Isuzu the ideal workhorse for Qld farrier

When Nathan Kerrison from Toowoomba-based business Ag & Equine Services went looking for a new workhorse, stepping up from his ute to a light-duty truck made complete sense.

The farrier needs to cart an assortment of tools and equipment and haul his gooseneck trailer to properties anywhere within a three-hour radius of the regional Queensland city, so the extra payload and towing capacities of the Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack were a big plus.

The truck’s 4500kg gross vehicle mass was a further attraction, as the Isuzu can be driven on a standard car licence.

The upgrade seemed a logical step to help his growing business and his work as a corrective farrier, which sees him trimming, shoeing, rebalancing and correcting horses’ hooves.

Meanwhile, the short-wheelbase truck also makes light work of transporting Nathan’s own horses, courtesy of its 9000kg GCM and 4500kg towing capacity, when using a 70mm ball and Isuzu’s uprated towbar assembly.

“A big selling point for me with the new truck was that it needed to be multifunctional; that I could get in and out of places, carry a load, tow my float or trailer and be reasonably economical to use daily,” Nathan says.

“At the moment, I’m getting about 13.4 litres per 100 km with everything hitched and loaded onto the Tradepack. That’s pretty good, I reckon.”

The truck boasts a hefty nominal payload of 1630kg while its four-cylinder 4HK1-TCN turbo-diesel produces a handy 114kW (155hp) at 2600rpm and 419Nm between 1600-2600rpm. But it’s perhaps the space that Nathan notices most.

“The trouble I had with the ute was when I had all my gear in here, there was no room to put anything else like horse feed, hay or extra equipment,” he says.

“The truck’s tray [measuring 3.45m] is only a bit longer than a ute in total length, yet the tray capacity is massive.

“Once I’ve got all my gear on board, I’ve still got nearly half the tray empty at the back, so there’s plenty of room for anything else I may need.”

Covering around 130,000km each year, Nathan services the needs of everyone from private horse owners through to racing stable and riding schools, and on weekends he alternates between stock work and trail riding with his own horses.

“Every day, I’ve got a 12-hour day in front of me as I’m booked out solidly six weeks in advance, averaging around 100 horses a week,” he says.

“I’m usually up about four in the morning, gone by five at the latest and usually home by five or six o’clock at night.

“With my love of horses, though, it’s no hardship to work with them all day, every day.”

Nathan purchased the truck through local dealership Black Truck & Ag, while he backed up his investment with an Isuzu Essentials Service Agreement, covering the first six scheduled services plus oils and lubricants. And he’s opted to only use Genuine Isuzu Parts.

“Purely from a business perspective, I thought it was a great offer, so I took it,” Nathan says of his decision to purchase the service agreement, which was paid upfront and tied into the truck’s financing.

“As far as buying genuine parts, they’re always going to be a perfect fit—why would you risk buying something substandard just because it’s a little bit cheaper?”

A non-negotiable, however, was the six-speed manual transmission, which gives Nathan the precise control he needs when hooking up to a float or trailer.

Nathan says the truck’s compact 10.2m (kerb to kerb) turning circle was a pleasant surprise, as were features like the sat-nav and the infotainment system, the latter with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

And he also appreciates the Isuzu’s superb towing ability.

“Toowoomba is at the top of a big hill, so I’d have no brakes by the time I got to the bottom of it, towing my float with the ute,” Nathan said.

“My new truck takes me all the way down the hill and I don’t have to touch the brakes; it just tows beautifully.

“The same goes for when I hook up my big tandem trailer to cart firewood or garden waste. You wouldn’t even know it was there.”