High-tech Scrubmaster breaks cover

Australia punches above its weight when it comes to expedition vehicles, with the likes of SLR Motorhomes, EarthCruiser and Trailblazers RV serving the relatively small but very serious off-road adventure market both locally and overseas.

Now there’s a new player in the go-anywhere motorcamper stakes with Queensland’s Travel Trucks unveiling its very impressive new Iveco 4x4-based Scrubmaster at the 2014 Queensland Caravan & Camping Show after earlier teasing with some artist’s sketches.

While it shares some common attributes with rivals’ products – tough-as-nails 4WD truck base and fibreglass insulated module mounted on kinetic sub-frame suspension – the new Scrubmaster has a few aces up its sleeve to impress off-road adventurers wanting the latest technology and security features.

Unique to Aussie-built RVs is an advanced touchscreen display located inside the motorhome that utilises a modifed Class 1 Can Bus electrical system normally used by the emergency vehicle and mining industries.

With built-in fail safe procedures and no fuses, the sophisticated unit controls and monitors all electrics in the vehicle, including batteries, solar, lighting, and water storage, and will even transfer fuel from the auxiliary to main tank via the user-friendly display. 

Travel Truck’s Kym Bolton said it also features hi-tech security measures not found on your average motorhome, including a red glow, external light mode so “when you’re camped up remotely no one is going to see you from a distance”.

It will also monitor and deal with unwanted visitors around your campsite.

“On every screen you have an emergency button… you push that and it will bring up your rear view camera and side view camera; push it again and it will blast your air-horn too,” he said.

If you’re really paranoid, there’s an optional security screen door as well as security screens available for the module's windows.

Also setting the Scrubmaster apart is its military-spec, Iveco Daily 4x4 single cab chassis, built in Italy and further modified at Travel Truck's Brisbane factory to include heated, front suspension seats, 180 amp alternator, and engine sump guard.

Off-road accessories available include a long-range fuel tank, suspension, bull bar, snorkel and 17,000lb electric winch which can be moved from front to rear as required.

“It has 24 forward gears and four reverse, lockers front rear and centre, parabolic springs all round, so it’s a significantly tough four-wheel drive of Army spec,” said Bolton.

Almost 2.6m high and with a 3.4m long wheelbase, the Scrubmaster is small enough to squeeze down Cape York tracks as well as fit into a standard 40ft high shipping container for transportation overseas.

For driving on a car licence, the Scrubmaster can be specified with a GVM of 4495kg, allowing for a personal payload of up to 730kg.

The 3.52m long x 2.1m wide fibreglass camper ‘module’ is also a little bit special, being a one piece mould for light weight and strength. It features an electric pop-top roof and  ‘gullwing’ lift-up front door that doubles as sun and rain protection when open.

The compact but nicely-finished interior includes a double bed,  small dinette and kitchen with carbon-style look benchtops, 120 litre fridge/freezer, shower/toilet, diesel air/water heater, and 185 litre fresh water/50 litre grey water tanks.

Desirable options fitted on the Queensland display model included cabin walk-through access, ceramic diesel cooktop, three AGM battery system and water purifier.

Bolton relied on his extensive background in overland travel when designing the Scrubmaster. He said he has travelled 300,000km over some of the world’s harshest terrain including Russia’s Road of Bones twice, and has previously designed and built other expedition vehicles.

Finished in white or Desert Sand, the single cab Scrubmaster motorcamper is priced from $201,000. There’s also a more basic single or dual cab ‘work module’ option, without all the home-away-from-home trimmings that will set you back around $100,000.

Despite the premium pricetag, Travel Trucks already has a healthy backlog of customer orders, with the next production slot not available until March 2015. 

For further details, visit the Scrubmaster website.