As a lot of fire brigades have demonstrated over the years all over the World, it just makes a lot of sense to standardize the fleet on one brand of chassis - just as long as you pick the right one! And Bedford was a great choice, especially after the TK was launched in 1960. When we were first selling the SVO Ford D series to fire brigades after 1966, there was a lot of resistance at first, and the hardest job was to switch brigades from TK Bedfords, because they were just as happy as clams with them…..
By the early seventies, as brigades which had been petrol only started switching to diesel, Bedford lost traction. Their early fire appliance chassis diesels were less powerful than the Ford offerings, which included the very popular Perkins 510 V8, which Bedford never installed.
By the early seventies, as brigades which had been petrol only started switching to diesel, Bedford lost traction. Their early fire appliance chassis diesels were less powerful than the Ford offerings, which included the very popular Perkins 510 V8, which Bedford never installed.
Added by Rob Johnson on 19 December 2022.