The introduction of the new Isuzu Grafter Green 3.5tonne rigid truck range earlier this year has prompted Southwest catering wholesaler J&R Food Service to order 12 new Grafter Greens for inclusion in its 45 strong all-refrigerated distribution fleet.
Already an operator of Isuzu trucks at 5.5 tonne and 7.5 tonne, the specification of the new Isuzu Grafter Green rigids ideally fitted the bill when J&R Food Service were looking at replacement trucks for its 3.5 tonne vehicle fleet. Six new Grafter Greens, fitted with Coolertech temperature-controlled, twin-compartment bodies, have already gone into service within the J&R Food Service fleet, and a further six Grafters, fitted with Paneltex fridge bodies, have now been ordered for delivery in February 2019.
“We are now implementing a policy of specifying the Isuzu Grafter Green as our standard choice at 3.5 tonnes as the achievable payload of 940 kgs is absolutely outstanding for that GVW. Even though it is predominantly a lightweight chassis, with a lightweight fridge body, it is more than capable of doing the demanding job that we require, in terms of our daily intensive multi-drop distribution operations,” said Simon Hatherley, workshop manager, J&R Food Service Ltd.
All the new Isuzu Grafter Greens have been supplied to J&R Food Service by their local Isuzu truck dealer AK Commercials in Bristol.
For this latest Grafter Green order, the 3.5tonne trucks feature Coolertech AiroVantage, twin-compartment refrigerated bodies that are split 60:40 between the chilled and deep frozen compartments. The frozen compartment at the front of the body is designed for carrying loads up to -18° C, with a single side door access, whereas the rear chilled compartment is designed for temperatures up to +5° C with access through a single rear door. Bespoke aluminium racking has been specified in both compartments as well as a twin compartment fixed bulkhead for this multi-drop application.Refrigeration is provided by a GAH Super Rapier Dual SRD351 refrigeration system.
J&R Food Service is a family-owned catering wholesaling business established over 30 years, with depots in Exeter and Andover, serving customers from as far east as London as well as down to the southerly tip of Cornwall. The new Grafter Greens will be split between the Exeter and Andover depots
“By early 2019 over 50% of our distribution fleet will be based around the Isuzu truck range and this is a reflection of the success of the current vehicles within our demanding distribution operation. They combine high payload with proven reliability, which is perfect for us as we continue to grow our business levels year on year,” added Simon.