Cruisemaster leads independent revolution

Fired by the expected demise of beam axle and leaf spring systems in the Australian caravan industry in the wake of Jayco’s introduction of its JTECH independent suspension earlier this year, Brisbane-based Vehicle Components is now offering its new Cruisemaster Country Road Suspension (CRS) as a retrofit for most popular caravans and even camper trailers.

Locally developed as an alternative to VC’s heavy duty Cruisemaster XT that is currently the preferred spec on many large (non-Jayco) off-road caravans, CRS is designed to be a more compliant system for touring vans, with its longer wheel articulation and greater ground clearance allowing these vehicles to venture further off the bitumen than their leaf-sprung counterparts.

It is available to suit caravans with an ATM from 1300kg to 3200kg, after which Cruisemaster XT with its 3700kg capability is the preferred fitment.

Caravancampingsales was present in August last year when Vehicle Components trialled the prototype of the new system on Regent Caravans’ then-new single axle 18ft 6in Cruiser during an all-roads multi-van trip to South Australia’s Flinders Ranges.

Since then, Melbourne’s JB Caravans and SportsCruiser Caravans of Cessnock, NSW have also added CRS to their OE spec list for certain models and, according to Vehicle Components’ Matt Claringbold, more will come on board soon.

However it is on the retrofit side that you are likely to see more CRS single and tandem axle IS systems in the short term.

VC has already authorised four well-known engineering companies – Harding Swift, Preston Chassis and Austrail Chassis in Melbourne and RVGO in Sydney – to supply and fit either single or tandem CRS to existing leaf-sprung vans.

Three more outlets, including one in Perth, are expected to be confirmed shortly.

Alternatively you can have the work done in Vehicle Components’ own Geebung, Brisbane workshop, with Claringbold saying that there are currently three vans there having CRS fitted.

If your existing leaf-springs or brakes need reconditioning, or to save yourself the expensive of upgrading to a new independently-sprung van to meet your expanding off-the-bitumen aspirations, CRS will cost you approximately $1850 for a single and $3200 for a tandem axle set-up.

For this you’ll get new trailing arms, springs, shock absorbers, Al-Ko ESC-compatible brakes and axles. On top of this, Vehicle Components estimates that it will cost around $900 to have your old suspension removed and CRS fitted in its place.

As CRS comes with a two year warranty, this will not only give your old touring van a new lease of life and taller legs, but it’s a relatively cost-effective measure for larger, high-mileage but still-solid caravans compared with a major under-body rebuild, according to Claringbold.

However he emphasises that CRS is not an off-road suspension as such, but a more efficient alternative to now-dated beam axle suspension set-ups for on-road and recently-graded dirt road travel.

Interestingly, he says that Jayco’s move to independent suspension – initially only on Outback-spec RVs and all top-of-the-range Silverline caravans, but soon expected to become standard on all models – has raised consumer expectations and ‘normalised’ independent suspension on caravans after decades of leaf spring systems.

"Since Jayco launched JTECH in February this year, sales of our premium Cruisemaster XT suspension have grown 40 per cent," said Claringbold, admitting that in the past Vehicle Components could have been more active in promoting its expertise.

"We’ve had the front-running on several major engineering ideas but haven’t pushed them forward fast enough," he said. "Jayco’s launch put a bit of fire in our belly!"

Also interesting is that Jayco initially benchmarked and considered purchasing and customising VC’s XT before deciding that it was more cost-effective to build its own in conjunction with Pedders to fit within the space limitation of its existing Endurance chassis, in whose production it has a long-term investment.