Future vandweller here

[cortttt]

I wish I had your skills! Ambulances certainly have lots of pro's.

The only thing I really worry about the ambulance is the weight and getting unstuck if you get stuck. Some are 9-10K base weight - which will probably end up being 12K when everything is added in. That seems somewhat doable (?) Others can be much heavier.

It's really hard to estimate how much weight you're adding. I thought I'd added about 1000 lbs. Instead I'd added over 3500 and was actually over payload (9700 lbs) I was so dumbfounded by that that I actually went to another weigh station to check.

I think the ambulance is probably too heavy for a hi-lift or Pro-eagle jack. Of course it will come with a jack but man, those little jacks are time-consuming. Having 4x4 - I think many of them do have that - would be quite helpful. If you can get a heavy-duty winch that would be helpful.

I guess it depends on how far in you want to go.

 

[rruff]

I hear you on the weight thing... I thought I'd be under the GVWR rating on my Tundra since it's a light build, but it won't be close! I'm now hoping to stay under the axle ratings, but I'm not worried regardless. With good tires and suspension upgrades it will be fine.

I can see an ambulance working fine for some people, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Too big, too heavy, too wide... not very good offroad.

 

[TooFarGone]

Hi, @JP-SLC! I hope you'll hang around and let us know how your project is progressing. I wish you the best in unloading unnecessary burdens from your life going forward and I have mad respect for your work ethic.

My goodness, it was interesting to read the discussion you've sparked here. Personally, I don't see anything inherently "wrong" with an ambulance being converted for a nomadic home. Of course there are negatives - and there are positives. I assume you've sorted those out if you've decided on converting an ambulance. Just because one person wouldn't want a converted ambo, that doesn't mean nobody should have one. I figure you've probably found the Campulance Man's YT channel; I like his very clean ambo conversion.

As I said, good luck with your project, and I hope you'll check in with us as you go forward with it.

 

[JP-SLC]

Hi, @JP-SLC! I hope you'll hang around and let us know how your project is progressing. I wish you the best in unloading unnecessary burdens from your life going forward and I have mad respect for your work ethic.

My goodness, it was interesting to read the discussion you've sparked here. Personally, I don't see anything inherently "wrong" with an ambulance being converted for a nomadic home. Of course there are negatives - and there are positives. I assume you've sorted those out if you've decided on converting an ambulance. Just because one person wouldn't want a converted ambo, that doesn't mean nobody should have one. I figure you've probably found the Campulance Man's YT channel; I like his very clean ambo conversion.

As I said, good luck with your project, and I hope you'll check in with us as you go forward with it.

Thank you! Cheers!

 

[Calypso]

Welcome! It’s not required to lay your entire life and history out to “prove” you qualify for whatever you decide to do with your life. I’ve had “yikes” moments to responses here as well, I think there are some that are old timers and a bit protective and offended with all the new interest in the lifestyle or that it’s a choice for some when it’s not a choice for others. I find when you get below the crustiness of what seems a sharp response there are good intentions, and a feeling of responsibility to helping others prepare themselves for what they don’t know. There are some who have an opinion and find their truth applies to all. I think it’s a bit of the nature of folks who don’t fit into society’s norms, just from my observation.

We all have our own experiences and dreams/goals and tolerance for risk and making mistakes with the ability to learn from them. I’m new to this too. There’s no right way, and there are pros and cons to everything and one persons cons might be another’s pros. What I think the community does is provide a place to,share them all and find support for the direction you chose for yourself. I think it organically filters itself so you find the information and like minded people that you need in a way that works for you. People can take it or leave it. We also tend to interject ourselves into others lives just by reading a few paragraphs. But it’s not necessary for to share or explain yourself anymore than you want to.

I’m excited for you to find a new freedom and the courage to make this pivot in your life. Maybe it’s the perfect fit, maybe it’s not, maybe it’s just a transition to something else. No one knows, and the only way to discover is to move forward. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and process. Welcome.

 

[cortttt]

I hear you on the weight thing... I thought I'd be under the GVWR rating on my Tundra since it's a light build, but it won't be close! I'm now hoping to stay under the axle ratings, but I'm not worried regardless. With good tires and suspension upgrades it will be fine.

I can see an ambulance working fine for some people, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Too big, too heavy, too wide... not very good offroad.

It's crazy how the weight creeps up on you. I was lucky I had a 1-ton I would have been 1100 lbs over payload with a 3/4 ton. That little 4.8L actually did just fine with all that weight.

It seems like Bob is very happy with his 15K heavy ambulance. Maybe with that 4x4 and dualies, you're OK with 90% of the places you want to go. Some people say watch out for duallies but others say they really help. I have no idea. There are so many opinions out there,

My concern would be getting unstuck if you get stuck. I get stuck a fair amount but I don't have a 4x4 and I've tended to push things.

On the other hand it would be nice to have more room