A strikingly presented new Kenworth C509 has joined the impressive seven-strong Brookvale Farming fleet based in the picturesque Darling Downs region of Queensland.
The unit was delivered by Richard Lilburne at Kenworth dealer Brown and Hurley’s Toowoomba branch.
Traditional to the core, Brookvale’s C509 features a 600hp/2,050lb-ft Cummins X15 coupled with an Eaton RTLO-20918B 18-speed manual transmission.
Riding on a 5.5-metre wheelbase with Neway air suspension at the rear, the 130-tonne rated unit sports a 50-inch sleeper which is cooled by an Icepack air-conditioner.
Grain, fertiliser and cotton seed are the primary commodities hauled by the new Kenworth, which pulls end-tipper combinations in A-double and AB-triple configurations.
According to Brookvale Farming’s owner Bryn Fanning, the company, which was founded in 2005, initially ran other brands of conventional prime mover but switched to Kenworth when Brown and Hurley opened its Toowoomba branch in 2009.
“In 2009 we bought our first Kenworth – a T908 – and we have stuck with the brand ever since,” said Fanning.
“Brown and Hurley has been very good to us not only with the sales but also with excellent service and backup of the product.”
Today the company operates seven prime movers, six if which are Kenworths.
This is, in fact, the second C509 the company has bought, with the first one having arrived in 2020. A T659 was also acquired in November last year.
Fanning said he chose the C509 due to its high resale value and reputation for surviving well in the outback regions where the company operates.
“I’m always chasing resale value and there are generally no C509s available on the second-hand market which means they command a premium when it comes time to turn them over,” said Fanning. “In my experience they are better for resale than the T908 and T909, which is why we have moved in that direction.”
Fanning explains that the set-back front axle and shorter bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) dimensions compared with the T909 make the C509 a more versatile unit for the likes of side-tipper, cattle or grain work common to outback regions.
He keeps his trucks for around five years, by which time they have normally clocked close to 900,000km.
Brookvale Farming runs Graham Lusty Trailers (GLT) which the company has had a good run from over the years.
The company farms wheat, barley and cotton on a 2,500-acre property in the Darling Downs.
Contract grain harvesting and haulage and cotton picking for other farmers are also important elements of the business, along with carting the large bales of cotton on flat top trailers to the cotton gins.
A deck-widener quad float is used to transport the harvesting and picking machinery between the farms.