Anyone help with Kedron van experience?

[justinc]

I am also considering Kedron vans as an alternative to bushtracker, can any Kedron owners help with build quality, reliability and towability etc?

I will be looking at around 3200 to 3500kg loaded, 19 to 22ft

And yes I have seen those DVD's with the monkeys towing them into stupid places :(

JC

[lrdef110]

Hi Justinc, I have a 21' ATV with tare around 2700kg and 3500kg gross and it is all of that fully loaded. I tow it with a 3.0 litre D4. Its good to tow, just sits there behind. Kedron set up their vans really well and after towing it half way round Aus inc 4 months earlier this year in Tassie, I would say its actually over-engineered. I'm thinking about replacing it with one of their lighter XC3's now that they have gone from the beam axle to coils on this model and getting back to about 18'. Some of the early ones had a few leaking problems but they have a spray booth now and they are all tested for water leaks at manufacture. Kedron are really good to deal with and their service and support is well recognised. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Barry

[justinc]

Hi Justinc, I have a 21' ATV with tare around 2700kg and 3500kg gross and it is all of that fully loaded. I tow it with a 3.0 litre D4. Its good to tow, just sits there behind. Kedron set up their vans really well and after towing it half way round Aus inc 4 months earlier this year in Tassie, I would say its actually over-engineered. I'm thinking about replacing it with one of their lighter XC3's now that they have gone from the beam axle to coils on this model and getting back to about 18'. Some of the early ones had a few leaking problems but they have a spray booth now and they are all tested for water leaks at manufacture. Kedron are really good to deal with and their service and support is well recognised. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Barry

Thanks Barry, I am currently interested in looking at an ATV exactly like yours, what actual ball weight do you have? I have no self levelling suspension (110 tow vehicle) so I will no doubt need a WDH set up my towbar is rated at 250kg.
By leaking, was there a model year that was worse than any other? If I was to buy one from QLD it must surely have had the issues sorted by now? (circa 2003/4 model)

I'll send you a PM now with more q's.

JC

[lrdef110]

Hi Justinc, just responed to your PM. But I dont think you will get this sort of van with a ball weight around 250 kgs. I'm flat out getting mine down to 350kgs fully loaded. The water issue was in a run in the last couple of years for some reason, not the earlier models as far as I am aware. We had ours in a few deluges in Tassie early this year (picked a really good year to be down there with all the rain) but we didn't have any water leaks at all. Mines a Nov 2007 full rear ensuite model with 3 solar panels, 3x120 amp hour batteries, 3 tanks and deisel heater. We can last about 5 days (with showers) on the water, but power is never really a problem at all, unless you are really under full shade. Anyway ring if you need any further details.

[TerryO]

Hi Justin,

we have looked at several Kedron's and they are well built to say the least. I would agree with the over engineered comments though and that is reflected in their massive weight.

If your looking for a really nice good quality off road van that is reasonably priced then I would look at a Lotus Trooper or similar.

We went down the cheaper route and brought a 18' Jayco Outback poptop and while it is not in the same league as a Kedron or a Bushtraker it can still go most places off road where the majority of vanners would like to go and in comfort.
It also has independant load sharing suspension, a Trigg hitch, 3 x 82 litre water tanks, 270 watts of solar panels, a diesel heater and lots of refrigeration. Plus fully loaded it only weighs in at just over 2.5 ton which means it is very easy to tow off road, especially with the massive amount of extra ground clearance it has and the low roof height compared to a non pop top.

One other thing to consider with caravans is the aluminium clad units are prone to get badly damaged by hail and it can take months to get them fixed even with insurance.

Fibreglass clad ones hardly ever get bad hail damage that forces them off of the road.

Still having said that I still wouldn't mind an aluminium clad Lotus Trooper.

I think the thing that will limit your choice the most will be the 250 kg ball weight limit.

cheers,
Terry

[justinc]

Hi Terry,
Thanks I will check out Lotus vans now.

The 250Kg ball weight may be overcome with engineering, I have made some enquiries and it seems down here at least it may be possible to re rate the 110 for a 350kg ball weight speaking to the right people/ engineers. It may cost a bit but better than changing vehicles:( If a LC200 can get 350KG with their baby chassis rear crossmember etc then a 110 should be able to be a cinch...:o

I'll let you know how I go doing that.

JC

[TerryO]

Hi Justin,

might be an idea to contact Mowog he has a Lotus owners website.

Seriously I hope a 110 is better at towing a heavy van then a D2 is. Might be an idea to find someone with a large heavy van that will let you tow it around for a day just to see how it handles it and how it feels to drive.

I would imagine you will need a WDH if your towing a big van with a 110. That is one of the truly great things about towing witha D3/4, the airsuspension and the electronics makes towing a joy and really safe and there is no hassle with a WDH, which are a pain in the bum and can't be used off road not matter what the experts on caravan websites will tell you.

Personally I would stay around the 2.5ish ton van and if that is the case you should be able to get away with a 250 kg ball weight.

I see you are talking about 18-19' vans which personally I reckon is a really good size for a off road van. It doesn't sound much but the difference in psyhical size from a 18' van to even a 21' van is massive.

Going through this stage of getting a van can be very interesting and lots of fun but from experience it is best not to go into it with any fixed preconceived ideas about what you want or need.

Most vanning people I have spoken with over time reckon they go through around three vans before they get the one they truely need for their circumstances. So that means lots of people waste alot of money finding out the hard way that they didn't do their homework properly.

The other thing is be careful of so called experts telling you what you need or should have, that goes for me as well as I'm seeing things through my eyes not yours.

Good luck and please keep me posted how your going.

cheers,
Terry

[Drover]

Hey Justinc,

Have you considered a Coromal, they may not be a Kedron, but they very well built and competitive with pricing.

Independent suspension is standard along with a Treg hitch and all the fruit is available from the factory.

I have had mine for a couple of years now and we have dragged it into some pretty cool places. The only restriction on where I will take it is “will it fit !”

I tow it with PUMA 110 and it tows very nicely, it is 5.10m plus the draw bar and weighs in about 2t.

While I am confident with ability of the D’fer to tow the van in comfortable and safe manner, available power to tow anything much bigger may be an issue.

Just my thoughts

Cheers

[mowog]

I do like the Kedron vans they seem very well made.

The Lotus Trooper wont have the same build quality as a Kedron but as a new van the Lotus is much cheaper than the Kedron so you get what you pay for.

If I was in the market now I would go for a Spinifex Caravan.

Spinifex Caravans | Off-Road Custom-Made Luxury Caravans (http://www.spinifexcaravans.com.au/)

The Lotus forum is at: Lotus Caravan Owners Group • Index page (http://lotuscaravanownersgroup.freeforums.org/)

It is far from a fanboy site with plenty of good honest opinion. Overall its a site full of happy owners.