A refrigerated trailer’s aluminum duct floor takes a beating — forklift tine strikes, corrosion from wash-downs and de-icers, and years of cold cycling that stresses every weld. Ames Hydraulics does refrigerated trailer floor repair on reefer trailers for haulers and fleets across central Iowa — damaged duct-floor sections, T-decking, crossmembers, and the underlying frame steel the floor sits on. Free pickup within 60 miles of Ames.
What Actually Fails on a Reefer Floor
Most refrigerated trailer floor repair falls into three buckets. First, impact damage: a forklift tine punches through a duct section, or a pallet corner cracks a rib. Second, corrosion: salt, cleaning chemicals, and standing water eat aluminum where it meets steel, especially at the rear frame and the front bulkhead. Third, structural fatigue: crossmembers underneath the floor crack from years of load, and the floor starts to flex more than it should. We repair all three.
What We Repair
- Damaged duct-floor sections — sections cut out and welded in with matching profile
- T-decking and floor rails where the floor meets the walls
- Aluminum corrosion damage around the rear frame and doorway
- Crossmembers underneath the floor — welded or replaced when cracked
- Rear frame, bumper, and dock plate steel
- Interior scuff liners and E-track that got torn loose in an impact
Aluminum Welding — the Reason Most Reefers Come Here
Refrigerated trailer floors are aluminum, and aluminum welding is a specific skill. Bad aluminum welds crack and leak and end up in the shop again in six months. Good ones hold as long as the trailer does. This is one of the specific reasons fleets bring their refrigerated trailer floor repair work to us — because we do aluminum welding, not just steel, and the repair is done right the first time.
Food-Grade Trailers — What Inspectors Look For
A reefer floor that has a hole, a torn duct rib, or corrosion pitting will fail a food-safety inspection because it can trap contamination. Any refrigerated trailer floor repair we do puts the floor back to a smooth, cleanable surface with no gaps for product debris to hide in. If your trailer is heading into an audit, tell us that when we quote the job and we’ll finish it accordingly.
Insulation and Air-Flow Considerations
The duct floor isn’t decorative — it’s how cold air moves through the load. When a section is damaged, air routes around it and cold spots and warm spots develop in the load. Proper refrigerated trailer floor repair restores the airflow, not just the appearance. If any of the underfloor insulation got wet from a leak, that has to come out and be replaced too, or the reefer unit will spend the rest of the trailer’s life running harder than it should to hit temperature.
Free Pickup Within 60 Miles
If the trailer isn’t safe to load or move, we’ll come get it — free within 60 miles of Ames. Text a photo of the damage to 515-292-2599 and we’ll tell you the same day what your refrigerated trailer floor repair needs and roughly what it will cost.
Get the Reefer Back on the Road
See our full hydraulic repair, welding & fabrication, and trailer repair services. Call or text 515-292-2599 or bring the trailer to 210 Freel Dr in Ames. Open Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM.
Turn Time and What It Costs
Most refrigerated trailer floor repair is a two- to four-day job depending on how much of the floor is involved and how much underfloor steel has to come out. A single damaged duct section is faster; a full rear-half re-decking is longer. Cost scales with square footage of floor replaced and whether crossmembers or frame steel underneath also have to be repaired. We quote every job up front, in writing, before we start, so you can plan your dispatch schedule around it.
Fleets We Work With
Local Iowa haulers and regional refrigerated fleets running out of Ames, Des Moines, Ankeny, and points north and west are the core of our refrigerated trailer floor repair customer base. If your fleet cycles trailers through a shop rotation for annual DOT and interior inspection, that’s exactly the workflow this shop is set up for — get us on your schedule and we’ll batch the floor and structural work with the axle and brake service so the trailer only comes off dispatch once.
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Written by Josiah Ragsdale
Owner, Ames Hydraulics — Ames, Iowa
Josiah owns and operates Ames Hydraulics. He has worked on hydraulic and heavy equipment since he was 18, and every hydraulic cylinder his shop rebuilds is pressure tested before it ships back to the customer. More about Josiah →
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