Eureka Concrete strikes gold in Ballarat with new Isuzu agitator

Golden days are ahead for Eureka Concrete in Ballarat, who recently collected a bright yellow FYJ 300-350 Auto concrete agitator to add to their burgeoning fleet.

Providing services in Ballarat, Ballan, Beaufort and Maryborough for over 50 years, the family-run business runs four concrete plants alongside a quarry in Amphitheatre. 

“Back when Dad (Graeme Beaston) first started the business 52 years ago, he had two concrete trucks and a front-end loader,” explained Eureka Concrete Manager, Troy Beaston.

“I've been here for over 30 years with my three brothers also working for the business.

“We now run around 45 concrete trucks plus a few tippers as well.”

Eureka Concrete Manager Troy Beaston

The foundations for the working relationship between Ballarat’s biggest concrete supplier and one of the region’s busiest truck dealerships were cemented some time ago.

With their new Isuzu FYJ Agitator on hand, Eureka provided a substantial quantity of concrete for the build of Ballarat Isuzu's new dealership in Mitchell Park.

“Eureka Concrete enjoys looking after the local community and businesses in Ballarat, providing high quality service and support,” Troy said.

“We have a connection with Ian Deacon, Chris Todd, Jason Homberg and the team at Ballarat Isuzu. We've known them for a long time and we're glad to do business with them.”

Hailed as one of the most modern and well-equipped facilities in Isuzu’s expansive Dealer Network, Ballarat Isuzu’s new premises is geared to support growth, extending the service and product support that customers such as Eureka Concrete have come to rely on. 

Dealer Principal Ian Deacon said the dealership was delighted to hand over the keys of the new agitator to a local customer, noting the mutual trust between Eureka and Ballarat Isuzu.

“The two businesses have enjoyed a long relationship, so it was a happy milestone that their FYJ Agitator could be the latest addition to their fleet,” said Ian.

Eureka Concrete's brand new FYJ 300-350 Agitator

Sunny side up 

While Eureka Concrete can be found delivering concrete for government projects, commercial projects and domestic builds, they also provide for clients from display homes, industrial sites and windfarms through to local mining operations. 

With a range of eye-catching washed pebble finishes and a bright array of coloured concretes that utilise pigments when blending, their signature products offer a striking rainbow of options to satisfy any customers’ designer dreams. 

Trucks in Eureka’s fleet such as their new FYJ Auto Agitator will take on five to six loads per day on average, with busy days jumping up to as many as 10 loads. This is prevalent on “the sunny days which are always busy,” according to Troy. 

“Eureka’s new FYJ Agitator would probably travel up to 200 or 300 kilometres a day and be in operation for up to 10 hours,” he added.

Pedal to the metal 

As one of the largest trucks in Isuzu’s model range sitting at a GVM of 30,000 kg, the FYJ Agitator is underpinned by an Isuzu 6UZ1-TCC turbocharged engine, producing 257 kW of power @ 2,000 rpm and 1,422 Nm of torque @ 1,400 rpm.

With this kind of artillery under the hood, the truck can haul a whole lot of concrete, with no worries about lasting the distance for Eureka’s job roster. 

Power assisted recirculating ball steering combined with heavy-duty Allison 4430 automatic transmission makes handling loads that much easier, and despite its hefty size, the FYJ has a reasonably tight 17.9-metre kerb-to-kerb turning circle.  

“We decided to go with the Isuzu FYJ because of its high horsepower and its manoeuvrability,” explained Troy.

“We appreciate that they are such a well-presented vehicle as we put a high value on presentation of product along with quality.”   

The in-cab control panel of the FYJ Agitator features Isuzu's kerb-and-channel functionality in both forward and reverse gears as a standard inclusion.

Improved operational safety comes with the kerb-and-channel system disabling should the driver remove their foot from the brake pedal and power divider and cross-locks protection—eliminating the risk of a driver engaging locks when the truck’s wheels are spinning.

For ease of operation, the Allison 4430 automatic transmission programming has been enhanced by Isuzu for the FYJ Agitator, improving overall control and reducing service brake wear. This includes industry-required ‘range inhibit’ and ‘auto neutral’ brake safety features.

Generations to come

Importantly for Eureka’s tough line of work, the FYJ 300-350 Auto Agitator cab chassis is supported with a three-year (or 300,000 km) ‘harsh application’ standard new vehicle warranty with no hours stipulation, which includes three years of 24/7 roadside assistance and Isuzu Care only a phone call away. 

Most of Eureka’s agitators are on the road for eight years before being replaced with newer models, with Troy noting that the barrel wears out faster than the cab chassis—presenting a unique challenge in fleet turnover management.

Ensuring they regularly replace capital equipment to stay across technological updates and keep the business operating as efficiently as possible is a key concern.

Troy said that expanding offerings outside of Ballarat could be in the pipeline but with such strong community ties right at home, a sense of belonging to the region could mean increasing product output for existing clients instead. 

“The industry is keeping us pretty busy; it's been pretty much growth right from the word go,” said Troy.

“Our Isuzu truck is going really well for the business... we are planning to update older vehicles over time with Ballarat Isuzu so we can have Isuzu trucks all throughout our fleet.”