Another super heavyweight rig from Kedron

While not quite as big-boned or expensive as the six-tonne rated monster-van unveiled earlier this year, Queensland’s Kedron continues to reinforce its image as the ‘king of heavyweight off-road caravans', with the recent delivery of another bulked-up tandem axle van with lofty six figure pricetag.

The latest 20ft Kedron XC-5 off-roader features a typical couple’s layout including island queen bed, galley kitchen, café dinette and full width rear ensuite, along with signature Kedron features like its in-house KRS ‘Recovery Stub’ airbag suspension, baffled water tanks, ‘Thermo block’ body insulation, electric front jack, front window ‘awning’ and propeller plate shower flooring.

There are other typical Kedron luxury touches inside like gloss timber-edge benchtops and custom leather upholstery, along with toughened black glass sinktops and a pocket-spring bamboo mattress.

Like many big-ticket Kedrons, the custom-built XC-5 Cross Country is loaded to the gills with off-grid  power including a 300Ah lithium system with 1600W invertor, 880W (total) rooftop solar panels, and provision for a generator.

With a Tare of 3085kg and ATM of 3990kg, the new owners are pulling their big Kedron with a Toyota 200 Series LandCruiser equipped with Lovells' 4000kg towing upgrade kit which includes the five tonne rated Hitch-Ezy coupling. Also fitted are load levellers and AL-KO ESC for safer towing.

While many Kedron owners opt for standard LandCruiser 200 or 70 Series wagons or utes, it’s not uncommon to see larger off-road trucks including Unimog and Isuzu dual-cabs hauling one of the upmarket Queensland off-road vans.

The increasing popularity and availability of imported American pick-ups, including the Ford F150, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra, and Dodge 1500 and 2500, is also driving sales of four tonne-plus caravans from Kedron as well as other Australian caravan manufacturers.

"There has certainly been a growing percentage requesting a larger ATM in line with a 4000kg towing upgrade they (have) had done on their LC200 or for an American pick-up tow vehicle, especially in the larger van segment in more recent years," Kedron's Glen Gall told caravancampingsales.

While Kedron’s Queensland rivals including Bushtracker and Sunland are also known for building heavyweight vans, Melbourne caravan builders are increasingly offering a flagship 'four tonne' model as part of their range.

Evernew recently joined the ‘big boys’ with their new E2000 ETX off-road caravan with 4000kg ATM, while JB, Paramount, Royal Flair, Universal and Majestic are among other Victorian manufacturers offering caravans with ATMs of around four tonnes or more, and corresponding six figure price tags.

Gall said Kedron's latest four tonne XC-5 is priced around $139,500 (on road Queensland).

Also read: Rise of the four tonne van