Cruisemaster offers van ATM upgrades

Seeing the growing market demand for off-road caravans and the demand for vehicles to tow them legally, Queensland’s recently re-branded Cruisemaster (formerly Vehicle Components) has established a Towing Performance Centre (TPC) offering everything from suspension servicing to complete retrofits and ATM upgrades for caravans and their tow vehicles.

Located at its Geebung, Brisbane headquarters, the Cruisemaster TPC harnesses the resources of a coterie of suppliers including Redarc, Airbag Man and Flash Diesel to upgrade not only a caravan’s or camper trailer’s suspension, but also its electrical system to allow owners to carry more, or their vans to better survive an off-road beating while accessing remote areas.

ATM upgrades are a particular popular item these days, with more people seeking to spend more time off the grid in remote areas, with the industry-standard 400kg payload no longer enough for a caravan with twin fresh water and a separate grey water tanks carrying a tinnie, its outboard motor and/or a trail bike, a portable generator and perhaps a second cabinet-style fridge full of fish!

Airbag retro-fits are common for these customers, according to Cruisemaster’s Marketing Manager Nathan Smith, as are uprated wheel bearings, brake and shock absorber upgrades and new couplings.

Smith said many people who had already invested heavily in their caravan found it more economical to upgrade than to sell it and replace, and Cruisemaster was attracting many of these travellers.

Electrical upgrades like the fitting of inverters and battery and wiring upgrades are also popular to allow existing caravans to power more items off the grid.

Cruisemaster’s TPC also performs upgrades on customers’ tow car that include fitting DC to DC battery chargers and the latest electronic brake controllers, while underneath they offer Airbag Man coil and leaf spring helper kits and air control systems, Flash Diesel exhaust systems and ECU upgrades.