Easy, Painless and Cheap way to Register your Trailer

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Zach,
Congrats on getting it tagged.

I'm curious, given that you can only 'legally" have a plate from another state on something for a brief period of time here in PA (20 days?), why did you bother to get the vanity plate?

Wouldn't you need to do it all over again when you transfer the title to PA?

Either way, please let us know how it goes when you do the title transfer. And, if it's not too personal, what fees/taxes needed to be paid in Maine and in PA to complete everything.

-TJ

Hopefully Zach will find out that law only applies to motor vehicles. Considering how many trailers Maine registers, I think Zach will be safe. A large percentage of 18 wheeler trailers have Maine tags.

Maine will only allow you to register the trailer if its under 3,000GVW. They will not title it, therefor I can't transfer it to PA and had no intentions of ever doing so. I still have the trailer kit Certificate of Origin, so I could still jump through PA's hoops and try to get it registered and titled here at some point.

[TJinPgh]

Maine will only allow you to register the trailer if its under 3,000GVW. They will not title it, therefor I can't transfer it to PA and had no intentions of ever doing so. I still have the trailer kit Certificate of Origin, so I could still jump through PA's hoops and try to get it registered and titled here at some point.

Hmmm.

In that case I'm not entirely sure I see the point of doing it.

While it is no doubt better than riding around with a plate belonging to another trailer, I'm not sure I believe that it's going to prevent somebody from getting a citation if a persistant officer wants to give you one.

I suspect that it's still in violation of not having a valid PA title within the mandated period of time.

Not sure. It's skirting the law, at best.

Other than that, without an actual title it will make it very difficult to sell should one decide to do that. At least to anybody in PA.

While it's probably eaiser, I'm still wondering if the better option isn't to pay the $50 to get the enhanced inspection simply get an actual PA title at the end of it.

[parnold]

I think Zach is wrong about the titleing.

From the Maine web site....

When do I have to title a trailer in Maine?
If a trailer is 1995 or newer and/or it has an empty (not GVW) weight of more than 3,000 lbs. and you do not have it titled in another state.

In the packet of info I got, there was an application for title. It isn't required, but the way I read it, you could apply for a title if you wanted to.

I remember the heading on the paper said "Maine is a Title State". I don't have the paperwork with me here at work.

[TJinPgh]

Hmmm.

If you could confirm it either way that would be great.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I sent in ALL the forms to Maine, including the Application for Title. With the paperwork, I sent them my Certificate of Origin. The main issue for returning the paperwork was that I had not signed the one line on the back of the registration form. The other thing that they explicitly pointed out was that they will not issue a title to a trailer with a GVW of less than 3,000lbs. They knew the GVW was less than 3,000lbs because the COO said so. With that said, they did also return my C.O.O. which I can use to prove ownership if need be, just like a title.

I have a valid license plate. I have a valid registration sheet. I'm good to go

When was the last time you got pulled over and the officer asked to see your drivers license, proof of insurance, registration information, and the title to the vehicle?

If I decide to eventually sell this one, I can still go through the crap to title it in PA first. OR I can offer a bill of sale and the Certificate of Origin and let the new owner do with it as they please.

[TJinPgh]

He wouldn't need to see a title. He'd simply need to see that the vehicle was tagged in a state other than the one you're living in.

Again, it might never be an issue. Just saying that if an officer wanted to be really anal about it he would probably have grounds to issue a citation.

Any PA state police officers who are members to confirm it either way?

[eamarquardt]

I built my dump trailer and sailed through the registration process at the DMV here in California. They assigned a VIN.

My boys dragged home an old Honda 250 with a broken countershaft in the trans and other issues. I bought an engine on EBay, went through it, and tried to register it at the DMV. The girl at the counter was a real snot. She demanded to have "paperwork" for the EBay engine. Who gets "official" paperwork on a motorcycle engine off of EBay? She then informed me that I had to go the the Highway Patrol (CHP) to get it inspected to ensure the bike and engine weren't stolen. I asked her where the CHP office was and she said "I'll tell you later". I, restrained myself and politely asked: "You can't tell me now?". She responded: "I don't jump through hoops just because a customer asks me to!" I responded with: "I don't recall asking you to jump through any hoops, I just asked where the CHP office is." I then asked for her supervisor and she and I had a nice conversation/chat about the "snot". She saw my points! All this for a bike worth about $250. I did, though, eventually get the off road sticker.

Finally I was in a fender bender (not my fault). $700 worth of parts (fender, plastic grill, plastic nose piece, and left headlight). All easy bolt on installation (I pulled out the bent sheet metal support for the fender by hand!!). Then a bit of paint at a local body shop and I was good to go. However, my insurance company said the damage was more than the van was worth and totaled it! Because I did the work and had it painted I made a couple thousand on the deal. Anyway you have to get a "salvage" title when an insurance company totals a car and the CHP has to inspect the vehicle to ensure it has been properly repaired and that stolen parts are not used to repair it (how in the heck would they know if the parts were stolen because none of the parts are serialized with ID numbers). Anyway, I called the CHP and was told that the nearest office that does inspections is in Goleta, North of Santa Barbara, 60 miles away. Knowing that there was an inspection site in Canoga Park (10 miles away) as that is where I had the motorcycle inspected, I told them that. I then learned that I was not eligible to go there because I didn't live in Los Angeles county! The CHP then "compromised" and said they'd send the officer to Ventura (30 miles away) to meet me. I informed that that didn't work for me, there is an office in Moorpark (8 miles away) and that we'd meet there. After several calls to CHP headquarters in Sacramento, they capitulated and agreed to meet me at the CHP office in Moorpark. Apparently there is only ONE officer trained to do the inspections for a HUGE area along the central coast of California. THEN I showed up and the officer demanded to see receipts for the new parts (they could have let me know ahead of time and I was unaware they were checking for stolen parts and that they just wanted to make sure the vehicle was safe). I didn't have the receipt but did have the packing list showing the parts I'd purchased and the name of the business that I'd purchased them from. The officer said that wasn't OK because it didn't have the prices on the packing list. He was also upset that I didn't see the sign (that wasn't there) saying the parking lot I used was for CHP employees only and that I breached their "security" by driving through a electric gate that was wide open. Suffice it to say we had "words" and I prevailed on all points. Anyway, back to the DMV to get it registered. Then I learned that they change the license plate and you have to remove the old ones and turn them in. My tool box happened to be out of the van so I had no tools. I asked if they had a wrench and screwdriver but all they could come up with is a pair of pliers. Why they have to change the license number (plate) is beyond me and why they insist you give them the old plates before you get the new ones is also beyond me. I guess I could have gone home, removed the plate, and returned but that would take several hours as I'd have to stand in the "out the door" line again. My sister-in-law (managed a DMV office) says the DMV makes tons of money. However, the money they collect goes into the general fund (as in PROFIT) and they skimp on DMV offices and staffing!!!

I have another DMV story, but I beat em at their own game, and don't want to spill the beans.

Government POGES!

Gus

[len19070]

Maine will only allow you to register the trailer if its under 3,000GVW. They will not title it, therefor I can't transfer it to PA and had no intentions of ever doing so. I still have the trailer kit Certificate of Origin, so I could still jump through PA's hoops and try to get it registered and titled here at some point.

Hmmm.

In that case I'm not entirely sure I see the point of doing it.

While it is no doubt better than riding around with a plate belonging to another trailer, I'm not sure I believe that it's going to prevent somebody from getting a citation if a persistant officer wants to give you one.

I suspect that it's still in violation of not having a valid PA title within the mandated period of time.

Not sure. It's skirting the law, at best.

Other than that, without an actual title it will make it very difficult to sell should one decide to do that. At least to anybody in PA.

While it's probably eaiser, I'm still wondering if the better option isn't to pay the $50 to get the enhanced inspection simply get an actual PA title at the end of it.

Theres nothing Shady with this! I know people who have run with a ME. registration for years. I'm about to renew mine.

All we want to do is use our trailers! I know some are new to this and have never had to mess with PENDOT.

I AM an RV Tech by trade and one of the people who inspects Trailers for safety reasons. And I have had to submit to state inspectors who didn't even know what end they were looking at.

I've been told I have had to have Dead People appear in front of Notary.

Believe me! There Impossible. Look up some of the ridiculous scenarios they have put people through on this board alone. The problem is there not consistent. With some people it goes through easy....and others its an impossible goal.

This is not an attempt to "Sneak Past Something". This is a way of getting things Done.

I have sold 4 trailers with a ME registration and the buyers have opted to KEEP the ME. registration. The main reasons again is that PENDOT is unreasonable, Costly, time consuming and at times Impossible.

I have called the State Police...No Problems, Local Police...No Problems, AAA says all is OK.

If you have any questions on this...Call the number on the first Post.

To quote the Late Great George Carlin....Its No Bull $hit!

Again! If your state makes things easy for you to register a Trailer, God Bless ya. My State does NOT. and I'm sure there are others.

Happy Trails

Len

BTW, I and others have done this and it is a solution. Those who have not and want to find out more...Call the number! Guessing about things that may happen is just guessing. Find out!

[TJinPgh]

Fair enough.

You can certainly understand my want to be cautious on this. Like you, I've had to deal with PennDot far too many times and received far too many run arounds to simply assume that they're going to do the logical thing.

The mere fact that we're even having this discussion is evidence, in and of itself, that PennDot is rarely logical.

I had to fight with PennDot and AAA for 3 months to get a motorcycle with a salvage title registered because I bought it out of state because I didn't have a bill of sale. Keeping in mind that the state openly declares that a bill of sale is NOT necessary for title transfers and the Ohio title had EVERYTHING on it that they wanted the Bill of Sale to contain.

I FINALLY complained long enough for them to give in on that one. Did have to get the enhanced inspection and go to a different notary, though, as AAA wouldn't budge in it.

The bureaucracy in this state is the very definition of absurd.

I simply didn't want to assume that it wouldn't come back to bite somebody in the butt later on.

If you've talked to people at various levels who all say it's ok, then that's good enough for me.

If I go with the HF trailer, I will still probably go ahead and get the PA title. There's a trucking outfit just down the street from where I work that does the enhanced inspections pretty cheap. I had my motorcycle done there for $50 and he didn't even charge me to sign off on the Red Dale travel trailer I bought. So, the cost isn't prohibitive enough to not do it.

[legojenn]

Forgive my ignorance being a foreigner and all, but what is a title? When I got licence plates for my car and trailers, the province issues a green piece of paper the size of two business cards that can be folded to fit in a wallet.
I think that it's called a cerificate of registration. Is that what you call a title, or is that a registration?

Just askin'

[TJinPgh]

That would be the equivalent to a registration here.

A title is a certificate of ownership. It is typically issued by the state in which the owner lives.

It's basically just a formal document showing that the state recognizes you as the rightful owner of a vehicle (automobile, motorcycle, boat, etc.).

It varies from state to state as to what things must be titled to be allowed on the road.

Here in PA, it's pretty much everything. In other states, it's just motor vehicles. There's no set rule.

When you sell the vehicle, the new owner transfers title of ownership to them.

The registration you get when you get your license plate. Then, you also get a sticker to put on your plate with the expiration date of the registration. You typically need to renew them every so often.

Again, that varies by state. There are no set rules for these things.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

In the good ole US of A, a title and registration are different. A title proves ownership, and registration is basically permission from a state government allowing your vehicle to be driven on the public roadways.

Some states however, do not issue titles for vehicles meeting certain criteria. I.E. small trailers, mopeds, farm equipment, etc.

Shouldn't I be concerned about not having a title in hand to prove ownership?! Well, not really.... I have the Certificate of Origin with a VIN number matching the VIN plate on my trailer, as well as the state registration linking me to the trailer.

[harleymsn]

OK guys I'm new here, but I may be able to shed a little light here about what to do with a Maine reg and no title. When I retired (after 25 years as a police officer in Niagara falls, NY) I moved from NY to Tennessee. As most folks know, NY titles anything newer than 1972, and Tennessee titles everything. I had a 1967 trailer that had a transferable NY registration, Tennessee took that without question and issued me a title. Same situation for my 1950 Ford F5 that I bought in Ga. Turned in Ga registration, got TN title.
Tennessee is another of those states that does not require small trailers (shorter than 20') to be registered unless used commercially or they are a self contained (must have a toilet) camper/RV. The other day I bought an old boat trailer, and of course it has never been registered, and has no paperwork. as long as I pull this in TN, I don't need anything but I will have to jump through all kinds of hoops to register it, so that I don't get hassled outside the state.
I'll try smoozing the gals down at the county clerks office, but if that don't work, I may go the Maine route. Once I have the Maine registration, TN will give me a title.

[TJinPgh]

Ultimately, trying to explain the regulations here in the U.S. to somebody from another country is rather difficult as every state has their own regulations.

Yes, there are certain federal guidelines that must be followed. But, by and large, a state is free to set it's own rules. Particularly with respect to non-vehicles.

To Zach's comment about whether not having a title would be an issue for a small trailer here in PA. He's right, with respect to the ownership factor it wouldn't be. It's registered in his name. That proves he owns it in one state and, as such, would suffice as proof of ownership in this state.

The only question I had was whether or not NOT titling it in PA would run afoul of our state's requirements to have residents title "vehicles" within the state within a specified period of time.

Enough people have said that it's not an issue that I'm satisfied that it's not. Whether or not any potential buyer would be satisfied with it down the road is anybody's guess. One can never tell what will prompt a buyer to walk away.

If you don't plan on selling it, then it's probably not an issue anyway.

PA's dept. of transportation just happens to be a royal PITA about virtually everything. And I never like to assume that they won't find a way to throw a wrench into something. If not now, then down the road.

With the state desperate to wring every dime they can out of us through inspections, registrations, tolls, fees, etc., it wouldn't surprise me to see them look at out of state registrations as an effective way to gain some "low hanging fruit" when it comes to funds by forcing us to title them here.

One could always get it done after the fact, though.

[albion2]

In Ohio I pay as much for a sticker for my HF 8x4 trailer as I do for my 23ft 4500lb travel trailer.What a rip off for that little trailer I,ve used 4 times in 5 years.Its about $46 and it you are 7 days late you get charged another $20.