I'm gonna have a bunch of I-beam left over from a job and I'm thinking about cobbling a single rail motorcycle trailer. Steel's expensive these days, so I can't waste it. How does one go about getting a title for a homebuilt trailer in Florida? Thanks.
Check with the DMV. In Cal. I had to get an inspection, light check,etc. In Tennessee, you don't even need a licence for a trailer... Great state to live in, vehicularly speaking. sparky
In Maryland you take pictures of the trailer to DMV. They supply a title and a metal vin# tag. You attach the vin# tag and then you have to get it inspected before you get your tags.
jalopy43, I'm so used to just going on the HAMB for instant info that I forget to do simple things like use my telephone. Florida DMV informed me that trailers under 2000lbs don't need titles. All I have to do is certify the weight and bring my driver's license and they'll register it right away. They don't even need to see it. I could build the thing out of twigs and bubble gum and have candles for lights and it would be cool. We're almost as slack as Tennessee.
Nads, my brother did that with a boat trailer. It cost like 25 bucks, and the best part is that it wansn't homemade at all.
In texas trailers do not have titles. I went and got tags for mine and just told them it was a home built. No problem at all
Nads all you do is take a "bill of sale" down to the tag office with the trailer wieght, and number of axles and pay them said fee's and get your homemade trailer title
I did mine as a farm trailer and you don't even need a VIN. Use the tag on any trailer you want actually. I think it cost 5 bucks. Some people might even do this on a new trailer so they don't have to pay sales tax. I pulled it all the way to Washington via California a couple years ago with no tag or reg. Even the California border Nazis didn't say anything
[ QUOTE ] In texas trailers do not have titles. I went and got tags for mine and just told them it was a home built. No problem at all [/ QUOTE ] Wait until a liscense & weight officer (like a DPS Trooper) pulls you over. They can usually tell if its shop-made or home-made. And they'll give you 2 tickets- one for having the wrong plate on it, & one for not having a correct plate. Trust me- a San Antonio cop pulled me over w/ a trailer registered like you have yours, & it cost me $300.
what happens if i get pulled over by the cops on my way to the weight station with a homemade trailer and it has no plate on it?
Martinez, call your local police dept or sheriffs office and ask them how to do it legally. I suspect they will tell you it is ok to take it just to the weigh station and back home again. Make sure all the lights are working ok so you are covered on that aspect though. Don
Absolutely incorrect, with all respect. Every trailer manufactured comes with an MSO, manufacturers statement of origin. Any non commercial trailer weighing more than 1800 pounds gross, as in going down the road, regardless of length or number of axles, needs to be registered and tagged with a license plate. This is not a gray area. That being said you can't license a trailer without the title or the mso. If it is a new trailer you give them the mso and a title comes in the mail. If it is a homemade trailer, you have to go to the dmv with a stack of your reciepts showing product involved in making it and then they give you an assigned vin number and then you get a title in the mail that says assembled trailer. That being said, as the owner of a trailer shop, I have three trailers that are over 1800 pounds loaded, that should have plates but I don't want to pay the fees. Ones is even my 10K car hauler, the ticket is less than what I would have paid to register and keep the tags current. Hopefully this is helpfull for the Oregonians on the board
You're welcome. I have a homebuilt trailer but have had it for over 30 years, so I suspect the rules for licencing them has changed here in Florida. When I did mine no weight slips were needed, I just told them it weighs 500 pounds and they gave me the plates. Trailers have no titles in Florida, just a registratrion card. Don
In any state, I would assume your State Police Office, or Dept of Motor Vehicles, or Dept of Transportation Office could answer your question.
here ya gotta fill out DMV form #xxxxxxxx stateing cost of materials or reciepts, if your neighbor gave you an old sheep herders trailer you converted or what ever. Turn form xxxxxxx in and they give you temp tag. Haul it down get inspected and issued a sticker with a number. Give them money they give you plate.
Here in Ohio you build the trailer and have it weighed and off to the DMV and tell them its home built and you are on your way with tags.
I have built a few trailers in CA. DMV wanted a bill of sale for the axle. They afixed a number to the drawbar and I paid the lady at window 11. Arizona is easy. Bruce Works good Lasts long time
An MSO is NOT a title, and Oregon does not require you do anything with that MSO. It can be tossed in the garbage if your trailer is a single axle utility trailer. I don't even know where mine is now. And if you build it from scratch you simply hook it up and starty hauling. NO TITLE for a single axle utility trailer in Oregon. As for gross weight, I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket or stopped to check weight on a privately owned utility trailer. I've had one for 40+ years and never ever had an issue, even with a full load of gravel.
This not quite true. Homebuilt trailers under a certain weight do not require titles and are registered as homebuilt. But get up in the DOT range of stuff and things change.
Go to DMV. They do this stuff all the time. Each state has different rules, and the rules change over time. In NY it even changes between DMV offices. Be polite, act stupid, ask lots of questions. The DMV people can be helpful, r they can make our life miserable. You want them on your side.
Dps in Texas only looks for anyone over 22,000 pounds that shouldn't be or obvious violations of the trailers lie your safety chains or lights. I drove a tow truck for a long time and have built and owned plenty of trailers. Even some county's can be a little different depending on how ancient there facilities are but most stay true to the state. The best thing to do is call or even go to the Tag Office and find out first hand. Another thing to keep the cops off your ass is to always tie down what you have and make sure nothing will fly off, even with loose rocks on a trailer some DPS troopers will pull you over and ask you to clean your trailer off to avoid damages or accidents. Having to put up with them constantly i learned the laws so i could beat the city cops that have nothing better to do but to make the months quota.
1) I never said an MSO is a title, I specifically said that it is what the manufactures provide when the build the trailer, Manufactureres Statement of Origin. Even a brand new car comes with an MSO. It is what you have to provide to get the trailer registered and when you do it, you get a title in the mail. IT is a FACT. 2) I didn't say you had to do anything with it if you weren't going to license it. However it is the proof you own the trailer. If you lose it you more than likely won't get another one. Throw it away if you want. 3) It all has to do with weight, nothing to do with number of axles. 4) If you home make the trailer, by law if you are over 1800 pounds it needs to be licensed and registered. Since it is not manufactured, you would not have an MSO, you need to show all your reciepts to get a title. 5) Lastly, I have, as I mentioned 3 trailers that should have plates on them and they do not. And for the record, I have never been stopped or ticketed either. Just because it is the law doesn't mean I am going to follow it. BUT, I do know it. Taken from the State of Oregon website, http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/trnew.shtml <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=589><TBODY><TR><TD class=H2 height=20>Light Trailer Definition</TD></TR><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=bodyText>A light trailer is any trailer having a loaded weight of 8,000 pounds or less, except trailers for hire (for rent), recreational trailers, special use trailers and fixed loads. Light trailers may include boat trailers or horse trailers. For information on how to register a for-rent trailer, contact DMV. Note: You do not have to register a light trailer (which includes a utility, boat, or horse trailer) or obtain a trip permit to operate it on the road if the trailer, plus the heaviest load carried, weighs 1,800 pounds or less. However, you may wish to obtain a title for your trailer because most law enforcement agencies and insurance companies want to see proof of ownership if it is ever stolen. All trailers used on the road must be equipped to meet safety standards; see ODOT's Vehicle Equipment and Safety page for more information. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Not trying to be a Dick, just provide factual information.
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