1999 Ford F450 command center, quigley 4wd 7.3 diesel 13k miles,$39K Missouri

Craig_C

Active member
No relation, As of now wife said no, so I thought i would share. Looks like not much ground clearance?
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-Ford-...905236?hash=item595fa78c14:g:caMAAOSwaJ9f1s8R
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eporter

Adventurer
That’s a cool machine. Very ERV-like, I wonder how the box frame construction compares.

Interesting back door, not the double doors that make the big erv/ambo boxes useful for hauling big. Still, it’s wider than most RV doors. I hated the tiny 24” wide door on my old chinook. Made it hard to haul anything.
 

emtmark

Austere Medical Provider
4x4 in name only, its wasted on something like that, wish I had money problems like the design committee that specced that out


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Craig_C

Active member
I was thinking $30k at the high end would be reasonable given how high prices are right now. My guess if he waits another week, he will get his full asking price. Then again maybe not with the two vaccines approved, COVID RV prices might drop.

4x4 it is. Off Road Vehicle it isn’t by any stretch. It would serve my needs well being able to get out of snow covered parking lots and wet fields with maybe a little mud. I would like something more, but that would cost a lot more.

The cons I see: with that age seals and tires will be going bad. No side entry(same as ERV). Generator has been removed. Going to call to ask questions later.
 

mog

Kodiak Buckaroo
F550, not an E450, (so factory 4x4) and not as fancy interior, but shorter, better ground clearance and pretty cheap ($13k).
f550.jpg
I like the full-width opening doors (not roll-up). It would be cool to build an ATV hauler/camper interior
For me, the vans do not have enough clearance in the footwells, while the trucks have miles. Also possible for 3 in a single cab, instead of the van's 2 person cab.
 

pdcullen

New member
mog, definitely better but without the 7.3. Rougher starting point but way better value equation I would think. I keep reading how folks love the truck based ambulances versus van and so that applies here too, even beyond 4x4 implementation.
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
4x4 in name only, its wasted on something like that, wish I had money problems like the design committee that specced that out


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Actually 4x4 is very useful on a vehicle like that.
 

eporter

Adventurer
After wrestling the alternator out of my 7.3 e350 ambo, and then watching a YouTube video of the same project on an F350, I was sold on the ease of pickup truck maintenance over a van! Same deal with the fuel filter. Yeah there’s pros and cons van vs truck but I always kinda dreaded having to pop the hood/doghouse and work in tight quarters with all the added ambo wires making it even tighter.

I’d say the box on the van here looks to be built a lot better, and might be aluminum frame ambo construction. The truck is a sturdy box, but not that sturdy. Now if it was a quad cab f550 with that box, I’d be sold!
 

Craig_C

Active member
Just called the dealer. The thing is huge. 7 feet tall inside, 16 feet long, aluminum skinned. Over 25 feet long. He thinks the tires have been replaced. Forgot to ask about weight, but I don't think he knows or would want to admit how heavy it was. Thought the fridge was just AC powered (Generator has been removed). Didn't sound like he wanted to deal on this one. He did come down $500 on the cutaway, but all that spray paint makes me wonder. He said it was only minor rust on that one.


After wrestling the alternator out of my 7.3 e350 ambo, and then watching a YouTube video of the same project on an F350, I was sold on the ease of pickup truck maintenance over a van! Same deal with the fuel filter. Yeah there’s pros and cons van vs truck but I always kinda dreaded having to pop the hood/doghouse and work in tight quarters with all the added ambo wires making it even tighter.

Good to have first had experience and another thing to think about. This wouldn't have all the ambo wires at least. I get stuck on the positive side that overall length with e-series vs f series is reduced by about 2 and half feet.

Side note, I asked about the Red Cross ERVs and he said he has gotten about 25 of them, but they are harder to come by.
 

emtmark

Austere Medical Provider
Actually 4x4 is very useful on a vehicle like that.

Going to have to disagree, departure angle has you worried at the height of standard curbs much less anything more than. Graded dirt road?! All the weight is in the back so your going to have a light front end only made less when you load it up. The drag and weight of the additional drive axle and components not to mention the now not stock repair items needed for service. The mpg hit will be in there too.

The redeeming feature to the aforementioned is ostensibly all wheel drive and traction but without lockers your still looking at two wheel drive. There’s no flex in that to keep l the tires down and on top of lifting a wheel you have a massive aluminum box that’s not going to want to flex with a steel chassis that’s going to have some twist.

For the above points and again it’s wasted money.

Two wheel drive with a locker is better mileage less weight less special parts or service etc.

Like somebody said above a 550 crewcab would be way better with a box. I believe every single one of our mechanics are masochists coming to work and doing nothing but van maintenance, it sucks


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D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
Going to have to disagree, departure angle has you worried at the height of standard curbs much less anything more than. Graded dirt road?! All the weight is in the back so your going to have a light front end only made less when you load it up. The drag and weight of the additional drive axle and components not to mention the now not stock repair items needed for service. The mpg hit will be in there too.

The redeeming feature to the aforementioned is ostensibly all wheel drive and traction but without lockers your still looking at two wheel drive. There’s no flex in that to keep l the tires down and on top of lifting a wheel you have a massive aluminum box that’s not going to want to flex with a steel chassis that’s going to have some twist.

For the above points and again it’s wasted money.

Two wheel drive with a locker is better mileage less weight less special parts or service etc.

Like somebody said above a 550 crewcab would be way better with a box. I believe every single one of our mechanics are masochists coming to work and doing nothing but van maintenance, it sucks


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Not trying to sound insulting...but you do realize that its not an off road vehicle? It was never intended to be a rock crawler or mud buggy. It's not built to go "off the beaten path" and explore the distant resches of the planet.

4x4 for that kind of vehicle is for snow, ice, or in the case of the mobile lab that my agency owns, so it doesn't get stuck on wet grass when its parked at the fair grounds. Waiting for a tow truck or another vehicle to pull you out isn't always a practical or safe option.
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
4x4 in name only, its wasted on something like that, wish I had money problems like the design committee that specced that out


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This.......Short of the ones built by actual Teams that work in off-road, back country environments these "Suburban" LEA Command Posts are over weight, under designed, under powered, useless off-road mobile coffee pot holders. Particularly the ones built with federal funds on government bid after 9/11. I've lived and worked in many of these that would actually get stuck on slight incline on wet grass.......and then sink in the damp ground.....Off-Roader beware.
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
This.......Short of the ones built by actual Teams that work in off-road, back country environments these "Suburban" LEA Command Posts are over weight, under designed, under powered, useless off-road mobile coffee pot holders. Particularly the ones built with federal funds on government bid after 9/11. I've lived and worked in many of these that would actually get stuck on slight incline on wet grass.......and then sink in the damp ground.....Off-Roader beware.


As the guy who specs and buys them (State not Federal) I can absolutely assure you that they are in no way ever intended to be an off road vehicle. We got 4x4 in our new mobile lab so it wouldn't get stuck while parked in a grassy area (which can be a deadly problem in my line of work). When we have to move...we have to move. There is no time to wait for a tow truck.
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
As the guy who specs and buys them (State not Federal) I can absolutely assure you that they are in no way ever intended to be an off road vehicle. We got 4x4 in our new mobile lab so it wouldn't get stuck while parked in a grassy area (which can be a deadly problem in my line of work). When we have to move...we have to move. There is no time to wait for a tow truck.

Giggle........CP's are one of those things that makes me giggle.....This is the last one I worked out of. It was a multi hundreds of thousands of dollars bus that could talk with the space shuttle or president if necessary but, it never went outside if it was raining, only it's staff could operate it, no SWAT operators were allowed inside due to they may damage or scratch something, you had to be trained/authorized to even access it, yada, yada, yada....Needless to say SWAT and Investigations had to work out the old Bluebird CP.....It did look cool on tv though...
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