Nathan Kerrison from Ag & Equine Services in Queensland recently switched from a ute to an Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack for carting tools, equipment, and his gooseneck horse trailer, and couldn’t be happier with his choice.
Kerrison recently upgraded vehicles in support of his successful business as a corrective farrier, which sees him trimming, shoeing, rebalancing and correcting horses’ hooves.
The job requirements call for a bag of swag, which Kerrison carts with him daily within a three-hour radius of Toowoomba.
This ranges from a variety of horseshoes to manual tools like hammers and anvils to drills, angle grinders, welders, air compressors and jerry cans of fuel.
A small power generator and a 60-litre fridge are also necessary for working on properties without easy access to power or a cold beverage.
All this equipment is housed in Kerrison’s work vehicle come storm or sunshine (either of which is likely in Queensland’s subtropical spring and summer seasons) and often in combination with the weight of a horse float that transports his own horses for trail riding or stock work around the region.
Walking into the Black Truck & Ag branch in Toowoomba in June this year, Kerrison said he was sold on upgrading from a ute to a light truck for both work and play.
At the top of the list was the short wheelbase NPR 45-155 Tradepack with a GVM of 4,500 kg. This makes the truck driveable on a standard car licence without needing a licence upgrade.
This is paired with a substantial 9,000 kg GCM and 4,500kg towing capacity, 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,” Kerrison explained.
“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.”
Allowing for the weight of tools and equipment, the NPR SWB Tradepack’s nominal payload of 1,630 kg—tendering more than any popular ute model on the Australian market—is well matched with Isuzu’s efficient turbocharged 4-cylinder 4HK1-TCN engine, with maximum power of 114 kW (155 PS) @ 2,600 rpm and torque of 419 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,600 rpm.
“The trouble I had with the ute was when I had all my gear in here, and there was no room to put anything else like horse feed, hay or extra equipment,” Kerrison said.
“The truck’s tray (measuring 3.45 m) 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.”