ri702bill 8,318 #26 Posted March 29, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said: All commercial trailers here in Pa. have a Maine tag Ed - has something to do about taxes I recall.. we have a LOT of Maine registered trailers here in RI too. 1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said: Same problem to get any trailer titled here Ed - same huge issue here with homemade trailers. RI DMV makes you jump thru hoops with fees, paperwork, grief. They discourage home built trailers. You need a form from the DMV that you can download for such a project. OK so far. They need 2 things - receipts for all the items used to build it - axle, wheels & tires, steel, wood, hitch, lights and so on. Just try to use a repurposed axle or CL purchased item !!! They also need the weight of the trailer - to be determined only at the state facility before the form can be initialized -can't be completed until it is certified roadworthy to get a title. The catch - you cannot just tow your unregistered new trailer to the state facility - it must be transported to and from there... if all is OK - back to the DMV to tidy up the paperwork, get the title in the works - no plate today - takes a week or so to get title in hand. Then trip #3 to DMV to register it. They really do make it so not easy..... There is no such thing as a free boat, kitten, or homemade previously un-registered trailer.... not here at least. Edited March 29, 2023 by ri702bill 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #27 Posted March 29, 2023 Here in RI, they are taking that NY City approach... makes no sense not to carry iron pipe anymore... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,462 #28 Posted March 29, 2023 2 hours ago, Ed Kennell said: Maine Likely easier, yes. But not the least expensive in New England, given certain circumstances. A home built trailer here in Maine if it's under 3,500 lb maybe? Single axle of course. You can just go right to your town hall and register it as such with no VIN number. No inspection. No special procedures. I can, and have, registered my trailer as home built because even though originally it was likely a factory piece, it has been modified no less than twice here in Maine alone. It's less costly to register a FACTORY built commercial trailer in Massachusetts. Many of the commercial trailers that we see up here have Mass plates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #29 Posted March 29, 2023 15 hours ago, wh500special said: I’d bet he’s conflating stories, repeating a rumor, or just making stuff up as he goes. If Lowes really wanted to play Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of all things that could get them in legal trouble they’d quit selling paint, solvents, chainsaws, and anything remotely related to electricity. Specious facts I’ll bet. Steve - not fiction - I did walk to where the iron pipe used to be - staff were cleaning out that area and dis-assembling the shelving / racks...... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #30 Posted March 29, 2023 16 hours ago, wh500special said: If Lowes really wanted to play Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of all things that could get them in legal trouble they’d quit selling paint, solvents, chainsaws, and anything remotely related to electricity. Guess we have to include the beef jerky, chips, and bottled drinks too they sell at the registers - and Lord help us if someone gets a PT splinter.....!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,212 #31 Posted March 29, 2023 11 hours ago, Ed Kennell said: get any trailer titled here in Pa. It has to be hauled to one of the "special inspection stations " . If it passes, then with this documentation you can apply for a title. When I brought my home built utility trailer from Florida up to North Carolina it only had a FL license tag, no title. NC DMV gave me a VIN number to stamp on the trailer and a form that had to be filled out by a NC Highway Patrol officer. There are no NCHP offices in our county so a friendly Sheriff's Deputy down the road radioed a NCHP officer to meet him at my address, (he forgot to say there was no emergency). Blue light flashing the HP car came into my driveway . He got a good laugh when he found out what he was to do. Paper work finished he told me to apply for a "forever" plate. You pay once and the plate is good for as long as you own the trailer. The whole process cost me about $ 150.00 and the embarrassment of having to let the neighborhood know I hadn't committed a crime. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wh500special 2,175 #32 Posted March 30, 2023 Regarding trailers… There are lots of Maine license plates on private trailers even a thousand miles away here in Illinois. Apparently Maine will allow a non-resident to register a trailer. It’s legal for Maine’s purposes, but my understanding is that Illinois stipulates that a vehicle that spends a certain amount of time here needs to be registered here, so it can result in a citation if law enforcement sees a reason to pursue it. At a minimum it may result in an annoyed police officer who now knows they might want to look for additional questionable behavior. Seems reasonable that IL wouldn’t be unique in this regard. We didn’t have this problem until a couple of years ago when the price for a small trailer plate went from $18 per year to $118. I felt $18 was underpriced and probably didn’t cover the state’s effort, but a $100 increase was more than a bit much. It’s back down to $36 now which seems reasonable. That big price hike locally was probably a windfall for the Maine DMV. this cost increase also fostered the illegal habit of moving one plate around for various trailers. And many guys started buying a 5-year Semi Trailer plate for $18. Which the DMV will sell you, but is not technically legal per the state police. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing…which I suspect is quite common in government offices. When I look around the parking lot at the boat launch I see a lot of these “ST” plates alongside the regular trailer plates and the Maine plates. I see it as my fellow citizens trying to live by their own rules and sticking it to their neighbors. I can’t imagine Illinois is the only state to allow a 24 hour period of being able to transport a trailer without a plate after purchase. I would guess this would apply to building a homemade trailer and registering it the initial time too. Probably applies to autos as well. Having seen more than my share of decrepit and poorly-built homespun trailers, I’m not a fan of them in general. A lot of guys “can weld” but how many really know with certitude what they are doing is good enough to not just fall apart when subjected to constant vibration and impulse loading? At least with a trailer company there is some chain of liability that puts enough skin in the game to influence them to presumably put in some real engineering effort. Not to mention the product liability insurance they likely have. I’m not saying all homemade trailers are junk and that all manufactured trailers are robust, but if I was placing bets I know where my confidence lies. I don’t think we have any kind of inspection on small trailers. At least I’ve never had to have one done. My cousin built a tandem axle car hauler and all he had to do to get plates was show up at the drivers license office with a check and apply for a title. Same as me for my boat, flatbed, and little utility trailer that were each made in a factory and had pedigree paperwork. As a union iron worker he “can weld” too, but he doesn’t know anything about the alloy or properties of the salvaged steel he used, only put brakes on one axle and didn’t bother to hook them up, and mounted used car tires in place of what would normally be considered the appropriate rubber. He’s had zero problems with the trailer, it looks great, and nobody has died as a result of it being on the road. but he certainly didn’t put in the full effort you’d think something like this should get. Oh, and he also has 3000 lb license plates on it despite it being a big trailer with twin 3500 lb axles. At least the plate is from Illinois… Wisconsin doesn’t plate or title trailers. Seems to work for them. I bought a used boat from Wisconsin and brought it back to Illinois. I checked with the state office twice before I bought it to make sure I’d be able to plate it. They told me the procedure so i pulled the trigger. The first time I visited the office to get the plates the person behind the counter insisted it couldn’t be done without the (non-existent) Wisconsin title. She even checked with another worker who was equally flummoxed. So I left. I came back the next day and the person who then helped me knew exactly what to do and the process was painless. I walked out of there with the plate in my hand. Again, the left hand knoweth not… I think a wide array of our gripes with our governments could be cleared up with less complexity of the laws and regulations we try to follow. It’s a shame that most of us interact with the government only when we go to the DMV, stop by the post office, or pay our taxes. You couldn’t create more Byzantine, less customer service-driven enterprises if you tried. I think you could win any election if you ran on a platform that merely promised to make things simpler and easier to understand. Well, I guess you also need to be attractive and have great hair…which rules me out. Steve 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,815 #33 Posted March 30, 2023 (edited) 13 hours ago, squonk said: about 20 years ago. Get back in your rocker Squonky... 20 years ago we was in our forties and still had a back. Edited March 30, 2023 by WHX?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,815 #34 Posted March 30, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, wh500special said: Wisconsin doesn’t plate or title trailers. Seems to work for for them It does... that's why we don't require anything less than 3000 lbs has to registered. Must be an IL thing to milk more $$ out of you guys ... just hope it doesn't happen up here. 1 hour ago, wh500special said: Having seen more than my share of decrepit and poorly-built homespun trailers Now that I have I have a rebuttal for ... I helped a bro who built his own trailer and it was finer than any thing come out of a factory. I would load my horses on it any time. BUT you are right Steve ... some folks aren't as anal as us on builds. Edited March 30, 2023 by WHX?? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 9,743 #35 Posted March 30, 2023 1 hour ago, WHX?? said: Now that I have I have a rebuttal for ... I helped a bro who built his own trailer and it was finer than any thing come out of a factory. I would load my horses on it any time. BUT you are right Steve ... some folks aren't as anal as us on builds. I built/welded my 4x8 trailer 42 years ago. An old farm welding shop guy gave me pointers where to locate the axle and how long to make the tongue. It backs better than most factory built small trailers. While it’s semi light weight, it’s twice as strong as these little bolt together trailers that Lowes, Tractor Supply and other box stores sell. I guess you could say he hit a nerve calling out home built trailers! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #36 Posted March 30, 2023 10 hours ago, wh500special said: Having seen more than my share of decrepit and poorly-built homespun trailers, I’m not a fan of them in general. Here, in The Ocean State - there are lots of folks that earn thei living working on the Bay. Most live a stone's throw from the water - you can tell the ones that do - usually a work skiff on something with wheels that resembles a trailer. And, the Bay is salt water - that takes its toll on metal really quick !! 10 hours ago, 953 nut said: When I brought my home built utility trailer from Florida up to North Carolina it only had a FL license tag, no title. Here, that gets you halfway thru the crazy process because it was previously registered - just make darn sure you have the paper registration, not just the plate - and a bill of sale... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,164 #37 Posted March 30, 2023 59 minutes ago, ri702bill said: - and a bill of sale... Gotta have this to apply for a title or transfer of a title on any car, boat, trailer, or atv that is to be licensed in Pa. Oh, the BOS determines the 6% sles tax you must pay. BTW, this 6% is collected every time a vehicle is sold. IWith many resales over the 20 year life, the tax may equal the cost of the new vehicle. 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #38 Posted March 30, 2023 Ed - Almost the same here - all the above - except all vehicles 10 years old and newer get the 7% sales tax based on Blue Book fair market value, not the price paid. You CAN pay less IF the vehicle is inoperable, but, just like the homemade trailer circus, they do not make it easy... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 25,552 #39 Posted March 30, 2023 (edited) Interesting point about sales tax being repetitively imposed. Same here in Michigan. Simply not right. License plate fees are enough for used vehicles trailers etc. However, there is an exception for relatives. Can't remember last time I didn't sell to a relative. No tax. Small gestures matter. Edited March 30, 2023 by SylvanLakeWH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,318 #40 Posted March 30, 2023 1 hour ago, SylvanLakeWH said: However, there is an exception for relatives. Yeah, but they will always ride you if the car has a problem 5 years later... No break here for selling to relatives - they want their tax!! We have a 4 digit plate on the truck (a coveted RI thing - don't ask....). The plate belonged to my wife's Dad - he had it for years. Approval of Transfers of low digit and 1 or 2 letter plates now must go thru the Governor's Office !! Plates can be handed down to immediate relatives ONLY. We had some underhanded selling of low plates here decades ago.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,164 #41 Posted March 30, 2023 A personalized plate can be purchased for $79. That is in addition to the regular annual of $93 for my F-150 and a $5 annual fee for the county. So for $177/year I could have an ED DOG WH plate on my truck. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 9,981 #42 Posted March 30, 2023 By 'Eck! What a carry on to tow a trailer. I go buy a trailer, make sure lights, brakes (if needed) all work and stick licence plate that's same as the towing vehicle on the back and job done. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
