There are some great looking ute trays and canopies on the market these days. Based in Cairns, Norweld is a company with a reputation for building some of the toughest trays on the market.

Built Tough

For decades Norweld’s customers have been travelling through, and working in, rugged environments. While Norweld continues to progress the aesthetic of their products, they’ve made no compromise on the robust build quality of their products.

Large panels, like the roof and doors of their canopies, and floors of the trays, are CNC cut from single sheets of aluminium.

Simple things like latches, fill points, and seals are often the first to fail. Norweld has custom-designed these to last. Their latches work flawlessly, even in dusty conditions, their diesel and water fill points are fabricated for strength and also to position them for easy access. Seals are attached to the gull doors rather than the canopy. It’s a detail which avoids damage as gear drags in and out.

79 Series & 200 Series LandCruisers

Norweld has invested heavily in R&D and their testing fleet to ensure the range of trays and canopies they produce to cater for the challenges created with heavy modifications.

Adding 300mm to the 79 Series chassis, converting the comfortable 200 Series to a ute or even changing the 79 Series to rear coil suspension or full portal axles are increasingly common modifications for enthusiasts.

Norweld works closely with key suppliers of these modifications to ensure they can offer trays and canopies to work with these setups. These are the types of obstacles worth solving up front!

For standard length 79 Series LandCruisers, Norweld offer a compact canopy to help avoid rear overloading. Additionally, they accommodate popular lifts, rear axle track correction and larger tyres.

Popular Dual Cabs

With the popularity of the 79 Series LandCruiser in the media, it is easy to forget that the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and similar utes are the most popular by far.

A tray only setup is hard to beat for the everyday driver – room for work gear, firewood run or mountain bikes.

For touring trips, it’s easy to wind and bolt on a canopy for the ease of a more dedicated setup.

American Vehicles

With enormous GVMs and large capacity engines, imported American vehicles are becoming increasingly popular for those who like to tow and carry heavy loads. Norweld offers options to suit most of these vehicles.

Trays

Norweld offers two main tray options – a tray or canopy base. Their tray is a heavy-duty option suitable for use with or without a canopy. The canopy base is a lighter weight option that is only suitable for permanently mounting a canopy.

If you’re preparing for a touring trip and you are considering a canopy base, it’s worth thinking ahead as to whether the versatility of a ute is an option you may want in the future.

Norweld’s Deluxe Trays include a long under tray drawer and a 40-litre Norweld water tank.

Canopies & Fit-Out

Norweld offer a range of canopies and fit-out options. At the comprehensive end, it’s possible to option full touring setups complete with fridge mounting, drawers, slide-out tables, storage shelves, lithium batteries and battery management systems.

At the other end of the spectrum, it’s possible to purchase empty shells ready for a full DIY setup, with many other options in between.

While full-length trays suit larger vehicles, their compact series is an increasingly popular option for those focused on avoiding too much weight behind the rear axle.

About Norweld

Norweld is an Australian manufacturer, and they have been in the aluminium fabrication industry since 1971. They run two separate workshops; the first is the tray and canopy production workshop, and the second, a more custom operation that handles custom and repair work across marine and a variety of applications. Their extensive experience in marine and ability to produce difficult componentry in-house shows in the quality of their trays and canopies.

Norweld’s investment in machinery, technology, staff and apprenticeships has allowed them to grow, and they now ship utes and canopies across Australia every week.

They have also become a regular exporter sending container loads of trays for campers as well as Australian style tray/canopy combos frequently to the United States and numerous overseas markets.

Fitting

To ensure fast and consistent fitting, Norweld has opted to ship their canopies in a finished state. Every selected option, including full electrical systems and drawers, is fitted by the Cairns team.

Norweld run their showroom and fitting facilities in Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Additionally, they have approved fitters in Perth, Darwin, Canberra and Adelaide.

Learn More

For more detailed specifications and information, visit Norweld.

Mike Collister

Founder of Adventure Curated, Mike has spent his life outdoors. He has represented Australia as a slalom kayaker, guided whitewater expeditions in Nepal, and taught outdoor education and wilderness medicine. He’s paddled the Kimberley’s Fitzroy River in the wet season, across the Bass Strait and has explored many of Australia’s remote areas by 4x4.