Ambulance to Mongolia

[Paulaps]

Hi there!

My name is Paula and I participating in the Mongolia Charity Rally driving from London to Mongolia for charity.

The Mongolia Charity Rally is an epic 10,000 mile pan-continental roadtrip for charity organised by the UK charity Go Help. It will cross mountain ranges, deserts, and more barren and inhospitable lands than you'd care to shake a gear stick at, with its final destination in the ancient Mongol capital of Ulaanbaatar, to support Go Help's flagship ambulance service in Mongolia!

The main goal is to drive all the way to Mongolia and donate our car once we get there. In Mongolia there are many hospitals that have never had an ambulance before, so we would like to donate one. Given that the weather and the roads aren't necessarily great over there, we are looking for a 4x4 ambulance.

I have seen several models already:
- Land Rover Defender
- Toyota Landcruiser
- Ford Ranger

Is anyone aware of how we could get one?

Also, any advice is more than welcome!

Thanks for reading

Paula

[piecost76]

Best place to start is Witham Specialist Vehicles in Grantham, Lincs as they are the main agent for selling all MOD surplus stock.

They did have a 130 Defender Ambulance in their tender which sadly ended yesterday but a quick look on their website reveals this ambulance body ready for a transplant (no pun!)

http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,33,/70268...

Well worth giving them a call to see if they have any ones coming in shortly...

[Paulaps]

Thanks for the response!

I have seen that ambulance rear body already, the hard part is to find a Land Rover Defender 130. The box was in auction until yesterday but they still have available for direct sales as far as I understand.

This is a very silly question, but could this box be adapted to a Land Rover Defender 110? I am not an expert as you can see, hence asking the experts!

I will give them a call tomorrow anyway to check if they have any 130 coming soon.

Thanks,

Paula

[anonymous-user]

It'd be easier to adapt a 110 to fit the Pulse body!
The rear wheel arches are built into lines of the body and, since the rear of the cab forms the front of the box body, the distance between the cab and the rear axle is pretty much set in stone without some serious chopping around.
Seen this?

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 3rd February 18:53

[hidetheelephants]

Stretching a 110 to accommodate the Pulse body would be a lot easier, it's just added steel, the most complicated bit is extending the electric string and fuel and brake pipes.

[Paulaps]

Sounds expensive, doesnt it? Do you think it is doable? If I buy the chassis and the box separate, will anyone be willing to help for not a crazy amount of money? Surely someone would love the challenge!

And yes, I have been looking and Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit. They all have air suspension, so at a minimum we have to change it to springs and reinforce it.

From previous rallies, we know that urban ambulances are not in great state when you get there unless you follow the norther route through Russia. The idea is to visit the Stan countries as well

Any other advice?

[anonymous-user]

Buy an ex-utilities 130 crewcab/workshop, rip the body off and put that Pulse box on to it. Anything else is simply an exercise in bashing a square peg in to a round hole.

[hidetheelephants]

Crossflow Kid said:

Buy an ex-utilities 130 crewcab/workshop, rip the body off and put that Pulse box on to it. Anything else is simply an exercise in bashing a square peg in to a round hole.

The MoD had 130s for lugging Rapier units about, so worth checking if any of the suplus dealers have any lurking in the corner of a shed.

[anonymous-user]

They were 127s ;-)

[anonymous-user]

Paulaps said:

Any other advice?

Thinking about this some more, if it were me I'd seriously reassess why you're doing this trip.
Is it about the rally, or is it about donating the ambulance at the end of it?
If it's all about the rally, does it have to be a bespoke ambulance? Finding a suitable expedition vehicle that can then perform medical duties at the end of it is a bit of a niche market, so why not find a suitable rally hack, and simply donate that at the end? For an under-funded semi-third world hospital, surely any transport at all will be a bonus? It might at least allow aid to be carried to patients, as opposed to the patients carried to the aid. This principle has thrived in Africa.
If it's all about assisting the hospitals, then suitability as an ambulance should take priority even if that means toning down the rally route. As big a fan of LRs that I am, a Defender just isn't a good option for a commercial user. I hate to say it, but something like that 4x4 Merc will beat it hands down in terms of reliability, and spares/knowledge of German vehicles is likely to be easier to come by in the East.

[hidetheelephants]

Crossflow Kid said:

They were 127s ;-)

Which are dimensionally identical to 130s, although I think some bits and bobs may have been swapped to increase durability when the name change went through. Mmmm, V8 power, the only thing to get something as big as a laden 130 moving at reasonable pace.

[hidetheelephants]

Crossflow Kid said:

Thinking about this some more, if it were me I'd seriously reassess why you're doing this trip.
Is it about the rally, or is it about donating the ambulance at the end of it?
If it's all about the rally, does it have to be a bespoke ambulance? Finding a suitable expedition vehicle that can then perform medical duties at the end of it is a bit of a niche market, so why not find a suitable rally hack, and simply donate that at the end? For an under-funded semi-third world hospital, surely any transport at all will be a bonus? It might at least allow aid to be carried to patients, as opposed to the patients carried to the aid. This principle has thrived in Africa.
If it's all about assisting the hospitals, then suitability as an ambulance should take priority even if that means toning down the rally route. As big a fan of LRs that I am, a Defender just isn't a good option for a commercial user. I hate to say it, but something like that 4x4 Merc will beat it hands down in terms of reliability, and spares/knowledge of German vehicles is likely to be easier to come by in the East.

Given the final destination, something Japanese might be worth considering; most Japanese manufacturers produce AWD versions of their vans & minibuses, they're mostly obscure here in the UK but may be better served with spares in Mongolia.

[Paulaps]

That is a question that we keep asking ourselves. The thing is, regardless of the route we take, there will still be a fair amount of off-road driving in Mongolia as tarmac roads are almost non-existent in most of the country. The rally is also about delivering a vehicle in the best possible condition.

I completely agree with your point about the niche market and the fact that any sort of transport to reach patients will be superb. On the other hand, some people do take urban ambulances to Mongolia and they do get used, but only in the capital city as they are not suited for the rest of the country.

Many options, all of them good.

An alternative to a LR that we are considering is the Ford Ranger (with truckman). Does that sound fair?

[anonymous-user]

paulaps said:

An alternative to a LR that we are considering is the Ford Ranger (with truckman). Does that sound fair?

A pickup truck....as an ambulance? I thought you were going to Mongolia, not Syria.
Try hunting high and low for a VW Type 25 in Syncro (4WD) spec. Off-road capability in a minibus, as defined by the German government for civil defence use. Rare, desirable and priced accordingly but just what you need......


Or if you win the lottery, how about a Pinzgauer airfield ambulance? These have legendary off-road performance and the RAF have shed quite a few in recent years. Expect to pay well in to five figures though....

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 4th February 23:53