Tribunius Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Check the new Savanna G4500 cutaway. It is available with the Duramax too, so chances are it will become the ambulance chassis of choice. Thanks for the suggestion. We do use it on occasion and will probably use it a lot more in the future. It has become the default chassis for ambulances here in BC, canada. We are still looking for a replacement for the dual rear wheel E350 and E450. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 They look so whimpy compared to the dual rear wheel RV's. um....oops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Check the new Savanna G4500 cutaway. It is available with the Duramax too, so chances are it will become the ambulance chassis of choice. Thanks for the suggestion. We do use it on occasion and will probably use it a lot more in the future. It has become the default chassis for ambulances here in BC, canada. We are still looking for a replacement for the dual rear wheel E350 and E450. and ....oops X's 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 And lets not forget.... Fellas....I believe that Transit and Econoline can be merged....but when Ford does do that...they need to remember the Econo in Econoline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 And lets not forget.... Fellas....I believe that Transit and Econoline can be merged....but when Ford does do that...they need to remember the Econo in Econoline true, they also better pack the "good" motor in them. Such as the 5.0, 6.2, & 4.4 diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 (edited) true, they also better pack the "good" motor in them. Such as the 5.0, 6.2, & 4.4 diesel. They can build a new lineup with the Transit name... Transit Connect: Fords answer to the small van service market. Transit Econoline: Fords answer to the replacement of the aging Econoline of old. You would want EcoBoost I4 and V6 as well. Edited September 10, 2009 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 (edited) deleted: double post Edited September 10, 2009 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Thanks for the suggestion. We do use it on occasion and will probably use it a lot more in the future. It has become the default chassis for ambulances here in BC, canada. We are still looking for a replacement for the dual rear wheel E350 and E450. You don't have the dual rear wheel Savanna in B.C.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 They do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 true, they also better pack the "good" motor in them. Such as the 5.0, 6.2, & 4.4 diesel. The word from "inside" is that all engines will be from Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausrutherford Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 ^^^ They better at least put the 2.7 Diesel in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 ..........including FWD, RWD and AWD, which I believe incresases its appeal to different kinds of end users by better matching needs/requirements/budgets vs. capabilities and $$$. That is what is really impressive about the Transit. It might not make it as the ideal ambulance chassis, but there will be several applications it will work for that a traditional domestic van won't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 The word from "inside" is that all engines will be from Europe. Class 5 with 350lb-ft? I don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipnzap Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Will the Transit be a suitable chassis for ambulance, small school bus and small motor home applications? I haven't seen one Sprinter yet used for these purposes although I think I saw a picture of a Sprinter ambulance. By the way, there will be no more Dodge Sprinters. Only Daimler will market them, and I suspect it will probably have the Freightliner badge. I don't think Ford can afford to lose those sales to GM, which is the only other mfr. whose van chassis is used for the aforementioned applications. There are a ton of Sprinter cutaways roaming around, especially ambulances, stake bodies and box trucks. The Sprinter actually currently dominates the class-B (non-cutaway) motorhome segment, and has been gaining a large foothold in the class-B+/mini-C (cutaway) segment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 remember how many E vans are sold as 3/4 and 1 ton. unless the Transit comes equipped with some bigazz work engines, Ford will lose this market. a 3.5 ecoboost will not replace a large gas V8 in most work applications where engine longevity is an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfeg Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 remember how many E vans are sold as 3/4 and 1 ton. unless the Transit comes equipped with some bigazz work engines, Ford will lose this market. a 3.5 ecoboost will not replace a large gas V8 in most work applications where engine longevity is an issue. We have 1 ton E Series vans. The 5.4 at 235 hp is enough to get things moving and keep up with traffic. If a next gen Transit is the replacement for these beasts, I do not care how many cylinders the engine has, turbo or non turbo, inline or vee, valve arrangement, and so on. Just give me 200 to 250 hp in the operating range, and better fuel economy. The only problem with the 5.4 is that it is not very economical. Commercial users are not really looking for "bigazz" engines, just something with a combination of reasonable power, reasonable economy, and the expected Ford durability and low maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydro Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 We have 1 ton E Series vans. The 5.4 at 235 hp is enough to get things moving and keep up with traffic. If a next gen Transit is the replacement for these beasts, I do not care how many cylinders the engine has, turbo or non turbo, inline or vee, valve arrangement, and so on. Just give me 200 to 250 hp in the operating range, and better fuel economy. The only problem with the 5.4 is that it is not very economical. Commercial users are not really looking for "bigazz" engines, just something with a combination of reasonable power, reasonable economy, and the expected Ford durability and low maintenance. See this where it gets messy. An RV will need over 450lb/ft to make it worth a damn. So that's why I mentioned they need the "good" engines. Then there is lfeg's case where the van with minimal power is fine. So, here's my picks.... 5.0 instead of 3.5ecoboost mainly because less moving parts, not a complicated engine and makes the same power if not more. 6.2L & 4.4L diesel for heavy duty and RV applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 We have 1 ton E Series vans. The 5.4 at 235 hp is enough to get things moving and keep up with traffic. If a next gen Transit is the replacement for these beasts, I do not care how many cylinders the engine has, turbo or non turbo, inline or vee, valve arrangement, and so on. Just give me 200 to 250 hp in the operating range, and better fuel economy. The only problem with the 5.4 is that it is not very economical. Commercial users are not really looking for "bigazz" engines, just something with a combination of reasonable power, reasonable economy, and the expected Ford durability and low maintenance. you should care. a turbo 6 will be running the turbo more often to maintain V8 power, so you will NOT see the gains in FE and you will see reduced engine life. Caveat before anyone without a firsthand knowledge of commercial use, car and personal use trucks do not run at full load so they would benefit from ecoboost engines. A 1 ton van being used as a 1 ton would burn out a turbo 6 gasser. Period. And I am prepared to put money on this. My family's construction business runs 1 ton vans. They are needed. 3/4 tons had the front ends wearing out too soon and the 5.4's were burning out prematurely. Why? Because these trucks are being used as work trucks and moving a lot of weight all day long. ANd if you think this is bull$hit, slap a 5.9 Cummins, Duramax or Powerstroke in a class 8 and see what happens. On paper they have enough power to get one of those trucks moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunius Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 You don't have the dual rear wheel Savanna in B.C.? We do. However what I'm talking about is this. An E350/450 DRW is 96" wide (outside tire to outside tire) at the rear axle. A savana is 94" (ok I'll admit for some reason I thought it was narrower so disregard the whole too narrow thing.) The main problem is this though: The E450 with a 176WB has a max gvwr of 14,500lbs. The Savana with a 177WB has a max gvwr of 12,300lbs. With a 159"WB its max gvwr is 14,200lbs. A transit or any other euro van are approx 80" wide, which is a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 We do. However what I'm talking about is this. An E350/450 DRW is 96" wide (outside tire to outside tire) at the rear axle. A savana is 94" (ok I'll admit for some reason I thought it was narrower so disregard the whole too narrow thing.) The main problem is this though: The E450 with a 176WB has a max gvwr of 14,500lbs. The Savana with a 177WB has a max gvwr of 12,300lbs. With a 159"WB its max gvwr is 14,200lbs. A transit or any other euro van are approx 80" wide, which is a problem. given this narrower, taller profile, do these vans have a greater tendancy to flip? there is an issue with E350 SRW passenger vans flipping. Although largely due to inexperienced drivers driving a top heavy van like a sports car... but it still leads to lawsuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Lower COG due to lower load floor on those tall vans. Or so I've been told. They'll still be equipped with RSC (gov't mandated by that time), so barring exceptional circumstances (weather related: ice, etc.) it shouldn't be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunius Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Lower COG due to lower load floor on those tall vans. Or so I've been told. That depends on weither the fwd or rwd version is used. The RWD version has a slightly higher load floor than the e series. I can't remember the exact difference but its somehwere around 2 inches. They'll still be equipped with RSC (gov't mandated by that time), so barring exceptional circumstances (weather related: ice, etc.) it shouldn't be a problem. ESP is pretty much a standard feature of all euro vans including the transit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunius Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 given this narrower, taller profile, do these vans have a greater tendancy to flip? there is an issue with E350 SRW passenger vans flipping. Although largely due to inexperienced drivers driving a top heavy van like a sports car... but it still leads to lawsuits. I have never heard that they do. Any of the ones I have been in or driven over the years have always felt stable on the roads. Be it highways or twisty back roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I have never heard that they do. Any of the ones I have been in or driven over the years have always felt stable on the roads. Be it highways or twisty back roads. Google it. There are many instances or E350 SRW flips and rollovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunius Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Google it. There are many instances or E350 SRW flips and rollovers. Actually I was talking about the transit. I have only ever been in an E350 passanger van once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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