- » Need a GVW upgrade on your Class 6 heavy-duty commercial vehicle?
- » Need frame lengthening or frame shortening services on your medium-duty truck?
- » Need to install multiple axles on your vehicle?
- » Need to install a cross-member reinforcement on your frame?
- » Need a lift gate, snow plow, rack body or dump box installed on your vehicle?
- » Need custom fabrication for your truck, trailer, or heavy equipment?
Make Vancouver Axle and Frame your provider for frame alterations in the Fraser Valley, BC! We do frame alterations, truck body installations and custom fabrications right! We can modify most medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. Contact us NOW to alter your frame or to install those extras on your truck body. We can offer you many specialized services.
**Note: Unfortunately, Class 5 and lower vehicles are not meant to be upgraded so we try to avoid working on these types of vehicles:
- Any vehicle with an independent front suspension
- Ford E-series vans
- Lower numbered F-series trucks
Frame Basics
Your frame is the “spine” of your vehicle. The frame design most common to heavy-duty trucks resembles a ladder, complete with cross-members and side rails. To satisfy the wide variety of trucking performance applications, engineers have toiled to design frames just right. Your frame should be strong enough to handle expected loads, vibrations and shock–yet flexible enough to resist bending and twisting forces.
The side rails of your frame support “vertical load” and “side load,” which include your engine, transmission, suspensions, fuel tanks, and more. The cross-members, which support your engine and transmission (among other major components), offer a “torsional stiffness” that impacts the comfort and performance of your truck. Cross-members also prevent your side rails from twisting with side loads.
Frames are generally made of steel but can be made partially or wholly built of aluminum to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency. Most trailer frames use a unibody or monocoque design. In most heavy-duty vehicles, the extreme front and extreme rear of a frame rail bear less stress than do the middle sections, which take the greatest beating.
Aftermarket Modifications and Frame Alterations
We offer specialized equipment modifications, including dump boxes, rack bodies, lift gates, and snowplows.
An important consideration for upgrades: additional equipment will affect the loading of your chassis frame. Sometimes it even becomes necessary to reinforce the frame.
Also keep in mind that any modification done must not exceed GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) and GAWR (gross adjusted weight rating).
Provincial and federal requirements may also come into play with modifications since upgrades can affect vehicle certification for noise emissions, brake requirements, noise emissions, etc.
At Vancouver Axle and Frame, we make sure your product is durable, well matched to your vehicle, and meeting all NSM requirements. Contact us NOW with your modification needs!