'91 e350 ambulance tow capacity?

[laz]

Let me preface this with the fact that I'm new to towing anything, so if I'm totally wrong about something or I'm asking something completely obvious, please be kind

Today I checked out a '91 E350 with the 7.3L non-turbo diesel, 4.10 ratio rear. It's an ambulance, and weighs 7400lbs with a GVWR tag on the door of 9000lbs. I couldn't find anything in the docs they had or the door tags that indicated a GCWR. It's got a class 2 hitch, so I'll assume it was used to tow something sometime.

I'm planning on towing my 2500lb race car on an open trailer , but would like to keep the door open to buying an enclosed trailer in the future. Will this ambulance meet my needs, should I look at stripping the cabinets, or should I be looking at another vehicle?

Thanks in advance for any opinions/insight

[88beast]

wow yes obvious youll need a bigger hitch class II (not 2) is way too small for a car trailer eitherway they probaly pulled a genset or small rescue boat

youll need a IV (4) to be alright 400 toung 4000 lbs total ( i think)

im guessing youll use this for hauling tools too because if not a truck would make more sense

youll want air bags to level the ride (tools tires and extra parts are heavy)
but baggin it is not necessary just very helpful

it will be sluggish when getting off the line (all those were) but once you get to speed youll go forever

enclosed trailer id recomend a class V (5) hitch 500 toung 5000 max
but the extra parts food and anything else for raceday in the back will add weight so if you are in 80% gvwr or more (roughly 8000) then a wd hitch will help (some say i recomend a new tow vehicle) but a wd hitch can make towing a wild load like a car less bouncy

the long overhang on the rear will multiply any forces back there and will make them larger (leverage) so youll need a good hitch and maybe wd (consider hitchweight into the gvwr)
your car with an enclosed trailer (carsized no tools) will be about 4-6k (depends on trailer)
thats a gcvw of 15 k that wil be around your limit

witha 6k trailer youll have 600 hitchweight (idealy) that will give you 1000 pounds of food tools tires etc. in the box


hope that helps any obvious questions feel free to ask

and how did you move the car before the ambulance?

[NEG297F]

You would have to find the tow capacity for a 91 E-350 Chassis cab. The class three hitch is usually rated at 500lb tounge/5000lb trailer, which would sufficient for andopen trailer and your race car. I would find a class IV/V if you are going to want to upgrade to an enclosed trailer and plan on loading more than the car in the trailer. Also consider a weight distributing hitch when you get the bigger trailer. Air bags are always a good idea anytime imho. If you get the Vanbulance have it weighed. If the 7400 lbs you quoted is on the door tag that is probably the dry weight of the chassis cab. See if the seller will let you get it weighed as is before you buy it. With a heavy ambulance body on it you may not have enough available GVWR left to support towing.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by laz

Today I checked out a '91 E350 with the 7.3L non-turbo diesel, 4.10 ratio rear. It's an ambulance, and weighs 7400lbs with a GVWR tag on the door of 9000lbs.

How do you know it weighs only 7,400 pounds? CAT scale receipt? If not a CAT scale receipt, then you need to weigh it. Load it with driver, any passenger(s) you'll normally have with you, and anything else that will normally be in the truck when on the road. Then go to a truckstop that has a CAT scale and fill up with fuel. Then weigh the rig.

I couldn't find anything in the docs they had or the door tags that indicated a GCWR.

The GCWR will be in the diesel supplement to the Owner's Guide. Probably somewhere between 12,000 to 16,000 pounds.

It's got a class 2 hitch, so I'll assume it was used to tow something sometime.

If the receiver is less than 2" wide, then replace it with a Class III/IV receiver that will accept a 2" wide drawbar/ball mount.

I'm planning on towing my 2500lb race car on an open trailer , but would like to keep the door open to buying an enclosed trailer in the future. Will this ambulance meet my needs, should I look at stripping the cabinets, or should I be looking at another vehicle?

It will probably meet your needs to a "T". But yeah, get rid of anything inside the rear end that you don't need for race stuff, including some of the heavy cabinets and storage areas. Since your GVWR is only 9,000 pounds, you want the wet and loaded van to gross less than 8,000 before you tie onto the trailer.

Know your weights. Get to know a certified automated truck (CAT) scale. When the van is loaded with everything including the wet and loaded trailer, hit the scales. If the GCW (gross combined weight) is more than about 15,000 pounds, you're trying to haul too much junk. If the combined weight on the two van axles is more than 9,000 pounds you're overloaded.

Open trailer is a "make do". When you upgrade to an enclosed race trailer, you'll enjoy towing much more. But the race trailers are heavy, so don't even think about one that includes LQ (living quarters).

Load the trailer so the hitch weight is 11 to 12 percent of the gross trailer weight. Confirm the weights on a CAT scale.

To determine hitch weight, weigh the wet and loaded van without the trailer. Then weigh it again with the trailer. Compare the GVW without to the trailer to the GVW with the trailer and the difference is hitch weight. GVW = the weight on the two van axles. Hitch weight plus the weight on the trailer axle(s) is gross trailer weight. Hitch weight divided by gross trailer weight = percent of hitch weight, which you want at 11 to 12 percent.

If the hitch weight is anywhere near 500 pounds, then you need a weight-distributing hitch that includes sway control.

[laz]

Thanks for the info everyone It gave me enough info to know it'll probably work for my needs now, and may work in the future. I bought the ambulance today, I'm a sucker for a "good deal" ($1800 for 135k mile ambulance, tranny rebuilt at 108k, needs new tires and hopefully not much else).

I got the 7400lbs from the ambulance literature, so it should be after the conversion, but I'm definitely going to find a scale to figure out how much weight it needs to lose.

Right now, the race car is registered and "street legal" to drive to and from the local tracks. It's not very comfortable, and if it breaks, I've gotta put it together in the paddock or pay for a long tow home. Towing it myself is definitely preferred.