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FLEET OF THE MONTH
How the West was won FROM FULFILLING A MECHANICAL APPRENTICESHIP WITH PERTH ISUZU DEALER MAJOR MOTORS IN THE 1970S TO BUILDING A MAJOR NATIONAL PLANT HIRE BUSINESS INCORPORATING A BRACE OF ISUZU TRUCKS, DOUG BROOKS HAS WITNESSED THE COMPLETE RISE TO DOMINATION OF THE JAPANESE TRUCK BRAND OVER THE PAST 45 YEARS.
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Since 2008 Brooks Hire Service has purchased an estimated 120 Isuzu vehicles.
When the founder and CEO of Brooks
Brooks Hire now has over 3,000 units of
various sizes and guises,” he says. “We’ve
Hire Service started his mechanical
plant equipment available for hire through
been buying quite a few of the larger F
apprenticeship with Major Motors in 1972,
its nationwide network of branches.
Series 350hp models with Allison automatic
Isuzu trucks were little more than a fleck on
Prior to delivery, every machine is
transmissions including six-wheel FXYs and
the far horizon in Australia. In those now
thoroughly checked by experienced staff
FXZs and eight-wheel FYs for water truck
distant days British Bedford trucks and light
to ensure everything is operating correctly.
applications.”
commercials ruled the roost at Majors, but
For mining applications, equipment is
Doug adds that the addition of a Diesel
it didn’t take long for the keen-eyed young
fitted with hazard lights, rotating beacons,
Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) rather than the
Brooks to recognise the superior quality of
fire extinguishers and reverse alarms in
Diesel Particulate Diffuser (DPD) used on
the Isuzu products when they started rolling
accordance with mine spec regulations.
the smaller F Series variants is a major
into the workshop during his third year.
Interestingly, it took quite a while before
advantage.
“There was a lot more attention to
Isuzu trucks made their first appearance
“Water trucks operate at relatively slow
detail on the Isuzus compared with the
in the Brooks Hire fleet, with Doug saying
speeds in off-road conditions which means
Bedfords,” Doug says. If there was a hose
the first units were bought in 2008. At
the burn-off of the DPD needs to be done
that ran along the chassis of the Bedford
this point the range of hire equipment
manually. As these vehicles often have
he recalls, it would be P-clamped every 1.5
was considerably broadened to include a
multiple drivers, sometimes they neglect
metres whereas with the Isuzu it would be
range of tippers, table-tops, water trucks
to manually activate the burn which can
P-clamped every 300mm. “It actually took
and 4WD service trucks. Doug describes
lead to issues with the DPD getting choked
longer to work on the Isuzus because you’d
the Isuzu products as solid, reliable and
up with soot,” he says. “We’ve found the
have to undo all the extra P-clamps, but in
relatively trouble-free. “They’re a good
350hp engine with the DOC to be the best
saying that the hoses wouldn’t chafe like
truck — we don’t have a lot of problems
choice for our water trucks because there’s
they did on the Bedfords, so in the end the
with them. I think over the last few years
no requirement for the manually
Isuzus were far more reliable.”
we have bought around 120 Isuzus in
actioned burn.”
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Trailer Magazine NOVEMBER 20
