Deluxe Wheelie Wash cleans up with Isuzu

This is particularly relatable for folks living in tropical Queensland with its unrelenting temperature and humidity. But who has the time (or inclination for that matter) to clean out their wheelie bins?

That’s where Margaret Dingle and her Deluxe Wheelie Wash business saves the day.

On a hot summer day in 2016, Margaret Dingle was busy cleaning out her family’s stinky wheelie bin when her husband, Chris had an thought: perhaps there could be a business in this.

The couple did some more research and discovered that hygienic and fresh-smelling bins did not have to be a suburban fantasy…and cleaning other people’s bins could be commercially viable.

The Dingles decided to give it a shot. They procured wheelie wash bin technology from a British supplier living in Mandurah, Western Australia.

“Initially, we just had the ute, with all the signage and logos done up. We got a lot of interest and people started signing up,” Margaret said.

Then their business grew and soon Dingle’s Deluxe Wheelie Wash became so popular, they went from washing residential bins in their neighbourhood to encompass commercial businesses all around Mackay. They then expanded north to Farleigh and Balnagowan and down south to Sarina.

“Business is really picking up in summer, especially with the humidity and heat we have around here,” Margaret added.

“We have clients from many different types of businesses such as serviced apartments, cafes, clubs, and even the butcher.”

“But the ute was not able to keep up with our expansion. We needed to upgrade the ute to make our job more streamlined such as adding a reversing camera and adding a more heavy duty suspension.”

Their growing business spurred the Dingles into purchasing an Isuzu Ready-to-Work NLR 45-150 Traypack from the Crokers Truck Centre in Mackay.

“The Isuzu appealed to us for a variety of reasons, but mainly because it already had all the key features we needed. A reversing camera. Good suspension and a truck’s payload,” Margaret explained.

“With the Isuzu, we can carry the mechanical cleaning unit, as well as a big 1000-litre water tank, because we actually carry our own water to the sites – which would have been impossible with the ute.

“The specialised bin cleaning unit on the back lifts the bin up so we can wash it on the inside, outside, the bottom, the top, the wheels. We also clean the area where your hands go under, where there's all those little compartments around the rim where spiders find a home,” Margaret said.

When asked of the modifications, Margaret clarified, “We had the custom-built cleaning unit fabricated to fit the Traypack through Bryan’s Bodies. They did a fantastic job.”

But the Deluxe Wheelie Wash is not just a customised wheelie bin washing truck.

“We are an environmentally friendly business, so we collect all the grey water from the cleaning process. We have a permit from the council where we pump it back into the council's wastewater. The NLR 45-150 Traypack is perfect as it has enough power and space to carry a large enough tank to for all our fresh and grey water.”

The NLR 45-150 sports Isuzu’s 4HK1 four-cylinder engine with 110kW of power and a generous 375Nm of torque.

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With a GVM of 4500kg, the NLR can also be driven on a car licence, making driving tasks more manageable for a small business.

“And now that we have enough payload to carry the 1000 litres of water, we can also do more for our customers. We recently bought a floor washer and started offering the service of pressure washing and concrete cleaning as well.

The Dingles purchased the NLR Traypack in a short wheelbase with an automatic transmission, with specific goals in mind.

“You don’t need a truck license to drive it, which makes it easier when I’m employing new people. I could just get anyone with a car license, and they can drive it,” Margaret said.

“This is great because we often drive down tight lanes and small alleys to access commercial bins. More often than not, we have to reverse out, and this is when the reversing camera comes in handy.

“Fuel consumption is quite similar to the ute. I’d have expected a truck to use more fuel, but they’re pretty similar.”

“The ability to access parts and get our truck serviced easily and locally was an important thing,” Margaret added.

“In fact the dealer who sold us the truck is actually now one of our customers!”

The Dingles certainly love their NLR Traypack and receive a lot of love from the community of Mackay in return (who must be enjoying fresher smelling bins).