QUANTUM CAMPERTECH

1. Internal Comfort: Sophisticated modern design

Step into a dust free environment with an elegant European styled interior. The QUANTUM Supercamper utilises light wall colours to create a feeling of space. Gone are the old-fashioned timber finishes.

The seating is made by Warwick Fabrics and is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is very well padded using high quality foams and Dacron facings. Seat bolsters are also available as an option.

The full queen-size inner spring mattress is specially made to our specifications for a great night's sleep under the stars. Carpeted timber is used in place of composites for the bed base, as timber is a natural insulator and creates natural energy in the sleeping zone.

The bed is also north/south facing, not east west. We are constantly asked for this layout and all our trailers are built this way. It does take up more internal room but it makes getting in and out of bed so much easier and more private. An added benefit is that it is simpler to make the bed. This layout also leaves storage room beside the bed for reading glasses, books and water bottles.

There are two LED light strategically placed above each sleeping position to help make for the ultimate bedtime comfort.

2. Bed: Full Queen size comfort

The full queen size 8" inner spring, Australian-made premium mattress with a 5 year warranty  - breathes and expels moisture, unlike a foam mattress. (For those with specific requirements, a mattress of your choice can be provided).

The mattress is vented along both sides to allow air circulation, making it much cooler than foam which can be hot and sticky in warm weather. The bed can be fitted with under-lays and can be left completely made up.

The sleeping area has large windows for cross ventilation. Totally dust and water-proof, the interior ensures total comfort at all times.

The sleeping environment is cozy and warm in winter and well ventilated and cool in summer. This comes from having insulated walls and double glazed windows, and the fact that the bed is wholly within the van rather than extended from it.

3. Cooking: Outside for a pleasant, sociable experience.

The QUANTUM is fitted with a state of the art external stainless steel kitchen. The benefits of having the full kitchen and pantry outside include:

- Cooking inside is very hot and can be extremely unpleasant in hot weather. Cooking outside under the large awning is much more pleasant

- Cooking odours and airborne fat are problematic with internal cooking - like cooking in your bedroom.

- Cooking outside is much more sociable and the cook is not excluded from chat with your friends while you prepare meals

- Everything is in one place i.e. drinks, nibbles etc, so your kitchen is not half inside and half outside.

- It creates much more internal space and allows for much greater privacy with distinctly separate zones for bathroom/toilet area and kitchen (in Quantum).

A small cook-top with a glass lid can be fitted in the rear vanity bench as an option if required. The lid enables the cooker to be used as bench space when the cook-top is not required.

4. Fridge/Freezer

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EVAKOOL 82L FRIDGE

At Australian Off Road, we strive for constant innovation and the requirement arose to move to a larger fridge/freezer across the range of Odyssey and Quantum campers.

We have always had outstanding results with our Evakool 60L fridge/freezer so we approached Alan Smith at Evakool to help design and manufacture a new 82L unit. After the case size was designed, a modification of the fridge opening on both the Odyssey and the Quantum was undertaken to accommodate the larger fridge.

The 82L fridge uses a complete evaporator in the freezer section and a larger Danfoss BD50 compressor which is mounted on the back of the fridge in order to maximize the fridge area. A digital control panel is installed to give accurate settings and readout. The freezer size is increased to 30 litres and the fridge compartment is 50 litres. The current draw is kept to a minimum of about 2.5 amps per hour.

Customer reaction to the new unit has been very positive and we were pleased to be able to work with Evakool to custom design our new fridge/freezer.

5. Awning and Annexe: Outside Comfort is effortless.

The roll-out awning is very quickly deployed and provides cover for either quick stops or longer stays. Walls can be added for additional shelter if required. A full annex wall set is available with windows and doors, all fly-screened for your comfort. This includes an optional second external awning room, thus doubling the size of the awning area. A large annexe matting is also provided.

Just stop, extend the awning and pull out your external kitchen (if fitted) and everything is ready for a great evening under the stars. The luxury of the QUANTUM can only be experienced to be

 

 

 

6. Weight, Height and Width

Achieving the lightest weights possible, without comprising strength, has been achieved on all AOR models, using a simple design structure without complex mechanisms prone to failure in remote areas. The benefit of the light weight construction is that it maintains full off road versatility and minimizes fuel consumption.

Height was a design consideration on the QUANTUM. At 2,200mm, the closed height equates with the height of a raised 4WD with outback roof rack, an important factor in reducing windage and thus fuel consumption. Ride height is maximized and ramp over and rear exit angles exceed most 4WD capacity.

Width was also a design consideration. At 1950mm wide, internal comfort is maximized while still maintaining the same width and tracking as a 4WD. These dimensions also allow the trailer to follow your 4WD safely through tight bush tracks and allow rear visibility without the need for extension mirrors.

7. Spare Wheel: Why we do not use an under-slung spare wheel.

While under-slinging is a much cheaper option, there are several disadvantages. Usually a flat tyre is experienced on a dirt road, so you have to get down on your hands and knees and grovel in the dirt to pull the tyre out from under the camper (hopefully it is not a muddy road). The tyre is always covered in dirt or mud as well. Sometimes the winch will not operate, as it is jammed with rocks and dirt. By using the rear mounted spare we free up the underside of the camper for larger water tanks.

 

8. Water Storage

Our products are fitted with a standard 140 litre rear tank which is armour plated with a galvanized steel shroud for stone protection. An additional 80 litre water tank is fitted to the QUANTUM, housed in the same shroud as the 60 litre black water tank used for storage of the toilet wastewater.

The fourth tank, fitted to QUANTUM is a 35 litre toilet-flushing tank situated in front of the middle tank. There are twin 20 litre jerry cans fitted to all our models, thus bringing the total capacity to over 295 litres of fresh water.

All hoses are food grade and are protected with stone deflectors.

Water is drawn from the tanks via a quality Flojet Marine pump providing good pressure to the shower, toilet and kitchen areas. This huge capacity coupled with our River Access system allows prolonged stays in your favourite camping destination.

9. River Access System: Extends your Stay.

All of our campers and caravans are fitted with a simple yet effective “River Access System”.

This allows you to submerge a hose in a creek and draw water into the trailers water system. It does not allow you to fill the water tanks directly although this can be accomplished. It charges the whole system with the creek water while isolating the water stored in the water tanks. In this way you can extend your stay in your favourite bush campsite while keeping your drinking water isolated for future use.

10. Windows & Door: Double glazed and dustproof.

Large Dometic windows are fitted to our QUANTUM Supercamper. Double glazed with integrated roller blinds and flyscreens, these windows enable excellent ventilation.

The doors used are dust proof Trilock with a full Amplimesh security screen and locking mechanism for your safety. Access can be gained without the need to pop the top or extend the awning so the entire internal section, including the toilet, can be used while traveling.

11. New Flushing Toilet System

Australian Off Road has continued to innovate in off-road technology with the release in 2012 of the 'Nomad Dual Evacuation' toilet system. This new toilet flushing system is fully off-road capable and, most importantly, chemical-free.

With the demise of the vacuum toilet system, previously used by us and many other Australian manufacturers, AOR has applied well-proven marine technology to produce a functional and robust system suitable for extreme off-road use. The new AOR system combines a marine-type macerator toilet with a 35 litre dedicated flushing tank and a 60 litre black water holding tank.

Instead of having just 14 litres waste capacity with the old vacuum cassette, or 19 litres with a gravity chemical cassette/caddy, the new AOR system offers a full 60 litres of waste storage. The system uses a 12 volt diaphragm pump to pump out waste via a 40mm hose to a dump point or waste container. The whole system can be flushed through with fresh water.  In creating this new design, we have improved our customer's ability to travel in remote areas and produced a system far superior to the out-dated chemical toilet.

The major benefits of this system are:

- A chemical-free system (chemical waste cannot be buried in off-road situations, septic systems or pit toilets)

- A 60 litre holding capacity which offers more time between emptying toilet waste and increases the ability to stay in remote areas.

 - Simple 12 volt technology which can be easily repaired or replaced.

See the following testimonial from one of our customers:

"We are supporters of the macerator system. We only have to dump every 6-7 days. As we remote camp most of the time the (pump) noise is not an issue and if we stay in a van park we usually use the park facilities as that is what you pay for. I would definitely take a macerator over the chemical cassette anyday. Regards Jim"

The length of your stay in remote areas is extended even further with the benefit of not being restricted to empty the toilet every 2 days or required to leave beautiful camping spots so toilet waste can be emptied, examples of restrictions below:

   

 

 

12. Hot Water Heater

The hot water heater is a very efficient gas-operated, German made Truma unit that is plumbed to both shower and kitchen. The benefit of this system over diesel systems include:

1. Much quicker to heat - just 10 minutes gives you enough hot water for a couple of hot showers and a hot wash up. Because it heats so quickly, the system can be simply turned on just before use.
2. Very efficient on gas. The supplier of this unit, Dometic indicates consumption figures as follows: with 15 minutes usage daily one (1) 4.5kg gas bottle would last an extraordinary six (6) months.
3. Whereas the gas hot water system is completely odourless, diesel systems are smelly and waft noxious diesel fumes through either your own or your neighbour's camp site depending on wind direction.
4. Being a single stand-alone unit it makes more economical use of space whereas diesel units typically use 3 separate components which take up more space inside the camper body.
5. Safety is also a consideration. The LPG system is used by 99% of the caravan industry and has been proven over many years to be safe and reliable. When hooked up to the River Access system, you can enjoy unlimited hot water showers pumping from a creek or lake.

13. Heating/Cooling

Insulation is optimized in the QUANTUM with modern composite wall and roof materials.

Heating and cooling can be achieved with the use of an under-seat reverse cycle air-conditioning unit on the QUANTUM which can be powered either with 240V or with a 2KVA generator. This system is totally silent and does not detract from the total height of the vehicle or increase windage. The air-conditioner operates with the touch of a button.

Diesel powered Space Heating can also be installed on any AOR model and does not require 240V or a generator, so can be used in remote areas and national parks where generators are not permitted.

14. Electrical: Batteries

All QUANTUM campers come with two 120 Ah sealed AGM deep cycle batteries. These are connected to a 30 Amp Oz Charge battery charger. The batteries are mounted internally and, as they are a sealed battery, they have a very long life and can withstand constant cycle applications. They are also backed up by a fully integrated solar system for remote camping.

 

15. Electrical: Solar

The Quantum models are now fitted with a 290 watt Bosch solar system permanently mounted on the roof. This system is connected to the batteries and keeps them charging at all times. The standard system is twice the capacity that is needed to maintain battery charge. We have found over the years that a larger system than necessary is required for the fluctuations in solar input due to weather conditions. It is for this reason that we do not recommend generator usage.

 

16. Electrical: 12 Volt System

AOR products are fitted with a state of the art 12 volt electrical system. There are between eight and seventeen separate circuits, each with its own dedicated fuse. This individual fuse protection ensures ease of isolation of short circuits or blown fuses. All switches are robust stainless steel marine grade with stainless steel switch plates. There are internal LED strip lights which include the two bed reading lights.

Outside we have large Led strip lights that illuminate the entire kitchen and annex area. On the right side of the camper we have a LED light over the storage are and another light inside the storage drawer compartment.

A 300 watt pure sine inverter is standard equipment in all models and other inverter sizes are optional. The 300W inverter is perfect for charging batteries, using a TV or Video player, a shaver, electric drill or most small appliances. There is also a main “Kill” switch that isolates all lighting and water pump while traveling.

17. Low Voltage Disconnect

A Low Voltage Disconnect unit is fitted to the QUANTUM to prevent your batteries being completely discharged. This is how it works:

The Battery cut off voltage is set at 10.5 Volts - this means you can never run your batteries dry which will increase their life span. The Battery cut in Voltage is set at 12.5 Volts - this means nothing will work untill your Batteries have had an minimal charge of 12.5 Volts

The advantages are that you can never run your batteries dry and this LVD unit makes sure you re-charge them to at least 12.5 volts before you can use them again. This increases the life span of the Batteries.

18. Electrical: 240 Volt System

All campers are fitted with a sophisticated 240 volt electrical system. The 15 Amp input plug is positioned on the right hand side of the camper. A 240 volt 10 Amp outlet is positioned next to the kitchen side shelf for ease of use in the kitchen and annex area. The input is connected to a double pole Residual Circuit Breaker (RCD as per legal requirements) and then to the internal and external 240 volt outlets.

 The internal double power points are all double pole-switching units (as per legal requirements).

As the inverter has two remote power outlets, another RCD is installed in the inverter circuit as per the main 240 volt circuit. The 240 volt input is also connected to the 240 volt Oz-Charge battery charger. On dual battery models, the battery charger has a heat-sensing unit that is installed between the batteries to monitor the physical heat of the batteries. This is particularly necessary in the seven phases of battery charging as the charger is constantly monitoring the heat of the batteries and adjusting the charge rate accordingly.

Once the camper is connected to a 240 volt power source, be it Caravan Park, house point or generator, the battery charger starts working automatically to charge the batteries. When the batteries are fully charged, the charger adjusts the charge rate to a "float" charge and monitors the battery condition automatically. The entire 240 volt system is installed by a qualified electrician and all new campers receive an Electrical Safety Certificate (this is a legal requirement).

19. Stone Guard

The stone deflector on all campers and caravans is made with a stainless steel frame and a truck mesh covering with large custom made mud flaps. The design criteria for an effective stone deflector is that it has to protect the trailer from rock damage, and it also has to protect the rear of the towing vehicle.

To accomplish this we have adopted an angled truck mesh deflector that presents no hard surfaces to the offending rock spray. This allows the rocks thrown up by the vehicle to hit the mesh and mud guards and drop harmlessly to the ground. In this way the rear window and bodywork of the tow vehicle are protected, as is the camper trailer. The stone deflector is manufactured to be wider than the camper body, thus allowing maximum protection to the camper.

There are also stone deflectors on the kitchen door seal, the water tanks and the rear mud flaps. There are large stiff rubber wheel arch flares that extend beyond the tyre tread to stop any stone damage to the side of the trailer.

20. Suspension: Independent trailing arm coil suspension.

All our products feature fully independent trailing arm coil suspension fitted with twin EFS Fireflex off-road shock absorbers. The trailing arm coil suspension is the ultimate design for off-road trailers as it completely eliminates bump steer and camber changes associated with other designs.

The trailing arms are adjustable for toe-in and camber changes, thus prolonging tyre wear. The brakes are 12” electric drums fitted with Alko double-lip seals. This configuration is easily adjustable and allows ultimate in car control in all load and weather conditions.

The use of twin shock absorber technology allows for decreased load on all bushings and shock absorbers when corrugations are encountered. This really is the ultimate suspension design with a proven track record of longevity and reliability. It gives you peace of mind knowing you will not break down in the outback

21. Benefits of Electric Drum Brakes.

There is ongoing debate about the virtues of electric drum brakes versus over-ride hydraulic brakes. We consider that the over-ride mechanism is not suitable for extreme off road conditions and, as a lot of our trailers are used in this manner, to use anything but an electric brake would be irresponsible.

The over-ride mechanism works when the brakes are applied to the vehicle, but in a reactive manner. While this may sound acceptable, the problem comes when you do not want them to work, or you want to be able to adjust the braking on the trailer specifically for high speed dirt road driving, or for wet or very steep conditions. In this case we increase the trailer braking above normal so the trailer is actually assisting the 4WD to pull up. This ensures the trailer brakes are activated in a straight line in emergency situations, i.e. unmarked drainage dips, animals on the road or even a puncture at speed. The over-ride brake cannot be adjusted in this situation and its on-off actuation can actually tend to throw the car about and cause possible roll-overs of car and trailer.

The only advantage of the disc brake is that it dissipates heat more quickly than a drum brake. The only situation ever encountered where this is an issue is on a long downhill descent on sealed roads. Most of these descents are signed for trucks to use low gears, thus using the engine as a brake.

Regardless of your braking system, if you are towing up to 2000kg of trailer down a steep, long incline, you should be in as low a gear as possible and applying the brakes only intermittently. This is responsible driving. Only when the over-ride mechanism is electrically controlled is it acceptable and this becomes a very expensive option.

Australian Off Road trailers have up to 295 litres of water storage which means if you are travelling with empty tanks the unit is 295kg lighter than it would be with full tanks. If you are traveling in the rain or in sand, it is much safer to be able to electrically adjust the trailer braking to suit the trailer load and track conditions.

In extreme off road situations, such as the Victorian High country or the tracks of Cape York, adjustable braking is essential. If you are traversing a muddy or slippery track with little traction and a steep incline an over-ride brake will lock up completely and pull you into a gutter or worse - off the side of a cliff. The electric brake is adjustable to prevent this scenario.

If you wish to reverse up an incline to do a 3 point turn the over-ride brake will again lock up, causing more dangerous problems. When backing down an incline the over-ride brake does not actuate, whereas the electric brake works normally and is still adjustable.

When driving through water or mud the electric drum brake is self cleaning and self draining. It is used by 99% of the caravan/camper industry, both off road and on road. When coupled with a digital Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller they are very reliable and extremely safe to use.

22. Chassis: Constructed from high tensile Supagal steel.

The chassis we use is a fully box welded “Supagal” high tensile steel design using 3 and 4mm steel tubing that is electrostatically galvanized inside and out.

The drawbar is fully laminated to the chassis for its entire length. All components are laser cut for accuracy of assembly and finish. Once completed, the entire chassis is powder-coated thus producing a strong lightweight, totally rust free chassis unit capable of withstanding years of off road torture. We have used this design for many years and have found it to be extremely strong and durable.

23. Trailer Coupling: Self-aligning for ease of connection.

The DO35 coupling uses the very latest coupling technology. A major problem with the older pin style couplings is the alignment of the coupling and pin on uneven ground or sand. This problem can be very frustrating for both the driver and the guide, as it can become a struggle to align the two units correctly for hook up.

The DO35 coupling is self-aligning. It uses a tapered pin and a tapered housing that can be dropped into alignment regardless of the terrain. This can be a marriage saver. Another major advantage in using the DO35 coupling is the low profile height of coupling, pin and handbrake. With this coupling there is no vertical handbrake that restricts the opening of large barn doors on many 4wds. This can also be a major advantage when considering different tow vehicles.

The DO35 coupling has a 3.5 tonne rating which far exceeds the ATM of the trailer. It has maximum articulation giving you confidence in all 4wd situations. It's nice to know when the going gets tough you don't have to worry about binding the coupling and the housing and you can concentrate on wheel placement. The coupling is also fitted with a dual locking mechanism that ensures peace of mind and is also ADR compliant. It has a dust cover to keep water and dust out of the swivel mechanism; this cuts down the coupling wear and extends the life of the coupling. It is also grease-able and has replaceable bushes, which also prolongs the life of the coupling. It is a far more expensive mechanism than older pin style couplings but our commitment to quality; ergonomics and longevity enable our campers to be fitted with the best components available.