Easy way to title a trailer

[dwco5051]

i need a papered boat trailer

Steal a trailer, buy a title

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

CL > state college > all for sale / wanted > boats - by owner
kdkxj-3662520934@sale.craigslist.org [?]

Posted: 2013-03-06, 9:43AM EST
i need a papered boat trailer
i need any papered boat trailor no mater the shape of the trailer mostly need the registration

Posting ID: 3662520934

Posted: 2013-03-06, 9:43AM EST




Send the idiot a message that says..."Your local police department will be more than glad to help you with getting it registered."

:lol:

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

I have to admit, I've done this. I didn't feel too guilty though because the trailer the VIN and plate belonged to no longer existed and the state was still getting their registration money. They need to make it easier to title salvage trailers.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

"they" depends on the state. In FLA it's as simple as "homemade" and you have a registration. Once you have that, it serves as the Bill of Sale when to let it go.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

The guy who posted this ad is an idiot. He is sending a open invitation for some overzealous law enforcement officer to run a sting operation on him. I don't know much about the law, but I'd be reluctant to even answer such an ad if I had a trailer that fit his specs lest I get accused of some sort of criminal conspiracy.

Quite a few years ago I had an old CJ5 Jeep for sale as a parts vehicle and I advertised it online. A guy in another state contacted me and offered me a good price to just remove the VIN plate from the firewall and send that to him along with the signed and notarized title. I told him he could come buy the vehicle, I would sign the title over to him, he could remove it from my property and then do with it whatever he wished. Never heard from him again.

 

[SilverSS07]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

It's very different getting a title for a trailer vs. a vehicle- especially depending on what state you're in. Luckily Florida is usually pretty easy to deal with. All states require titles for vehicles- a lot don't for a trailer and some don't for boats.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

Actually what is really stupid is that I can buy outboard motors (in FLA) all day long-no registration needed. Go figure.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

New Mexico also titles boats and trailers but not outboards.

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

While it may seem like a benefit to us "legitimate" buyers and sellers of boats and their related parts...the whole purpose of title transfer of ownership and registering of these items is to deter fraud or outright criminal conversion. I know a lot of states in the last decade have tossed out the "homemade trailer" nonsense in favor of showing a paper trail or no dice. For those who think that sucks, remember, YOU could be the one who has a trailer/boat stolen out of your driveway/storage facility that ends up in a state where "titles aren't necessary", and someone else is now enjoying your pride and joy. Sure, there is the added expense of paperwork to maintain on an annual basis, but I like knowing that some jerk-off would have to jump through major hoops at the DMV trying to take illegal ownership of my toys and risk going to prison if caught. Just a thought.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

"the whole purpose of title transfer of ownership and registering of these items is to deter fraud or outright criminal conversion"

Uh...yeah...um...sort of.

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

OK...I get what you are thinking...that the state gooberment only implemented title and registration as a means of sucking money out of your wallet. But let's be reasonable here. Do you not think that having legal documents to prove ownership is important? I bet you would think so if you were a homeowner.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

OK...I get what you are thinking...that the state gooberment only implemented title and registration as a means of sucking money out of your wallet. But let's be reasonable here. Do you not think that having legal documents to prove ownership is important? I bet you would think so if you were a homeowner.

Pennsylvania did not title boats until the mid 1980's. The reason it was started was that many banks would not lend money for a boat as there was not a title to encumber before that. Boat dealers and statewide boating organizations requested that titles could be issued for boats. The cost of issuing a title can not exceed the cost associated with issuing the title so it is a wash for the state.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

"the state gooberment only implemented title and registration as a means of sucking money out of your wallet"

To some extent. Florida has a Choose Life license plate (granted..it’s voluntary). Recently it pulled in over $2,000,000 in revenue. I am not putting that tag on my trailer, although I could, but you get the picture. I title the trailer and then I have to pay a fee every year in order to tag it. Some will argue the charge for a tag covers other things...perhaps. Trailers are easy to build. Heck...I can even but a kit for one. Other times you take from one to build the other and the truth is, I can but small trailers all day long for a couple of hundred bucks. Now...if it's a tri axle, braked, aluminum and worth a couple of thousand bucks? A lawn service trailer with all the braces and walls, or enclosed…I can see some registration/title concerns. With that, you can see I am not totally against I simply believe there should be caveats.

"Do you not think that having legal documents to prove ownership is important?"

Absolutely it is important! A notarized paper/bill of sale shows ownership and that's only a couple of bucks. But here's the deal...I am not against registering, just against all this "title" stuff—and there is a difference. I should be able to register my homemade trailer and be done with it. Is it stolen? No, I have to prove I built it or at least show a line of ownership. There is a big difference between a title and a registration.

A house? I own 2 and have owned about 16 and talk about a bunch of money out of your pocket to buy one of those!! Then again, a title is protecting a couple of hundred thousand dollars (or more) not a $200 trailer. Heck….I will blow $200 trying to catch fish.

On the other side, think about this. I have to register my cheap trailer, but the $15,000 outboard sitting on the boat doesn't need a thing. Now...if I were going to get something registered, it would be my outboard and it would have a big sticker on it that says I own it.

I suppose the right thing to do is to make the rules fit across the board and basically anything over, let’s say, $1000 needs registration...I will get right on that. :lol:

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

I suppose the right thing to do is to make the rules fit across the board and basically anything over, let’s say, $1000 needs registration...I will get right on that. :lol:

Your points are observed and respected...especially the above. If ALL the states would create a cohesive set of laws to regulate all proof of ownership and registration requirements, we wouldn't have this mess that encourages theft of equipment from one state to make it "legal" in another. As long as there are holes in the fence, the rats get through. I'm amazed that ATV's or "off road" style toys haven't come under the scrutiny of title regulation yet. It's just a matter of time though, as in these rural areas, these things get stolen from farms with reckless abandon by punk-arse kids and chop-shop artists. I guess the reason outboards haven't been touched yet is because the powers that be recognize that an item that can be carried away and disassembled in an hour will never be found again anyway. It truly is a dilemma, of that I think we can all agree.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Easy way to STEAL a trailer

Re: Easy way to STEAL a trailer

many states DO title outboards

 

[bigdee]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

Some "common sense states" like SC do not require registration. In NC it is not required if it is for farm use or for utility trailers that are only used in the owners town. It is simply a money ploy that does not have anything to do with theft...the tittle and sales record is for that. Maybe my state is different but I cannot recall any epidemics of trailer theft. Law enforcement here are looking for only one thing...a tag that has a valid date and if not they usually just give a warning.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

Down in southern FLA trailers are stolen all the time. Mostly the non-boat type; lawn, hauling, etc. Then again, so are cars, boats, motorcycles, and and ATMs or anything else not tied down. I was thinking about leaving my mother-in-law on the corner and seeing what would happen but the wife said that wouldn't be nice. :facepalm: Funny thing is, cities/counties/states are trying to figure a way to increase their income (red light cameras anyone?) and yet the money is staring them in the face through vehicle revenue - trailers, outboards, off road, campers, boats....not that I am a proponent of increased taxes mind you. Still, as soon as the gooberment (thanks SS) figures a way to make money with it, air will be taxed.

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

What sucks is that people lose titles all the time, like in my situation I bought a boat that has a title but the original Pro-craft trailer does not. The original owner passed away 3 years ago and the family has washed their hands of the boat and don't want to help with applying for a lost title, leaving me with a nice setup that I can't use unless I can get the boat registered as homemade. I'm making enough modifications to the trailer to justify that it is homemade, and shouldn't have much issue getting it registered (at least I hope).

I live in a state where everyone says it's really easy to get a homemade registration and I hope that is the case, but trying to pull off a manufactured trailer as homemade is well... I would think iffy. These old trailers only used a sticker to put the vin on and after a couple years the vin disappears. So regardless I need the police to come and issue me one.

What the DMVs should do is place everything on 1 title, boat, trailer and engine; then if you decide to trade one out you can make an amend to your current title.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Easy way to title a trailer

"the whole purpose of title transfer of ownership and registering of these items is to deter fraud or outright criminal conversion"

Uh...yeah...um...sort of.

In the pretence of..... No, don't kid yourself the purpose is revenue. If it was for theft why is your lawn tractor not registered.?