Trailer Registration

[Frugal Floater]

I have a boat trailer registered and tagged with MD info. I went to get it registered in PA where I live now and dealer said my Venture trailer was missing the capacity sticker and this is required. The trailer is only a couple years old, so I am assuming the sticker was never placed on the trailer. I am in the process of ordering a new sticker from Venture which is not an easy process.

I want to go boating this weekend, but don't know what will happen if I get pulled over with unregistered trailer. I have expired MD tags/registration though. I know with vehicles this can be a big deal.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Trailer Registration

in Fla, i pull trailers around all the time without a tag. i have 3 tags, and swap them around. sometimes i just forget. having an expired tag is better than no tag. i forgot $25 dollar ticket, or just a warning.

 

[Frugal Floater]

Re: Trailer Registration

Thanks...I hope PA is that easy...either way, I am hitting the water this weekend.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Trailer Registration

i figured that out, before my response.

 

[G-Daddy]

Re: Trailer Registration

A few years ago the state of PA pulled my registration because someone else brought a NJ trailer with the same VIN. Why they gave the new guy a registration and pulled mine is still a mystery. After several months of effort, and involving my state representative in the process the DOT finally admitted a mistake and reissued my registration. In the mean time I pulled the boat trailer in three states with expired tags. No one ever asked it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Trailer Registration

that's funny, i went to register a trailer the other day, FL would not register it because a boat was registered with the same VIN, they gave me a homemade registration, with a FLA VIN.

 

[jmoorepghpa]

Re: Trailer Registration

I have a boat trailer registered and tagged with MD info. I went to get it registered in PA where I live now and dealer said my Venture trailer was missing the capacity sticker and this is required. The trailer is only a couple years old, so I am assuming the sticker was never placed on the trailer. I am in the process of ordering a new sticker from Venture which is not an easy process.

I want to go boating this weekend, but don't know what will happen if I get pulled over with unregistered trailer. I have expired MD tags/registration though. I know with vehicles this can be a big deal.

I just transfered registration on my boat trailer here in PA at a local notary and they didn't even ask to look at the trailer. Took the info right off the previous registration.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Trailer Registration

I'll tell you a story Dseidt. I live in Pa also. I bought an out of state trailer used, private sale, and went to title and register it. The only thing I had was a certificate of origin (where the trailer was originally manufactured). I thought I might have trouble so I played stupid. Said my son picked it up and didn't get any other papers. The tag guy looked at the certificate and said it was ok. He registered it for me and charged an extra ten to "look at the numbers" The trailer was sitting at home. But I didn't complain; it was worth the ten.
Moral: some tag procurers are more strict than others. Try another place.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Trailer Registration

I register all of mine as homemade, it saves me the hassle of matching tags to a particular trailer. Most of mine are older and DMV told me here that I need a hand written bill of sale to transfer the registration from the old owner. I had that trailer sitting out back for over 10 years, never registered, fat chance of finding the former owner. I had a boat stored on it, and had no intention of every using it, but I found a boat that needed it and decided to register it.
They gave me the bit about paying a fine since it was so long and I didn't transfer it imediatedly, my argument was that it's not a titled vehicle here, I did tranfer the title to the boat I got with it, and since it was a free boat and trailer, there was no sales tax due. I simply returned a few days later and registered it as homemade. A 20 year old trailer just wasn't worth the grief.
I guess I am supposed to register all 20 or so trailers I have sitting here whether I plan to use them or not. I had a similar run around trying to junk an old boat at landfill, they wanted to see a title, and since I picked it up for free to get the trailer and motor, I simply wasn't going to transfer the title to my name. When I towed it to the landfill to scrap it, they told me I needed to transfer the title to my name first. If they think I was about to pay $45 to tranfer a title to a boat I am junking, ($20 tranfer, $25 over 10 day fine), not to mention the $100+ dump fee for boats which is figured by weight, they have another thought coming.
I took is back and smashed it up with a front end loader and burried it. That was free.

 

[wewefirex2x]

Re: Trailer Registration

I live in maryland and the DMV is just a money making scam, but I can see why they do what they do to keep the motorist without registration off the streets. Anyway I also went through the run around with a trailer that had vin just no capacity plate. I took a couple of pictures and five bucks to the DMV and got myself a new homemade trailer data plate with new vin.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Trailer Registration

I have a boat trailer registered and tagged with MD info. I went to get it registered in PA where I live now and dealer said my Venture trailer was missing the capacity sticker and this is required. The trailer is only a couple years old, so I am assuming the sticker was never placed on the trailer. I am in the process of ordering a new sticker from Venture which is not an easy process.

I want to go boating this weekend, but don't know what will happen if I get pulled over with unregistered trailer. I have expired MD tags/registration though. I know with vehicles this can be a big deal.

Howcome your getting it registered thru the dealer?
Why not go directly to DMV with the bill-of-sale etc.
They most likely won't even look at your trailer if you have the old MD registration paperwork too.

In 40 years of pulling trailers, nearly none ever had current tags on them.
One time I was pulled over by a state trooper due to expired tag.
He bent the plate so he could not see it was expired and sent me on my way.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Trailer Registration

All of ours our registered as homeade, course we did make one from scratch, and the other is from the 50s and was registered as homeade, but we torched off and welded on so many pieces due to the fact the trailer seemed to have been wrecked, it may as well been homeade.
But, it is real easy to register it homeade. At least in Ga. They ask for what type of trailer it is, and the approximate value (the less you say, the less the tag is) then they give you a tag and a plate to rivit to the tongue and all is well. No need to see it and you can make up a smaller number for the value to avoid paying so much for a daggum tag.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Trailer Registration

I bought a 14' semi-v boat and a trailer from my aunt and uncle a few years back. They live in NJ and i live in delaware. In NJ they dont have to register trailers or at least they never did. All I got with the boat was a hand written bill of sale. There was no data plate on the trailer and we could find no vin number. It was a Load-Rite "WAVE" trailer. I took the hand written bill of sale which just listed a 14' boat and trailer to a notery that i know. All the thing said pretty much was that i purchased a boat and trailer, there was nothing specific. This boat is maybe 15 years old and the trailer is prob 20 but it is in good shape. In Delaware every other Wed. DMV has the state police there to inspect trailers and campers with no titles. I took the trailer there and they looked all over it for a vin and couldent find one. I showed them the handwritten paper and explained that it was from NJ and they got some kind of metal block and stamped a new VIN on the tonge of the trailer. Gave me a paper and i went inside and registered and titled. Getting the boat registered without the propper paperwork in delaware is a whole other can of worms!!!

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Trailer Registration

I happen to be in this part of the forum because i am currently replacing all hardware, lights, wench post, wench, jack with wheel, axle, tires, new bunks and guides. I have already replaced the axle. I bought a axle from tractor supply near me that is rated for 3,000 Lbs. Also came with a leaf spring set that was the same as my leafs are now. Before i install any of the new stuff im painting the frame of the trailer with rustolium flat black. It will look brand new when im finished. I am also planing on painting the boat a dark red so the rims of the trailer will be the same color as the boat.

 

[jmoorepghpa]

Re: Trailer Registration

Hmmmm.... does Tractor Supply have heavier axles with brakes??? Never even thought to look there.

 

[Frugal Floater]

Re: Trailer Registration

Just to follow up on this...I called the place where I bought the boat since Venture trailer required the dealer to fax a replacement request...Paid 25 bucks and Venture sent it off to me....Now off to get it registered.

 

[vandy21]

Re: Trailer Registration

I trailered my boat from Philadelphia to state college pa (about 3 1/2 hours) on the interstate with now tags at all about a month ago and i had no problem at all (in the process of registering now)

 

[beezee28]

Re: Trailer Registration

IN texas you can register with all previous trailer info or if you new a new tag you can go the county clerk office and say that you build you own trailer and they will issue you with a new tag after you pay for the tag.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Trailer Registration

, but I can see why they do what they do to keep the motorist without registration off the streets.

And why should they require that the trailers be registered in the first place?

If they had not made registration a requirement, there would be no need to "keep the motorist without registration off the streets.

Its not like your boat trailer is going to wear out the highway.

And having your trailer registered, will not make you a safer driver.

Go back to the first part of your statement, its a money grab.

Sorry you folks have to go through all this, glad I live in a state that doesn't make me jump through hoops. No trailers under 3000#, need to be registered here. And since most troopers forget to pack their 3000# scales in the trunk at the start of their shift, you can get away without registering a 3500-3800# trailer.