Collision and Structural
Frame Straightening and Structural Repair for RVs, Trailers and Trucks
Typical range
$750 to $20,000+
Shop hours
5 to 80+
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
Frame and structural repair corrects bent rails, cracked welds, failed outriggers, and out-of-square cage on RVs, trailers, and commercial trucks. Certified in-shop welding and measured correction. Trailer and truck frame work runs $750 to $20,000 and up, or 5 to 80 plus hours.
01
What this work actually involves
Frame damage does not always come from a collision. On fifth wheels and travel trailers we see far more frame failure from load and flex than from impact. A frame that has carried a heavy toy hauler garage over ten thousand miles of Southern California freeway expansion joints develops cracks at the stress risers, usually right where the suspension hangers meet the rail. Owners find it when a door stops closing or when the floor develops a wave.
On motorhomes, the cage and the chassis are two different structures and they fail differently. A chassis rail bends. A cage racks. Racking is what makes slides bind and doors stop latching, and it is frequently missed because nothing looks bent from the outside. We measure to find it, correct it under load, and then verify the correction before anything cosmetic goes back on.
Measurement is the part owners never see and the part that decides whether a correction holds. We reference diagonals across the chassis and the cage, compare them against the designed geometry, and record the delta before any pull begins, so the correction has a target rather than an opinion. Southern California adds a variable a lot of shops ignore. A steel rail sitting in Indio at 115 degrees reads measurably longer than the same rail checked at 60 degrees the following morning, and a trailer pulled square in afternoon heat can read out of tolerance the next day. We take reference numbers at a stable shop temperature and repeat them at that same temperature afterward.
All welding and structural correction is performed in the shop by certified technicians. We do not send structural work out.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Measured assessment of frame rail, cage, and substructure geometry
- Frame rail straightening and section replacement
- Cracked weld repair and reinforcement at stress risers
- Outrigger, crossmember, and suspension hanger repair or replacement
- Subframe and chassis correction on motorhome and van chassis
- Cage racking correction on laminated and stick-built coaches
- Frame strengthening and reinforcement for heavy tow and toy hauler applications
- Certified in-shop welding on steel and aluminum structure
- Corrosion treatment and coating of repaired structure
- A-frame, tongue, and coupler mount repair on travel trailers and fifth wheels
- Spring hanger and equalizer geometry correction where suspension mounting mimics frame damage
- Post-repair verification of squareness and opening operation
03
When you need this service
- A slide-out that binds, racks, or no longer seals evenly across its travel
- An entry door that has to be lifted or forced to latch
- A visible sag, wave, or dip in the floor, especially near the axles
- Uneven or cupped tire wear on a trailer that tracks straight
- Visible cracks in paint or undercoating along a frame rail
- A trailer that pulls to one side or wanders under load
- Gaps at panel seams that were not there when the unit was new
- A kingpin box or coupler that no longer sits level when the trailer itself is level
- Bolt holes at a suspension hanger that have gone oval, or shackle bolts that keep backing off
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Measurement and assessment
We measure the structure against its designed geometry before touching anything, so the correction target is a number rather than an eyeball.
- 02
Access and cleaning
Underbelly, skirting, or interior panel removed as needed. Structure cleaned to bare so cracks that were hidden under undercoating become visible.
- 03
Documented findings and authorization
Photographed report of every crack, bend, and failed weld, priced and sent for your approval or your carrier approval before correction begins.
- 04
Correction under controlled load
Bent members pulled and corrected in stages, measured throughout, rather than forced in one pass. Forced correction work-hardens the metal and creates the next crack.
- 05
Crack arrest before any joint work
Every crack gets drilled at its tip before the joint is prepared. A crack left un-arrested runs straight past a new weld the first time the vehicle works over a freeway expansion joint, which is why so many repeat repairs fail an inch from the last one.
- 06
Welding and reinforcement
Certified welding to the correct procedure for the base metal, with reinforcement added where the original design was the failure point rather than the event.
- 07
Coating and reassembly
Repaired structure treated and coated against corrosion, then everything closed back up.
- 08
Verification
Re-measured, and every door, slide, and opening operated to confirm the structure is actually square again.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $750 to $20,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 5 to 80+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
06
On the insurance side
Structural findings are documented photographically and submitted as a supplement, which is often what moves a carrier off an initial cosmetic-only position.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Toy Hauler Fifth Wheels
A toy hauler fifth wheel carries a cargo garage behind the axles with a full-height rear ramp door. Load behind the axle centerlin
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Utility Trailers
A utility trailer is an open deck on a welded frame with fenders, a ramp gate, and lighting, and it fails through deck rot, frame
Vehicle
Box Trucks
Box trucks put a separately built cargo body on a cab chassis, and the joint between them is where most failures start. Rear frame
Vehicle
Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes
A diesel pusher carries a rear-mounted diesel on a raised-rail air ride chassis, usually 34 to 45 feet with full-body paint and pa
Vehicle
Sprinter Vans
Mercedes Sprinter vans run last-mile routes, trade service, and camper conversions across Southern California. Sliding door tracks
08
Questions about frame and structural repair
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my RV frame is damaged?
The reliable indicators are operational, not visual. A slide that used to seal and now does not, a door that has to be forced, a floor that has developed a wave, or a trailer that wanders under load are all structural symptoms. Visible cracking along a rail confirms it, but by then it has usually been happening for a while.
Can a bent RV frame actually be repaired, or is it a total loss?
Most can be repaired. Frame rails are straightened and sectioned routinely, and cage racking is corrected. Whether it makes economic sense depends on the extent against the value of the unit, which is exactly the calculation we document so you or your carrier can make that call on real numbers.
How much does frame straightening cost?
Trailer and truck frame work runs $750 to $20,000 and up, or 5 to 80 plus hours at $210 per hour, plus materials. A cracked hanger weld is at the low end. A sectioned rail with reinforcement on a toy hauler is at the high end.
Do you repair frames on vehicles with heavy aftermarket modifications?
Yes, and modification is frequently the cause. Lift kits, oversized tires, added tanks, and heavy rear-mounted equipment all change the load path the frame was designed for. Part of the repair is reinforcing for the load the vehicle actually carries now, not the load the factory assumed.
Is structural welding done in house?
Yes. All welding and structural correction is performed at our Yorba Linda facility by certified technicians. Structural work is not subcontracted.
What is the difference between chassis damage and cage racking?
The chassis is the ladder frame the coach is built on, and it fails by bending, cracking, or losing section at a hanger. The cage is the welded skeleton of the living area, and it fails by going out of square, which technicians call racking. A racked cage looks perfectly straight from twenty feet away while the entry door needs a shoulder to latch and the slide seal touches at the top and gaps at the bottom. The two need different reference points and different correction methods, and confusing one for the other wastes a great deal of money.
How long should I expect structural correction to take?
Two to eight weeks covers most trailer and cage work. Measurement, access, and documented findings alone typically take three to five working days, because underbelly, skirting, or interior panel has to come out before anything can be seen properly. Correction under controlled load is deliberately slow, since each stage is pulled, re-measured, and allowed to settle before the next one. If a rail has to be sectioned, material availability and coating cure add time. You get a dated schedule after measurement, never before it.
09
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