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OT Buying a Trailer without a title is it worth it?

adammil1

Titanium
Joined
Mar 12, 2001
Location
New Haven, CT
I need to get a trailer to move around a large toy I have built. Having been watching craigslist like a hawk for the past few weeks I am surprised at how many great looking trailers are advertised saying they have no title, others saying no paperwork. I realize laws vary state by state, but is it worth buying a trailer without a title? It seems odd that so many people would have all these trailers without paperwork. Am I missing something here? Any advice?
 
In Mass trailer titles are required if they are over a certain size, for the life of me can't remember if it's length, width, load capacity, or some combination.

CT who knows? For questions like this I go to state Department of Motor Vehicles website or to AAA, or to my friendly local insurance agent. It can be a real PITA if you require a title and don't have one.
 
Many trailers are home built. What size are you looking at? In my state, smaller trailers (under 3,000 lbs. I think) do not have a title or license plate anymore, as you can buy a permanent license sticker that gets stuck on the tongue. My 14' fishing boat trailer is that way, my 18'- 7,000 lb. car trailer has a title and license plate.
 
In Mass getting a trailer certified for use on public roads is a separate deal from getting them registered or titled. I suppose actual manufacturers do this routinely. But I know of a homebuilt one nearby that required an inspection by the State Police before it could be registered. It passed and the owner told me it was not a big deal.

Having seen a few trailers self-destruct I don't think it's such a bad idea, although I suspect they were old and corroded rather than poorly built. But I was too busy spinning my steering wheel to avoid the pieces to take a close look :D
 
In Ohio, no titles under X weight -- maybe 7000 lbs? My personal-use 6800 lbs. enclosed trailer and 6K tilt both had certificates of origin, but no title needed for ownership transfer and licensing. Above that, and for pure commercial, probably yes. Boat trailer, at 2K, no title.

That said, trailers are stolen all the frickin' time, and titles would probably help that a little.

To (somewhat) filter out the possibility of buying stolen goods, I usually ask for a copy of the previous registration papers "so I don't have to go thru the trouble of having it weighed", which is step one of Ohio registration. If it's not currently registered, and/or the VIN plate is gone or tampered with, no sale to me. Passed up a great deal on a dual-axle ex-U-Haul car trailer because all the places the factory said a VIN should appear were ground away. Ruh-oh.

Chip
 
Many trailers are home built. What size are you looking at? In my state, smaller trailers (under 3,000 lbs. I think) do not have a title or license plate anymore, as you can buy a permanent license sticker that gets stuck on the tongue. My 14' fishing boat trailer is that way, my 18'- 7,000 lb. car trailer has a title and license plate.

I am looking for something probably like a landscape trailer. I want to have two axles on it simply for the purposes of redundancy as I would hate to ever have a tire blowout take out a project I have spent some 10yrs working on. Total weight it would be pulling is likely somewhere around 1000-1500lbs, but I am not 100% sure.

Looking at the DMV's website if the trailer's gross weight is under 3000lbs a title isn't needed, but you still need to show proof of previous registration. Going to the DMV and asking anyone in the govt for advice for that matter is always one of those tasks I would love to minimize as much as possible so practical experience is always welcomed
 
In Mi. If the trailer is over 2500lbs you need a title for it.

You can title a trailer if you take it to the police station so they can run vin#.
PD fills out some paperwork and you return to Sec.of State. with the bill of sale.

If the PD says it's not stolen, you get a new title. Then you return to the PD, they inspect it to make sure it's road ready. Then, back to the sec. of state for the plate. That's all there is to it here.

I bought a 9 ton 8'x24' deck over on CL for $1500 without a title. The guy had no issue writing a receipt. He just wanted it gone and was the 2nd owner.

Always compare the signature on the bill of sale to their license. Sometimes I snap a picture of their license with my phone. If they have an issue with you looking at their ID, keep your cash and walk away.

Andy
 
I've always found it odd that forklifts and other utility type vehicles are not registered either.

I'm pretty sure that all trailers need to be registered in CA, where I'm located. I've heard of people having an easy time taking the trailer to the DMV and getting them to inspect it, and then get a title and reg. I don't know anyone personally that has done it though, but I also have watched craigslist, in search of a trailer.

I need at least 10 ton GVW for my forklift/trailer, as the forklift is about 16,000 lbs. Most people want way too much for the trailers and they sit on craigslist for weeks. I once sold a forklift in 2 weeks when I upgraded, I think people just need to be realistic.

I don't mind replacing the deck, just want a reasonable trailer. The rest of the time I rent trailers, but I don't see any large ones...so keep watching craigslist. I need a dual tandem axle setup. A number of the ones sitting covered with weeds don't have titles in most cases. I'd like to know why there are so many also...
 
Looking at the DMV's website if the trailer's gross weight is under 3000lbs a title isn't needed, but you still need to show proof of previous registration. Going to the DMV and asking anyone in the govt for advice for that matter is always one of those tasks I would love to minimize as much as possible so practical experience is always welcomed

I hate to sound like a shill for a private organization, but in Mass. you can do all that at AAA if you're a member. You can even renew a driver's license there, they can administer the eye test. I always go there because the state DMV office on the Cape is always crowded, slow and the waiting room benches (you will be sitting on them for hours) are so fricking uncomfortable that I actually asked the DMV employee if they were built by psychopaths.

And she said yes, they were.

The waiting room benches are made in the woodshop at one of the State prisons.

Really, I had only been joking when I asked the question. The answer was a surprise.
 
Worth adding large trailers like your looking for are hot property the world over, you need to do some serious security thinking if you get one on how your planning to keep it!

Not only are the trailers commonly nicked every were on the planet, it also flags the fact you have other toys that may be worth a return visit.
 
WoW !

Here in "The commonwealth of Pennsylvania" it is a hassle.

i custom built a trailer a few years back, $85 inspection at certified garage
(not all do trailers), photo's, reciepts, certified weight ticket, blah,blah,blah.

Include IIRC $100 check in package, mail off to Harrisburg, 8 weeks later, cryptic
nasty note arrives, I didn't include photo's.

No, they LOST the photo's.

6 months later I get all the paperwork, title, registration, builders plate.

Buying used ?
Need title, registration, plate, taxes for pretty much everything (no lower weight
limit that I know of) and over 3k lbs, must have electric brakes.

And anything with electric brakes MUST go thru inspection every year ($40)
 
After recently buying such a trailer in NJ, I can tell you its a pain in the neck here now. It used to be you just went in, told them it was homebuilt, and that was about it. We don't do titles under 3K lbs (or 3500, somewhere in there), just a registration. Now if you have a homebuilt trailer you need documents about where the materials came from and they want pictures of it being assembled. I bought this one from the guy who built it, and it seems he never registered it. Not sure if he just borrowed the tag from something else or what. Now I have to go through a bunch of hoops to get the thing usable. Nice little trailer and the price was good but I may have passed if I had realized it would be so difficult just to use it legally. Its honestly tempting to just borrow the tag from my boat trailer when I need this one.
 
Its honestly tempting to just borrow the tag from my boat trailer when I need this one.

My "old iron collecting" Lawyer friend warned me not to do this.

It's willfull deception if you move the plate.

Running with NO plate can be blamed on "it must have fallen off back there officer"....:crazy:
 
With no title, you always face the possibility of losing the trailer to the "real" owner.
Actually happened to a friend of mine.. He bought a small trailer off Craigslist, and a few days later the police contact him that the "Real" owner saw it on CL and had paperwork to prove it was stolen. They came out and checked the numbers and he lost the trailer. I personally think the real owner and the seller were working together.
 
As mentioned in an earlier post the laws are all over the place. Here in Wisconsin no private trailers were required to be registered or licensed until a few years ago. Now anything over 3,000 lbs. needs a title and a plate.

I have a 10,000 lb. dual axle trailer that was home built to carry a Bobcat. It was never registered or licensed. It weighs in at 2,100 lbs. so if I keep the load under 900 lbs. no license is required. If I go over that amount and get caught the minimum fine is $300.00. That's why I recently rented a trailer to pick up a machine I purchased in the Chicago area. The total rental cost was far less than a potential fine, and less hassle and time consuming than trying to get it inspected and licensed.

I can take it to the local DMV and have it inspected, then get a license which in this case will cost a minimum of $60.00 per year. If I license it for the full 10,000 lbs. it will cost close to $100.00 per year which is more than a car @$75.00 per year. I'm hesitant to have it inspected since a friend of mine went through the long and arduous process last year. If it doesn't have a manufacturers name and serial number the inspection is extremely thorough. They categorize it as "home built" and assign it a serial number. The serial number has to be displayed on the trailer frame on a permanent tag or stamped into the frame itself. If it's a commercially built trailer there is no inspection, just a recording of the manufacturers name, weight rating, and serial number.
 
Worth adding large trailers like your looking for are hot property the world over, you need to do some serious security thinking if you get one on how your planning to keep it!

Not only are the trailers commonly nicked every were on the planet, it also flags the fact you have other toys that may be worth a return visit.

Are trailers licensed and titled in your area as much as here in the states ?
 
If it has no title then how would the "Real Owner Prove it"?
If I remeber correctly its $100 for single and $500 for tandem to get an inspection and title.

Seller (scammer on craigslist) does not present a title, but title has been recorded in courthouse (since very first owner), in this case, last legal owner is listed (not the thief).

FWIW this is not the same as "bouncing a title"....:crazy:
 








 
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