Off-Road Canada

Off-Road Canada is the oldest 4x4, RV, Truck and Hitch shop in Canada. We Retail, Wholesale, Service, and Manufacturer

After graduating from high school, I went to college, and then started an apprenticeship in the welding trade. I continued working and going to school, ending up with 11 Canadian welding certificates from 1st Class to pressure welding. At 21 years old, I became a welding instructor at the Lethbridge Community College, and two years later I decided to open shop. That’s when it all started. On August 3, 1972, when I, George Androkovich, and Dennis Nay purchased Sam and Carl’s Welding, located at 247-12th Street B North, in Lethbridge, Alberta, and later renamed it Off-Road Welding and Equipment. A year later we purchased the building next door and we rented out the front to a sign shop. Then later we rented to an auto tune up shop called, Gasoline Alley; and the rear to a radiator repair shop called, T. H. E. radiator shop.
In 1974, I purchased a 1972 Dodge 4X4 Power Wagon short box, yellow and white; beautiful little truck. I decided to build a roll bar, grill guard with “Power Wagon”, which I cut with a torch and inserted it into the middle of the grill guard, skid plates, trailer hitch, and custom made a lift kit. Then, I decided to purchase some accessories; 15 X 10 chrome smoothie wheels, Armstrong Tru-Trac 32 X 11. 50 R 15 tires, a sun roof, installed a CB, and a westerner seat cover with a rifle holder. Soon I was stopped every day and people were wondering where I got these accessories. About a week later, I sold the wheels and tires and made a profit. I then reordered two sets, one for me, and one for resale; this was the birth of Off-Road Canada. Then, when that set was sold I would use the profit and reorder another. Plus other accessories like a tow strap or a seat cover, and this was out of my 5’ X 8’ office that was covered in welding dust.
By 1977, we were employing 11 people in the welding business and our stock of accessories was built up to about $14, 000. 00. On October 15, 1977, we decided to open our 251-12th Street B North location as a 4X4, R. V. , ATV, and truck accessories shop. We cleaned, painted, remodeled, laid carpet, and the grand opening of Off-Road Canada came to be! At the time, I didn’t have much stock to fill the large show room, so I put empty boxes all over the show room to make it look like I had a lot of stock. I kept expanding our product lines by going to product shows like SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) every year; purchasing new products and buying direct as possible. At that time, Off-Road Canada employed 3 to 5 people. I do believe it is the first shop of its kind in Canada as we would fix, repair, install and custom build anything anyone wanted. Also, we got into building custom trailer hitches for cars, trucks, trailers, motorhomes, and motorcycles. Just about anything that needed a hitch; and we were custom manufacturing and installing 6 to 10 a day.
In 1980, George bought out Dennis; both Off-Road Welding and Equipment and Off-Road Canada. I then closed down Off-Road Welding and Equipment, and farmed out most of the manufacturing to various companies in Canada and the USA. Then the 21% interest hit; taking a toll on me. To make my mortgage payments, I purchased out-dated potato chips for fifty cents and sold them out of a homemade trailer at the local mall for seventy-five cents. Also, I purchased from a local Hutterite colony, eggs, carrots, and potatoes; just about anything to make my mortgage payments. I even went around the neighborhood and asked everyone to come to the shop and buy their supplies from me. Well, they did, and I survived and paid off the mortgage.
I was one of the first to build lift kits for trucks. I went from arcing the spring on an anvil with a large hammer, to a press with a hand pump hydraulic jack (Wow! ), and finally to a very large 200 ton press. I ended up having all my springs built by Standens in Calgary and McCoy Bros. in Edmonton. The remainder of all the parts, (shocks, pitman arms, bushings, u-bolts, etc) were brought in from different manufactures, and the kits were put together here at Off-Road Canada and shipped out. I was on the Alberta Apprenticeship Committee for the welding trade for 20 years, and was part of making the Alberta welding exams and the red seal exams for all of Canada.
In the summer of 1993, my son Dacey come aboard, With his new ideas, things real started to happened, our wholesale division started to boom. We opened a warehouse, purchased hoists, very modern tire mounter and balancer, a new phone system, remodeled are show room and , expanded are product lines.
Today, 45 years later, we retail and wholesale. We still have the original show room. We are warehouse distributors for BDS Suspension, Skyjacker, plus numerous wheel and tire companies, winch companies, hitch companies, and bumper companies . In addition, we also sell all the chrome and stainless steel products, box covers, and just about anything you can think of for your truck. We distribute product all across Canada, and have shipped to Greenland, Labrador, Scotland, Egypt, and other countries. With our shop here and all our 450 + dealers we do customize 20 to 200 trucks a week.
Off-Road Canada isn’t the largest, but, it is the finest 4X4, truck, ATV, RV, accessory shop in Canada!

Thanks to everyone,
And pleased to service Canada for over 45 years…



George Androkovich