Rear-ended while towing :o(

It would have been the initial hit, which was directed straight into your hitch.
The hitch is hanging down under the frame, which means that force directed into the hitch will redirect perpendicular to the frame. In other words, twisting the rear of the frame down.

Another thing that could have reduced the damage would be having the ball mounted up higher, like in-line with the frame rail. However, this would have caused the trailer to be significantly nose-up and that would not be good.

 

Sorry to see that and definitely good there were no animals in the trailer! That frame is done-zo unfortunately. I'd expect the truck totaled, or at least if they say its repairable I'd fight for it to be totaled out. Wont be the same unless they replace the entire frame and all the cosmetic damage to the rear.

 

Thank you. Had I been hauling my horse, significantly nose-up does not sound like anything I would want even if it were to reduce the damage to my truck. If I were hauling my horse I might have murdered two people soooo none of this would matter.

 

@RelentlessFab

 

I don't feel comfortable in a vehicle that has been heavily repaired. It likely will not be to the same standards as factory. It's not just frame damage. it's the fact that there is significant body damage on top of the fact that the whole truck has to be ripped apart and reassembled to redo the frame. I'll just take a pass on it.

Glad other people don't see an issue with it. That way there are people to buy those trucks when people like me sell them.

 

Why do so many people think a vehicle is automatically totaled because of frame damage? A lot of collision repair shops have the ability to pull/fix a frame with little to no issue. When I worked as an insurance adjuster I saw more cars totaled due to air bags deploying than due to frame damage.

 

That's a nice bend to the frame. Hitch touching the spare.

 

Thank you @Fulton246 and I understand where you are coming from @PackCon .

Your approach is the mindset I have for my trailer. I am looking at the twist and that pillar, how involved the damage is (let's say at least 60% of the structural integrity of that trailer has been affected just looking at it) and I know there is a great deal of shell there but there is NO chance I would haul my horse in that and have any confidence that it could withstand another hit and protect her. Rebuilt perhaps but repaired no chance.

My truck, my mindset is a bit different. How much of the truck is involved is a factor and that is currently unknown. There is a lot of great truck there and around me. There are a couple minor scratches and dents to the body that can be easily repaired but otherwise the body is fine. Yes there will be some hidden damage once they disassemble what needs to be disassembled but there are standards that the repair company are held to and they have a lifetime guarantee. With those standards I would be confident that that truck could take another hit (god forbid) and if it started rattling apart sometime down the road due to anything caused by the accident then that's on the repair company.

 

Because, usually the cost of repair/replacing the frame exceeds the value of the vehicle. By definition it is totaled.

 

Even if they fix the frame the towing capacity will be lowered.

 

There were a lot of forces at work there the hitch is bolted to the bumper and the frame it bent both. The frame horns are bent a lot! Welded frame horns are just as strong but insurance would probably total it. If I had to pay for the damage I would fix it there are plenty of frame parts suppliers out there some with enhanced parts I have no issues with a properly repaired frame.

 

So far my claims adjuster, as well as his manager, have reviewed the same photos above + a few more and they feel as though it is repairable. I feel like my truck is in ICU and the plug could be pulled at any minute! Accidents suck!

 

I was rear ended and my frame looked like that. The insurance adjustors told me the same thing, and my response was, "Ok, I will take it to a repair facility that can guarantee that the repairs done will still have my truck functioning at Toyota safety standards for what the vehicle is rated to for."

I took it to a Toyota repair facility and they replaced the frame, they told me any welding or straightening and they could not guarantee it would be safe to tow at factory specs.

Glad to hear you are ok!

 

Good luck with ICBC...if they replace the frame, no worries. Toyota replaces roted frames on these trucks so why no an insurance company?

 

I was hit in the utility trailer from a truck coming towards me. Fortunately I saw him coming as he was texting, I went off the road, he missed my truck, hit the drivers front corner of the trailer, bent the tongue on a 45, went down the side of the trailer into the wheel and took the axle and all of the springs right out from under the trailer. Bent down my 3" drop but never hurt the truck. I smacked my head off of the side window and spent an extended period of time at the Chiropractor. Over all I was lucky, only got half of what my new trailer cost me but the new one is bigger and better.

 

That reads as very violent @hotrod53 , glad everything seems to have worked out okay for you.

 

So my trailer is a total loss and my truck has minimum $23,000 damage not including unforeseen issues. It's not officially declared dead but expected and accepted. It would require a new frame and there is a back order on frames here, pushing 5-6 months.

Wrong place, wrong time, idiot drivers and gone. Poof. RIP "Ginny"

 

Sorry for the bad news man. That blows!

 

Damn that sucks, I was towing a 5x7 trailer full of stuff and my bed was full as well and had some idiot woman pull right in front of me to enter a gas station. Had to slam on my brakes (which aren't great stopping my 34's as it is) just to not hit her. I was so pissed and can't believe some people. Never cut off someone towing, it's dangerous for the truck and cars behind since they can't usually see what is happening in front of them.

 

I understand having an emotional attachment to your truck, but I don't think it's right. A truck is a tool. This one is ruined and that's not a nice thing. You have been injured (financially) because your property was damaged through no fault of your own. But that doesn't mean that you should retain your attachment to it once it's clear that it's been ruined. Once something like this happens you have to step back and be practical.

It sounds like you are being practical (reading your post from late last night), seeing that there's so much damage and that frames won't be available for a long time. But I'd urge everyone who has a name for their truck to keep in mind that under your fondness for it, it's a tool. I don't name my hammer or my chain saw. I do really like my truck and would be super bummed if what happened to yours happened to mine. But that wouldn't stop me from insisting that it be totaled. And if they wouldn't total it I'd sell it immediately after it came out of the repair shop and get something else even if that cost me a bunch.

Your little Ginny was good to you, but Ginny is gone. What was Ginny is now a damaged tool. A chain saw that threw a rod. Say thanks for the memories and move on.