Ford E-Series 2010 unveiled today

[mmeronk]

Ford POS

Let the sirens blare! Ford has just revealed a new and improved E-Series Super Duty ambulance package for 2010 featuring a proven 6.8 liter gasoline engine, a comprehensive array of heavy-duty components and a lower base model cost was unveiled today at the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) trade show in Chicago.

“The E-Series Super Duty has been the historical market leader in the ambulance segment,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development. “Listening to our private fleet and municipal customers, we’re seeing demand for a rugged, powerful ambulance – running on comparatively less expensive gasoline – at a lower initial acquisition cost.”

Why all the brouhaha over an ambulance? Well, one of the key new features is a new 305 hp, 420 lb-ft of torque, 6.8 liter Triton V-10 engine that runs on just regular unleaded gas, which provides quite a substantial savings over the cost of a diesel motor and fuel. The new and improved engine results in more power and responsive acceleration particularly, when responding to critical, time-is-of-the-essence, emergency situations.

The new and improved truck also features standard airbags for both driver and passengers. Disc brakes that are pretty large in diameter and an anti-lock braking system behind all four wheels offers a smoother stop than with past vehicles. The revised ambulance also meets all of the applicable 2012 emission standards.

Although Ford remains mum about the ambulance’s pricing for now, the vehicle is guaranteed to appeal to municipalities and private fleets, who like so many other businesses are looking to get the most bang for their buck.

--Car Chick

[rock_shoes]

Thank god we are switching to GM Chassis at my service. If you think it costs a lot of money running a fleet of diesels you don't even want to think about how much it's going to cost running a fleet of 6.8L V10 gas guzzlers. Ambulances are heavy vehicles and the torque curve of a diesel engine is far better suited to the application. In spite of the the higher outlay for a diesel vehicle, the overall decrease in maintenance costs and the extended service life of the vehicle more than make up the difference.

[TDP]

The powerjoke,I mean the powerstroke diesel that ford puts out is one of the worst diesel engines in the industry. The only bonus it has really is that the parts for it are stupid cheap. The only thing I will give ford is they make one rugged ass frame,everything else is garbage. GMC has put out reliable trucks despite what people think,say or how they are looking like they are going down from the economy. Duramax 6.6L diesel puts out the most torque and its a reliable motor. 80% of our city services use GMC trucks exluding ambulance service, I think they have some sort of retarded contract. Anyways, I don't like ford,and I don't think we should be putting them on the road,thats more of a risk then a benefit to patients and providers. Or maybe we should use dodge,they are reliable LOL anything but FORD.........lol

all in all.....

[spenac]

Nothing could touch the Ford 7.3 Power Stroke. Then they went to the 6.0 powerstroke and the ambulances got more miles on the lift than the highway. Ford used to be the only choice now its become the last choice.

[island emt]

Okay Children: Lets have a little history lesson on the progression of ambulance chassis over the last 35 years or so.

In the beginning we were running converted hearses made by cadillac or pontiac, raised rear roofs and not much room to do more than bag and drag. Some of them even advertised on the side that they were oxygen equipped or radio dispatched. These were equipped with huge gas engine in the 500 cubic in. + category. lots of motor very little brakes.

Then in the early 70's the first type II van conversions were introduced The first ones were done on the econoline chassis without a raised roof. All of a sudden we had room to actually provide care to our pt's and haul enough equipment to get our jobs done. Along came the dodge and chevy van conversions. About 1975 the first hi-top conversions were introduced to give us a little more head room. All of these trucks came with large gasoline engines and would go like the hammered hinges of hell. Ford used the 460, chevy had the 427 and dodge had the 373 mopar. A 460 ford could spin the back tires of a fully loaded 1 ton ambulance on acceleration.

The problem with the big gassers was overheating and vapor lock issues, along with a some really nasty fires. The the feds decided that gassers would be banned from ambulance conversions and mandated diesel power.

From a fleet management angle this was both good & bad. Good in the longevity and lower operating cost of the diesels, but bad in the added cost to purchase and the emissions produced. the manufacturers had to build a beefier chassis with higher GVW ratings to support the added weight

of the diesels. This gave us bigger and stiffer riding trucks but more able to carry all the additional equipment our professions required.

Then in the mid eighties the first type 1 & type III modulars boxes were introduced. All of a sudden we had room for multiple patients and more supplies than ever before. This took large displacement hi torque diesels to move them down the road.

Ford went to the international Harvester 6.9 liter normally aspirated engine which was a real powerful slug of a motor. Slow off the line but could pull a house of the foundation.

Chevy went to a bastardized version of the 350 gas motor and with a change of heads & pistons made it into a diesel. Best boat anchor ever produced. Couldn't give them away to the scrap dealers.

Dodge pulled out of the market as they didn't have a diesel.

Ford moved on to the 7.3 liter IH powerstroke which hands down was a tremendous engine in HP , torque & reliability. I drove several of these trucks to more than 500,000 miles with the engines still strong. This was done in by the feds and emissions levels requirements , which got us the infamous 6.0 Navistar produced engine. There have been multiple lawsuits over this engine and both Ford & Navistar have been slapped hard by the judge in Court.

Chevy in the meantime in conjunction with Isuzu from Japan took a 6.2 liter japanese design and enlarged it to 6.6 liters and is the current GM power plant. There have been almost as many issues with this engine as the ford/navistar 6.0. They seem to have worked out most of the major issues. They do have more torque & get a slight advantage in that. Unfortunately GM hasn't got a type III cut a way chassis with the same GVW rating as the Ford E450. The 4500 & 5500 conventional cab chassis is designed as a dump truck chassis and when converted into ambulances, they ride just like a dump truck. Even with full air ride they are not comfortable for us or our patients.

Dodge offers the Cummins diesel in the type 1 chassis. Great powerplant but the rest of the truck is pure junk. bad brakes, weak transmissions and shipped from the factory with rust already starting to eat the body.

I know the choices were hard to make , but Ford has decided to get away from the Navistar headache and thats why they are bringing the triton v-10 into the ambulance chassis specs. Just as a side note , the majority of class C motor-homes are built on the E-450 chassis with the V-10 which has been very reliable and reasonably cost effective in millions of miles of use.

From someone who started out in the back of a miller meteor cadillac ambulance, We've come a long way but nothing will ever give the comfort or ride of those babies.

[Richard B the EMT]

From someone who started out in the back of a miller meteor cadillac ambulance, We've come a long way but nothing will ever give the comfort or ride of those babies.

I'm similar, but from a 1967 Superior Coach 54 Caddylance as my first, back in 1973. Both the Miller Meteor and Superior caddylances gave most excellent smooth and fast rides.

In addition to the reliability of the diesel engines (which appears to be questioned here?), there was a time when the diesel fuel cost a bunch less than gasoline. There is also, now, the apparent lack of meeting clean air standards with diesel, which are probably tied in with the Ford Motor Company's decision to offer gas powerplants again.

[a_shane2_go]

My service has two 2007 ford's with a 6.0 L powerstroke. Both have had problems with turbo's leaking, one engine replaced and overheating issues. (Overheating due to broken rad, not engine.) (both around at 100,00km, so 60,000miles)

And we have a 2008 Chev diesel which seems to have loads more power, passing, accelerating off the line. And just everywhere through the whole power-band. The ride in the back is amazing for a unit (it is our newest but even now at 40,000km i can compare it when our fords were at the same km) And guess what Chev wins with ride yet again.

We've have electrical issues with our ambulance (due to the conversion company not the chassis of the unit itself) Which were under warranty.

All in all? The Chev is our first up unit as the best ride, and power.

My other employer who is a casual emerge company has a 4500, 2008 Chev gas. (not sure the engine size) But I definitely prefer driving it, better throttle response (No turbo to spin up) and the same great ride as our Chevy. (It has 80,000km, so rough est. 45,000miles) But again the amount of gas the thing sucks up is ludicrous.

My conclusion? From working on car, Chev for the pt's sake and ours (ride quality) and ride quality. We seem to have as many problems mechanically with the fords as the Chev's.

Last quick note, here in northern Canada where we have minus 40 without wind-chill ( same in both Celsius and Fahrenheit) for a week or two at a time. There seems to be a recently shift in oil-patch trucks for less problems. (Having to idle a diesel all night to keep it running) And thus increasing running hours of vehicle and other problems running diesel in cold climates. (Although they burn nothing even of high idle over 12 hours.)

For the record I own and drive a Ford in truck country.

1/2 tons? Ford.

Ambulance for me and my pt? Chev

now if only Chevy can keep afloat...

[TDP]

Okay Children: Lets have a little history lesson on the progression of ambulance chassis over the last 35 years or so.

In the beginning we were running converted hearses made by cadillac or pontiac, raised rear roofs and not much room to do more than bag and drag. Some of them even advertised on the side that they were oxygen equipped or radio dispatched. These were equipped with huge gas engine in the 500 cubic in. + category. lots of motor very little brakes.

Then in the early 70's the first type II van conversions were introduced The first ones were done on the econoline chassis without a raised roof. All of a sudden we had room to actually provide care to our pt's and haul enough equipment to get our jobs done. Along came the dodge and chevy van conversions. About 1975 the first hi-top conversions were introduced to give us a little more head room. All of these trucks came with large gasoline engines and would go like the hammered hinges of hell. Ford used the 460, chevy had the 427 and dodge had the 373 mopar. A 460 ford could spin the back tires of a fully loaded 1 ton ambulance on acceleration.

The problem with the big gassers was overheating and vapor lock issues, along with a some really nasty fires. The the feds decided that gassers would be banned from ambulance conversions and mandated diesel power.

From a fleet management angle this was both good & bad. Good in the longevity and lower operating cost of the diesels, but bad in the added cost to purchase and the emissions produced. the manufacturers had to build a beefier chassis with higher GVW ratings to support the added weight

of the diesels. This gave us bigger and stiffer riding trucks but more able to carry all the additional equipment our professions required.

Then in the mid eighties the first type 1 & type III modulars boxes were introduced. All of a sudden we had room for multiple patients and more supplies than ever before. This took large displacement hi torque diesels to move them down the road.

Ford went to the international Harvester 6.9 liter normally aspirated engine which was a real powerful slug of a motor. Slow off the line but could pull a house of the foundation.

Chevy went to a bastardized version of the 350 gas motor and with a change of heads & pistons made it into a diesel. Best boat anchor ever produced. Couldn't give them away to the scrap dealers.

Dodge pulled out of the market as they didn't have a diesel.

Ford moved on to the 7.3 liter IH powerstroke which hands down was a tremendous engine in HP , torque & reliability. I drove several of these trucks to more than 500,000 miles with the engines still strong. This was done in by the feds and emissions levels requirements , which got us the infamous 6.0 Navistar produced engine. There have been multiple lawsuits over this engine and both Ford & Navistar have been slapped hard by the judge in Court.

Chevy in the meantime in conjunction with Isuzu from Japan took a 6.2 liter japanese design and enlarged it to 6.6 liters and is the current GM power plant. There have been almost as many issues with this engine as the ford/navistar 6.0. They seem to have worked out most of the major issues. They do have more torque & get a slight advantage in that. Unfortunately GM hasn't got a type III cut a way chassis with the same GVW rating as the Ford E450. The 4500 & 5500 conventional cab chassis is designed as a dump truck chassis and when converted into ambulances, they ride just like a dump truck. Even with full air ride they are not comfortable for us or our patients.

Dodge offers the Cummins diesel in the type 1 chassis. Great powerplant but the rest of the truck is pure junk. bad brakes, weak transmissions and shipped from the factory with rust already starting to eat the body.

I know the choices were hard to make , but Ford has decided to get away from the Navistar headache and thats why they are bringing the triton v-10 into the ambulance chassis specs. Just as a side note , the majority of class C motor-homes are built on the E-450 chassis with the V-10 which has been very reliable and reasonably cost effective in millions of miles of use.

From someone who started out in the back of a miller meteor cadillac ambulance, We've come a long way but nothing will ever give the comfort or ride of those babies.

so why not team up cummins with allision transmission? I agree with what youve said. what about the gmc topkick?lmao

[Lone Star]

There's one thing that everyone seems to be forgetting here.....

Emergency Response Vehicles that traditionally respond in 'hazmat areas' MUST be equipped with diesel engines. That is FEDERAL MANDATE.

Since diesel engines do not have distributors, spark plugs and spark plug wires (obviously they don't require a spark for combustion), there is less chance of a diesel motor igniting vapors that have reached the 'explosive range'.

[island emt]

so why not team up cummins with allision transmission? I agree with what youve said. what about the gmc topkick?lmao

Ford would love to get a deal with Cummins. However Dodge already has them signed to an exclusive contract in this engine class. Same with Allison which is owned by daimler

Rumor on the street in commercial truck market has is that Ford is developing their own in house diesel engine to meet the new emissions requirements ,but it's not going to be ready in time for the 2010 model year.

Ford took a real beating on warrantee issues with the navistar 6.0 and thats why they filed suit to get them to cover some of the cost involved.