6
NEWS
Head Homes chooses Isuzu truck
The switch from utes and vans to an Isuzu truck was a "no brainer" for this Melbourne companyMelbourne family-run building company Head Homes offers a range of unique, stylish homes with genuine character.
Owner Jaydn Head says the company has been building high-end houses for over 15 years: "We provide a very boutique, personal service," he said.
"We have the skills and resource base to handle large builds, but we don’t take on many projects at once.
"That means I’ve got my finger on the pulse enough to deal with clients every day, answer their questions and – because I’m not physically swinging a hammer anymore – I’m not getting back to them at 12 o’clock at night."
Because Head’s prestigious homes, renovations and extensions are centred almost exclusively in Melbourne’s inner city, Jaydn is forced to cart his one and a half tonne load of tools and supplies around some pretty tight urban streets.
To handle this haulage, he has chosen Isuzu’s NLR 45-150 short wheel base Traypack.
The NLR Traypack is a tough and nimble truck, with a 4.5 tonne GVM that doesn’t require any sacrifice of manoeuvrability. In fact, a large chunk of Isuzu’s Ready to Work range – from its Tippers to the Servicepack – boast smaller or comparable turning circles than many of the top selling utilities on the market.
It also has plenty of grunt, with 110kW of power at 2800rpm and 375Nm of torque at 1600 - 2800rpm, yet it’s still able to be driven on a car licence.
"It’s the perfect vehicle for us," Jaydn said. "We can carry all our tools – as well as some extra material like sand or soil, and a couple of wheelbarrows – and still work on these tight, inner city sites, while parking in a conventional car space."
The NLR is Head Homes’ first foray into trucks, with Jaydn previously working only with utes, trailers and vans.
"I used a van when I was a carpenter, but the problem was it could only just handle the tools we needed, with no room to take a wheelbarrow, or pick up some timber or cement. The extra materials simply wouldn’t fit," he said.
This is no longer a problem, thanks to the NLR’s generous tray.
"The tools are in a big compartment we had fitted to the tray that extends about 2.2 metres from the back of the cabin. Then we’ve still got almost a metre of tray space behind that to fill with whatever we need – so we’ve got the best of both worlds."
But this extra space would all be for nought if the truck didn’t have the specifications to handle some serious weight.
"We had a load of bricks on it the other day, with all the other tools, so it would have been pretty close to capacity, and it handled it perfectly," he said.
"We wouldn’t have got away with that in the old vans."
When he made the decision to move to a truck, Jaydn didn’t have to think hard on which brand to go with.
"I chose an Isuzu because I’ve never heard a bad word about them," he said.
Head Homes’ success – and Jaydn’s insistence on maintaining close customer relationships – has led to him stepping back into more of a supervisory role in recent years and, as such, he doesn’t drive the NLR much himself.
Instead, one of his team members, carpenter Andrew Wadsworth, fills in behind the wheel, and he’s equally rapt with the NLR’s performance.
"It’s been a pleasure to drive," Andrew said. "Initially I thought the shorter wheel base might cause a few issues when there’s a fair bit of weight in it, but it handles like a dream.
"I spend just shy of four hours a day driving in it and the cab’s really comfy and spacious. It doesn’t feel too much like a truck really – it just feels roomy."
This car-like, ease of application, combined with Isuzu’s long standing reputation for reliability, is a big reason why Isuzu’s Ready to Work range has been so readily accepted by the industry.
And from Andrew’s position in the driver’s seat, it’s a no-brainer.
"We’ve come from utes and trailers and I would never go back," he said. "It’s really the perfect situation for a tradie set-up."
Share this article
Written byTrucksales Staff
See all articlesStay up to dateBecome a trucksales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayRelated articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Consent