While a tap-pouring truck is far from necessary equipment for a lawn or landscape company, we couldn’t help but publish this news anyway because it looks like a lot of fun! Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc., distributor of America’s best-selling low cab forward trucks, recently announced the development of a new craft beer truck in collaboration with Summit Truck Body.
Isuzu’s Ultimate Craft Beer Truck, which originally debuted in 2019, is a dual-purpose vehicle that can serve as a delivery truck during the day and a tap pouring truck at party time. In other words, a weekday workhorse and a weekend party machine.
Shaun Skinner, President of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, says the truck is a great delivery tool and marketing piece. He comments, “This has been one of the most intriguing products we have been behind. Most people associate work trucks with box trucks, sweepers, and dumps, but the Ultimate Craft Beer Truck is synonymous with delivering fun. The customers that have bought them have enjoyed a lot of success and we constantly get questions about the truck and if there’s one available. It remains an exciting product.”
The Isuzu Ultimate Craft Beer Truck starts with a Class 5 (19,500-lb. GVWR) diesel-powered Isuzu NRR. The 5.2-liter I4 turbocharged engine generates 215 HP and 452-lb.-ft. of torque. Its B10 durability rating of 375,000 miles is evidence of the engine’s long-term dependability. The Class 5 chassis provides plenty of payload and doesn’t require a commercial drivers license to operate.
The truck’s low-cab-forward design provides drivers a view of the ground as little as 8′ from the front of the truck. And its best-in-class maneuverability makes navigating tight city quarters a breeze, something that is much more challenging in a conventional cab.
Just like a mullet hairstyle, the chassis is the business in the front and the body is the party in the back:
A 16′ Summit insulated body (16’L x 90”H x 96”W) that is cooled with a Thermo King 690R with electric standby. The walls are made with compressed foam panels that are durable and have an excellent R value. Inside, the smooth walls, keg-height e-track, and insulated aluminum floor has ample space for kegs and crates while keeping the product refrigerated. The electric standby provides flexibility in loading the truck in the evening for the next morning’s delivery, all while keeping the product cold.
A 2,500-lb. Maxon TE-25L tuck-away liftgate with side steps helps ease loading and unloading. Its capacity and platform are large enough for a loaded pallet jack.
Two toolboxes (one each side) provide storage for the reefer power cord, and event materials.
On the driver’s side, a 13′ power retractable awning providing shade on sunny days and when the sun starts setting, LED lighting keeps the area below illuminated.
Convenience is at the heart of the design. The new tap system’s insert has been redesigned to incorporate the Isuzu logo and a numbering system for the 8 Perlick 650SS taps. It is taller than previous generations to accommodate larger tap handles, and it is deeper so the drip tray can catch the overpour easier. This also gives more room for pitchers and glasses. Speaking of the drip tray, it incorporates a glass rinser that uses a 5-gallon Corny keg hooked to the system’s gas and drains to a 15-gallon grey water tank that can later be dumped. All these features provide an immense amount of convenience for a quick and easy setup, for ease in serving, and best of all, an easy teardown for when the party is over. The tap door is locked with two latches and the lights and awning are controlled with switches — allowing setup or tear down in 10 minutes or less. Saving time and lessening the cleanup are key benefits of this design.
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