Pre-orders now open
KS Ketch
Brought to you by Keystone Steward LLC
This is the truck they should have been making all along.Assembled on your own terms, no computers, no screens, common parts.Kits begin shipping early 2027Estimated final total price: $30,000
Did you know you can build your own road‑legal vehicle?
It happens every day and every state has a way to register them. Until now, most kits have been for recreational cars. The Ketch offers Americans a new way to put capable, safe working trucks on the road. When you buy our kit all the parts are new, even the chassis. We think the process isn't for just automotive enthusiasts, so keep reading to see why we think the Ketch may be the right choice for your next truck.
American Spirit
We’re bringing back the compact pickup the way it should’ve stayed: analog, repairable, body‑on‑frame, solid axles, leaf springs, and no computers anywhere you don’t want them. Built for men who work with their hands, farmers who fix their own equipment, and anyone tired of infotainment suites pretending to be trucks.The KS Ketch is sized like the trucks Americans refuse to abandon... Ranger, S‑10, trucks that actually fit down alleys, farm lanes, and job sites. It’s engineered around common, proven gasoline and diesel engines, so you pick the powertrain that fits your life and your job. With the right setup, it’s projected to be road‑legal in all 50 states.This isn’t designed as a toy. You can make it whatever you want, but this is a truck built to serve the people who keep this country running.And only 500 pre‑orders will ever be offered!
When they're gone, you'll have to fight for a KS Ketch later.
The KS Ketch
An American Kit-built Pickup
Let's cut to the chase. You've got two thoughts in your head: Has he built one yet & how long will it take to build mine?We have chosen the pre-order business model to give Americans the opportunity to claim a slot in the production run but request a refund if their needs change. Cooperating with us now signals demand for the product and enables our success. The upcoming physical prototype will be complete before production deposits are requested.Keystone Steward is pursuing offering "rolling kits" which come to your door as near to fully assembled as the law allows. As a parts kit, the truck may take 300 hours to build. As a rolling kit, it may take a weekend in your garage. We are exploring partnerships and opportunities to make assisted builds possible, bringing a Ketch to any home.We want to hear your suggestions, desires, and concerns. Email us or make some noise in your online communities and we'll be reading.
How does this work?
The process is smooth.
Pre-Order: You save your place.
Prototype: We prove ourselves.
Production Deposit: You confirm your choices and price.
Final Payment: The kit comes to you.
Build: You assemble and register the Ketch.
Drive: Work or play, you'll own your freedom.
Pennsylvania, and Hanover specifically, is the perfect place to bring back compact pickups in kit-built form. We think we can succeed due to the proximity to industrial and knowledge resources who can elevate our designs and skills into a new way to get stuff done on four wheels.We are establishing relationships with the local manufacturing base in south-central Pennsylvania, which employs over 120,000 people. Small auto makers used to dot the nation. Even here; from 1921 to 1927 the Hanover Motor Car Company produced cycles, cars, and trucks. We hope to have partner kit builders to cooperate with soon!The unique parts may be made locally, but most of the vehicle parts will be sourced from existing OEM and aftermarket lines projected to remain available into the future. This simultaneously lowers the cost and raises the repairability of the Ketch.
Grown in PA
What will you get?
Planned features, subject to refinement
A Real Truck Platform
Body‑on‑frame construction
Solid front and rear axles (Dana 30/44/60, Ford 8.8/9", 14‑bolt light depending on profile)
Leaf‑spring suspension with aftermarket compatibility
Classic compact proportions: 60" track, 70" body, 105" wheelbase, 6' bed length
Clearance for 31" tires standard, 33" with lift
Powertrain Freedom
Gas, diesel, or electric powertrains will work. Anything you can put in a Ford Ranger or Chevy S10.
○ Used engine
○ Crate engine
○ Off-road diesel
○ Custom engineCompatible with common transmissions, transfer cases, and axle ratios
Designed for lightly regulated SCV environments, but adaptable even to California
Analog Systems Focus
Modular-sectioned serviceable wiring harness
Mechanical pedals, linkages, gauges
Power steering and HVAC
No CANBUS. No subscriptions. No locked‑down electronics. Perfect information hygiene.
AM/FM Radio option
package profiles
Highway-speed axle gearing, 25-26" tires
○ Commuter: Efficient but tough
○ Tradesman: Job to job capabilityOff-road axle gearing, 30-33" tires
○ Farm Boy: Get anything done
○ Crawler: Go anywherePlain & Hunter Trim
○ Black front fascia
○ Blackout light switch
○ De-badged exterior
Built for the Long Haul
Locally-formed steel panels
Flat-Pane glass for repairability
Welded and bolted classic frame
Tough paint options and coatings, zinc primers, oil undercarriage protectants, cavity wax
Parts chosen from platforms with long‑term aftermarket support
Two Ways to Buy
Parts Kit: for builders who want the full project
Rolling Kit: assembled as close to complete as the law allows, cutting out months in the garage
Shipped or picked up directly. We will have reliable solutions for local and national shipping. An estimate for national shipping is $3,000.
Human-Generated
The Ketch came from conversations between friends and simple observation of the market.
All pre-order customers and the first 500 after the cutoff will receive a "thank you" package containing:
○ An art booklet with the commissioned art
○ An enamel pin
○ A vinyl sticker set
Good Questions
When can we have an 8' bed version?
○ We have plans to provide this version, but cannot say if it will become available during the initial 500 kits.Is this a good option for plain folk?
○ Yes. Our intention is to build a simple but capable vehicle.Will it be EMP-proof?
○ If you build it right and keep a few spare cables and wires in a faraday bag, probably.Can I put a .50 cal on it?
○ This is the Hilux we have at home, an American Technical.
What is the risk to you?
Our startup funds are projected to last beyond the creation of the prototype, staving off any debt planned to facilitate production which will get first position on LLC funds. Requesting a refund at any point before submitting a production deposit should return your funds within 30 days and you can walk away.
Terms and Conditions
Please read
Reservation Purpose
A reservation deposit holds a place in the production queue for a future Keystone Steward Ketch kit.
A reservation is not a final sale, purchase agreement, or contract to deliver a vehicle.Deposit Amount & Payment
Reservation deposit: $750 USD.
Applied fully toward the final kit purchase price.
Accepted forms of payment: personal check, cashier’s check, certified check, or traveler’s check.No credit cards, money orders, wire transfers, or digital payments.
Reservations are confirmed only after the check is received, identity is verified, & the deposit is processed.Refund Policy
Reservation deposits are fully refundable any time before the production deposit is paid.
Once production begins on your specific kit, the reservation deposit becomes non‑refundable.
Refunds are issued by check within 30 business days.Estimated Pricing
The estimated kit price of ~$30,000 is a target figure and may change based on materials & suppliers.
Final pricing will be confirmed before production deposits are requested.
If the final price is not acceptable, you may request a full refund of your reservation deposit.No Obligation to Purchase
Submitting a reservation does not obligate you to purchase a kit.
You may cancel before paying the production deposit.Regulatory Notice
Keystone Steward sells component kits, not complete vehicles.
You will be the manufacturer of record for any completed vehicle.
Registration requirements vary by state; customers are responsible for understanding their local SCV/homebuilt vehicle laws.Acknowledgment
By mailing a reservation deposit, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Reservation Terms & Conditions.
Pre-Order a Ketch
Act today
We will be processing pre-orders manually.Send a letter with your contact information (especially return address and phone number), any interest in the VIP program or fleet services, and a check made out to "Keystone Steward LLC".We will log them as they arrive and contact you to confirm the identity of the reservation holder
- only then cashing the check.Checks which are received after the reservation cutoff will be returned void; the first 500 after cutoff will recieve a "thank you" package for your interest.
1418 Baltimore St.
Suite 12
P.O. Box 259
Hanover, PA, 17331
$750
To: Keystone Steward LLC
Subscribe to our email newsletter to get any updates before your contact is personally confirmed.
UNCONVINCED?
There is more to consider
Keep reading
Financing & Insurance
The lively, vibrant, and widespread classic & custom vehicle community has been served by credit unions and small insurance companies since the beginning but there are even more options. Although you will probably not be able to use the normal auto lending paradigm, personal and business loans can finance the final price. We are reaching out to the growing number of insurance companies offering this class of coverage to make sure you have a clean path to registration with competing offers.
Mail-Order? In 2026?
Worse, we'd like to talk with you on the phone!
Kickstarter brought internet pre-orders into vogue and we considered using that system yet decided not to. We are offering a low-tech solution and are committed to giving people committed to living without the internet a chance to pre-order this truck. You see this website, but you don't see the marketing in print & radio we are running or the thousands of dollars we save by handling a little paper. This is a tried-and-true method. We do need to confirm contact with you so we can provide you with updates such as delays or to start production deposits.Write down or print your preferred contact information, sign a check, ask the post office for a pre-stamped letter. It is a fraction of the commitment needed to put the powertrain in a kit, even a rolling kit.
Beautiful
Keystone Steward believes that making a human connection is important. We are a very small venture in the grand scheme of things. Depicting our dream through AI doesn't bring the same realness that a skilled hand can provide. We found the best to show you our vision and more art is coming as we build.We will be providing "thank you" packages that include prints in a booklet to the first 1000 respondents. Real art, human-generated art, matters.
By: Ted Kinyak (seen in Art of Manliness)
BY: Meghan Parschauer
I'm Tired, Boss
How long is that 1999 Ford Ranger going to keep you going from job to job? Are you going to pull it apart and fix the creeping rust on the frame?Machines don't always have finite lives, but the amount of original compact pickups on the road is falling. It is a war of attrition against rust, bent frames, deferred maintenance, and the other vehicles on the road.Maybe you like the idea of daily driving a squarebody or dentside, but you are also very aware what adding AC will cost or can't bring yourself to mod a classic.We promise, nobody will cry if you make a Ketch your own.
"I’m from the government and I’m here to help"
If you're waiting for help, you're just waiting.
The Trump administration is doing work bringing small trucks to market and eliminating diesel fuel regulations but Keystone Steward is confident the new push will mostly end up with a series of small Low-Speed Vehicles and giant, DEF-free monster trucks.Unimpressed?
Doubtless, if the major manufacturers lean back into this space they will keep their upsells and technology - even if not required by regulation. You'll keep getting all your screens, LED lights, unibody construction, and computers. They might even have mandated automatic kill-switches.Disappointed?
Leading Keystone Steward:
Patrick Kniesler
Christian, husband, father
Degree in CADD
14 years experience in utilities
Drafting, designing & field work
Team leadership, training & work process generation
Political action and advocacy experience
Campaigns, budgeting, fundraising & physical office operations
The end of the beginning
We have plenty more to say, but are not planning on being zany and wild on socials to get views and clicks. When we have the prototype, you'll see us around.
We have lots of testing to do!There are plenty of places to talk about us both online and in-person. We hope you have some pleasant conversations.
Join us in starting a new generation of American pickups.
To stay in the loop:
Subscribe to our email newsletter.
You will be the first to know when more slots open up.