Descending from a long line of shearers and sheep farmers, Mark Williams is a primary producer and shearer based outside of Goulbourn in New South Wales and needed a vehicle upgrade out on the farm.
Like most of the Williams family, including wife Sally and daughter Piper, Mark confesses to being a bit sheep mad—which is put to good use on the family farm.
“The day starts about six o’clock in the morning, and just goes from there, often late into the night if it’s birthing season or if the weather is frosty and we need to shed the sheep and lambs in from the cold and safe from predators,” said Mark Williams.
“Some weeks I will be on location, camped out and shearing, then the week after I will be back home on my own farm.”
Flock together
Mark previously made use of utes to tow their trailer-mounted sheep crates, but with the farm only getting busier, they no longer offered the desired payload for transporting sheep in safety and comfort.
A vehicle upgrade became a top priority for this family determined to provide the necessary care and attention to their flocks.
Isuzu Trucks being an established brand name with the local farming industry, Mark knew which brand he wanted to support his own operation.
“When I was a young kid, livestock trucks would go off in the morning, so whenever I could I’d spend the day sitting up in the trucks with the smell of sheep.
“I knew even then that I wanted my own Isuzu truck one day.”
This long-held dream came true as he talked trucks with Truck Sales Consultant Richard Pineros from Blacklocks Isuzu in Wodonga.
With Richard’s assistance, Mark settled on an NQR 87-190 Crew Cab model with two-pedal Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and a custom sheep crate fitted to the tray.
This workhorse of a truck does the hard yards transporting sheep and tackles a multitude of other tasks for the Williams family; loading up gear for fencing repairs, carting hay, or taking food and drinks out into the field for the day’s work.
Concerns about overloading—one of the key issues with their previous ute-and-trailer combo—were put to bed by the NQR’s 8,700 kg GVM and 12,200 kg GCM. And with the weight of the sheep now sitting on the tray, the Williams also had capacity to tow their custom-built trailer if needed.
The truck is powered by Isuzu’s 4-cylinder 16 valve 4HK1-TCC engine, producing140 kW @ 2,600 rpm and torque of 513 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,600 rpm, packing plenty of punch for handling uneven ground conditions or carting sheep to shows.
In a crew cab configuration, this model provides extra room for storage inside the cab, seating up to six passengers alongside the driver and the option for using the back seat to roll out a sleeping bag after a hard day’s work.
“Out of all my vehicles it’s my favourite one to drive,” said Mark. “I just love getting up behind the wheel.”
Care made easy
“The NQR is an amazing workhorse with great capability for a customer like Mark, who requires a vehicle for multiple purposes,” said Richard Pineros from Blacklocks Isuzu.
“He wanted a truck that could take on any job around the farm, like moving livestock between paddocks and transporting feed, as well as being able to tow his trailers or take the vehicle on location when shearing.
“He also wanted the ease of an automatic truck without having to compromise on power or towing capacity which the whole family could drive, so the AMT model was the best fit, suiting their needs perfectly,” said Richard.
Mark added his thoughts on Isuzu’s driver-friendly AMT transmission. “I was dubious at the time because I generally drive a manual, but Richard told us that AMT was the way to go… looking back, I’m glad we took his advice, it’s been fantastic.”
Despite the five-hour drive to the Blacklocks dealership in Wodonga, Mark chooses to have all maintenance for the truck done there.
Their dedicated service ensures the truck is kept in tip-top shape, keeping costly downtime to a minimum.
“I tell Richard about a week before I’m coming, and he will have a loan vehicle for me to drive which allows me to take the day however I please,” Mark said.
Next generation farming
After this positive experience with Isuzu, Mark is eyeing off a bigger truck for future farming endeavours, saying the family has expansion of the business in mind.
“In the farming game, there are certain bits of gear that just work, and when you have a brand you love, you just stick with it,” Mark said.
“In the future I would love a bigger F Series Isuzu truck.”
Mark’s daughter Piper has followed in the family footsteps, starting her own business as a shearer and pregnancy scanning sheep and cattle.
She’s also recently secured a medium-rigid truck licence to drive the Williams’ new Isuzu truck—all achievements that her parents are proud of.
“My wife Sally gets involved in the business, and I couldn’t do what I do without her,” said Mark.
“Our daughter Piper has also started her own business, building a name for herself—we are both very proud of her.”
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