Structural repair capability starts with the bench. A frame machine — with its pulling towers and anchoring systems — is the anchor purchase of a serious collision bay, and usually the biggest structural line on the quote.
This guide covers the buying considerations at the business level. Equipment operation, anchoring methods and repair procedures belong to manufacturer training and your technicians' qualifications — this is about choosing, quoting and financing the equipment.
FRAME MACHINE, FRAME RACK, BENCH — THE TERMINOLOGY
The industry uses the terms loosely and mostly interchangeably: frame machine, frame rack, straightening bench, repair bench, structural repair system. What they all describe is the platform a vehicle sits on for structural work, together with the pulling and anchoring equipment that does the correcting. One category, several names — this guide covers all of them.
WHAT SHAPES THE CHOICE
VEHICLE MIX
The vehicles you repair set the requirements — a shop straightening unibody cars and a facility handling trucks are looking at different bench and tower configurations.
SERVICES
Structural work brought in-house instead of sublet is usually the reason for the purchase. The services you intend to sell decide what the bench has to support.
FOOTPRINT & FACILITY
Benches are substantial equipment — bay space, floor condition and building characteristics matter. Site requirements come from the equipment manufacturer and your vendor.
MEASURING INTEGRATION
Modern structural repair is documented repair — most benches are quoted with a measuring system that verifies the work. Planning them together is the common route.
MANUFACTURER SUPPORT
Fixture availability, vehicle support and service coverage vary by manufacturer and vendor — part of what your quote conversation should cover.
NEW VS USED
New benches arrive with current fixture and vehicle support where applicable; eligible used benches may also be considered — condition, anchoring and hydraulics are for the buyer to verify with the seller.
No anchoring instructions, no pulling procedures, no repair methodology here — those belong to manufacturer training and your technicians' qualifications.
ALREADY HAVE THE FRAME MACHINE QUOTE?
Upload it with your application — FixFin starts from your supplier's numbers, whether it's one bench or a complete structural bay.
UPLOAD YOUR QUOTETHE STRUCTURAL BAY: BENCH + MEASURING + JOINING
Structural capability is a bay, not a machine. The bench carries the vehicle, the measuring system documents the structure, and the welding and joining equipment does the correcting — which is why structural purchases are commonly quoted and financed together as one package.
COLLISION MEASURING EQUIPMENT FINANCINGINSTALLATION & SITE — HIGH-LEVEL ONLY
Benches, fixtures and heavy towers involve real installation considerations — placement, anchoring to the floor where required, and access for the vehicles you service. The specifics come from the equipment manufacturer's requirements and your vendor's installation plan; keep them itemized on the quote so the project review sees the whole scope.
QUOTES & FINANCING
Ask your vendor for an itemized quote covering the bench, towers, fixtures and installation where applicable — and the measuring system if you're quoting them together. Where eligible, eligible installation and freight costs may be considered as part of the request depending on the transaction.
A frame machine can be financed on its own or as the anchor of a complete structural bay — bench, measuring, welding — in one application, from one vendor or several.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
POPULAR FIXFIN QUESTIONS
Can I finance used automotive equipment?
USED EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Can I finance a complete shop?
COMPLETE SHOP CHECKLIST
What equipment does an auto repair shop need?
COMPLETE SHOP GUIDE
Two-post or four-post lift?
LIFT COMPARISON GUIDE
Can installation and freight be included in financing?
INSTALLATION & FREIGHT GUIDE
Can an auto shop finance commercial HVAC?
SHOP HVAC GUIDE
Can my equipment dealer start the application?
CUSTOMER HANDOFF GUIDE
Can I finance a complete mobile service van?
MOBILE SERVICE GUIDE
Do I need a quote before applying?
QUOTE CHECKLIST