Dennis RS/SS series
A Devon Fire and Rescue Service Dennis RS
Overview
TypeFire engine
ManufacturerHestair Dennis
Production1978-1994
AssemblyWoodbridge, Guildford
DesignerOgle Design
Body and chassis
Body styleCab over engine
Related
Powertrain
Engine
  • Perkins V8-540
  • Perkins TV8-540
  • Perkins V8-640
  • Perkins T6.354.4
  • Perkins Phaser
  • Cummins 6CT
  • Cummins 6CTA
Transmission
  • Turner T5-400 five-speed manual
  • ZF S6-65 manual
  • Allison MT643 automatic
  • ZF 5HP500 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase3,800 mm (149.6 in)
Length7,334 mm (288.7 in)
Width2,286 mm (90.0 in)
Height3,072 mm (120.9 in)
Kerb weight11,700 kg (25,794 lb)[1]
Chronology
Successor

The Dennis RS/SS series was a range of fire engine chassis built by Hestair Dennis (later Dennis Specialist Vehicles), produced from 1978 until the early 1990s.

Features

Internally codenamed Retained, Steel, the Dennis RS series was first launched in 1979, initially not offered with a tilting cab due to a belief that few fire stations at the time could accommodate a tilting cab. A lower-cost alternative named the Standard Specification, or SS series, was launched shortly afterwards, however at the request of the London Fire Brigade, this would be fitted with a tilting front cab as standard to improve ease of maintenance.[1] The all-steel cab, designed by Ogle Design,[2] replaced the older fibreglass and wood construction of the previous appliances it succeeded, such as the Dennis D and Dennis R, increasing the strength of the cab overall in the event of a collision.

The first of the Dennis RS/SS fire appliances were fitted with Perkins V8 diesel engines, either the V8-540 or the V8-640, with or without turbochargers; by 1987, the RS and SS could be specified with Cummins C-series engines.[1][3] Early appliances were bodied in-house by Dennis at their Woodbridge factory, but when in-house fire engine bodying was discontinued in 1985, the bodying of the Dennis RS/SS series and derivative products was outsourced to other coachbuilders, primarily to Carmichael Fire.[4] The RS could also be fitted with a variety of bodies by other coachbuilders including HCB Angus,[5] Fulton Wylie and Saxon Specialist Vehicles.

Over 1,750 Dennis RS/SS fire engines would be produced, being sold to nearly all fire brigades across the United Kingdom as well as being exported to various fire brigades worldwide.[6] As the appliances aged, RS and SS series appliances were known to suffer from corrosion particularly around the cab doors, nicknamed "Dennis Disease" by mechanics.

Variants

  • RS130/SS130 - Perkins V8-540 engine with Turner T5.400 manual gearbox
  • RS131/SS131 - Perkins V8-540 engine with Allison MT643 automatic gearbox
  • RS132/SS132 - Perkins V8-540 engine with ZF S6.65 manual gearbox
  • RS133/SS133 - Perkins V8-640 engine with Allison MT643 automatic gearbox[3]
  • RS134/SS134 - Perkins TV8-540 engine with ZF S6.65 manual gearbox
  • RS135/SS135 - Perkins TV8-540 engine with Allison MT643 automatic gearbox
  • RS137/SS137 - Perkins V8-540 engine with Allison MT643 automatic gearbox

All chassis came with a choice of a 500gpm or 1,000gpm two-stage Godiva fire pump, depending on application, and a 400 imperial gallons (1,800 L) emergency water tank.[1]

Significant operators

A preserved Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Dennis SS pump escape

United Kingdom

Republic of Ireland

Elsewhere

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Goundry, Andy (23 March 2020). Dennis Buses and Other Vehicles. Crowood. pp. 106–108. ISBN 978-1-78500-708-8. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "If it's a handsome cab, chances are it's Ogle's". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 3 December 1983. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hestair launch new custom fire-engine". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 22 June 1979. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Dennis moves". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 23 March 1985. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Fisher, Aidan (15 April 2012). HCB Angus Fire Engine Builders. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-1119-8. Retrieved 9 August 2021. ...during the 1980s some 40 DS and RS chassis were bodied by [Angus], mostly as water tender ladders.
  6. ↑ Baker, Eddie (23 August 2018). Fire Engines. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78442-299-8. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "£1m Dennis order". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 17 August 1989. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "Skidchek goes East". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 21 August 1982. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.