Travel Trucks Scrubmaster

In my travels that take me around and across this country of ours I see an increasing number of self-contained camper vehicles zig-zagging to and fro.

While the ‘tar’ motorhome market is owned by the likes of Avan, Jayco, and Avida/Winnebago, there are few serious off-road, self-contained camper vehicles on the road and for good reason…

They’re where you’re not and probably the cause of that puff of dust on the horizon where you couldn’t imagine any roads or tracks… and most likely there aren’t any!

In the bulldust, sand dunes and mud pits a range of off-road, camper-bodied trucks are plying the bush and in recent years we’ve seen the likes of

SLR Motorhomes churning out impeccable units on Isuzu and to a lesser extent Iveco cab-chassis.

Not in production line numbers though, simply because of the work hours, R & D and specialised logistics involved in taking a semi off-road vehicle and transforming it into something that’s not going to leave you stranded in the desert.

Travel Trucks operating out of Brendale, Queensland is busy

evolving Iveco Daily 4x4 cab chassis into a range of vehicles that will sit comfortably amongst the line-up of ‘top of the range’ off-road trucks.

SERIOUS KIT

Travel Trucks has got to work underneath the Iveco chassis and installed its own design leaf spring system which has a custom made leaf stack incorporating an air bag each side on the rear axle.

It's also installed an engine sump guard and upgraded the alternator to 180Amp.

The rear end is a complication of towbar, wiring loom and winch, the latter removable from its slide-in mount and able to be carried and installed on the front when required. Plug and play really!

A channel rail system is installed on top of the chassis on which the camper rides, buffeted with rubber blocks and secured with spring loaded bolts to alleviate stress from racking.

Before the camper body is lowered the fuel tank system is installed. Typically wired to a gauge on the dash of the vehicle, the clear poly tank is painted with black under-body rust proofing along with the rest of the chassis. However, a strip is masked off which when removed gives you a visual of the fuel levels for both the truck and the installed Webasto Thermo Top diesel heat exchange system.

The upside of this is if you come to grief over scrub and rip wiring out you’ll still be able to monitor fuel levels. It’s simple, but couldn’t be more practical.  

The diesel heater system runs off an independent 10 litre tank and provides warm air and hot water on demand.

Fresh water storage is 180 litres and the tanks are made of light but super-tough, roto moulded 10mm thick polypropylene. There’s also a 50 litre grey water tank and both are serviced with a 12V pump system.

BODY BEAUTIFUL

The camper body is constructed of a one piece, 25mm composite mould with a 40mm laminate composite floor and eight thermally insulated windows fitted with solar reflectors and privacy and insect screens.

The bellow under the pop-top is made from a three layer thermal protection vinyl which completely blocks the light.

Taking up almost half the interior space, the rear bed is a full size double with a 180mm inner spring mattress. There are storage drawers at the foot of the bed but if you require more hiding space there’s the option of a 100mm deep lift-up bed panel for further storage underneath.

On the nearside close to the door is a bathroom facility consisting of a three quarter height alcove. Measuring 1100mm x 700mm, it features an opening door and a shower curtain that surrounds the gap between its top edge and the popped up ceiling.

Inside the cubicle there’s also a small vanity basin, a hand shower rose with water saving head and a Thetford, rotating seat chemical toilet.

PLENTY OF POWER

The electrical heart of the Scrubmaster is a twin 120Ah HGL battery set-up with the option to increase the bank to three.

Standard solar is a pair of 200W panels which can be upgraded to 600W (as fitted to this rig). Also standard fit is three 12v and two USB sockets and the usual 240 volt battery maintenance system should you find yourself back in civilisation. The inverter is an 1800W commercial grade pure sine type that can run the stove element.

There’s ample lighting; all low draw LED which is the industry norm these days.

The galley is situated opposite the bathroom and is finished in an extremely durable ‘granicoat’ bench top.

There’s a hot and cold mixer tap at the sink and standard installation is a 120 litre 12V fridge and freezer running a Danfoss compressor.

Installed in this rig was the optional 144 litre drawer style unit which feature a 64 litre fridge and 80 litre freezer. We liked this system as it kept the profile low and opened up the inside of the camper visually.

INTERNAL ACCESS

Access to the truck cab is available internally but you’re forced to stoop and squeeze between the two single seats located each side of the forward end of the camper.

The dining table swings around from one corner near the front of the internal cab and when not in use locks in place over the seat in that corner.

There’s a substantial gap between the camper body and the back of the cab but it’s neatly covered with a dust proof rubber bellow fitted with a stainless steel step on the floor to prevent damage from foot traffic when moving in and out.

While seated here you can access most of the electrical switchgear required to operate the day-to-day activities of bush bashing… including eating bush tucker.

Unusually, there’s no standard cooker. Instead, the manufacturer gives the chef three option in this department: a gas canister portable cooker which can be used inside or out and stores under the galley bench; a Webasto diesel-powered ceramic cook-top, or a 240V single plate induction cooktop (fitted in the test truck) which is catered for with a suitable inverter.

External access to the camper is via a pull-out step ladder that sits at a gradual angle and has four steps before reaching the sill of the camper door.

However, given the substantial ground clearance it would be nice to have some hand rails on the steps for those cautious with heights or suffering from vertigo. We’re sure it wouldn’t be too hard for Travel Trucks  to design a collapsible hand rail upon request.

Externally, there’s also a door that swings down, providing access to 1000 litres of boot storage each side and also doubling as an outdoor table or workbench.

WORLD OF OPTIONS

With 61 options fitted to our test truck, and many more available, the sky is the limit when it comes to personalising your Scrubmaster vehicle.

With so many aspects of the Iveco Daily truck getting a 'tweak' to get the best off-road performance, these took up half of that list and included extra breathers to transfer cases and differentials, improvements to suspension components and additions to bull bars and tow bars.

Then there are the bigger ticket items such as the winch system at $3400 and  the internal camper to cabin access that adds $5250. The big single wheels rolled out to $5150, the electrical system fitted came in at $4400, plus the extra fuel tank added $3550.

For the complete list of options fitted, go to the end of the article…

VERDICT

This is a seriously well-built off-road truck with a serious price tag to suit, but if you’ve been looking at trucks in this league the dollars won’t surprise you.

From my point of view there are definite comfort benefits from having the seating back from the front steer it’s done in the Scrubmaster.

Any vehicle used off-road that has a cab over chassis (read front axle) needs from the outset expensive re-engineering in the spring/shocker/airbag department. Either that or you need to be sharing the camper with a chiropractor!

Despite our relatively short drive all indications suggest that comfort in the cab is not going to be an issue.

WE LIKED:
>> Well engineered chassis/suspension 
>> Excellent ground clearance
>> Versatile winch system

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Would like a collapsible hand rail on the boarding steps
>> Seatbelt installation in camper would be good too
>> So many options to choose from!

TRAVEL TRUCKS SCRUBMASTER

Base vehicle: Iveco Daily 4X4 Model 55S17W
Engine: 3.0-litre, four-cylinder, twin turbo-diesel
Horsepower: 127kW/400Nm
Fuel: 90L main/160L auxiliary
Winch: 12000lb with 45m synthetic Sherpa rope
Reversing camera: Yes
Overall length: 6.15m
Width: 2.1m
Travel height: 2.655m
Height with roof up: 3.18m
Internal height: 1.95m
Tare: 4600kg
GVM: 5500kg
GCM: 9000kg
Ball weight: 350kg
Camper body: hard walled pop-top,
Construction: Composite laminate ( fibreglass skin inside and out with foam core)
Bed: double innerspring mattress
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Water: 180L
Grey water: 50L
Heating: Webasto Thermo Top hot water and air warming
Cooking: optional
Fridge: Vitrifrigio 144L drawer fridge freezer
Dinette: two-seat
Solar: 3 x 200W panels
Inverter: 1800W pure sine
Batteries: 3 x 120Ah
Options fitted: 61 additional items fitted (see below)
Price: from $233,000. As tested, $275,000
Supplied by:

Travel Trucks, Brendale, Queensland

LIST OF OPTIONS FITTED:

Transfer case breather $295 
Differential breathers $295
Bow shackle suit front or rear hitch $60
Compress 9L tank with electrics $1390
Iveco driver lowered seat frame $405
Iveco passenger lowered seat frame $405
Iveco front parabolic spring kit $950
Progressive bump stops Iveco front axle $400
Iveco ridgeline snorkel $725
Tow bar Iveco 3500lb adjustable ball mount $1120
Window tint side and rear window of single cab $230
Rust prevention spray single cab ($825)
Redarc electronic brake controller Tow Pro $490
GME TX3345 UHF (behind dash) and heavy duty spring mount antenna $995
Anderson plug for internal camper or vehicle fridge x 2 $610.00
Roof console upgrade $550.
Remap ECM Iveco 4 x 4 $1541
Fuelmaster 30 micron fuel filter system $365
Waterwatch warning system to Iveco $795
HID high beam upgrade (not ADR approved - off road use only) $380
HID upgrade kit to front 4 unused lights $1035
Low beam +120H1 installation and realign $180
Bull bar Type T1 ripple black $1390
Front winch receiver - suit T1, 2 or 3 bull bar including bow shackle $175
T1, T2, or T3 bull bar CB TAB x 2 $80
Back2front 12000lb winch, carrier, rear receiver, isolator and full F & R electrics $3400
5 Iveco 17/9" silver wheels and move diff lock including fit and balance $5150
Inawise TPMS 4WD system-5 wheels $390
Hard wire fitment of TPMS in cab $225 
2 x perimeter lights $575
2 x reverse lights $220
Step lights s/c $305
Solar system external plug in $395
Extra 120Ah house battery $400
Alpine speaker pod and gimbal light (pair) $560
12v Sirocco fan white model 807 $420
Water tank quick fill $58
Single cabin access from module $5250
Security/flyscreen door $700
Sunshade/thermo protection for 3 cabin windows $495
'T' section cut-out thermo protection with zipper $425
Water purifier $975
External shower $395
Webasto single element diesel cooktop $3050
Aux. fuel tank single cab 160L and Webasto tank $3550
Reversing sensor kit $385
Thule Omnistor 490 awning 3 x 2m $2450
Alpine 2 DIN entertainment, GPS & reverse camera system $3300
Rear camera and 7" monitor system with two cameras $995
Max Trax  pair orange $280
Max Trax mounting kit $140
Solar upgrade from 400W to 600W $1100
Ride Rite air helper rear suspension kit $895
12V double socket USB/cig $120
LED down lights roof insert set of 4 $276
Double GPO $300
TV aerial quad shield cable (services door to rear) $170
LED driving lights $895
TV swivel bracket $89
4 X LED park and clearance lights $70
Prosine 1800W inverter, shore power, battery charger, 2 x GPOs $4400