Idea: Convert an Old Ambulance Into a Camera Gear Truck

The Bismarck, North Dakota-based video production company Threefold shared this short and sweet 2-minute video showing how they took an old ambulance and turned it into an awesome way to haul a huge amount of equipment from place to place.

The camera/grip truck was made by converting a 1995 diesel Ford E-350 box ambulance with only 50,000 miles that they purchased for $7,000 a few years ago.

“[W]e bought ours directly from a county and got to chat with the mechanic that took care of it,” Threefold writes. “Since it was small town county owned, it was pretty meticulously maintained. This one is built like a tank, so maybe the newer ones suck.

“One of the big reasons we got this was the engine. The 7.3L diesel Ford is a legendary engine. Very notorious for going 350k miles easily.”

There are many compartments inside and outside the truck for storing gear — including one that can be accessed from both inside and outside — and Threefold installed airline tracks throughout to help securely strap things down. The compartments also have interior lights that are handy for working at night.

Behind the captain’s chair is a charging wall that can recharge and power equipment either using DC power or the 2000W converter Threefold added.

“Because it used to be an ambulance, it already had a lot of great functionality built-in,” Threefold says. “But we made some modifications and additions to make it our own.”

While this particular truck is used for video productions, this idea could also be useful for certain photographers who need to haul around a huge amount of lighting and production gear for shoots.

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