Australia's first six tonne caravan

Queensland’s Kedron has done it again!

Around this time last year the long-standing Brisbane off-road caravan manufacturer unveiled the undisputed star of the 2018 Queensland Supershow: a stunning 26ft triple axle TE’7 off-road van loaded with more features than the QE2 ocean liner and priced accordingly at around $220,000.

Now Kedron has taken the custom-built show-stopper to another level, replacing the van’s six disc brakes with a new truck air brake system in the process of uprating the van’s ATM (fully loaded weight) from 4500kg to 6000kg – believed to be a first for an off-road recreational caravan in Australia.

Described as a “massive industry first” by Kedron’s Glen Gall, the ADR-approved six tonne rated chassis was around 12 months in development and offers up to 1500kg more payload than before (Kedron is yet to announce the Tare weight but it’s believed to be in the vicinity of 4500kg).

“The entire Australian industry is currently all limited to that four and half tonne (ATM rating),” Kedron’s Glen Gall explained.

“It’s basically the same… braking system that’s used on all the road trains going around Australia.”

The truck air brakes were incorporated into Kedron’s latest ‘ALS’ auto-levelling airbag suspension, with the monster van hooked up to the Chevrolet Silverado ‘duallie’ tow vehicle via a 6000kg-rated pintle hook hitch with Airsafe shock absorber attachment to help smooth out the ride and red and blue ‘air brake’ hoses to feed the brakes.

The new six-tonne rating adds to a long list of industry ‘firsts’ for the ground-breaking 26ft Kedron van, which include ‘Kooltherm’ roof insulation, 500 litre-plus water carrying capacity, four picnic tables, a chilled water tap, heated lounge seats, and a ‘solar’ front window awning.

As well as setting a new ATM 'record', the uprated van could also set a new Australian caravan price record, currently held by fellow Queenslanders Sunland at around $250,000.

Unlike last year’s show, Kedron won’t have the custom-built van on display at the Brisbane Showgrounds from June 5-10, as the owner has already taken delivery. But it will have a similar 6000kg-rated and air brake equipped bare chassis on display to entice cashed-up show-goers.

The rolling chassis will also feature Kedron’s latest electric spare wheel assist (EWA) attachment designed to automatically lower the spare wheel at the rear, that will be fitted standard to all TopEnder models from now on.

Those keen to place an order for any new custom-built Kedron van will need to be patient though, with the waiting period currently stretching out to 14.5 months, according to Gall.