Austrack Campers upgrade their range with AusTuff Suspension

Austrack Campers is no stranger to the world of hybrids and caravans. They’ve been supplying the market with quality trailers for north of seventeen years now and have just upgraded their entire hybrid range’s suspension with an all-new system designed to push the limits of off-road comfort and durability.

Austrack has partnered with AusTuff to bring about an independent trailing arm set-up that utilises coils and four (two per side) parallel-mounted Pedders shocks. This allows for increased stability across a variety of terrains and increased performance—particularly off-road.

Shock technology – the heavily abbreviated version

We could write a billion words on this subject alone, but in regard to campers there generally have been one of two types of shock absorbers employed over the last century: Monotube and Twin-tube shocks. Both use a combination of hydraulic oil and nitrogen gas pressure that acts on an internal piston to control your trailer over bumps and corrugations.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but in terms of bang-for-buck, twin tubes take the win. However, they’re traditionally seen as somewhat inferior to monotubes.

Or at least they were, and then foam cell technology was invented.

Heat is what kills shock absorbers. Thousands of piston movements per kilometre travelled produces a lot of friction. Eventually, with enough heat build-up, the nitrogen gas compresses air bubbles in the shock oil and the damping properties go to, erm, poop. Foam Cell shocks utilise a compact foam sleeve inside the twin-tube body that replaces the nitrogen charge. The foam cell takes up less volume than the gas, leaving more room for the shock oil – the main cooling agent of the shock.

Long story short, foam cell shocks are incredibly difficult (read: almost impossible) to overheat – making them ideal for campers being towed over long stretches of rough roads…

…and the Austrack Hybrid range now has four of them.

Why it’s better

The Pedder shocks are the key feature of the new AusTuff system and have the following advantages over a few hundred kays of corrugations:

• Advanced cooling: The shocks have what AusTuff call “enhanced cooling areas” which allows for increased performance and facilitating full oil contact with both inner and outer shock body housings.
• Superior damping control: As mentioned, foam cell shocks (as opposed to nitrogen gas charged units) take a lot longer to heat up, thereby almost eliminating shock fade, allowing for optimal damping under all conditions.
• Increased oil capacity: With a significantly larger-than-OE-spec bore and piston internally in the shock, there is a significantly larger oil capacity which provides optimum ride quality and further resisting overheating. Because shock fade is enjoyed by exactly nobody.
• Durable construction: The Pedder shocks feature a twin-tube body with heavy-duty double welded mounting points that point toward long-term resilience against the rigours of off-road travel. In a load-carrying towing application they’re honestly difficult to beat.
• Long travel trailing arms and coils springs give plenty of travel while the body roll is kept to a minimum.

Our thoughts

I think it’s fair to say that camper suspension is often forgotten about in the search for ever more amp-hours from lithium systems or mod-cons from our campers’ internal layouts. Just like a 4X4 with horrid suspension can be a chore to drive, a camper with horrid suspension can be a chore to tow. So it’s great to see a company like Austrack investing in a fundamental area where it’ll be felt and appreciated, even if it’s on an unconscious level, every time your camper is hitched up.

To paraphrase John D. Rockefeller: sometimes you have to let the “good” go to find “the great,” and putting the time, money and R&D into such advancements is often the difference between the two.

For more information about Austrack Campers and the new AusTuff Offroad Suspension system, jump on over to www.austrackcampers.com.au/austuff-offroad-suspension.