Dennis DF series

The Dennis DF series is a range of heavy-duty fire engine chassis produced by Hestair Dennis, later Dennis Specialist Vehicles, from 1979 to the early 1990s. It was based on the Dennis RS/SS series and had a gross vehicle weight of 16,260 kg. It was built mainly as a base for turntable ladder appliances and for tanker units carrying foam or water, and it was offered in Firebird and Waterbird specifications: the Firebird could carry up to 1,000 imperial gallons of water and the Waterbird up to 1,800. Turntable ladder appliances on the chassis were sold to British brigades including the Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and the DF was also sold to fire brigades in Hong Kong, the Middle East and Kenya, with DF135 chassis exported to New Zealand as pump tenders, some with Mills-Tui bodywork.