Seriously, back the hell off.

[crazylegs]

So I'm driving my ambulance, heading down to where I need to be on the motorway when I get stuck in traffic. I ease off the speed to keep my 2 second gap between me and the vehicle in front (actually more like 3-4 seconds as suprisingly the brakes aren't uprated to take the added weight in the vehicle conversion).

The guy behind me decided the easiest way to speed me up is to get so close that at 60mph I can no longer see his headlights.

Now this doesn't bother me anymore (when there's no patient on the back) as there's at least 3m between me and the doofus driver. What the driver behind doesn't realise is that when he crashes into the back of my truck the first piece of medical equipment he'll hit is over 4000l of compressed gas. Sucks to be him.

[otakuneko]

Who the fuck tailgates an ambulance?

Or maybe he was just trying to draft.

[wolfie]

I've encountered a few of those, but instead of a compressed gas cylinder the first thing they'll hit is the "ICC bumper", designed to keep a high-fronted car ('60s and '70s) from going under, but with today's lower-slung cars it's positioned to scrub over the hood and take off the "greenhouse".

So far, I haven't had the nerve to stick a sign on the back of the trailer "Is there enough salt on the rear guard? If I have to stop suddenly, you're going to eat it."

[crazylegs]

I've encountered a few of those, but instead of a compressed gas cylinder the first thing they'll hit is the "ICC bumper", designed to keep a high-fronted car ('60s and '70s) from going under, but with today's lower-slung cars it's positioned to scrub over the hood and take off the "greenhouse".

Our trucks don't have those, they're essentially van conversions and the folding wedge on the rear prevents additional bumpers from being fitted.

[wolfie]

Our trucks don't have those, they're essentially van conversions and the folding wedge on the rear prevents additional bumpers from being fitted.

Van conversions? Sounds like you're dealing with class 2 or 3 (or possibly even class 1). Those (except class 1, which is light duty) would be the low end of class 2. I'm also talking about a van - specifically a 53 foot "dry van" (basically a box on wheels) trailer. Class 8, 5-axle articulated (a.k.a. "18 wheeler").

[crazylegs]

Van conversions? Sounds like you're dealing with class 2 or 3 (or possibly even class 1). Those (except class 1, which is light duty) would be the low end of class 2. I'm also talking about a van - specifically a 53 foot "dry van" (basically a box on wheels) trailer. Class 8, 5-axle articulated (a.k.a. "18 wheeler").

Ambulances in the UK are built differently to the US.

Here's a few links - this shows the ramp (which prevents the fitting of additional bumbers): http://img.pistonheads.com.s3-eu-wes...-S792936-4.jpg

And this shows the general shape/size of the vehicle: http://img.pistonheads.com.s3-eu-wes...-S799170-3.jpg

Those links show the same model as the vehicle I was using, but to ensure my anonymity it's not who employs me.

[wolfie]

Different vehicle entirely. Yours looks like a modified Sprinter van, while mine is what you'd call an "Articulated Lorry".

[dalesys]

..."Articulated Lorry".

With a well-spoken 'keet in the seat.

[crazylegs]

Different vehicle entirely. Yours looks like a modified Sprinter van,

Oddly enough, the vast majority of adapted Sprinters look like this.

The sprinter is (as I'm sure you're aware) rear wheel drive so the kneeling suspension found on the previous shown model with the folding ramp wouldn't work.