Victoria-Based Turf Maintenance Business Acquires An Isuzu FYJ 300-350 With Tray Body

November 17, 2020
Isuzu Trucks Australia

Craig Evans, owner of Evans Turf Services, has always been a man with a plan. He got his start in the industry at age 17; now 45, he has a clear goal in mind: to retire in 15 years. An important part of achieving that is having a reliable vehicle that can get him to and from worksites, which include sporting grounds across Victoria. Fortunately, with the help of dealer Westar Truck Centre, he found that truck: a new Isuzu FYJ 300-350 that can carry all of the equipment he needs for fertilising, seeding, and more.

Carrying The Load

Evans uses various machines as part of his business, which means his new Isuzu will be responsible for transporting tractors, spreaders, vacuums, forklifts, and other equipment. He can also go through as much as six tonnes of fertiliser each day, one 25-kilogram bag at a time. He requires a high-payload vehicle that makes it so he doesn’t have to make multiple trips to his HQ and resupply, a process that can waste hours of his time. The FYJ 300-350 meets this need with a gross vehicle mass and gross combination mass of 30 and 45 tonnes, respectively. It also features a 257-kilowatt (345-horsepower) engine that produces 1,422 newton-metres of torque—plenty of power to meet Evans’ needs.

The truck is outfitted with a tray body from Australian Pipe Technology of Gisborne, Victoria, that features a hydraulic ramp for easier loading and unloading. When in motion, Evans can secure all of his tools and equipment with container twist locks. Other features include reversing sensors and a camera for added safety, and an Allison automatic transmission for easier driving.

Focused On Isuzu

While many businesses will compare vehicles from several marques before deciding, Evans knew from the outset that he wanted an Isuzu.

“Isuzu’s got a good name. I didn’t even look at other brands,” Evans says. “If I’m gonna buy a new truck, I may as well get the best Japanese trucks out there.”

Aside from power, capacity, and reliability, Evans chose the Isuzu brand because of its comfortable cab, something that was important for him to keep in mind because he hopes the truck will last him that 15 years until retirement.

“My line of work generally requires a fair amount of physical exertion, and adding to that there’s all that driving between places, the last thing anyone would want is to be stuck in traffic in an uncomfortable seat while driving, or be confined to a narrow, cramped cab,” he says.