Forum Discussion
rjstractor
Jun 10, 2021Nomad
I love to derail a thread completely off topic as much as anyone, but I'll circle back to the original topic- the Ford V10 in an E-series chassis. The fire department I work for started using E450 based ambulances in IIRC 2002 or so. Emergency vehicle use is brutal on trucks- they get started cold, literally driven like you're on the way to a burning house, idled for sometimes hours, then driven back and shut down. Our mechanics do the prescribed maintenance and fix things that are broke. Our first batch had the 7.3 diesel, and they were reliable, not great on power but were fine. We had one 6.0, and while it was a bit snappier than the 7.3s, she was the shop queen. Our fleet division spent more time working on that POS than the 4 older 7.3 powered rigs combined. They ended up pulling the ambulance box off of it and had it mounted it to a new V10 E450. All of our aid vehicles are now V10 powered. They move out quicker than any of the previous diesels, and while we put a LOT of gas in them, all the mechanics do is change the oil as prescribed. It's still only been 3 years since they've been in service, but I don't think any of them have seen a wrench other than for routine maintenance. Hopefully the new 7.3 gas will be as good or better.
About Motorhome Group
38,705 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 21, 2025