Ex ambulance camper. F250 V8 turbo diesel. 2wd. Diff lock.Big Winch.

My brother was up in Cape Leveque last month. The were people up there with Commodores and standard road caravans. The locals had 2wd as well. Bob.

Bob,

I can't say how the body will go but I do believe that being an ex ambulance it would be built well.

The only thing I can see with say Jim Jim is your size. You will just have to watch out for the trees on the side of the track and make sure it is not to deep at the main creek crossing. Last time I went through it was 800mm and is an easy crossing with a cement bottom. Of course this doesn't apply after a flood as the track and crossing will change.

Mate, that vehicle will be more than adequate for what you want to do. Low range is handy but I would say your vehicle is auto so it will be able to use that big engine to the max when pulling away at a slow speed. You probably know already that tyre pressures are your biggest friend.

I had an old Troopcarrier until recently with a 6.5l chev diesel and diff locks. I very seldom used low range or engaged 4wd except in very steep country or heavy sand.
The other places low range and 4wd are very handy is when it is wet and slippery.

Have a good trip,
RA.

Hi Bob,

This forum is about exploring Australia. Its a common misconception that its just about 4WDs - its just that many "explorers" do have 4WDs - other vehicles are not excluded.

Cant comment on your vehicle but we have seen another ex ambulance set up as a very functional and roomy camper. We tow a fibreglass trailer and it goes anywhere our Troopy goes.

Enjoy your travels - and the forum,

Cheers,

Val

I have driven around the block 3 times now and enjoyed every bit of it. I still have not seen very much at all! I have a Pajero 4WD, pretty well standard condition, and have really only needed 4WD a couple of times. one of them was Jim Jim falls. When we got in there, there were about 15 vehicles there - 2 Nissan Patrols with raised suspension, 1 F250 and the rest Toyota L/C troopcarriers. Mine was by far the smallest of the bunch. On the way out, I noted that the track had been graded. There were 2 wheel tracks with a levelled section in between. The whole track had been graded by my sump guard. Fortunately there were no rocks in the track. I doubt that a 2WD vehicle, even with good clearance would have made it there. Other than this place,

I would say that you could go 95% of the places in Oz with a falcon with good ground clearance and possibly a locker diff. The other 5% of places you could either bot a lift with someone else who was bragging about their 4WD or hire one for the day. And you would do the 95% of travel with a lot more comfort and economy than a 4WD. Even so, I still love my 4WD!

Hi Bob

I have as you can see a F250.
I can go anywhere I want in 2wd.

When do I select 4wd Low ratio???
when I just want to amble across the rough and to push the van into parking spots.
Not because its needed as in traction, but because its easier to do at idle.

So you will have no probs going anywhere the efe will fit.
They are wide and big and that in itself limits some access.

I was chatting to a guy where we have the van stored and he has a very similar setup.
Said he hardly ever used the 4wd Low apart to only slow down the speed for maneuvering.

Corrugations will kill anything.
My wheel alignment man told me the front suspension on mine (4x4) is a little suspect on corries. But as u do not have that setup I figure you will be OK.

All you need to do is get some good rubber aboard and you will be set.
From memory these vehicles come with 265 x 16
best size and it looks the go are a set of 315 x 16 in what ever make design you wish for.

regards

eoff

Hi Bob,
As John and Val says, this forum is about exploring Australia whether that be with a wheel barrow or an Osh Kosh 6X6 or anything in between.

If you were in any way concerned about getting stuck somewhere then perhaps you may like to think about a winch. This will go someway toward helping your not having 4WD and is a much cheaper alternative for peace of mind

If you do not already have a winch bull bar then that also would be a good front end saver. These are not toys or fancy accessories but essentials when you get out there with the wild life. A kangaroo can sure make some extensive modifications to your vehicle at 90K an hour if you dont have a bar.

The Effy should be a great tourer and as an ex ambulance, as others have said, it will have been well built. I think that where you cannot take that outfit, you probably do not want to go anyway.

Cheers, Bruce.

Two wheel drive may limit you in just some places - depending on conditions at the time. Jimjim Falls was certainly 4wd, and with trees scarred from the OKA type tour coaches, not on for high vehicles. It was also extremely tight to negotiate with the long wheel base of an F250. The other roads you have mentioned do not need 4wd in dry weather. If you are looking at going to Purnululu in the Kimberley, engaging 4wd to avoid track damage is specified as a requirement. In reality, we do not need to engage 4wd very often, but some tracks have sandy patches where it has been essential. Ones that come to mind are patches on the track into Chambers Pillar and part of the Binns Track which we only travelled on between Epenarra Station and the Old Police Station Waterhole in the NT.

Motherhen

G'day Bob,

A couple of years ago I read a book written by Keith Adams about his travels to the North in an old Plymouth (I think) which was a two wheel drive towing a little trailer through the centre of Australia. Obviously Kieth was an adventurer and the plymouth was probably a lot easier to work on than the Effie. The point is that the road in the 50's was a whole lot non existent than it is now.

After three months of towing my van over some rough roads between Darwin and Cairns there were only one or two times that I needed 4WD and there were equally very few places that were too narrow mind you there are a couple of bush pinstripes on the car and van. There were plenty of options to avoid these places and a couple I did walk to make sure I could get in and out before committing.

The big issue for you is timing, anything too close after the wet will mean lots more water and mud which is where a 4WD may be required so aim for later in the dry (in the north) and that should see you miss the crowds and mud.

Kind regards

I Thank you all very much for your encouraging replies. What a great forum this is. The F250 has new All Terrain tyres all around.Well I didn't like the idea of towing and setting up a camper trailer, I wanted a hard top without fuss open the back doors, wind out the awnings camper. I've done a few weekends away down Mornington Peninsula way to sort out the bugs, I still have a couple of small things to do, that are no big deal. The F250 7.3litre V8 returns 14 litres per 100kms. Much better than my supercharged 4.5 petrol cruiser. I hope to hit the road in April next year. I have some under body protection to think about for the fibre glass body. Otherwise all is well. Thank you all once again....

Hi. Anthony. spot on mate. I love the reply's I've had here. A real feel good experience. Thanks everyone.