On the Mid East Coastal stretch of the South Island XT caught up with the superbly presented Downlands Argosy with driver Phil Joppy at the wheel on his way towards Dunedin. A common set-up seen on both islands’ roads the 8x4 Freightliner unit has been dressed up nicely to make it standout from the majority.
On the road now for more than 8 months and with almost 100 000 kms on the clock, up close you can easily appreciate the detail on this hard working Freightliner. Most of the stainless work was done by Custom Truck Chrome of Silverdale Auckland, including the stainless cab panels and visor.
Other extras worth noting are the ‘mirror’ backed steps and the covered reverse lights on the mirrors which were
done by Bleeker and Welth in Timaru. In addition the brilliant sign writing, artwork, pin striping (including the flame outlines on the side of the cab and the rebadged ‘outlaw’grille) and 3m stone protection was done by Andrew Geedes aka ‘graphixman’ of Timaru Signs and Graphics. Inside the cab there is a custom made sub box with twin 10” subs and amp.
done by Bleeker and Welth in Timaru. In addition the brilliant sign writing, artwork, pin striping (including the flame outlines on the side of the cab and the rebadged ‘outlaw’grille) and 3m stone protection was done by Andrew Geedes aka ‘graphixman’ of Timaru Signs and Graphics. Inside the cab there is a custom made sub box with twin 10” subs and amp. The truck was meant to replace an earlier 2002 Argosy with a 500hp C15 CAT engine which has done close to a million kms but is now required because of the current workload. Power from the newer model comes in the form of a series 60 Detroit 550hp engine which is coupled to a 18 speed manual transmission. The combination can usually be seen between Christchurch and Invercargill but spends most of its time between Timaru and Gore.
XT asked Phil if there were any future additions planned for the argosy to which he replied “maybe some art work on the back wall of the cab and some more lights on the cab and more lights and stainless on the trailer”. Originally it was hoped that the truck would be fitted with twin stacks but as Phil points out “there were too many issues with fitting” as they wanted to maximize the deck space behind the cab.
A big thanks to Phil and Downlands for their time and consideration for giving XT the opportunity to feature this exceptional Freightliner Argosy.
