SPARKING THE NEXT LEVEL WITH ISUZU AND FOURTH PHASE ELECTRICS

Trading-up to a truck from a ute “makes life significantly easier” for Fourth Phase Electrics Owner and Managing Director Casey Landman, who’s been an electrical contractor for the best part of a decade.  

As part of a mini-expansion, Casey decided an Isuzu NPR 45-155 AMT SWB Tradepack would be the best fit for the four-person strong Fourth Phase Electrics team after driving a mate’s older Isuzu, as well as a rival make of truck.  

“Before I got the truck, I’d drive one car to tow the excavator and I’d get one of my employees to drive another car towing a trailer full of gear,” Casey said.  

“Now I can tow my excavator and all the cables and conduits and stuff in the truck. I can fit three times as much and I'm not pushing my GVM (gross vehicle mass) limits.” 

SAFETY FIRST 

Based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, Fourth Phase Electrics provides industrial, commercial and residential electrical services throughout Victoria.  

As well as the cost effectiveness of having one vehicle doing fewer trips, the intelligent safety features of the updated N Series were a drawcard for Casey, who travels an average of 700 kilometres a week. 

Casey’s 2022 NPR comes with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), a network of active safety features that includes forward collision warning (FCW), the distance warning system (DWS) and lane departure warning (LDW).  

The ease of the Fourth Phase Electrics crew was also front of mind when it came to customising the Tradepack, which Casey did with two large toolboxes fitted with adjustable cable holders, drawers and shelving.  “There's also an extra battery, a fridge, an inverter and a microwave so we can actually have a nice warm lunch when working in rural areas and still have plenty of room to carry all the stuff we need,” he said.  

“It’s got built-in central locking and LED lighting as well.” 

On some other truck makes, the toolboxes tend to create blind spots, “but with the split mirrors I don't have any, and overall visibility is excellent.” 

VERSATILE TRUCK FOR A VERSATILE BUSINESS 

The versatility of the truck suits the wide variety of work that Casey and his team does, from rewiring rural airports to installing residential solar panels.  

“One week I might have a pallet of solar panels on the back and the next week I'll have half a dozen lengths of cable tray and half a tonne of thick cables on the back,” he said.  

Featuring a GVM of 4,500 kg and a gross combination mass (GCM) of 9,000 kg, the NPR also has towing capacity of 4,500 kg, which makes light work of Casey’s professional and recreational pursuits. It's also a boon for the weekend task of renovating his house.   

“Being able to carry timber and cement sheet and just general building materials is always handy,” he said.  Powered by Isuzu’s extremely popular four-cylinder 4HK1-TCN engine, the NPR has plenty of grunt at 114 kW (155 horsepower) @ 2,600 rpm and torque of 419 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,600 rpm. 

WINNING BILLBOARD 

The eye-catching wrap on the Fourth Phase Electrics Isuzu means Casey and his team are always behind the wheel of a mobile billboard. 

The business got a further boost when Casey and his truck were plastered across a giant billboard in Melbourne after Fourth Phase Electrics took out the Victorian category of the Isuzu 50th Anniversary Billboard Competition.    The future is looking sparkling for Fourth Phase Electrics, with Casey keen to do more work with commercial clients in the fields of renewable energy and the efficiencies that come with power factor correction. 

The Fourth Phase Electrics team recently finished a power factor correction installation at the True Foods manufacturing facility in Maryborough in the Central Goldfields of Victoria.  

After a site analysis, the team designed and installed an SVG unit in the food factory’s main switchboard. Casey estimated the work would lower the company’s power bill by $50,000-plus a year.  “It’s a decent investment but overall a very good return,” he said.  

“Typically, they pay themselves off in of 18 to 24 months.” 

Casey is more than happy with his decision to upgrade from a ute to a truck. Another expansion of his business would see him skip a ute altogether and go straight for a truck designed for the work a tradie does.   “I'd get the same model,” he said. “It works really well.”