Isuzu FYJ Agitator cements its position with JDM

Tasmania-based JDM Contracting recently added five Isuzu FYJ 300-350 Agitators to its fleet, purchased off the back of feedback from its drivers.

Established by Jarrod Minehan, JDM Contracting, along with its sister operations JDM Civil and JDM Concrete, specialises in all things concrete.

They cover everything from smaller residential concreting jobs like driveways and house slabs to large-scale civil construction projects including upgrading works on Hobart Airport, which they’re undertaking together with the crew at Hazell Bros.

For such a broad range of activities in a niche application, JDM needed not only a broad range of trucks, but also application-specific trucks that can handle the rigours of its operations. When it came time to purchase new agitators, Minehan threw it out to his drivers to see what they thought was the best brand.

“Jarrod asked us what sort of trucks we like to drive,” said one of JDM’s long-term agitator drivers, Dan Maher.

“We told him we like the Isuzus, they’re great trucks, so he went out and bought them!”

According to Isuzu, FYJ 300-350 Agitators are a popular choice with drivers and owners alike and are proven to withstand the demands of the construction industry.

This model boasts a 30,000kg Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and 45,000kg Gross Combination Mass (GCM), which ensures ample payload capacity to meet the requirements of JDM.

According to Maher, the new Isuzus have the goods to manage that weight, particularly on soft ground at job sites.

The engines produce 257kW of power at 2,000rpm and 1,422Nm of torque at 1,400rpm, and both drive axles have cross locks which aid tremendously in adverse conditions.
“When you get into a sticky situation, you can throw the locks in and the truck will dig deep and wriggle itself out,” he said.

In-cab comfort is another strong point, with the ISRI 6860 air-suspended driver’s seat featuring pneumatic lumbar support helping to increase comfort and alleviate driver fatigue.

Furthering this cause is the full-floating cab with coil spring suspension and hydraulic shock absorbers.

“It’s just a really comfortable truck out on the road, especially when you’ve got a full load onboard,” said Maher – adding that visibility is another strong point.

“I can see heaps from the Isuzu, there’s a lot of vision from within the cabin, which is what I like,” he said.

“With no nose on the truck, I’m able to see the front left of the truck, and get in and out of tighter spots too, which is really good.

“The Isuzus have all the features we need to do the job we do – and having reliable trucks is a must for our operations.”

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