F-250 (F250) Diesel Twin Life Ambulances
(1996 to 2009)
Ford
To
fill the gap various private companies in
The
F-250 diesel was fitted with the 7.3 litre power-stroke diesel complemented by
a four speed automatic transmission.
There were still using the same Javelin designed fibreglass modules, but
like Ford and the F-Series, the relationship between Javelin and St.John at
Fulham had moved on. Les Brazier sold
all of his remaining jigs and fixtures to Maugham Thiem1. Maugham Thiem commenced fitting the modules
to the newly imported F-250 diesel cab-chassis
Fleet 122 an F-250 Diesel complete with Gitsham Bull-Bar, rectangular
side lamps and silver, white, and green SA Ambulance Service livery (Photo
supplied by Steve Schuler).
Given
that St.John and SA Ambulance have generally kept each of their vehicles for
200,000 km, it is conceivable that some modules have travelled over 600,000 km
as many of the grove arch bodies were still in the fleet on the last cab
version used, the 1998 F-250 7.3 litre diesels.
Fleet 194 an F-250 Diesel with rectangular driving lights above the
front bumper and fog lamps below and a red a blue repeater lamp on the front
mudguard. This is an earlier F-100 style
Twin-Life module (Photo supplied by Kevin Marsland).
Another view of Fleet 194 (Photo supplied by Kevin Marsland).
Fleet 201 in green and silver South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS)
livery with the diagonal red and white reflective stripe. This is an older F100 utility-based module
that is still in use and possibly on its third life. The front roof vents have
changed to fixed scoop ones, and the sidelights are rectangular.
Fleet 201, the bull-bar shows this to be a country car with fog lamps
under the bumper. By this time SAAS were using AMB number plates. The shiny
green bonnet looks very smart and the LED bar on the top of the module above
the speaker boxes is also visible. To correspond with the LED bar there is also
a red and blue repeater behind the bull-bar.
Fleet 201, rear view showing the fixed step, similar to Fleet 351, the
SAAS badge on the screening on the rear window, and the rectangular high level
brake lamp and turning indicator.
1.
Maugham Thiem was so
named from the surnames of Alfred Ross Thiem and Frederick Milton Maugham who
took over the existing Behrens and