Lias Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Hi there, I needed to have a tow and called Good Sams Emergency Roadside service. They were great, the tow company not so good. When they pulled my Winnebago Warrior out of the driveway using the tow hook (?) on the rear of the frame they bent it which caused the pipe to the black tank to disconnect. See picture. The tow company is part of a auto repair shop which stated they will fix the bent part. I did inform Good Sams about the tow company as well as Geico who handles my RV insurance. They both said to let the tow company fix it and if there were any problems to contact them for the next step. My question, should I allow the tow co. to heat the metal in order to bend it back in place or should it be bent without heat? I guess I'm concerned about the integrity of the metal being bent again, I'm afraid it will break off? Or maybe this isn't a concern? Thanks for any advice. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Hi there, I needed to have a tow and called Good Sams Emergency Roadside service. They were great, the tow company not so good. When they pulled my Winnebago Warrior out of the driveway using the tow hook (?) on the rear of the frame they bent it which caused the pipe to the black tank to disconnect. See picture. The tow company is part of a auto repair shop which stated they will fix the bent part. I did inform Good Sams about the tow company as well as Geico who handles my RV insurance. They both said to let the tow company fix it and if there were any problems to contact them for the next step. My question, should I allow the tow co. to heat the metal in order to bend it back in place or should it be bent without heat? I guess I'm concerned about the integrity of the metal being bent again, I'm afraid it will break off? Or maybe this isn't a concern? Thanks for any advice. Lisa Well besides the fact that I see cables and a black tank that will be toast if it's heated, there are strict guide lines from each manufacturer about how much heat the steel they used can take without weakening it if any at all.. Unfortunately those rear frame rails are not from Toyota. They were added by the manufacturer of your motorhome. You need to give Winnebago a call and ask them. Your lucky in one respect. At least Winnebago is still around. You never have to use any body repair shop that you don't want. It is your right to go where you want. Also call your insurance company and let them know this. LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lias Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Thank you for the reply Linda and for the advice of not using a shop I'm not comfortable with. I will call Winnebago tomorrow to find out what they recommend and call my insurance company after that. I'll post what happens. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Thank you for the reply Linda and for the advice of not using a shop I'm not comfortable with. I will call Winnebago tomorrow to find out what they recommend and call my insurance company after that. I'll post what happens. Lisa I'd be willing to bet Winnebago has shops that they recommend. That is where I would go. Looking at the pictures again there are so many different kinds of metal and plastic and fittings so close to that section all would have to be removed to protect from heat. Need a high level of expertise to do it right LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Looks like the bottom skid plate is bent. Not a big deal. No heat needed, Give me 5 minutes and a come-a-long and It would be straight. Make sure none of the welds are broken (re-weld as needed) Make sure the plumbing is OK with no cracks in pipe or tank. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Many of the better auto repair shops have a frame straightening rack and its done cold. They will use pivot points and hydraulic power, somewhat brutal to watch but it is a science that works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lias Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Looks like the bottom skid plate is bent. Not a big deal. No heat needed, Give me 5 minutes and a come-a-long and It would be straight. Make sure none of the welds are broken (re-weld as needed) Make sure the plumbing is OK with no cracks in pipe or tank. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Is that what that "triangle" is called, a skid plate? It definitely did skid on the asphalt when they pulled the rv onto the truck bed. I am going to take it to a local RV shop here that I've used before and trust. I really don't trust the towing company after the damage they caused. Thanks all for the replies, they've definitely helped - I was lying awake last night wondering what to do, I feel loads more confident now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Its there to do what it did, protect the back end from dragging on the ground. IMHO - Not a big deal. straighten it and press on. If your not careful driving in/out of sharp driveways, curbs, it'll get bent again. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I just had a look at your pictures. Somewhat baffling. The way the skip is bend, it appears to have been subjected to a large side load. Almost looks as though someone was trying to pull your rear end to the side. Did it get loaded on a flat bed and did someone decide that this would be a good attachment point to secure it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I would have a frame shop have a quick look at it. The damage does not look overly bad, but what bothers me is it looks like the holding tank was pulled away from the pipe. if that is the case it could of pulled or bent further down the frame and other mountings could have been damaged. Have a good look at all mounting points. You have a very nice clean frame, it's nice to see one so nice Good luck with the fix! Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 As for bringing it to another shop, you may have the legal right to do it, but, the shop that did the damage very well may just tell you sorry, cheaper to total it and write you a check. In this case, they or their insurance company now owns it. I think your best bet is to talk to the owner of the body shop that did the damage and tell him you will give him the opportunity to make it right, but, he had better do it right and you will have it inspected by someone else afterwards. Tow truck jockeys are generally not the highest paid guys in the world. It's hard to judge an entire company by one of their lower paid employees. Kind of hard t believe that the guy thought he could get it on a flatbed without damaging it. Toyhouses have rather horrible departure angles. The best way to tow that thing is by pulling the driveshaft and towing it wheels down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lias Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I would have a frame shop have a quick look at it. The damage does not look overly bad, but what bothers me is it looks like the holding tank was pulled away from the pipe. if that is the case it could of pulled or bent further down the frame and other mountings could have been damaged. Have a good look at all mounting points. You have a very nice clean frame, it's nice to see one so nice Good luck with the fix! Andrew. Hi there Andrew, Yes, the tow guy hooked one chain to that part only, didn't bother hooking another to the other one and pulled it out of my driveway like a maniac. Honestly, if I hadn't been there the whole time telling them "whoa, you're going to hit (fill in blank) " they would've done more damage. The mounting points you mention, I'm taking it to an RV shop, because I seriously don't want to risk the auto shop messing it up further. The tow driver spoke to someone at the shop who said they were going to heat and weld it to get it back to where it was. Nope, I would really regret it, so I may have to pay out of pocket to fix their mess which sucks but at least I'll get it done right. Ugh, I want to go camping! Thanks for the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Hi there Andrew, Yes, the tow guy hooked one chain to that part only, didn't bother hooking another to the other one and pulled it out of my driveway like a maniac. Honestly, if I hadn't been there the whole time telling them "whoa, you're going to hit (fill in blank) " they would've done more damage. The mounting points you mention, I'm taking it to an RV shop, because I seriously don't want to risk the auto shop messing it up further. The tow driver spoke to someone at the shop who said they were going to heat and weld it to get it back to where it was. Nope, I would really regret it, so I may have to pay out of pocket to fix their mess which sucks but at least I'll get it done right. Ugh, I want to go camping! Thanks for the replies. You absolutely don't have to pay. The tow company should have given you their insurance compay by now. Deal only with their insurance company. get estimates from your shop and send them to them. They might need to inspect it too. Your not the only one with insurance, they have to carry it too. Your insurance company dropped the ball too. it was their job to protect you and make sure everything was taken care of. Find a new one when this is over Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi there, I needed to have a tow and called Good Sams Emergency Roadside service. They were great, the tow company not so good. When they pulled my Winnebago Warrior out of the driveway using the tow hook (?) on the rear of the frame they bent it which caused the pipe to the black tank to disconnect. See picture. The tow company is part of a auto repair shop which stated they will fix the bent part. I did inform Good Sams about the tow company as well as Geico who handles my RV insurance. They both said to let the tow company fix it and if there were any problems to contact them for the next step. My question, should I allow the tow co. to heat the metal in order to bend it back in place or should it be bent without heat? I guess I'm concerned about the integrity of the metal being bent again, I'm afraid it will break off? Or maybe this isn't a concern? Thanks for any advice. Lisa Heating chassis is a question that is not always easy to answer. Most Chassis's have warnings not to heat, weld etc as the chassis metal is a hardened metal which will lose some strength after heating. That said, looks like your skids are bent along with the ends of the track channels of your frame. They look just like mine. I too have been wondering if I wanted to heat - or not. Keep in mind those skids are sacrificial by nature. I would not lose too much sleep over bending them without heat. The key will be what the frame itself does. Do not know who the tow company is but I think I might like a welding shop/ body shop's opinion. I agree with the comments about getting to the tow shop'd insurance folks. The one concern I have is after bending the skids (how many times have they been bent before?) is that the channel steel is always bending - back & forth - and over the long term that will weaken. If you go into the forest you will drag those skids eventually. In town leaving parking lots etc I suspect you have already heard them bark. as for your plumbing - those pipes do come off easy. Better to come off then to break the pipe or tank. I rigged mine with bungee cords so if they get pulled off at least they stay under the camper and are not laying on the road. After you hook them back up put a lot of water in both tanks & look for leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lias Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 This is waaaay late but figured I'd respond re: resolution. Ended up NOT dealing with the tow truck company - they didn't know what they were doing re: RVs - and contacted my insurance company, Geico, and Good Sams since they were my emergency service and they sent the tow company to me. I took it to a RV shop here in Tucson called Arizona Roadrunner and they inspected the damage and conveyed the repair cost to Geico inspector who approved repairs. I informed Good Sams that I was going to have to pay the deductible of $500 and Good Sams insurance sent me a check for $500 to cover my costs. It did take about a month for everything to be completed, inspections, approvals, etc. But when I got back my RV she was good as new.Thank you to everyone, especially Linda, for the sound advice about dealing with the insurance companies instead. It really worked and I will say that Geico and Good Sams totally came through in the end. ***ALWAYS TAKE GOOD PICTURES OF DAMAGE** I think that also made a difference, I had photos of thedamage with the RV on the tow truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Good to hear all is good! Thanks for update! :-) Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Very glad everything worked out. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Older OEM frames e.g. in Toyotas can be safely heated to an extent. Looks like what you've got bent is just mild steel that was added by the RV maker. Should be an easy pull. I've had to straighten many rear frames on RVs. Prone to bending I guess because of long overhangs added by the makers and lack of visibility when backing up. My 1978 Toyota Chinook is probably one of the most difficult I ever had to do. The RV Chinook mild-steel was bent and twisted like a pretzel. The end of the OEM Toyota frame was also bent. The Chinook part was so bad I either had to fabricate a new one - or cut the old one into pieces, straighten and reweld. I did the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverman77 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Isabug, Thank you for the follow up response. We've all been hoping for a good outcome for you. Sounds like Linda's advice of getting tough with them, really worked out well for you! -Riverman77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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