Isuzu tipper delivers Christmas in July for Conquest Pools

While a European Christmas conjures a vision of a winter wonderland, an Aussie Christmas is more of a hot and sweaty affair that requires a cold beverage in hand (to survive assembling the obligatory family Christmas tree, if nothing else).

Roast dinners are foregone in favour of fresh salads and prawns on the barbecue—all laid out by the swimming pool to make the most of the weather.

Summer is peak season for pool installation businesses across the country, but companies like Conquest Pools Albury Wodonga are taking bookings over six months in advance to ensure that pools are ready for the relatives to enjoy, come the Christmas holidays.

“Pools are a real social gathering point,” said Conquest Pools Albury Wodonga Manager, Peter Garratt.

“It's good to see a smile on customer’s faces once the installation is finished, knowing they can bring all their friends and relatives around for barbecues come summertime.”

On the job with Conquest Pools Albury Wodonga

A splash about town

The memory of a good swim goes a long way and Conquest Pools Albury Wodonga is reliant on word of mouth to advertise—something they have had no issue with.

“We recently installed a pool for a customer who had fond memories of swimming in a Conquest Pool in her childhood home, which I remember installing back in the day,” Peter recalled.

Before selling the Conquest Pools product in 2007, Peter and wife, Jenny, started small with their first fibreglass pool installation business; Peter on the tools and Jenny at the books. Going further back, Peter began his career in the early 1980s with a single Isuzu tip truck and a bobcat, doing earthworks and landscaping as a subcontractor.

Peter and Jenny's sons, Brendan and Peter Jr, have followed faithfully in their parents’ footsteps, and are now taking on the responsibility of managing the operation.

The brothers have a collective 36 years' experience in the industry between them and have their sights firmly set on growing their parents’ legacy.

“It has been a busy year since taking over,” commented Brendan.

“Our new Isuzu trucks are helping us meet the high demand we have seen with recent business growth.”

Conquest Pools' FVZ 240-300 Auto

Fit & fleet

The newest editions to the Conquest Pools fleet include a pre-built Isuzu NQR 87-190 AMT Tipper and an FVZ 240-300 Auto with a custom tipper body, acquired from Blacklocks Isuzu in Wodonga.

Their standing fleet also includes an older Isuzu FVR 950, two FRRs and two FVZ 1400s, all customised with tipper bodies which assist with pool installation.

An NLR 45-150 Traypack pulls duty as the ‘service truck’ making the rounds to clients for pool cleaning, refurbishing, and maintenance.

As a core part of their modern fleet, the NQR 87-190 AMT Tipper comes from Isuzu Trucks Ready-to-Work range, providing a turnkey solution that promotes better efficiency for the installation teams.

Built tough with an all-steel Japanese ShinMaywa-produced body, the durable NQR Tipper has a hydraulic hoist on the tray with 20-second raise and lower time.

It can be operated from the driver's seat via a cab-mounted tipper control lever, saving considerable time and improving on-site safety as the driver doesn't need to manually open the tailgate.

The Conquest Pools' FVZ, large and in charge

Big jobs, no worries

On the heavier side of the operation, Peter noted that the FVZ 240-300 with its custom-built tipper tray from Nixon's Wagga has been a driver favourite, carrying the largest pools that the company has to offer.

Powering the FVZ 240-300 is the turbocharged Isuzu 6HK1-TCS engine with 221 kW of power @ 2,400 rpm and 981 Nm of torque @ 1,450 rpm, which helps to haul the weight of those pools over the hilly terrain of Albury Wodonga.

“Everybody wants to get behind the wheel of our new FVZ 240-300 Auto tipper—you can back up a steep hill without getting stuck,” said Peter.

“All our Isuzu trucks are comfortable to drive. We wouldn't hesitate to jump in and drive them to Melbourne or Sydney to pick up materials.”

Genuine value prospect

Conquest Pools’ dealership of choice is conveniently located 15 minutes up the road and Peter says that the team at Blacklocks Isuzu, including General Sales Manager Richard Telfer, has been exceptional to deal with.

“We get the majority of our servicing done in-house with Blacklocks because we need consistent servicing and preventative maintenance.

“We can't be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of delivering a pool for a customer with a truck and driver out of action,” Peter said.

“When we needed our air controller in the FVZ adjusted, Richard handled the whole process for us with ease.”

Peter is also keen to continue with Blacklocks’ service to ensure the fleet is maintained using Isuzu Genuine Parts, saying that they have proved reliable and easy to access when needed.

“I've been driving Isuzu trucks all of my working life, and there has never been an issue getting replacement parts come service time.

“The trucks and their genuine parts are bulletproof.”

Manager Peter with his sons, Peter Jr and Brendan who have recently become co-directors

An enduring legacy

Albury and Wodonga are considered sibling cities, but a pool permit takes roughly four weeks to clear in Victoria for Wodonga residents, while taking up to six months in New South Wales for those in Albury, according to Peter.

This keeps the business ticking over the 12 months of the year, and for now, this means the two generations of Garratts will be working together, with Peter staying on to handle quotes as the ‘friendly face’ the community has come to know and cherish—especially when summer rolls around.

“My wife and I have taken this business as far as we could, and now it's the boys' turn to shine... we couldn't be prouder of what they are achieving,” Peter said.

Brendan was quick to add his own thoughts, “It’s a privilege to take over the business from ‘the old man.’

“Dad has built it up to have a wonderful reputation and a big name in the region,” he concluded.