Handy G's Maintenance

Ute tray repair & rebuild

Ute tray repair & rebuild across the Gold Coast and hinterland, working from Tallai. George Psaila has run Handy G's Maintenance since 2009. This is not building work, so there is no value limit on the job, and we cover northern NSW as well. Call or text 0430 552 158 with a photo for a quote.

Call 0430 552 158 Text a photo of the job

A ute tray earns its keep and shows it. The failures are predictable: the floor rusts from underneath where water sits, the headboard cracks where it has been loaded against for years, the drop sides bend the first time something heavy shifts, and the tie-down points tear out.

None of that means the tray is finished. Steel and aluminium both cut and weld, and a section replaced properly is stronger than the original because it has not had a decade of load through it.

What usually gets done

Floor sections cut out and replaced, headboards straightened or rebuilt, new tie-down points let in and reinforced behind, drop sides trued up and re-hung, and rust cut back to clean metal rather than covered over.

What we will tell you honestly

Sometimes a tray is not worth it. If the subframe has gone, or the rust runs through the mounting points, you are better off with a replacement and we will say so rather than take the job. That answer costs us a day’s work and saves you a repair that fails in a year.

Questions we get asked

Can you repair a tray, or does it need replacing?

Most trays are worth repairing. Cracked headboards, rusted-out floors, bent drop sides and torn tie-down points are all cut out and replaced rather than throwing away a tray that is otherwise sound. A replacement tray is thousands; a repair is usually a fraction of that.

Do you work on aluminium trays as well as steel?

Yes. Aluminium needs different technique and different filler, and a repair done with the wrong process will crack again along the weld. Send a photo and we will tell you which it is before quoting.

Do I need an engineer's certificate afterwards?

Only if the work changes the vehicle from its manufacturer's original specification. A like-for-like repair does not. A modification — a longer tray, a different mounting arrangement — may need a modification plate and certification under the Queensland code, and we will say so up front.

How long will it be off the road?

Most tray repairs are a day. A full floor replacement or a rebuild of the subframe is two to three. We will give you a firm answer with the quote rather than a range.

Related vehicles, trailers & caravans

Also taken on

All vehicles, trailers & caravans →

Where we do this

From Tallai, across 87 suburbs of the Gold Coast and hinterland. Over the border too — northern NSW. Areas we work →

Not every job is ours to do. What we don't take on, and who to call instead.

Call 0430 552 158 Text