Rail gates are lift gates that slide up and down the back of your Isuzu npr truck while riding on rails.  These rails are generally fastened to the back of a box truck, but this type of gate is dynamic enough to work with dump bodies, stake bodies, flat beds, etc.  The gates allow an Isuzu npr owner to lift the load vertically, well above the rear deck height if they need to.  This functionality is great for operators who need to lift the load to different dock heights.  It also allows a user to utilize an Isuzu npr box truck that is lower than the standard dock height, to move freight to and from a dock.    

Rail gates have one significant disadvantage.  When in the closed, unused position, the gate is positioned vertically against the back of the truck body.  This allows a relatively large gate platform to be stored compactly and with less folding relative to the tuck away gate.  However, this design forces the user to open the gate any time they access the rear opening of the truck body.  This can be very tedious and burdensome.  If an operator does not want the hassle of operating the gate every time they need to access the rear of their Isuzu Npr, then they should look at the tuck away gate options. 

Tuck away gates combat this problem by “tucking away” underneath the body of the Isuzu npr.  In this aspect, tuck away gates are far more practical when the operator needs to access the rear of the truck.  Tuck away gates provide convenience to the user but are significantly heavier and less dynamic.  These gates can only elevate to the top of the rear deck of the Isuzu npr.  This aspect is only a problem if the user wants to access different dock heights or similar areas.  The heavier weight of a tuck away gate can also be a negative point if the user is concerned with maximizing usable payload weight.  An Isuzu NPR’s relatively light GVW means that every bit of weight matters.   

To summarize, when an Isuzu npr operator needs a lift gate, he is generally given two options: a rail gate and a tuck away gate.  The tuck away gate is more convenient when accessing the rear of the truck, but it is heavy and cannot elevate the load higher than the bed height.  A rail gate is lighter, can lift a load higher vertically, but forces the user to unlock it when using the rear of the truck.  I personally believe that a tuck away gate is more useful in many more applications, is generally made sturdier, and is worth the extra cost.    

I would recommend searching auto and truck auction and classified sites such as manheim, truckpaper, truckshopper, trucktrader, etc. Many new, domestic, and commercial dealers are going out of business or looking to liquidate older or expensive inventory.  Used commercial dealers are also feeling the hit and will sell inventory at a loss to increase cash flow.   Browse your local dealers.  Is their Isuzu Npr and Nqr lineup from 2006?  Do they have excess 2006 model year inventory on the lot?  These models should have been sold a year ago, yet many dealers are struggling to move their product.  This excess inventory is precisely where you need to look to find a deal.

At a recent wholesale auction, one of my associates was able to buy several used Isuzu Npr’s and their Chevrolet clones at close to half price.  The same Isuzu Npr models would have been a couple thousand dollars higher a month or two ago.  These prices reflect poor dealer health.  They are willing to take losses in order to rid themselves of odd, old, unique, or damaged “trade ins,” older new vehicles, and in some cases new-new vehicles.    

While wholesale auction prices are certainly different than consumer retail prices, they will follow the same trends in the long run.  In these depressed economic times the low auction prices of the used Isuzu Npr’s and other vehicles will be passed on to customers in order to stimulate business.  Truck dealers are failing all over the country and the savvy dealer will trim his profit margins in order to maintain sales and cash flow. 

An intelligent customer who has cash available will pounce on these deals.  A used Isuzu Npr that was priced at $10,000 a year ago, will go for $8,000 or less this year.  The customer base has shrunk and customer demand has shrunk.  Dealers can no longer command five to seven thousand dollars in profit margins per vehicle.      

As an added bonus dealers will also bend over backwards to make a deal.  A buyer needs only to list his demands.  Detail? Check.  Delivery fee waved? Check.  Third party mechanic’s check? Check.  It’s a buyer’s market and many customers already know this.  Request a specialized body be put on your isuzu npr cab and chassis.  Request that your isuzu npr have undercoating, rhino lining, or a new paint job on the bed.  These little things would have adjusted the overall price of the commercial truck in the past.  But not anymore. 

The business owner that is looking for a used Isuzu Npr, a commercial truck, or any truck, holds the power.  Now go and use it.

An Isuzu Npr, like any commercial vehicle can be equipped to handle landscaping, plumbing, moving, construction, delivery, general contracting, and other service work.  Isuzu offers many different cab-to-axle lengths and several different gross vehicle weight options.

Typical bodies fitted to an Isuzu cab and chassis include box / van bodies, mason dumps, grain dumps, landscaper bodies, and flat beds.  These allow the truck to perform many different roles and fit each service market.

Isuzu is the most popular provider of commercial trucks in North America for a reason.  They offer a truck better suited to the commercial sector than other manufacturers.  They are built to be more dependable, longer lasting, heavier duty, and easier to operate.

The Npr model offers a higher GVWR, higher frame strength, longer effective CA length, lighter vehicle weight, tighter turning, and more wheel base options than its competitors.  The truck also offers a wider door opening, longer maintenance intervals, and easier serviceability for the owner’s convenience.

The cab forward design and 40+ degrees of wheel cut provide great maneuverability.  This allows an Isuzu Npr to easily access parking lots, crowded commercial sites, and areas that other commercial vehicles simply cannot navigate.    

While other truck manufacturers base their commercial trucks around their light duty conventional cab vehicles, Isuzu incorporates all of the best commercial features directly into their Npr.  The Npr offers air ducting to the front brakes, a fuel water separator and warning system, a larger radiator, and a bell mouth cooling system.  To increase convenience and driver comfort there is easy engine access, a removable front panel, larger low cut windows, larger side view mirrors, and a spacious cab with high back seats. 

The Isuzu Npr should be one of the first commercial truck vehicles a perspective buyer looks at when choosing a light to medium duty work truck.  They offer the versatility, dependability, and convenience not found in other commercial vehicles.  

Once the business owner chooses to use an Isuzu commercial truck for landscaping he must decide on what body to use.  He could use a straight box or van body, a flat bed, or a landscaping body. 

Unless the landscaper is using the truck to load and haul pavers, brick, block, or other outdoor masonry I would avoid using a flat bed truck.  With or without stakes, the bed lacks the versatility that many landscapers will be looking for.  If the owner has a large business, and a fleet of trucks, an Isuzu commercial truck with a flatbed, or a stake body truck might compliment his other trucks, but a smaller business will benefit from another body style.

Straight boxes and landscaping bodies both have positives and negatives.  A box truck offers a secure, weather proof storage solution for your gear and equipment.  It is more difficult to load and unload, but several options can mitigate the problems.  The box can be outfitted with a lift gate, aluminum ramp, or side door.  These options will increase convenience when moving smaller gear, but another option is needed for moving mowers.  Landscaping and trucking fabricators are now selling dovetail landscaping attachments that can be welded directly to the back of a box truck.  These attachments feature fold up ramps that allow the owner to drive mowers on and off the truck safely and securely.   I believe that these attachments will gain in popularity as more landscapers move to the Isuzu commercial truck for landscaping duties.

The last option is utilizing a landscaping body specifically designed for the task at hand.  These bodies typically feature fold up ramps to drive mowers on and off the body.  They incorporate low sides for easy ingress and egress.   Some bodies have pre fabricated cabinets or racks for trimmers, blowers, and equipment.  The downside to this body is that it lacks the protection and security associated with an enclosed box.   Your equipment will be vulnerable to weather, vandals, thieves, and occasionally accidents.  A business owner recently told me that his Isuzu commercial truck and 2 of his mowers were nearly totaled after being in a traffic accident.  While a box truck may not fully protect its contents, I believe it offers more protection than a low sided landscaping body. 

To summarize, more and more business owners are finding that an Isuzu commercial truck offers greater value than other commercial vehicles.  Landscapers are embracing the cab forward design and putting bodies on these trucks to make them more suitable for their equipment.  A box truck fitted with a dovetail or a landscaper truck both allow Isuzu Npr’s to be great landscaping trucks.       

Your Isuzu Npr, like other trucks, has some sought after parts that will do very well at junkyards, scrap yards, and the black market.  As the price of commodities increase and unemployment increases, scavenging for scrap will become more common.  Many Isuzu commercial trucks come equipped with  removable aluminum ramp, ladder racks, ladders, and other Isuzu npr parts.  These items need to be welded, locked, or otherwise secured to prevent theft.  Several Isuzu dealerships have said that their detachable ramps and ladders have been removed from their trucks.

Each Isuzu truck also features catalytic converters that are easily accessible to thieves.  The catalyst material inside the converters fetches a hefty sum at scrap and recycling yards.  If you cannot park your vehicle inside a garage or building, I recommend keeping it in a well lit well traveled area.  A good solution is to park the vehicle near motion sensitive lighting.  This should deter most criminals and scrap collectors. 

As the economy declines business and homeowners need to be more vigilant.  People will search your business for any removable scrap or valuable equipment.  If you own an Isuzu Npr or similar truck you need to secure the removable equipment and try to store the truck in a safe environment.      

Cost

An Isuzu diesel truck, like any truck, will cost more money due to the increase in emissions standards and the  necessary durability of a diesel engine.  New emissions  standards force manufacturers to add complex EGR systems, more sensors, and a more sophisticated computer system.  These systems improve emissions but increase the total cost of the vehicle and increase the cost to maintain and repair it.  A diesel engine must also widthstand a higher combustion ratio and must usually be mated to a turbocharger and cooling system.  The heavier engine plus forced air induction add to engine cost and weight.  This upfront cost along with the higher cost of fuel has to be factored in with a diesel engine’s longer life cycle.

Driver Behavior, Geographic, and Routine

If the Isuzu Npr operator is heavy on the gas, in stop and go traffic, or using the truck as a site vehicle than a gasoline engine will fare better.  A diesel engine is great for high torque, low horsepower driving.  This means that a driver who normally carries a heavy load will benefit from having a diesel engine, while a driver who only occasionally has a loaded truck will benefit from a gasoline engine’s attributes.  A driver may also find that diesel fuel is not available along his normal route.  While diesel fuel will become more and more available in North America, it is still scarce in some areas.  The convenience of purchasing fuel near your home or business should not be overlooked.  Another often overlooked factor is the climate in which you drive your vehicle.  Fuel constraints make starting a diesel in cold weather difficult.  If you live and work in an area that sees temperatures below 32 degrees, than a gasoline engine may bring you less headaches.  

When buying an Isuzu Npr it is necessary to carefully weigh the engine decision.  As diesel fuel increases due to foreign demand, it may be prudent for all light duty truck owners to purchase a gasoline powered vehicle.  Heavier duty truck users may find a diesel engine’s increased pulling power and longevity enough to outweigh the higher costs and inconveniences typical of diesel engines.  

To increase the fuel efficiency of a Used Isuzu Npr or any other truck a driver should take some common sense steps.  Replacing Isuzu npr parts that are in the intake, fuel, and ignition systems can improve efficiency and decrease costs associated with severe service work.   These parts are inexpensive compared to engine and drivetrain parts that may be damaged or ware poorly if routine maintenance is not followed.   

Try to keep a steady and smooth driving pattern.  Driving erratically, braking or accelerating abruptly, and frequently changing gears will lead to a decrease in fuel economy and an increase in wear and tear. 

When driving at speed, using cruise control or a steady foot can be beneficial.  Gradual acceleration and braking can improve fuel economy by over 20%.  A driver should also be conscious of the load he is carrying.  Any change in momentum should be accomplished in a slower fashion if a heavy load is present.  This will reduce drive train stress and increase fuel economy. 

Monitor vehicle condition.  An owner should keep a keen eye on the level and age of his vehicle’s fluids, filters, and tire pressure and tread.  Replacing dirty air filters and maintaining the proper tire pressure are two of the easiest ways to increase the fuel economy of your used Isuzu Npr truck.

A final way to improve fuel efficiency is to improve your vehicle’s aerodynamics.  Companies are now selling air deflectors specifically made for Isuzu truck roofs.  These Isuzu Npr parts are fiberglass or plastic molded units that deflect air away from the truck body and decrease drag.  Besides decreasing body drag, you can also purchase aluminum sheeting that channels air around the rear wheels to decrease rear wheel drag. 

To summarize, owners need to keep their vehicle fuel and maintenance costs in check.  If they cannot afford or do not wish to be burdened with high variable costs than they must change their driving habits, maintain their vehicle, and might benefit from purchasing an air deflector or similar Isuzu Npr parts.