What makes an ambulance an RV?

So here's the deal. My M886 has had everything removed from the back by some department when they used it for a command post. I have no plans to restore the inside. I also don't really plan to add much to it. This is the official "box van" for my friends and family. However, it only has two seats. I would like to at least be able to transport my wife and child if I chose to. SO....... what are the basic laws regarding RV's? I assume (we all know what the first 3 letters spell) that RV's can transport people that are not belted in. At least all the ones I have been in usually don't have over two seats with belts. The rest are beds and tables part time.

So IF you can legally (this included insurance) transport people in the back of an RV that does not have seat belts, what then constitutes an RV? I really have no idea what I am talking about here so I expect an education. I am not looking for a way to squeeze around the law or my insurance company, I am just looking for ways to comply (I learned all about complying from the IRS this week) with the powers that be and I do want to be safe. Right now I have a couple of old school bus seats in the back but they are just for rides around the house. I also do plan to make this my go everywhere vehicle from now on out and I plan to add some comforts like, a potty, so I am just trying to find out what I can before I do anything. I know some of you guys have converted some larger vehicle to comfortable living quarters so please set me strait.

Thanks,
Joe

OK...I'm no expert...trust me. But the first test I would run is..can you register it as an RV in SC? I see no reason why ya couldn't.

Past that...I would only worry about the safety of the family / passengers and whatever level of comfort I wanted to afford them.

At a minimum...I think i would want some sort of seating arrangement with seat belts (especially for children) because sudden stops etc in an MV can be er...hazzardous as everything is hard metal with little to no padding!

Thanks Wayne...I think I will recommend we drive backwards from now on in our parades!!!

There are some silly laws out there aren't there...LOL

There is another good ole GA Law still on the books I'm told....No more than two people shall drink from the same bottle on any public street without a permit to gather.
(I was actually told this by an attorney) It was never recinded etc.

Holy smokes Wayne...gonna pass up the research on that last one!!

Back to the RV thing...Blythewoodjoe...I read a post on a thread here today where a feller was getting a ration of chit about a school bus he had in a residential area...said it was a commercial vehicle....so he pulled out the seats and took it down for inspection as a "recreational vehicle in progress" and was left alone as that was noncommercial.

In your case I would just say register the MV as an RV and problem solved...bet no one ever bothers to even check, but if they do...you're still legal IMO.

The best bet is to call DMV and ask what is needed in a vehicle to have it reclassed as an RV. I'm in the process of having a 1974 semi truck reclassed as an RV up here in Alaska. When I called the local DMV I was told it would have to have at least 4 of the following items:

1.) Toilet
2.) Running water/sink
3.) Either heat or A/C that is separate from the engine
4.) 120 volt AC power outlet
5.) Cooking Facilities

I found an old style sleeper that is about 2 feet deeper then the one on the truck now and it's the walk in type. This will give me room for a sink in one corner (below it will be 2 military style 5 gallon water cans, one for fresh water and the other for the waste water) and in the other corner will be a shelf with a 12 volt RV microwave). Under the bed I plan on mounting a power inverter and 2 Optima RV batteries (no acid vapors to worry about).

So you can get a vehicle reclassed, you just need to check with your state to see what it considers to be an RV.

Ruppster
www.dodge-semis.com

check this link, last page: they had to go to the dictionary?

http://www.sctax.org/NR/rdonlyres/26167F66-EE55-4F8F-844C-BCAC6F813E00/0/RR089.pdf

here's the whole enchilada..have fun..

Title 56, S.C. Code of laws - www.scstatehouse.net - LPITS

many word describe what you have per various vehicle codes:

RV, Recreational vehicle, Camper, House Car, Motor home, van camper conversion, etc..

a quick search didn't yield too much info..

a cite from the CA VC just for info:
"Van Camper and Conversion—van camper is equipped with most of the amenities found in motor homes, but bed size and space to maneuver are limited. Vehicles usually have a raised roof for additional headroom. A van conversion normally has a bed, dinette, sink, and a small water supply but is not as fully equipped for camping as a van camper."

your vehicle may come under other codes (health and safety, housing, etc..) re: some required equipment..

maybe a local RV store/dealer can provide sources..

like to see some pic's after/during conversion..

Mike

Before I changed it to a cargo body
I got my water purification body registered as a RV in Florida, According to Fla regulation my truck had to be wired for 120v "OR" have water supply ( plumbing) it did not specify if it had to be single or three phase so I was all set. It was that simple....for Florida.

Well Michigan is easy, to be a motor home it has to have a bed & an attached stove, (currently my stove is out for repairs ).

Papabear, was it my post about my old bus? sounds familiar...

Joe, I just had to remove all the seats out of my school bus when I took it to SC DMV. They took one look in the back, and said, 'ok, RV it is'.

Not sure if they have a 'system' of some sort in it. But they didn't require anything like that when I took my bus in 2003.

Do your own reading first. DMV clerks are NOT experts on the vehicle code.
You don't need to lecture them on the code sections (just tends to annoy them) but if you can give the section number that backs up your position then you can shortcut a lot of disagreements.
Add the fact that, for a lot of state workers, english is a second language and you have the potential for a real fun day at the DMV.

Here in California we can run "Year of Manufacture" plates on restored vehicles. i. e. 1934 California plates on your 1934 Ford, etc. and I've found numerous times that I have to walk the DMV clerk through the registration process... even to keystroke by keystroke.
This is a transaction that a lot of car collectors and hot-rodders use and not all that uncommon-- so you can imagine how some of the more obsecure code sections could be misinterpreted.

"When the operator of a motor vehicle meets a horse-drawn conveyance, the operator shall, if necessary, disassemble the motor vehicle and hide it's parts; so as not to frighten or stampede the horse team as they pass". 1903 Vehicle Code section.

Ok, I should clarify a couple of things. I am not looking to register my vehicle as an "RV" per say, I have it registered with an AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS tag now and cost is not the issue. My main concern is transporting people in the box. I had thought about adding a few seats but since it didn't have them there from the factory, would I be legal or liable doing that. I not only want to be safe, I don't want to get a ticket either. Transporting people in the back of a truck here is illegal in most cases. If an RV is less restrictive on these matters, then coverting to an RV would be a good option. I am not going to put the people I think the most of in harms way but I also don't want to end up in trouble with the law or get sued by someone. Anyway I am looking the DMV wed site over and studying it close. My brother in law has a new RV and I will ask him some of these questions too.

Thanks,
Joe

transporting people in the back of an 'open' truck may be illegal w/o the proper equipment, but in a closed vehicle also? For safety you may want to put belts on the seating but I wonder if thats even required in a cargo enclosed body?

Mike

See if you can find someplace that has old ambulances that they will part out. The jumpseats in them fold up so they don't take much space and often have integral seatbelts.

The requirements are if the vehicle was built after the federal seat belt mandate, (which I think was in the 70's) than all seats for passengers must have them, excluding buses.

Joe, it would be legal to drop a bench seat in the back with belts, or if you just put belts in for people to strap in when they sit in the back. They don't have to use them, but if the law wants a peek they should be there. My Dad was LEO lexington County for 20yrs. I'll see if he can get me a copy of those rules.

And you can't carry more than 16 people (including driver) without a bus/chauffeurs license.

Joe - talk to Cabell Garbee about this; he has mentioned to me in the past that NC requires a fixed sink (IIRC) to be mounted in the body to claim it as an RV; might be similar in SC?

'Tanner'

I am on my 4th RV now after 16 years and 28 major trips, lots of little ones to. RV's have seatbelts in them for driver, co driver and other people. My current rig is a 45' DP. Has seatbelts for 5

I parked my M116A2 in my girlfriend's drive way and they wrote us a letter saying that (it) the RV had to be registered, or else we'll face fines.

Um, how is a single-axle, 3/4 ton flatbed utility trailer an RV?

RV

Maybe to the local officials, "RV" means 'registered vehicle'?

Tanner