Believe it or not, deciding which type of canopy to outfit your ute with isn’t always a straightforward option. And although the amount of space you have available and how much you’re willing to invest will help narrow down the choices, that still leaves you with an outback-sized list of options to choose from.
More often than not though, the perfect choice comes down to a good balance between what you want and what you need. You want top quality and maximum reliability; but the fact is, some canopies are simply better suited for certain jobs than others. That’s why knowing what your choices are is so crucial for picking one canopy over the other.
How to Recognize the Qualities of a High-Quality Canopy
Let’s be honest: it doesn’t matter if you’re a tradie in need of a canopy for professional use, a diehard off-roader in need of a tough box for the bush, or just an ordinary bloke looking for a solid combination of both, there’s such a wide selection of canopies for utes on the market, that it can be hard to tell which canopy is best suited to meet your needs. There are canopies designed to fit all tray sizes and requirements, which is why your search for the ideal canopy has to begin with its most important quality: its build specs.
Make no mistake: not only aren’t all ute canopies for sale designed the same, but they’re also not all constructed the same. Premium quality, long-lasting canopies are built from 2.5mm flat or checker plate aluminium stock, and incorporate a host of heavy-duty features that include:
· Full seam TIG-welded walls and doors, with internal RHS reinforcement;
· Tubed aluminium canopy framing with reinforced roof bracing;
· Gas strut supported doors with full-length stainless steel piano-type hinges;
· Stainless steel “whale tail” type T-handles with keyed locks; and,
· 2 or 3 door configurations, with 26mm weather- and dust-proofed rubber door seals.
From short compact canopies that allow you to make maximum use of the wide open space on your ute’s tray, to full-sized storage canopies that boast enough space to let you safely transport your entire workshop, aluminium ute canopies won’t rust or corrode, and weigh approximately 1/3 the weight of steel canopies. That’s precious payload capacity that can make a major difference when you’re fine-tuning your canopy choices; and depending on the size of canopy you choose and how you use your ute, every few kilos make a difference.
Aluminium Canopies in Just the Right Size for Any Use
Size matters when you’re shopping for aluminium canopies, and there’s a wide range of sizes available that are organized along standard ute door configurations.
· Part tray canopies. These canopies are available in 500mm – 1600mm long variations and are the perfect off-road short tray canopy solution for use with jerry can holders and tyre carriers, or for ute owners who value being able to use their open tray space just as much as their enclosed storage space.
· Dual cab canopies. These canopies are sold in 1800mm length variations, can be fitted with a dog box or ladder racks, and are the ideal compromise between ute tray camping canopies and job site working canopies.
· Extra cab canopies. At 2100mm long, these ute tray canopy configurations are the first of the full-sized tradie canopies, are an excellent choice for fitting out with canopy drawers or tool boxes, and are also available with full-length ladder racks.
· Single cab canopies. These barn-sized 2400mm long canopies are the max capacity containers that tradies, chippies, and other professional craftsmen need to confidently transport all their kit to the job site, with the assurance that everything’s going to stay secure, dry, and dust-free.
· 1000mm tall canopies. While the majority of aluminium ute tray canopies are 850mm – 900mm tall, 2 and 3-door 1000mm canopies provide the extra vertical space that all types of ute owners can benefit from when they need to transport taller cargo.
And while these 100% Australian ute canopies are most commonly sold in flat plate and polished finishes, black and white, as well as custom powder-coated options, are also available to make each configuration unique to your ute, and your needs.
Lift-Off Canopies Give You Maximum Flexibility to Fit Out Your Ute
It’s no surprise that with so many different types of ute canopy for sale, some owners simply can’t choose just one. This is especially true for ute owners who divide their time between hauling tools and supplies during the week and camping gear on the weekends. Depending on how much gear you have to transport, the prospect of unpacking and repacking a canopy every time you change destinations is worse than inconvenient.
Full-sized lift-off canopies for ute trays eliminate this problem. With fitted jacking legs, this specialized type of ute tray canopy for sale can be raised off the tray without disturbing its contents, and then replaced with either another lift-off with a different set of contents, or left off entirely to take advantage of the tray’s full area.
Lift-off canopies are manufactured in lengths from 1200mm – 2400mm, and feature:
· A 4-point lift-off system that includes a structural sub-frame;
· Reinforced internal aluminium flooring; and,
· Aluminium tube reinforced roof and frame bracing to prevent flexing.
These handy ute canopy variants provide a level of flexibility that regular canopies don’t have. Ideally, it’s possible to wire, configure, and have multiple canopies on standby at all times to perform multiple tasks. That way, you can effectively eliminate any concern about whether a particular canopy can accomplish the job.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, choosing a canopy doesn’t have to be a headache. In fact, once you’ve decided which attributes are most important, you’ll be surprised by how easily your choices can be narrowed down.
No matter if it’s for work, recreation, or a little of both, there’s a wide selection of modern, top-quality canopies for utes available for any job or environment. You may even discover that you need more than one canopy to handle it all, and that’s fine too.
