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Dennis RS/SS series

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Dennis RS/SS series
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

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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.[citation needed]

Variants

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  • 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

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A preserved Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Dennis SS pump escape

United Kingdom

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Republic of Ireland

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Elsewhere

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c "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.
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