Everyone for Dennis?
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A ball in every court
Graham Montgomerie takes a look at an interesting range covering municipals, psv and road haulage
HESTAIR DENNIS is currently producing about 1,000 vehicles a year from a range covering the municipal side, with fire engines and refuse vehicles, and the passenger field, with a variety of single-and double-deck chassis.
And then of course there is the conventional road haulage chassis...
The Delta 16-tonnerwas launched last year for tipper and haulage use with a choice of five wheelbases. The short wheelbases of 3.25 and 3.75m (10ft 8in and 12ft 4in) are aimed at the tipper men, while the two longer versions of 5.3 and 5.7m (17ft 5in and 18ft 8in) are for haulage use.
The version in the middle at 4.4m or 14ft Sin is suitable for both applications.
The longest of these chassis gives a platform length of around 7.37m (24ft 2in) and has a kerb weight of just over five tons.
The standard power unit is a Perkins T6.354.4 rated at 116kW (155bhp) gross at 2,600rpm. In conjunction with an overdrive top gear ratio and the standard 6.14 single-speed axle, this gives the Delta a top road speed of 101km/h (63mph) and a gradeability of 27 per cent (1 in 3.6).
A two-speed axle is on the option list with ratios of 5.57 and 7.6.
Dennis had hoped to sell 100 Delta chassis during the first full year of production, but the recession put paid to that. Current estimates now put the figure at about half this number.
The cab is now an all-steel tilt design which is a vast improvement over the old glass-fibre cab used by Dennis for so long. It is undersealed with all the box sections being impregnated with anti-corrosion material, Hydraulic action is used to tilt the cab to a maximum angle of 60°.
The same cab is used either in single or crew-cab form for the Phoenix municipal chassis. The body is made from high-tensile steel braced by pressed steel channels and mounted to the chassis on two rolled steel channels fitted below the body floor.
With the packing system used on the Phoenix, the complete cycle time is 25 seconds and loading can begin again some seven seconds after the start of the cy cle. Dennis claims that the use of a direct-drive hydraulic pump means that the mechanism can be operated while the vehicle is moving between collection points.
This pump is driven directly from the engine crankshaft eliminating the need for a pto.
The Phoenix has an overall length of 8.15m (261t 9in) in crew cab form and 7.64m (25ft 1in) with the single cab.
As well as marketing the Dennis/Phoenix as a complete unit, Hestair Dennis will also sell the municipal chassis on its own for other operators to put a body on. The MS is the single-cab ver while the sleeper cab is signated MD. Again a choio wheelbases is available.
For municipal chassis, naturally aspirated version the Perkins 354 engine is fi rated at 86kW (116bhp).
Still on the municipal, Der also markets the Bulkmai Mk4 with a choice of two whi bases — 4.075 and 3.26m ( 4in and 10ft 8in) — each of wh can be specified with a single a crew cab.
The Bulkmaster incorporate 6.354.4 engine and a five-sp€ synchromesh gearbox into I driveline. Although autornz transmission is available as option.
Dennis's biggest single marl sector is the passenger fh which accounts for around 4 of the yearly total of 1,0 vehicles. Company chairm David Hargreaves sees the b market as representing tl major growth opportunity I Hestair Dennis.
The Dominator double-deck uses — not surprisingly — tl 6LX8 Gardner engine, though derated version of the Roll Royce Eagle 220 is available an alternative. The Gardner d velops 134kW (180bhp), con pared with the 132kW (178bh1 of the Rolls, both at a maximui engine speed of 1,850rpm.
The overall width of the Dom is to the full 2.5m (8ft I allowed in the regulabut as far as wheelbase hus overall length is cone d , Dennis giyes the rtor a choice of Oree at 4.95 and 5.64m (15ft 41/2in, in and 18ft Bin).
nnis has also produced a -axled version of the Domi. in 6x2 configuration for Kong, but the rear engine ion means that, unlike a 6x2 chassis, it is the rear axle Ii is driven — via a fully matic Voith gearbox.
is particular chassis was de?d to cope with the overload litions which are regarded iormal in Hong Kong. An nple of this approach is the iension, which is rated for 24 though the vehicle is exed to gross only 20 tons.
hereas the Dominator has a sversely mounted rear en, the Dennis Jubilant — in i double and single-deck — has its power unit
J nted north-south at the t. The Dominator and Jubido however share the same! of engine specification ini form of the Gardner 6LXB.
le Jubilant chassis has a )elbase of 4.8m (15ft 9in) given overall length of 9.5m I 2in).
/hen I spoke to David Harayes some weeks ago he gested that the right way to re a bus is via an in-line ene.
'hough he agreed that the transverse mounting is now very reliable, he suggested that this layout with its extra gear trains carried a fuel consumption penalty because of the extra friction.
Hence the in-line rear-engined Falcon range.
The standard Falcon H can be ordered to singleor double. deck specification with an un. derfloor Gardner 6HLXB powei unit.
An RV68 semi-automatic gear box from Self Changing Gears the standard gearbox with fou speeds for city bus applicatior and five speeds when used or inter city routes. Threeand four speed fully automatic gearboxe from Voith are optional.
The Falcon V chassis is list& with the Mercedes-Benz 0M42 engine as standard. This is of V configuration and is fitted t cater for export markets wher the Gardner is unfamiliar t operators. The engine develops 150kW 200bhp) at 2,200rpm and drives hrough a three-speed Voith )851 gearbox.
As far as overall length is conerned, the Falcon V is shorter han the underfloor version at .86m (311t 6in), compared with lm (36ft tin).
The new Lancet from Dennis is vertical mid-engined chassis iith a variety of engine options, icluding the V8 540 from erkins and the 402 from LeyInd.
The engine is mounted verti31Iy at the front of the Dart bus id coach chassis, be it a Leynd or Perkins unit. In fact, Dens lists five engine options rangg from the 92kW (124bhp) of e naturally aspirated 6.354 3rkins to the 120kW (160bhp) of
the turbocharged Leyland 411.
Dennis is, of course, widely known for its fire appliances, with the Guildford company claiming to be the largest maker of specialist chas.sis in the UK. The RS is a development of the well-known R-Series and uses the same all-steel cab as the Delta.
A range of engines (both petrol and diesel) is available to suit the requirements of individual fire authorities and the same applies to the gearbox with both manual and fully automatic units being 'Med.