Wanna B Kedron Owner

[Gazza]

Hi to everybody of the Kedron owners group.. I would just like to take a couple to lines to introduce ourselves to other members of the group.

Our names are Garry & Judy MUNRO and we reside North Rockhampton, Queensland. We are both keen campers and have come from humble beginings with the tents, tarps, air matresses etc. We then moved on to a bit more comfort and bought a Kimberley Kamper Limited Edition.

We bought the Kimberley in 2004 and have seen a small part of this lovely country, with a 4 week trip to Alice Springs, Ayres Rock?, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley, Orministon Gorge and most of the West MacDonnell Ranges in 2005 and a 2 week trip to Karumba in 2007, taking in Gregory River, Lawn Hill NP, Normanton, Mt Surprise, Innot Hot Springs, Atherton, Innisfail Etc. and back down the coast to home.

Plus small trips to Stanthorpe (Wine Tasting), Girraeen NP and Bunya Mountains NP, plus all the smaller trips on weedends, Easter, Australia Day long weekends, etc.

We were always going to sell the Kimberley and go the caravaning way, but the last trip away we ran into a weeks solid rain. (Innisfail) This has made our decision to own a caravan come little bit earlier than we expected and we sold the Kimberley this year, 2007. Sold a bit quicker than I expected. Now missing the oportunities to get away on weekends. Now SWMBO has got me doing all those jobs around the house that should have been done whilst we were camping.

Anyway enough of that. Now that we have made up our minds on a caravan, the next big decision was to select a capable caravan to replace the Kimberley. We still wanted to be able to get off road, so to speak, so we started to look at the Supreme, Bushtracker, Trakmaster and Kedron.

We flew to Melbourne during the week of the Melbourne Cup and looked at the Supreme and Trakmaster and have obtained a price off both. (Lost money on the nags). We then flew back to Brisbane and called and made an appointment with Stan who took us through the Kedro Factory. Didn't bother with Bushtracker, although capable was out of our price range and too heavy to tow, (for us).

When we compared 'apples with apples', we decided on a Kedron ATV with a floor plan similar to 'MADOGS' with a few alterations. (Hope you don't mind). Appears that extras on the other vans we looked at are already included on the Kedron Vans and basically all work out the same price. (Except B/T) And if we're going to buy a caravan, why not support local and not as far to travel to pick it up. Now it's just a matter of time trying to convince ourselves we really do want to spend the money for that big lap around the block when we retire in 4 years time. (Fuel Prices at the moment)

I do have a couple of questions if someone does not mind answering.

1 - Shower - Does anyone have any problems with mould or mildue forming between the shower base and the wall. It appears to me that water would splash up from the shower base and get behind the little overhang of the wall. I have no doubt the shower room itself is waterproof, but I am a bit concerned about the mould forming, because it would not dry out properly.

2 - Cupboard Knobs. - Has anyone had any problems with the cupboard knobs. At the time of looking thought the factory, they looked a little flimsy and plastic to me.

3 - Suspension. - I noticed on the suspension that only the swing arms are greasible and not the entire suspension. Has anyone had any problems with the bushes in the non greasible parts of the suspension and has anyone had to replace the bushes.

Regards to all and looking forward to your replies.

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers

PS - jude loves happy hour and usually starts ASAP.

[Kimbo]

Hi Garry and Judy

Welcome to the group

Having owned 2 kedrons an ATV built 2004 and now a Topender I have sampled both suspensions and when building the Topender was keen to stick with the beam axle as was on the ATV But after talking with Barry Gall he convinced me to go for the Cruisemaster suspension.

After just completing a trip up into the gulf region that was about 6mths travel and approximately 17000klm I can say that I am very happy with the cruisemaster and never had any issues at all other than 1 wheel being out of allignment which scrubbed a tyre a bit but this was an easy fix after I returned to Kedron and it was explained to me as to where to take it in the future if it was to Occur again. I have done approx 20000klm in the Topender in just over 12 mths and I grease the points reguarly. The bushes IMO would wear out over time and I would say they are a consumable but as to the longevity before replacement was required I'm not sure of.

The shower recess we haven't suffered any problems with mould, maybe some of the members who live in their vans might be able to comment further on this??

The cupboard knobs once again we haven't suffered any problems at all, although 1 cupboard door did come open on a very rough track crossing from Kingfisher camp across Bowthorn stn to Lawn Hill (approx 140klm trip) and when we opened the van door a 2 ltr bottle of orange mix up cordial had leaked over the floor of the van. But to be honest I don't really think this was the fault of the catch more a case of not being locked properly.

If you go to photos section of the list you will see some of the rds we traversed during our stay in the gulf within Kimbo's photos album also Roger "madog" has some photos in his album of the gulf when he followed thru after us and at a guess the rds would have had some more traffic across it by the time Roger had done the trip making the rds a bit more rougher.

Hope this helps with your decision making. If you require further info just ask and I and I'm sure others within the group will try to assist as we all know how hard the decisions are.

:smile:

[Gazza]

Kimbo,

Thanks for the quick reply. You sound like you have seen a lot of this land and I hope to do the same one day. I've been on the site and had a look at the photo's. Very impressive.

Hope one day soon we'll be able to catch up with you and all the other KOG on a meeting in the not to distant future. Depends how long the ATV takes to get built.

Best of luck

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers

[Di and Bob]

Hi Garry & Judy,

Welcome to the KOG family.

We purchased our 18'6" ATV December 2004 and have mostly lived in the van ever since. I have checked with the boss and she assures me we have no problems with mould or mildew around the shower edge.

I cannot comment on the Cruisemaster suspension as we have the beam axles and have had absolutely no problems and we have no hesitation in tackling the roughest roads. The door knob/latches also have never given us any issues providing, as Kimbo mentions, they are properly latched.

Overall, I cannot speak highly enough about the Gall family and their after sales service - probably the best I have ever experienced. So with a great van that holds/increases its value, excellent service and the fantastic friends we have made through KOG, we will (eventually) be lining up for an upgrade to another Kedron.

Regards,

Di & Bob ATV547

[Gazza]

Thanks Bob & Di for your comments, I've heard nothing but good reports about Kedron vans and the after sales service. I do think this is the way we will be going when we make the decision to purchase.

Regards

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers

[Chris]

Garry and Judy

We are delighted with the srength and 'usability' of the 18 foot ATV we bought 3 years ago. As we usually live in Darwin (when not travelling with this great van)we can comment about mould. Mould can be a terrible problem in houses in te NT but have never seen any in the shower/toilet cubicle.

We did have problems with a drawer which came out and warped its runners, but as Kimbo obseved, that was our own fault for not properly latching it. The Galls are absolutely wonderful people to deal with.

I am not sure if BT is any dearer - about the same I would have thought-but we preferred Kedron for many reasons.

Chris and Val (living in the van for the last two years and another two to go).

[Gazza]

Thank you for your positive coments in relation to my questions. You have all set my mind at ease. I know that my questions are only minor, but it's the little things that go wrong that can be annoying.

Once again, much appreciated that you have taken the time to reply.

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers

[Bomber]

We have been living in our van for the past 12 months and we have not had any mould forming on the shower walls. The only problem with mould was when the bathroom hatch broke and we had it taped closed while waiting for a replacement. Since then we haven't had any problems.

We haven't had any issues with the door catches, they all work fine and there is no sign of any discolouration or wearing.

We will be living in the van through a FNQ summer so we may have been a bit premature in answering the mould question!! :biggrin:

Regards

Peter & Yvonne

[MADOG]

Garry & Judy,

We have had our TopEnder for just on 12 months and evolved here much like you via a Kimberley Kamper and tents, many years in the tents. Could not go backwards now as we are madly in love with our TE, particularly given we spend a fair bit of time in it working - we now have a climate controlled office so can go anywhere and do anything in any weather conditions.

We have not had any trouble with mould, nor suspension - the suspension in particular traveled really well across the Gulf a few months ago and we did move across some pretty rugged and chopped up tracks. It was pleasing to note we had absolutely no issues with the van or it's contents and how they handled the constant corragations.

We have found the cupboard catches to be excellent however on a couple of occasions the vibrations have loosened them - the tightening piece on the inside unwound a bit making the catch swivel a few degrees - is an easy fix but best to be aware before it comes loose and you experience a spill - luckily we had no spills but I did tighten those fittings a few times - must go off now and apply some Locktite while I think of it.

Welcome to KOG, Chris and I are relative newbies but the interaction to date via this forum and the couple of members whom we have met is making us look forward to a gathering. They look like a good bunch!

Regards,

:biggrin: Roger

Roger (MADOG) Morgan & Christine

100 Series TD + 17’6” TopEnder #751

VKS-737: Victor 7570

Bacchus Marsh VIC.

[Gazza]

Thanks for your reply. Have seen the pictures of the places you have been. Making me jealous, as yet we still have to w-o-o-o-r-k a bit longer and then we'll also be on the road. Jude and I have come to a decision and we are going to order our ATV2 next year. It's good to hear such glowing reports about the Kedron vans and backup service. Also the comradarie within the Kedrom Owners Group

The after sales service is something that I always look for, because the price you pay I feel I need that bit of comfort knowing that something will get repaired if indeed something does go wrong.

I previously worked on a ship and we had similar operating catches on the cupboards and the catches were always coming loose or sticking in and would not come out to open the cupboard. This was a bug bear when at sea.

Just another question for you, how does your better half like the bed setup in the TE. I was thinking along the same lines as your van with a few modifications. Jude's a bit concerned that it may be a bit crowed and she also states she would have trouble making the bed. I keep telling her not to worry about making the bed as I am quite happy to get into it again as I left it in the morning, but she does not want to hear a bar of this. She also does not want to climb over me when geting into bed early, but I told her I'll get the bed positioned so that I'll be sleeping closest to the front and I'll have to climb over her if I need a P.

Thank again, hoping to see you and others at a KOG meeting when we get our van.

Looking forward to your reply.

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers. :thumbsup: :shades:

[Gazza]

Thank you Peter & Yevonne for your comments in relation to the mould. The only concern I had was where the bottom of the wall of the shower overhangs the aluminium tub. I was concerned that water would splash up and get between the wall and the tub and not dry out properly, hense the mould not being seen.

When I was at the Kedron Yard in November and looking through the vans, I ran my fingers along the bottom of the shower wall and I could actually get my fingers between the wall and the shower tub.

This is my only concern that it would not dry out properly.

Regards

Hope to meet you both at a KOG meeting in the future.

When we get our van.

Garry & Judy MUNRO

happy_campers

[Chris]

Greg and Judy,

On the Gibb River Road last year we met up with (and travelled with) another couple in a van, who had the bed configuation requiring the male partner to climb over his female counterpart when he got out of bed. She said it was the highlight of each day when he got out of bed...

Just some light humour.

Chris

[Gazza]

Greg and Judy,

luv good humor. But don't tell Jude that is my intention all along.

Good to hear from you.

Hoping to meet you on the trail sometime.

Garry & Judy MNRO

[Chris]

Greg and Judy,

further to your questions relating to the suspension and bushes, Val says (he's the technical part of this relationship) that we haven't yet had any problems with the bushes. And that's after three years of the van having "a very hard life" as Dave Gall put it. We have travelled some very rough places and roads...

And re the cupboard knob/latches are very sturdy. We have the "marine" ones, which cost more when the van was being built. They push in to secure them while travelling. Perhaps all new Kedrons have them now.

Chris

PS yes, we would love to meet up with you on the road sometime!

[Gazza]

Greg & Val,

Thanks for your comments in relation to the suspension and catches. It's good to know from people who are out there doing it. It just makes it easier to make the correct decision about a van. Jude and I are going to Brisbane in February to order the Caravan. At the moment we're catching up on all the house work and renovations we should of been doing the last couple of years when we owned the Kimberley Kamper.

Thanks again.

Garry & Judy MUNRO

[dazmit]

Hi Gary & Judy

Unfortunately you will have plenty of time for housework & reno's once you order a van as it is about a 12 month wait from order to delivery now due to the number of orders. It's a long wait but well worth it.

Cheers

[lynda and len]

The latches on doors and drawers in our Kedron built 2006 loosen sometimes. Len has put a small

amount of silicone on the inside thread which has stopped the latches from vibrating loose on rough and corrugated roads.

This is our 2nd kedron and have been pleased with both of them.

The first kedron built 2002 had different latches and could not vibrate loose.

Both latches in both vans were strong and held tight over rough surfaces.

Happy travelling.

[Gazza]

Thanks Darryl,

THe longer the wait, the more we will appreciate the van.

Regards

Garry & Judy MUNRO

[Gazza]

Hello Lynda and Len,

Thanks for the information. Used to work on a ship (Boat) and the same thing would happed. The catches also use to get stuck in and it was nearly impossible to get the catches to open. Will keep the silicon in mind when taking possession of van.

Regards

Garry & Judy MUNRO

[Guest B&T SOON TO BE]

Hi there, we are new to the site and I was looking for some feedback from Kedron owners as we are looking at buying an off road van for when we start to travel in the next couple of years. We currently have a coromal corvair (not off road) although we use to have 4x4 camper trailers. But when we want to see this big country of ours we want to do it in comfort and security. We have also been looking at the bushtracker, kedron and phoenix vans and wanted to know if people are happy with their choice and if there was anything they would change and why they chose kedron against the other two despite the personal choice factor. Was there any particular reason they chose one product over the other. I know this question is as broad as it is long but we thought it best to ask people who actually use the vans and not just the manufacturers.

thanks Tw

[dazmit]

Hi Tw

Refer to this posting from last year :thumbsup:

http://www.kedronownersgroup.com/forum/ind...hp?showtopic=70

cheers

Darryl

[Webby]

Thanks Darryl. I've merged the two together for ease of reading.

Cheers