Tow-riffic Tradepack upgrade for QLD horse farrier

When you’re putting an old workhorse out to pasture, it’s only natural to desire a replacement that will give you years of the same kind of faithful service.

The same can be said about upgrading your work vehicle, although there’s also no shame in getting a workhorse that can handle a bit more.

This is certainly the case for Nathan Kerrison from Ag & Equine Services, who recently switched from a ute to an Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack for carting tools, equipment, and his gooseneck horse trailer.

Nathan recently upgraded vehicles in support of a successful business as a corrective farrier. This sees him trimming, shoeing, rebalancing and correcting horses’ hooves—an equine podiatrist of sorts.

The job requirements call for a bag of swag, which Nathan carts with him daily within a three-hour radius of Toowoomba in Queensland.

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.

Nathan has opted for sleek built-in toolboxes to house the tools of the trade

Room to move

All this equipment is housed in Nathan’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, Nathan 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,” Nathan 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,” Nathan commented.

“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.”

Isuzu's SWB NPR Tradepack maximises space and utility with a tray that fits toolboxes and equipment and allows for easy float or trailer loading

Life on the road

Nathan travels around 130,000 km each year; during the week, he visits clients ranging from racing stables to riding schools and private horse owners.

On the weekend, he alternates between stock work and trail riding with his three horses around the region.

“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,” Nathan recounted.

“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.”

Suffice it to say, there’s not much downtime for the busy horseman—nor his truck—which is just how he likes it.

With the Tradepack backing up the transport side of his business, Nathan has doubled down on the investment with an Isuzu Essentials Service Agreement, covering the first six scheduled services, plus essential oils and lubricants.

This is further supported by a pre-emptive choice to use only Genuine Isuzu Parts when replacing them with the service department at Black Truck & Ag.

“Purely from a business perspective, I thought it was a great offer, so I took it,” Nathan said 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?”

Based on his previous experience with a ute, which delivered a relatively stress-free 837,000 km over its 10-year lifespan, Nathan hopes his NPR Tradepack will perform similarly.

And if one can be excused for the trope of comparing horses and vehicles: a well-cared-for endurance horse can go the distance, but a draft horse will put its best in, day after day, with no complaint.

Nathan expects he will drive up to a million kilometres over the next 10 years in his new Isuzu truck

“I ask a lot of my vehicles; they’ve got to stand up to hard work,” Nathan said.

“The ute has been the most reliable, faultless vehicle I’ve owned, which is why I’ve bought another Isuzu—but this time, I’ve gone up a size!

“I’m gobsmacked at how good these Isuzus are. If I get the same sort of run on this truck, I’ll probably put a million kilometres in it over the next 10 years.”

Geared for performance

Nathan made a non-negotiable request for a 6-speed manual transmission model, which supports his need for touch-and-go control reversing to hook up the float or trailer, and ease of use across varied terrain.

It’s where the Tradepack’s dual-circuit hydraulic control brakes are also a boon for towing this heavy load around the region’s scenic terrain.

“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.”

Hilly terrain around Toowoomba in Queensland is no problem for this heavily loaded NPR Tradepack

Although he’s gone a step up in terms of tray size and a slightly longer overall length of vehicle, Nathan said the SWB Tradepack’s compact turning circle of 10.2 m (kerb to kerb) was a pleasant surprise compared to his ute.

“I go into some pretty tight properties with small gateways and driveways, so I needed a vehicle that would be nimble enough to navigate these areas.

“One of the things that impressed me was the turning circle of this truck; it’s actually easier to park at the supermarket than my ute.

“Features-wise, it has everything I need and is simple enough to operate. I appreciate the SatNav, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay compatible unit—that’s an awesome thing to have in a truck."