TechWriter,
Sorry to hear of your accident. I know it's a 21 year old rig, but still relatively new to you, so boo-boos like this seem to have an extra-sting to them when they happen. Still, keeping a focus on the overall age of the rig might be helpful.
I think repair costs are going to depend upon where you are in the country and how good of a repair job you want. Considering this is a 21 year old rig, I think you'll have to carefully weigh the repair options. There are some places that will only do A1 top quality work, and that'll cost you. On the other hand, you might find someone that will patch it up and make it look pretty good, that will be cheaper. It might be good if you knew which type of repair you'd be happy with and discuss that when your getting estimates.
By any chance would your insurance cover any of this?
If you have a Vocational School nearby that has an auto body shop, they might be able to patch it up for you so that it looks pretty decent without costing you an arm and a leg. Many places don't want to do body work on rigs unless they can get them into their garage for protection, which rules out many of the normal automotive body shops. But you might find someone that will work on it outdoors who is willing to be at the mercy of the weather for repairs & painting. Of course, that may require some extra patience with the weather on your part, as well.
To be honest, though I'm sure the pictures don't show everything, I think if you can get that crack repaired and painted, with a few other touch up spots and a new ladder, it'll look pretty good. Not like the original, but does it really matter?
Lastly, like the others, I would really be interested in hearing more about this incident. Was it a failure of the base plate/connection on the Jeep and it rode up the tow bar when you stopped? Or was it operator error? It does seem that the Jeep hit pretty high up on the back of the rig.
I know if that was my rig, I'd give the repair a shot myself. It wouldn't be perfect, but I think it could easily be made so that folks would only notice it on a second look. On a 21 year old rig, I'd easily convince myself to settle with that to save thousands. :)
Good Luck, and please keep us updated on what you get for estimates and what you decide.
~Rick