Tough truck trades work for play
Former truckie heads off on Big Trip with Isuzu 'Retirementpack'Grahame Butler has been a truckie for most of his life, and he can’t think of a better way to spend his golden years than to tour Australia with his wife, Robyn with their big American-built caravan in tow.
Married for over 35 years, Grahame and Robyn are camping and adventure enthusiasts with big plans.
“Our plan is to sell the business, sell our house, hop in the caravan, go north, and have a look around Australia for about three years,” Grahame said.
“We’ll find out where we want to have our base, whether it be in Victoria, Queensland, or up in Broome.
“We'll purchase a little house somewhere on the prairie and live happily ever after.”
Big truck for towing
With a 26ft long, three tonne-plus caravan to haul around, the couple's tow vehicle of choice is a ready-to-work Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack light truck -- an increasingly popular choice for big-rig jobs.
“Originally, I had our caravan hooked onto a brand-new ute, but it didn’t turn out to be a great idea,” Grahame explained.
“Our Cell Caravan is 26-foot-long, and it weighs three tonnes even when it’s empty, so I was up to the maximum loading weight already.
“I could only carry an extra 500 kilograms on top of that with the ute - there was no space to put any of the goodies – barbecue bits and pieces, gas bottles, the boats’ outboard motor, and all the other odds and ends.”
“With this Isuzu truck, I have the space and payload to build a canopy on the back, carry all our camping gear and hook on the caravan with no concerns about being over the loading limit.”
The couple loved the tradie truck so much they even re-lettered the model name, renaming it their Isuzu 'Retirementpack'.
Lifetime of trucking
Grahame is no stranger to trucks, having owned three previous Isuzus along with driving other brands over the years.
He first began his journey as a part-time truck driver with F.A. Delaney Quarries back in 1988, before progressing to become a full-time owner-operator, and contracting a good portion of work with Coates Hire in Wagga Wagga.
These days, he spends most of his time transporting farm machinery such as headers, rollers, excavators, and boomers in heavy-duty prime movers.
“When I was thinking of buying a little truck to pull my caravan, I knew my choice was going to be an Isuzu,” he said.
Since its purchase in 2018, the light truck has clocked over 9000 kilometres, with Grahame and Robyn taking turns driving the truck through country roads on weekend getaways.
With a GVM rating sitting at 4500kg, the option for both husband and wife to take turns at the wheel was the other reason why they chose a light-duty truck.
“You don't need to have a rigid or combination truck licence to drive it, which is great as Robyn has a regular car licence," Graeme said.
“We also upgraded to the Premium Tradepack, which has automated manual transmission (AMT), cruise control, navigation, airbags and all the bells and whistles.”
“It’s easy to drive, and the cabin is also comfortable,” he said.
“Generally speaking, trucks can be a bit rough on the road, especially when they're empty, but with the canopy and our gear packed in the back of the truck, along with the caravan hooked on, the ride isn't bad at all… it's really good.”
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