Mar. 18, 2026 (extension.k-state.edu) — Have you ever tried to stretch a truck? That would take a lot of muscles.
In fact, the only real way to stretch or extend a truck chassis is to cut it and weld additional sections into place to lengthen it.
Today we’ll meet two rural Kansas craftsmen who can make all kinds of alterations and repairs to a trailer and even stretch a truck – and they can also create artistic designs with their metal.
Rory and Remington Clements are the father-son duo who founded Clements Welding. They live in the Brown County community of Morrill. Remington Clements shared the story of Clements Welding and Supply, or Clements Welding for short.
Rory Clements worked at Jade Millwrights, a grain bin manufacturing company in Hiawatha. His son Remington picked up his mechanical skills. Remington studied machine tool technology at Northeast Kansas Area Technical College, now the Highland Community College Technical Center, in Atchison. He became maintenance manager at ADM Crosswinds.
Remington and his father wanted to go into business for themselves. A local man in Morrill had a one-man welding shop that Rory and Remington purchased in 2022. They named it Clements Welding and Supply and expanded the business.
Clements Welding and Supply is a metal fabrication business.
“Our main focus is on trailers and trucks,” Clements said. “We do a lot of work on grain trailers and end dump trailers.”
Often, they work with the tarp systems that cover those trailers. Clements Welding is a dealer for such tarp companies as Shurco and Thunderstone Manufacturing. It is also a parts and service dealer for the trailer company Timpte.
Clements Welding can stretch or shorten trucks. This means cutting the chassis and then adding or taking out some of the frame.
“We can stretch or shorten a semi,” Clements said. “We also do axle work, suspensions, and bedliners. We can work on stock trailers and can do the wiring.”
The Clements have ongoing projects, but they also know the importance of urgent repairs during harvest time, for example.
“If somebody has a need, we get it done,” Clements said. “We’re here for anybody who needs us. We try to get everybody what they need to get their job done.”
Not only do they keep parts on hand, they can also rebuild a particular part that has been discontinued. “We can refabricate your part,” Clements said.
Three full-time workers have been added to the crew. “They are our extended family,” Clements said. “We couldn’t do this without them.”
In the wintertime, when farmer’s fieldwork is not as active, Clements Welding will create small metal designs for sale as artwork or signage. These have proven popular when displayed at farm shows in Topeka and Kansas City.
“These signs catch people’s eye,” Clements said.
These are metal cutouts displaying team or business names, logos, outdoor or patriotic scenes, and more. They can also be customized or personalized. Once a design is converted into a file, the cutting is done on a plasma table. Painting and coating is done using a metal dye.
“We enjoy the creative side,” Clements said. “It’s fun to see what we can come up with. We’ve always been able to do artsy things. We do quite a few of these during the winter.”
Clements’ personal favorites are the designs with the red, white, and blue American flag. “They stand out,” he said. “We’ve shipped items to California; Odessa, Texas; Michigan and Minnesota.”
It’s an impressive record for a business in the rural community of Morrill, population 218 people. Now, that’s rural.
For more information, search for Clements Welding and Supply on Facebook.
Have you ever tried to stretch a truck? It sounds like something Superman would do, but in this case no superpowers are needed. Instead, what is needed are the abilities of skilled craftsmen such as we’ve learned about today.
We commend Rory and Remington Clements of Clements Welding for making a difference with their skills and entrepreneurial abilities. They are building a quality business, and that’s the truth: No stretch.
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