In vehicle industry, considering a chassis, the evaluation of the experimental modal analysis is usually done up to 80 Hz, since the modal density is increasing with frequency. In addition, the deviation between the measurement and simulation is getting more significant at higher frequencies. The purpose of this study is to extend the usable test range and to improve the accuracy of the results both in case of measurement and FE (Finite Element) simulation. Present paper introduces the vibrational characterization of a ladder-like welded structure. This test case represents a simplified model of a vehicle's frame consisting of rod-like elements with high stiffness, connected to each other in welded junctions. Although such simulational and experimental modal analysis procedures are widely used in practice, results can significantly change according to the used method and the fine-tuning of parameters. For this reason, a further goal is to find the best measurement and simulation technique for the given structure. During the FE analysis different modelling solutions and element types were compared. In order to discover the effect of the manufacturing inaccuracies, the same measurements were performed on two distinct, but theoretically identical samples. The influence of the experimental setup (e.g. excitation and fixing method) and settings were investigated as well. Finally, FE simulation and experimental results are compared using Frequency Response Functions.