Custom Build Example: High-Clearance UTV Hauler
What a custom order looks like from first inquiry to written quote.
This is a real custom quote with the customer’s details removed. The trailer has been quoted and is not yet built.
How did this build start?
With the inquiry form on this site. The customer travels in an off-grid expedition camper on rough, rocky, narrow trails with tight turns, and needed a trailer that could follow it carrying a side-by-side (UTV). His list: a 12-foot deck, about 68 inches between the fenders, independent suspension, 35-inch tires, and a track that runs in the camper’s tire paths.
What happens after I send an inquiry?
We reply with questions before we price anything. For this build we asked three: the exact UTV model, wood or steel diamond-plate deck, and where to mount the spare. The UTV model sets the deck length, ramp spacing, and tie-down locations, so it comes first.
What if my answers raise new questions?
We work through them with you. Here, the answers raised a fit question: a four-door UTV runs longer than a 12-foot deck, while a two-door fits with about two feet of deck left for gear. We built the spec around a two-door and printed that assumption at the top of the build sheet, so it gets confirmed before any steel is cut.
What goes into the spec sheet?
- 12 ft deck, 68 in between fenders
- Track matched to the camper, about 82 to 83 in center to center
- Timbren axle-less independent suspension with lift, so there is no axle beam to catch on rocks
- 12 in electric brakes, breakaway kit, and safety chains
- 35×10.50R17 load range E tires on 17 in wheels, with a matching spare on a welded vertical pipe mount ahead of the left fender
- Structural steel frame with double-pass welds and reinforced suspension mounts
- Lock N Roll articulating hitch for uneven ground and tight turns
- Steel ramps that store under the deck and slide out the rear without costing ground clearance
- Six weld-on D-rings, LED lighting, and side marker lights
- Powder coat finish
What do I get with the quote?
A written spec sheet for each version you are considering, each with a layout drawing and a line-by-line cost breakdown. This customer received two complete versions, one with a wood deck and one with a steel diamond-plate deck, so he could compare them side by side. Each line is priced: steel by the pound from our Springfield supplier, suspension, wheels, tires, brakes, hitch, lighting, D-rings, powder coat, and fabrication time.
The spec sheet also explains what you are paying for: why double-pass structural welds and reinforced suspension mounts matter on rough trails, and why powder coat outlasts spray paint on a trailer that lives in the dirt.
Why does a custom trailer cost more than a production trailer?
A production utility trailer is built for highway use. This one is sized around one UTV, one camper, and the trails they run. Committing to double-pass structural welds added fabrication time to the quote, because that is what a trailer like this needs. You see every line before you commit.
What happens when I approve the quote?
A 50% deposit of the quoted build price starts fabrication. The trailer is built by hand in Ozark, Missouri, and the timeline is confirmed with your quote.
How do I get the finished trailer?
Pick it up in Ozark, Missouri, or we help arrange freight separately at your cost. Freight is not included in the quote.
Where does this build stand now?
The quote has been delivered and is waiting on the customer’s decision.
Have Something Specific to Haul?
Tell us what you are hauling and where you are going. We reply within 48 hours.