Business booming at Kedron

It's been tough times of late for many Australian RV manufacturers, but Queensland's Kedron Caravans appears to have weathered the storm better than most, with an order bank currently stretching out to 12 months after a recent rush in sales.

Kedron's Glen Gall said the long-standing Queensland off-road caravan manufacturer had experienced an "overwhelming rush" of orders on stock and custom-built vans since around late-June, as camping restrictions lifted and borders re-opened.

Despite only offering its range of upmarket off-road caravans direct from the Brendale, Qld factory, and many with steep six figure pricetags, Gall said many sales are coming from interstate, with a South Australian couple recently collecting their brand-new 20ft 6in Kedron XC-5 tandem axle caravan from the Brisbane factory.

Gall said the postponement of the Queensland Supershow, where Kedron normally has a large display, had had minimal impact on the 60-year-old family business. He said Kedron's large online presence including regular 'live' walk-throughs of new vans on social media allowed the manufacturer to keep in close touch with potential buyers, and resulted in many "sight unseen" orders.

Gall said Kedron has also used the disruption of the past few months as an opportunity "for further development and innovation, including the completion of a new 3000kg ATM, Compact van that the Kedron team has been working on for 18 months".

The new 16ft single axle ensuite van features an upgraded KRS disc brake suspension set-up including beefed-up wheels and bearings to raise the ATM from 2750kg to a still Prado-friendly 3000kg.

Like most upmarket Kedron vans, the new 16ft Compact off-roader is awash with premium  technology and features including American Oak hardwood timber furniture and a 300Ah lithium battery system with Kedron-design front solar shade.

Kedron is also rolling out other upgrades across 2020-models, including a new 'Scrub Pack' option that will include innovations like a new powdercoated alloy top spoiler and solar panel mounting system "with laser cut scallops that allow the solar to work more efficiently and allow more water run-off underneath."

Other Scrub Pack features will include new bolt-on alloy front scrub protection plates and higher Dibond side body protection with Rhino coating.

Kedron is also introducing a new, more user-friendly, manual drop-down rear tyre holder across its range, while after some "extreme testing" will introduce the thicker wall frame structure used on Kedron's TopEnder models on other models.

Gall said the Kedron factory has also just started work on another big bucks, custom-built triple axle caravan, incorporating  the latest anti-lock braking system technology to comply with ADR regulations for six-tonne trailers.

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