stay with the Horton, Wheeled Coach and Braun lines. If you have not heard of the comapny building your rig, there is probably a reason for it!
Great points

If you have not heard of the comapny building your rig, there is probably a reason for it!

VERY GOOD POINT
 
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