Isuzu Grafter question

[brynarw]

Time to change my truck. Isuzu Grafter is my preferred choice. Compact footprint, good payload, towing capacity, turning circle main reasons. 3.5t tipper with chip box.

 

My question is single rear wheel versus double rear wheel. Single wheel makes for more compact truck which appeals for tight access work. It’s also a bit cheaper to buy new. Presumably slightly cheaper running costs.
 

Anyone with experience of single rear wheel Grafter as a tree truck? How does it drive with full load? Also, towing full 2-3t trailer? What’s traction like on mixed surfaces? I live up a steep 10-15% track with crushed stone surface. Have plenty of customers and tip sites with off road access too.

 

Any advice re single versus twin wheel much appreciated before I make large investment.

 

Thanks

[dig-dug-dan]

I had the single wheel cabstar , went over to twin wheels, different ball game.

You don't get stuck as much, especially with limited slip diff, plus if you get a puncture on one of the wheels, you can still drive it!

Handles better on the road with load on too

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, brynarw said:

 

Any advice re single versus twin wheel much appreciated before I make large investment.

 

Main advantage of twin rear wheels is not having to worry too much how the weight distribution lies between the axles

[The Surrey Garden & Tree Company]

Time to change my truck. Isuzu Grafter is my preferred choice. Compact footprint, good payload, towing capacity, turning circle main reasons. 3.5t tipper with chip box.
 
My question is single rear wheel versus double rear wheel. Single wheel makes for more compact truck which appeals for tight access work. It’s also a bit cheaper to buy new. Presumably slightly cheaper running costs.
 
Anyone with experience of single rear wheel Grafter as a tree truck? How does it drive with full load? Also, towing full 2-3t trailer? What’s traction like on mixed surfaces? I live up a steep 10-15% track with crushed stone surface. Have plenty of customers and tip sites with off road access too.
 
Any advice re single versus twin wheel much appreciated before I make large investment.
 
Thanks

Go for the twin wheel, Ive got one had it new in 2015 brilliant truck
These trucks pull like trains so don’t worry about steep tracks or off road

[brynarw]

Thanks for your replies. Appreciate you sharing your experiences

[wicklamulla]

my mate has 2 Grafters,  one an older 3.0 that would pull a house down and one is the newer 1.9 that really seems to lack the necessary minerals and he hates it when he's out of town with a load on as it dies on hills whereas the old 3.0 romps up the same hills.

[Matthew Storrs]

14 minutes ago, wicklamulla said:

my mate has 2 Grafters,  one an older 3.0 that would pull a house down and one is the newer 1.9 that really seems to lack the necessary minerals and he hates it when he's out of town with a load on as it dies on hills whereas the old 3.0 romps up the same hills.

You can still buy the 3.0l new, I got a quote recently for one. No way on earth I’d have a 1.9L engine pulling a 3 ton digger around Dartmoor on a daily basis!

 

and then realised that a 2wd truck was just a non starter all round so abandoned the idea!

Edited March 13, 2020 by Matthew Storrs

[wicklamulla]

1 minute ago, Matthew Storrs said:

You can still buy the 3.0l new, I got a quote recently for one. No way on earth I’d have a 1.9L engine pulling a 3 ton digger around Dartmoor on a daily basis!

yep i'd love a new 3.0 Grafter (but my 18 year old Transit does the job)  but i am a fan of double cabs and the majority of Grafters appear to be single cabs. There is always more storage space with a Transit / Iveco double cab that's had the rear bench seat removed and shelved out  versus those aluminium roller shutter storage boxes on the back of single cab trucks. I prefer twin rear wheels versus the skinny singles.