Ford F450'S

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firemedickyle

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Looking for any input regarding the Ford F450'S chasis for an ambulance.... If anybody has any input or concerns regarding these areas.

Suspension

Engine Problems

Cab Comfort

Handling

Maintenance Issues

Comfortable ride

Thanks for the help!
 
Rough ride.

If has 6.0 engine will be in the shop more than on the road.

For better ride get F-350 or chevy 3500
 
Currently were running several E450's that seem to be always in the shop. Those motors are the 6.0L. I'm not sure what size liter motor this one will have in it. I appreciate the input.
 
The 6.0 was a bad motor. Ford lost lots of customers because of it. The old 7.3 powerstroke was great. I think the now have a different motor available but not sure. But I would avoid the 6.0.

F450 is a rough ride even with air shocks.
 
Agree, the ford is having issues with injectors. The chevys seem to be doing alot better. Chevy is now becoming a player in the ambulance market, now that they have matched fords 100k waranty on super duty trucks. The problem is that they do not produce enough "ambulance chassis" to keep up with demand, so you may have to wait.
 
450's sit higher, so you need air ride on the back to drop the back down on calls.

both the 450's and 350's use the 6.4L now. They have plenty of power, but still have problems. A lot of it is with the turbos.

The 7.3L has not been in a truck for years, so that is not an option.

The Chevy 3500 is a nice riding truck, but does not hold up as an ambulance chassis. They can not take the stresses. All the ones that we have had, did not last 10k miles before major issues. Blown engines,blown turbos,blown rearends and cracked frames. If Chevy could build them sturdy enough to handle the stress, they would be nice trucks.

Dodge now makes chassis cabs again and some ambulance manufacturers are now using them. Of the services that I have talked with that are using them, all have had no problems with them yet. Only time will tell with them.
 
firemedickyle said:
Currently were running several E450's that seem to be always in the shop. Those motors are the 6.0L. I'm not sure what size liter motor this one will have in it. I appreciate the input.
Click to expand...


The company I work for has gotten E-350's in the past. Last year they did get an E-450 (bariatric truck) and have had nothing but problems with it. It's one of the newer trucks, buts its in the shop more then trucks that are 2-3yrs older.

Since they have been having so many problems with Ford, they currently switched over to Chevy :D Just got our first Chevy the other day... gotta get the decals on her and let her loose!

Take Care,
 
F-450

F 450s are pretty good the 450s/550s are all what ford calls a wide frame design the frames and wheelbase are I think like a foot wider than the narrow
frame. F-250/350 but they are trucks, straight front axle and they ride on hard 19.5" tires/ but they are solid and will take a beating and a payload good choice if you are looking for 4x4. As far as engines go the new trucks 08' and up have the new 6.4l engine, they are quieter than the old HEUI (7.3/6.0) family and do not have the VGT turbo problems of the 6.0L or the High Pressure oil problems, Like any new engine they have their problems , but from what I hear they are working well and the Duramax is far from perfect, ours here decided not to start while we were transporting a patient for a possiable MI. Just keep in mind that the "E" series still use the old 6.0l engine / and a number of the early 08' F series ambulances were built on V-10 (6.8L) chassis because it took a while to figure out the diesel Ambulance prep package, I have yet to see 6.4L Ambulance prep package , but it is supposed to incorparate dual alternators good for something like 260amps and a 120V 60hz PTO from the factory , or thats what they claimed back in late 07' when they came to the dealer I was working at.
 
The 6.4L has just as many problems as any other engine. It is a good running engine, but it has a lot of problems with the turbos blowing hoses off. It is an easy fix, but will down the truck till it can be repaired.

The 6.4L prep package is the same as the 6.0L package. Dual alts, better coolers and sheilded exhaust.

450's wheel base is the same as a 350. The 550's are a little wider, but not by much. If you are looking at a 4x4, then the 450 is the best setup. It rides higher and sits on bigger rims. If you need one for in a city, then the 350 is a better choice. It is lower to the ground and has less sway.
 
I'm not sure about your use of the ambulance but I would beware of the 6.4.

We have one in our brush truck. We also respond to a 6,000 square mile area. It is not uncommon for us to get on the interstate and run emergent for almost an hour (which is also what our ambulances are expected to do).

The brush truck governs out at 79MPH (when all of the speed limits around here are already 75mph). So we can almost not justify running emergent. The other (and much bigger) beef is the way that the governor works.

It actually blocks the way that the engine cools itself with air intake. If you run it next to the gov all of the time, it will cause damage. The Ford rep told us to go to the gov then back off 5mph. 5MPH!!!!!!!! That puts us UNDER the speed limit. And Ford will not tweak the gov for us.

Then we have also had issues with the reburn phase that is meant to help meet emission standards. It will cause serious problems with truck power on long, steep grades and it has the potential of burning the truck down if not allowed to reburn as it deems fit (and that is straight from the Ford rep).

The only Ford engine available right now is the 6.4. If you are forced to get it, treat it dainty. Dual turbos, somewhere near 10ish radiators (im not even joking), SLOW. Prior to this endeavor I was a Ford fan for the heavy duty trucks.

NOT NO MORE


Wy Medic
 
I have never seen any Ford that in governed at 79 mph. Ford has two settings for their ECU's. 86 mph and 92 mph. It may be that the speedo is off a little bit.

BTW- Here is a hint for you. Never listen to a Ford rep. They have no clue about the vehicles they sell.
 
Anyone have a picture of the Dodge chassis for ambulances? I hear FDNY is speccing them out. BTW, the 08 FDNY ambulances have ZERO pick up everyone of em in our fleet has been out warantee at least once for radiator leaks.They are the F-450
 
Before we went over to the sprinters we had 2 450's and all the rest of our units were 350's we had aprox 86 units...The 450's were our mountain units and set up for it with 4WD and Auto chains (not sure of the technical name) anyway the "better units" (thats what were told) spent a heck of a lot more time in our service bays than they did in said mountains...
 
There is no difference in the engine or transmission in a 350 or 450. A lot of that break down could be from abuse, off road.
 
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