Solid engineering, snappy branding and a host of custom-build options have helped Devon trailer maker Grizzly Bespoke Fabrications go from fledgling outfit to notable player in just five years.

Top of the firm’s billing are commercial-spec low loaders and plant trailers, usually to be found brimming with nifty features, festooned with lights and finished in striking livery.

But it also makes high-speed flatbeds and bale trailers, grain/silage haulers and one-off commissions for specialist tasks.

See also: On-farm brake test: Getting trailers ready for harvest

Joe Grills is the man behind the brand. Having worked on a local farm from the age of 13 and honed his welding skills during stints with contracting businesses in the UK, USA and Australia, he kicked off his fabricating business with a commission from a local contractor.

Joe Grills © James Andrews

This wasn’t to build a trailer, but instead a front-mounted bale wrap carrier that was easy to load and unload.

Added to that, it needed to be compact enough to get through tight gateways and have sufficient capacity to keep a McHale Fusion running late into the night.

His solution was the Wrap Master – as featured in Farmers Weekly’s Farm Inventions Competition – which combines a 10-22 spindle wrap holder with a hydraulic tipping frame.

This allows rolls to be loaded and unloaded horizontally at a non-back-wrenching height, while still allowing them to be stored in a secure vertical position.

The design was an instant hit, and he sold many examples all over the world.

But Joe had his sights set on some heavier duty engineering. “I repaired and modified loads of trailers when I worked for a custom cutting crew in the US, and it gave me plenty of ideas for making my own,” he says.

His first examples were put together in the workshop of a local farm, but he soon outgrew this and went in search of larger premises.

For the past two years, the firm has been operating out of a large workshop in Great Torrington, Devon, and Joe now has eight staff on the books, building almost 30 trailers a year.

Getting an investor on-board has helped him finance the expansion, and he’s grown the business almost entirely through social media and word of mouth.

High-spec hauler

© James Andrews

The most popular of the team’s wheeled creations is the Terra-Haul low loader, which has been designed to be ultra-tough and adaptable.

Key features include a rigid heavy-duty chassis, 8ft hydraulic ramps that provide a gentle slope from ground level to the bed of the trailer, and an optional hydraulic “cheese wedge” rear floor section.

Rising out of the beavertail, this creates a completely flat floor from front to rear, without having to put a pivot point in the main frame.

Traditional Keruing hardwood boards clad the main floor section, with a chequer plate “catwalk” in the centre and a reinforced front section for storing buckets.

All Terra-Hauls run on 10-stud axles shod with 445 mini super singles, and have load-sensing air brakes fitted as standard, plus the option of ABS or EBS.

Tandem or tri-axle models are in the offing, with the latter able to have a lifting front axle and a draft or forced steering system at the rear.

The regular options list is comprehensive to say the least, including folding outriggers to widen the floor, twin stainless-steel storage lockers, a folding side ladder and hydraulic drawbar suspension. Not to mention the bevy of LED work lights, side markers, strobes and high-visibility decals.

But because each trailer is built to order, the number of bespoke features is seemingly endless. Some examples can be seen on one of Joe’s latest custom builds, which was put together for forestry contractor Aztec Group.

© James Andrews

Most striking of the 35ft trailer’s add-ons are the hydraulic drawbar suspension to raise and lower the back-end, and removable aluminium bolsters that allow the trailer to carry timber as well as forestry equipment.

When not in use, the alloy bolsters slot neatly into a tray under the floor, where Joe has also found space to include a chainsaw holder and heated hand-wash station.

The sheer number of options on this model puts the price tag at about £50,000, but lower spec and shorter versions start at around £30,000.

Isobus potato box trailers

There’s not usually much call for isobus controls on a trailer, but this is precisely what will be running the four potato box haulers Joe and his team are building for a veg grower in Cornwall.

Based on a 31ft tri-axle version of their Terra-Line flatbed, these will have space for 10 boxes secured by hydraulic side clamps.

The nearside clamp will fold through 90deg to form a platform that gives operators safe access for levelling the boxes, while the offside one will have a rollover sheet incorporated into it.

These high-tech flatbeds will also be equipped with a host of extras, such as raise/lower suspension, anti-lock brakes and a rear camera.

© James Andrews

With so many functions to control, the trailer will have its own electro-hydraulic spool block. And by opting to control this via isobus, there’s no need to have any extra boxes cluttering up tractor cabs.

Strip away the fancy add-ons and the spud trailers have largely the same underpinnings as Grizzly’s standard bale trailers.

Available in 22-32ft lengths on tandem axles, or 26-40ft with three axles, these roll on 10-stud Ho’s Distag commercial axles and feature a triple-leaf parabolic suspension setup.

Channel side rails allow legal strapping at any point on the load, and they come with an adjustable rear bumper, front swan neck and drawbar skid, plus the option of front and rear bale ladders, all of which are galvanised for longevity.

A bolt-on, half-swivel hitch helps with articulation on rough ground, and the box-section drawbar has anti-twist plates welded inside for extra strength.

Other extras include a sprung drawbar, different flooring types, a stainless-steel toolbox and various lighting options. A full set of LED rear lights comes as standard.

Prices for Terra-Line bale trailers start at £14,500.

Uproar tipper

Grain and silage trailers have also made it onto the Grizzly billing this year, with the introduction of the Uproar.

So far, Joe has built two 18t/36cu m models with 1m silage extensions, which are being sold through Doncaster dealer Moore Farm Services.

Floors are formed from a single sheet of 5mm steel, with 4mm used for the sides. They’re fitted with commercial axles, a 6t sprung drawbar and an adjustable rear bumper.

Sides are ledge free to prevent silage collecting where it shouldn’t, and the rear door has a safety stop valve, as well as a grain door.

In true Grizzly fashion, these trailers light up like a Christmas tree, with high-level units on the tailgate and automatic floodlighting that turns on when the body is tipped.

As the trailers are built to order, sizes and specs can be tailored to the customer’s requirements. Guide price for the 36cu m model is £29,500.

© James Andrews

The growth of the trailer side of Joe’s business has seen it split into its own entity, Grizzly Trailers, with bespoke fabrication taking more of a back seat.

However, Joe’s original Wrap Master is still available to order in limited number, as are his swath rollers, which come with integrated tine or net holders.

He’s also become a south-west dealer for Applied pto compressors and Dutch firm Tractor Bumper which, as the name suggests, makes front linkage-mounted tractor bumpers to improve road safety.

These come in myriad specifications, including various weight, storage and colour options.