USGS, footnoted to the National Geodetic Survey. The state survey measures the monument itself at 447.85 ft and the ground just west of the road at around 450
Delaware Climate Office. Mean annual temperature runs from 54.0°F in northern New Castle County to 58.1°F on the Atlantic coast
Fabrication for salt air
Everything you add here lives in a marine environment. The drive-on beaches are Atlantic front, the byway system runs the length of a bay shore, and the state averages about 45 inches of rain a year on top of the salt. Coatings, drainage and fastener choice matter more than steel thickness.
The useful work is functional rather than protective. Somewhere to bolt a front surf fishing plate, a jack point that will take load on sand, and secure mounting for a shovel and a board are what the permit rules actually make necessary.
When a catalog part does not exist for your vehicle, does not fit with what you already have, or is not strong enough for what you do, a fabricator builds it. Steel or aluminum, welded, finished, and mounted so the load goes into structure rather than sheet metal.
They also fix what breaks: cracked mounts, bent sliders, torn brackets and the frame damage that ends trips.
Common work
01Bumpers with winch mounts and rated recovery points
02Rock sliders and skid plates
03Roof racks, bed racks and ladders
04Swing-outs for tires, fuel and water
05Mounts for tanks, compressors and batteries
06Frame and bracket repair
How to choose a fabricator
Metalwork is easy to judge if you know where to look.
01Look at the welds, then at how the part mounts. Recovery points and sliders should tie into the frame.
02Ask whether they design in CAD or build to the vehicle, and whether you get drawings.
03Ask about material and finish. Raw, painted and powder coated parts age very differently.
04Ask if they have built for your platform before. Templates and fixtures save you money.
05Ask how a front bumper affects airbag sensors and crush zones. A shop that has done it properly will have an answer.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Photographs do most of the talking.
01Clear photos of the vehicle and the area the part mounts to
02What is already mounted there: winch model, lights, tire size
03What the part has to carry, and how much it weighs
04Steel or aluminum, and the finish you want
05A budget range and your timing
Questions people ask
Custom or off the shelf?
If a well-made part exists for your vehicle, it is usually cheaper and faster than custom, and a good fabricator will tell you so. Custom earns its cost when nothing fits, when parts from different makers have to work together, or when you need it stronger or lighter than the catalog offers.
Steel or aluminum?
Steel is stronger for the money, easier to repair in the field and heavier. Aluminum saves real weight on racks, skid plates and boxes, but costs more and needs a welder who works with it regularly. Many builds use both: steel where it hits rocks, aluminum where it just carries things.
Can a fabricator repair a cracked frame or mount?
Often, yes. Send clear photos with your request. A good shop will tell you whether it can be repaired properly or needs replacing.
How high is Delaware?
From Rehoboth Beach at 1 feet to Ebright Road, at the Pennsylvania line at 448.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
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Feet above sea level
Towns
WilmingtonThe Brandywine Valley byway, and thirteen Underground Railroad sites on the Tubman route91 ft
HarringtonTaber State Forest country, and the inland pond parks59 ft
GeorgetownThe county seat below Redden State Forest53 ft
SmyrnaThe turn for Bombay Hook and for Blackbird State Forest32 ft
DoverThe capital, and the John Dickinson Plantation out on the bayshore road28 ft
LaurelNanticoke byway country and the southern end of the Woodland Ferry run27 ft
MillsboroInland services on the Indian River, west of the inlet24 ft
SeafordThe Nanticoke River crossing and the northern ferry approach23 ft
MilfordMid-state services between the bayshore refuges and the coast13 ft
LewesThe ferry landing, Cape Henlopen and the Beach Plum Island crossing13 ft
MiltonThe approach to Prime Hook and the bayshore marshes11 ft
New CastleThe northern end of the Delaware Bayshore Byway10 ft
Bethany BeachThe break in the state park between Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island6 ft
Fenwick IslandThe southernmost drive-on beaches and the Maryland line5 ft
Dewey BeachThe northern end of the Delaware Seashore barrier strip5 ft
Rehoboth BeachFull services between Gordons Pond and the Delaware Seashore beaches1 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Ebright Road, at the Pennsylvania lineThe state high point, in New Castle County. USGS publishes 448 feet, footnoted to the National Geodetic Survey; the Delaware Geological Survey measures the benchmark at 447.85 and the ground just west of the road at around 450448 ft
Iron HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in New Castle County335 ft
Chestnut HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the piedmont of New Castle County297 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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