An Isuzu FYX 350-350 Auto 10×4 purchased from Sydney Isuzu dealership Suttons Arncliffe is delivering the goods while very much looking the goods for Coopers Heavy Industries.
The business was very much born out of adversity.
During the global financial crisis of 2008, then 21-year-old Sydney mechanic, Dylan Cooper, took the plunge and started his own equipment delivery business called Coopers Heavy Industries.
“I thought the middle of a recession was probably a good time to start, because the only way to go was up,” said Cooper.
Starting with just a single crane on a hire truck, Cooper now has a dozen employees, over 20 custom-built cranes and a transport fleet that includes his signature vehicle, a stunningly presented Isuzu FYX 350-350 Auto.
“The trucks are predominantly used to deliver large equipment and machinery, and other funky stuff like glass sheets of over two and a half tonnes,” explained Cooper – adding that he bought his first tilt-tray truck in 2015 and while it did the job, it was far from an ideal fit.
He needed a truck that balanced payload, power and body specifics with good visibility and manoeuvrability. After evaluating the field his attention was drawn to the Isuzu FYX 350-350 Auto.
“Our bread and butter comes from our ability to supply premium equipment for tight access applications,” he said. “We work with clients across a variety of industries like construction, energy, breweries and food processing factories that often have really tight access. We recently worked on the metro rail, too.”
With most of the clients based in the Sydney metro and Paramatta regions, the business is also equipped to travel long distance commonly working between Dubbo, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour.
“I bought the FYX 350-350 Auto from Daniel Ferreira at the Suttons Arncliffe dealership. Daniel was a decent bloke, he helped us out without any fuss,” said Cooper.
The vehicle features respective Gross Vehicle (GVM) and Gross Combination Mass (GCM) ratings of 35,000kg and 42,500kg, while its ultra-efficient 6UZ1-TCN six-cylinder engine produces peak power of 257kW (345 HP) at 2,000rpm and a hefty torque output of 1,422Nm at 1,400rpm.
“We decked it out with a 12-tonne Effer Crane from MaxiQuip, a custom body by Suburban and ROC Hydraulics took care of fitting the tray,” said Cooper.
It also features a camouflage wrap and branding from Killer Images, finishing off a show-stopping package that landed Coopers Heavy as the Grand Prize Winner in Isuzu’s Truck of the Year Competition last year.
Asked of the driving experience of his new FYX, Cooper had one word in response, “Sensational.”
“It saves us time by making things easier for my employees and they respect this truck and what it represents,” he said.
“The Alison auto is also bulletproof. It’s nice to just get in and get going, definitely good in traffic.”
In fact, so impressed is Cooper with his first Isuzu truck, he’s ordered a light-duty Isuzu and a sister FYX 350-350 10-wheeler truck with a beavertail tray.