It is said that if a vehicle can survive long-term in Australian conditions, it can work just about anywhere on the planet.
If this is the case, it’s easy to believe that Cube Removals’ Isuzu FRR 600 would be more than up for the task.
As of this year, the 2014 model Isuzu truck service has clocked almost 1.4 million km on the odometer—an average of 127,000 km each year of its working life, give or take.
Suppose you want to rate this performance against something other than simple kilometres. In that case, the distance can be calculated to 35 circumnavigations of the world—or one and a half trips to the moon.
This is due simply to Cube Removals’ massive footprint across the country, which takes truck and driver Clinton Simpson anywhere from the Victorian Coast to Far North Queensland and everywhere in between conducting a specialist interstate removal service.
The long-wheelbase FRR 600 is rated to an 11,000kg GVM and 16,000kg GCM. When fully loaded with furniture and other household items, this leaves enough capacity to tow a loaded three-tonne trailer.
Genuine support
This workhorse has been run by Cube Removals for the past 10 years, with Clinton behind the wheel for seven of these. Clinton also took ownership of the Cube Removals business in 2022, dedicating the service to on-time delivery and the highest standards of freight protection, all while travelling huge distances across Australia.
With such a milestone occurring, Clinton said he never considered using this as the opportunity to change over to a new truck.
The FRR’s ability to perform under the staggering workload, in what Clinton describes as rough conditions, comes down to the reliability of Isuzu’s hardy F Series product and a regular servicing routine.
He chooses to have this done at Wagga Motors using only Isuzu genuine and approved parts.
“The places I visit sound like the old ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ song by Geoff Mack—freeways to goat tracks are what this truck travels regularly,” Clinton remarked.
“Blazing hot summers and flooding rains really do a lot of damage to outback roads, so that causes more wear and tear on the vehicle.
“I am not mechanically minded, but I understand what is important to keep the truck on the road —and that is regular servicing from the team at Wagga Motors and using genuine Isuzu parts.
“I know that the parts that have been used in the truck are the same, if not better, than when it was built.”
Down to the details
Taking a little extra care goes a long way to keeping this valuable asset on the road for Clinton. The Wagga Motors team pre-plans his maintenance schedule, including replacing a range of hoses and fittings at the truck’s last service.
“This was due to the Australian environment’s effect on the rubber. We scheduled this at a previous service so that we could have everything ready this time around,” said John Beattie, Isuzu Brand Manager at Wagga Motors.
“Because of where the truck travels, we go over the diagnostics and take it all into account when we’re planning for parts replacement on Clinton’s truck.
“Despite it having some 23,000-plus engine hours, we have never had to open the motor for anything other than valve adjustments.
“While the truck has put in a remarkable workload, it is hats off to Clinton for not overstretching the vehicle’s capabilities and supporting it with the best parts for its maintenance and our highly qualified Isuzu-trained technicians.”
Keep on truckin’, Clinton!
