Bobcat contractor chooses Isuzu

Ewan Davidson has a contracting business based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and Ewan is confident he’s got the right equipment for just about any job that involves ground maintenance or general earthmoving.

When starting his company just last year, Ewan thought long and hard about the equipment that would set his business up for the years to come. For his first piece of machinery, he decided on the trustworthy Caterpillar 257D Multi Terrain Loader bobcat.

Ewan then needed a truck not only sturdy enough to transport his four-tonne bobcat, but also versatile enough to be used in a variety of earthmoving applications. Ewan landed on a Ready-to-Work manual transmission Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper and hasn’t looked back.

“My Isuzu FRR Tipper is perfect for my needs, carrying my CAT skid steer without a problem,” said Ewan.

“The truck is so well balanced, getting my machine on and off hardly makes a movement.”

The tidy size of the Isuzu FRR Tipper put the seal on the deal for Ewan; a larger truck just wouldn’t fit into his regular job sites, and a smaller truck wouldn’t be able to support the weight of his Cat 257D.

Ewan says that there’s no typical day in his business. He finds himself taking on an assortment of different work, ranging from subdivision for large companies to clearing lantana for his neighbours.

“From working with civil companies trimming roads, or verge clearing and block preparation, my work varies a lot and that’s why I like it,” said Ewan.

“At the moment I’m doing a little landscaping job on an acre estate up near where I live.”

Ewan said the Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper suits the applications of his business admirably, enjoying the fact that his bobcat fits snugly onto the tray with just 300 mm to spare on each side. There’s certainly no wastage of space, making the truck the perfect tool for getting in and out of tight-access areas.

“My Isuzu fits in anywhere and everywhere. Any bigger and I’d have trouble with tight accesses and driveways. But any smaller and I wouldn’t be able to carry my gear.

“I also needed a truck that’s the right size to allow me to manually shovel gravel or dirt out the back or sides, and the tipper is extremely useful for earthmoving.”

The Tipper body sports a full steel frame and an auto release two-way tailgate for easy access to the 3.8 cubic metre tray.

And for its size, the FRR 107-210 Tipper features an impressive gross vehicle mass of 10,700kg and 154kW of power, which allows Ewan to easily navigate a heavy load around the hilly areas near his home.

The truck also comes with useful on-the-job features including Isuzu Electronic Stability Control (IESC), an anti-lock braking system and anti-skid control. Ewan purchased the FRR 107-210 Tipper from Madill Isuzu at Forest Glen and is more than happy with the truck’s ready-to-work build.

“Straight from the factory and it’s doing the trick,” he said.

“I don’t want to put anything else in it or modify it in any way.”

“I also find the cab really roomy, it’s just a really easy, comfortable truck and you feel like you’re driving a car.”

The truck is a hit with many of Ewan’s clients, who appreciate the manoeuvrability of the FRR 107-210 and its ability to navigate less than ideal ground conditions.

“A lot of my clients prefer this truck running around on their job sites.”

Reliability is also a big factor in Ewan’s choice of truck and bobcat, as his two machines are simply the bread and butter of Davidson Contracting.

When asked about plans to expand his business, Ewan keeps his cards close to the chest, but hints that he’s looking into asphalt repairs and some new technology to integrate with the truck in the future.

“My business has just started but it’s evolving too, with the help of my Isuzu truck and Caterpillar,” he said.

“With these two pieces of quality equipment, I’ve got solid starting blocks to developing the business.

“For the moment there’s nothing much I need to worry about; in terms of machinery I’m set, so it’s just keeping things busy with new work projects.”