After years of investigation and conflicting advice about the best off road travel rig, Brian and Loretta Martin had enough.
They had ordered their Trayon slide on Camper, but car dealers and aftermarket companies weren’t willing or able to coordinate the creation of their desired off road vehicle to carry it.
Once Trayon’s Manager, Vernon, heard what they had gone through, he knew exactly what they needed – the Trayon ‘turnkey’ service.
In this article, we discuss Brian and Loretta’s story, and how Trayon’s turnkey service can help customers realise their Outback dreams without the usual pre-travel stress, effort and annoyances.
The Evidence of Turnkey Success
Brian and Loretta Martin, Trayon number 1131
“Our car was priced through the Trayon broker that included the Gross Vehicle Mass upgrade prior to registration. Pricing was provided for the additional items we wanted through ARB and other local suppliers.”
“We placed the order for our car in January 2019 and had it registered with NSW plates. Vernon managed the process of co-ordinating the delivery of the vehicle and the installation of the additional accessories brilliantly. He kept us in the loop on the progress of the build and refined a couple of items that would work better than the original plan.”
“Once completed, we flew from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast to pickup the Ranger and Trayon package.”
“Thank you Vernon and your team for providing our Turnkey solution. It made it really easy and we look forward to many years of travelling through our magnificent country in the comfort of our Trayon/Ranger rig.”
Brian and Loretta’s experience demonstrates how Trayon’s turnkey service can be used to avoid the real stress accociated with preparing an off road travel rig, and produce the ideal result.
The rest of their story is provided at the end of this article, but let’s now look in more detail at the turnkey service, how it came to be, and the many benefits it provides.
The Famed Australian Outback Off Road Journey
The Australian Outback is internationally renowned as one of the most unique and spectacular places on the planet. Traveling to the farthest reaches of the Outback is on almost everyone’s bucket list, and rightly so. The few lucky souls who get to travel and explore these places do so because they have the right off-road travel rig.
After doing the research, many people settle on a Trayon slide on camper to help transport them around the country. They are just about the only most lightweight, durable and fit-for-purpose option on the market, and offer a huge number of optional extras to make any adventure as good as it can be.
However, a full off-road travel rig doesn’t stop at a Trayon slide on camper. You need a set of wheels as well, and a sufficient amount of off-road accessories and upgrades to meet your off-road needs.
Are you planning or preparing for an Australian Outback Journey?
Finding and preparing a vehicle and set up to fit the bill involves an immense amount of planning and effort.
We know first hand the huge variety of vehicles, accessories, and upgrades available, and to the average Joe, this must be overwhelming. Add to this the different legal rules about load limits, towing limits and upgrades in just about every state of Australia, and the process becomes even more complex.
For many, the time and planning involved to wade through all of this information can involve years, and even then there is no guarantee it results in a fit-for-purpose rig.
Well, there are ways around it.
Trayon’s Turnkey Service – Marrying a Trayon Slide on Camper to a Vehicle Ready for the Customer to Pick Up
The Trayon turnkey service completely eliminates the stress and uncertainty involved with finding and preparing the right off-road travel rig for your Outback adventure.
You tell us your vehicle preferences, and where you want to go, for how long and with what creature comforts, and we create your ideal off road travel rig.
And, we make sure the rig is perfectly set up to carry your Trayon slide on camper.
How was the Turnkey Service developed?
The service was originally born to help international customers. Trayon has been doing it for years. Back in time, international customers from the UK, Germany and other regions would inquire and order their Trayon by email.
“No worries, what vehicle do you have to put it on?” We would ask.
“We don’t have one…” they would say.
So we started making the offer to source the vehicle for them, upgrade as necessary and to Australian’s legal standards, and produce a fit-for-purpose vehicle ready for them to pick up after they fly in.
These customers were undertaking trips anywhere from 6 months to 5 years! Living the dream really.
However after seeing the benefits, Aussies are tapping into the Trayon turnkey service as well!
The Trayon Turnkey Service Benefits
The benefits of the Trayon turnkey service are significant….
Capitalise on Australia’s Best Slide on Camper
Trayon has a saying:
“You don’t run a Clydesdale in the Melbourne cup, and you don’t use the Thoroughbred to pull the plough”
Horses for courses. The Turnkey service ensures you end up with a vehicle and slide on camper rig which is fit-for-purpose.
Trayon Australian owned Australian made campers have been based on a winning design for almost 25 years, built around an ever-evolving range of off road innovation and technology. Check out how Trayon came to be industry leaders in our recent article called “25 Years of Trayon”, and acquire a customer perspective in our most recent testimonial called “11 reason to own a Trayon”.
Once you decide to go down the Trayon path, the turnkey service can be used to build a full off-road rig around it.
Remove Rig Planning and Preparation
Over the last 25 years in the off road camper industry, we have seen the burdens of vehicle planning and preparation impact customer after customer. The time and effort you need to invest in finding the right rig often eats into planned travel and holiday time. And in some cases, if it hasn’t been done right, the rework time and money can easily spoil your camping outlook.
So, to help customers get rubber on road quicker and simpler, Trayon developed the turnkey service to prepare the perfect off road travel rig on the customer’s behalf using 25 years of off road industry experience, knowledge and partnerships.
Your time and effort needed to design and prepare your perfect vehicle will be almost completely removed.
The first step of the process is to tell us what kind of vehicle you’d like.
Not sure?
We can provide advice about each option, how well they suit Trayon slide on campers, and how they will fair in Outback travel.
Or, check out our comprehensive library of vehicle reviews for all the major makes and models, such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota 79 Series Landcruiser, Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hilux, and Isuzu DMax, to name a few.
Eliminate the Stress of Buying a Dealer 4×4 Ute
Once you know what vehicle you want, the next step is to acquire it. For the general public, this involves wheeling and dealing with different salesmen to try and find the best bargain.
However, we can go around the back door, working with our vehicle broker and manufacturers to acquire a vehicle at fleet sale prices.
NOTE: We only source new vehicles. We don’t offer the turnkey service for trade ins or second hand vehicles.
We Can Coordinate Everything!
Getting each separate party in rig creation to coordinate the process is one of the biggest troubles we see.
For example, seeking to purchase vehicles and getting upgrades and certifications in different State’s can be painful.
Car dealers, aftermarket accessory companies and upgrade certifiers often aren’t willing to coordinate the process, which leaves the customer in the lurch.
Well, the turnkey service addresses this risk by coordinating everything for everyone, and working towards one common goal.
Avoid the Complexity of Identifying Legal Vehicle Limits
Almost every state in Australia has a different set of legal rules applying to towing and payload. Plus, every make and model ute has its own set of limitations.
We work to these rules day in day out, and can apply this knowledge so you don’t have to try and decipher it.
We can provide all the advice you need to interpret and understand these limits for the vehicle of your choosing.
Eliminate Conflicting Off Road Advice
Sometimes even the same company in two different suburbs will tell you two different things!
For example, a common story is being told by the salesman that you should get airbag suspension. Well, after seeing what we’ve seen and dealing with the things we have, we know for a fact that airbags are not required for an off road slide on camper rig. They can actually do more harm than good if not used correctly. For more information, Check out our recent article on 4wd suspension called “slide on campers: Do I need a 4wd suspension upgrade?”.
With the turnkey service, our full off road camper and travel expertise is on offer, meaning you don’t need to wade through the endless and often conflicting advice you will get from off road shops. We cut straight to the chase to make sure your rig setup as it should be.
We Can Make All Necessary Upgrades and Modifications
A range of vehicle upgrades may be required to ensure it perfectly fits a Trayon, and handles the rough and tumble of the Australian Outback.
For example, this may include suspension upgrades, power circuitry modifications and tray replacement.
Trayon is able efficiently get these modifications done because both the managing Director and Assistant Manager are qualified motor vehicle manufacturers, and we work closely with all the necessary parties, such as suspension specialists and ute tray makers. Trayon knows exactly what upgrades are required, and how best to get them done.
This saves you finding out what needs to be done, and finding the right company to do it at a reasonable price.
Our minimum recommendations for upgrades include installing the maximum constant load suspension for a full GVM upgrade and an aluminium tray that will perfectly fit a Trayon.
Let Us Acquire the Right Legal Upgrade Certificates
Often, vehicle upgrades will require legal certification. For example, even though a suspension upgrade may enable your vehicle to carry an extra constant load of 800kg, unless you have the right GVM upgrade certification, you may be breaking the law.
We make sure these certifications get done at the right stage of the process to minimise costs and conflict with other modifications.
Tap Into the Full Range of Off Road Accessories
Because we have strong working relationships with a variety of industry specialists, we can source just about any accessory you need to round off your travel rig. We can also modify the rig to make sure its fits the accessories you desire (i.e. power systems, cooling systems, water systems etc.).
We are often asked what accessories to get. Our bare minimum recommendations are to prepare for the what ifs, such as:
- Front end protection – bull bars to protect against kangaroo strike, camels, brumbies.
- A back up means of starting your engine
- Secondary water tanks
- Extra fuel storage such as a long range tank, auxiliary fuel tank or jerry cans,
- A secondary fuel filter to prevent water getting into diesel fuel systems
However, the full list of possible accessories is extensive, and we can provide direct industry advice about which to choose based on your travel plans. Here’s a taste of what else is on offer:
Vehicle accessories:
- Side step
- Side rails
- Underbody protection
- Diff cover plates
- Front recovery points
- Winch
- Snorkel
- All terrain tires
- Aftermarket rims
- Second spare tire
- Roof rack basket
Self recovery items:
- Max tracks
- High lift shovels
- Jerry cans
- Side awnings
- Aux batteries
- Jump starter kit
The list goes on, and to find out more feel free to inquire about the turnkey service accessories list.
Maintain resale value
After buying and using a full blown off road Trayon rig you can simply sell it. A new reputable vehicle and a Trayon hold immense resale value. You might lose $10K, but for 6 months+ of travel, that’s not a bad price to pay.
This is the main reason international customers seek the turnkey option instead of renting an off road motorhome.
For example 6 months of rental for an off road motorhome could set you back by $20,000 – 30,000! Not too mention it may not be perfectly tailored to your off road plans, goals, requirements, lifestyle and destinations.
An Australian Turnkey Success Story
The benefits of the Trayon turnkey service are demonstrated through Brian and Loretta’s story, which we touched on at the start of the article. Their full experience is provided below.
Our Journey to Trayon with a Turnkey Package – Brian and Loretta Martin, Trayon Nuber 1131
Loretta and I have had rewarding business careers but we are looking forward to our retirement. We want to see more of our brilliant country. We plan to go off the beaten track and to take our time exploring.
Our investigations started many years ago. We wanted a comfortable time on our travels with minimum setup and pack down times, so tent based touring was not an option.
Our initial thoughts were to buy a quality, go anywhere camper trailer. We then thought we needed more comfort and were keen on a compact, quality go anywhere caravan. Then we thought a larger van would be nicer but difficulties in trying to put together a car and van combination that was within legal weight limits was challenging. We did not want to go down the American truck route!
Our thoughts turned to where we really wanted to go at least in the first, say, five plus years of retirement.
“We wanted to go to quiet, out of the way, interesting places”
This led us to rethink our strategy and thought a Trayon could be our solution. We visited the factory in Kunda Park in October 2018. Scholtz and Vernon spent a lot of time with us answering all our questions. It was great to get the insight of what works, what doesn’t and why the design has evolved over time.
We placed our order in November 2018 for a 1980 Diesel Deluxe Trayon slide on camper.
Next to consider was the car that we needed to carry the Trayon. In our mind there were two obvious contenders. One, the 79 Series Landcruiser and two, the Ford Ranger. We thought the Landcruiser was the better option as it is more rugged and we wanted to be able to get into and out of the more remote areas. We spent a fair amount of time investigating what we would change to make it into a comfortable and reliable touring machine. Quite a few changes would need to be made and many of these items were supplied by different organisations. Working full time was going to make it difficult to coordinate and it was getting expensive!
“We then looked at a Ford Ranger XLT Supercab and was impressed as a base package”
We understood it was not as tough as the Landcruiser but I’m confident we can do 95% of the more difficult areas we want to go to. We had difficulties trying to coordinate the tray, the GVM upgrade and additional under tray water tank as we live in NSW. The organisations we talked to were happy to do their part but not very helpful in trying to assist in coordinating the project.
In a conversation with Vernon to do with the Trayon build I mentioned my difficulties and frustrations. He said “I have the experience so please let me build your car. I have the contacts and experience to provide what you want. Give me your specification and I will provide a Turnkey solution for you”.
After spending a fair amount of time with Vernon during our visit, I had confidence in his thoughts and ideas.
Vernon offered suggestions that improved our specification. Our car was priced through the Trayon broker that included the GVM upgrade prior to registration. Pricing was provided for the additional items we wanted through ARB and other local suppliers. We placed the order for our car in January 2019 and had it registered with NSW plates.
“Vernon managed the process of coordinating the delivery of the vehicle and the installation of the additional accessories brilliantly”
He kept us in the loop on the progress of the build and refined a couple of items that would work better than the original plan. Once completed, we flew from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast to pickup the Ranger and Trayon package.
“Thank you Vernon and your team for providing our Turnkey solution”
It made it very easy for us and we look forward to many years of travelling through our magnificent country in the comfort of our Trayon and Ranger.
Turnkey Conclusions
Trayon’s Turnkey service is designed to deliver the kind of success demonstrated by Brain and Loretta’s experience.
Trayon acts as the hub, making sure broker, dealer and aftermarket accessories and upgrades work towards one end goal; marrying a trayon slide on camper to a vehicle ready for the customer to pick up.
We source your desired vehicle at fleet prices and turn it onto a full off road rig from the ground up, adding aftermarket accessories, undertaking upgrades within the right legal limits and acquiring the right certificates as to what the customers desire.
The turney service:
- Provides a travel rig based around Australia’s best off road slide on camper
- Removes the stress of rig planning and preparation
- Handles vehicle purchase through Trayon brokers at fleet prices
- Makes sure the vehicle is upgraded and certified to meet legal limits across the country
- Coordinates all necessary off road and travel accessories and modifications
- Maintains huge resale value.
The process is proven to make life easier for our slide on camper customers.
For more information, contact Trayon and get your Austrtalian Outback adventure rolling.
