"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On 9 Sep 2006 05:00:43 -0700, wrote:
I have just bought a trailer on Ebay. It came with a bill of sale.
When I went to the DMV they told me I needed a title or they could not
help.
Any ideas on how to beat the system?
What state is involved because sometimes the regs are a tad different.
In general, as long as you have a bill of sale and the trailer has a
VIN, it is registerable no matter what the DMV says. The reason is
that they can check back against the VIN to see if it's stolen, been
reported as damaged, etc.
The key is the VIN - if it doesn't have a VIN, then you might have a
problem. However, in most states that I'm aware of, there is an
inspection process by which the trailer can be assigned a VIN number
for that particular state.
Now, there may be an additional complication in that the state in
which you purchased the trailer may not be a title state. CT is like
that - titles are for motor vehicles only - boats, trailers, PWCs, off
road vehicles, tractors, etc., are not titled. It can create a
problem for selling items to surrounding states (NY/MA/RI) because
they are title states for everything vehicular. In that case, as long
as you have a bill of sale, the state cannot refuse your application
for registration. They can make it difficult, but they cannot refuse
you a registration. It's a question of patience.
Another way you can get around this is to transfer a registration from
one trailer to another. I had to do that once and it blew by the DMV
clerk like butter. :)
I recently had an old trailer that I sold to a fellow in MA - it could
take a 20 footer, he had an older Chris Craft that he had restored -
perfect match. As this trailer was of early '70s vintage, no VIN.
Simple procedure, went to the DMV, filled out the paperwork, took the
trailer to the inspection place, had the VIN assigned and that was
that. Sold the trailer to the MA resident. I will admit that the DMV
there tried to give him a hard time about the title, but it was pretty
useless exercise as the paperwork trail was intact.
The Halman I have has a CERKO trailer which did not have a VIN - it
was built in Canada in the early '80s. When I went to register it, I
immediately asked for a DMV supervisor, explained the situation
(bought the trailer with the boat, yada, yada, yada) and she explained
the process, gave me the correct paperwork, helped me fill it out and
off we went to inspection. Presto, trailer registered.
Sometimes all it takes is a polite question to the appropriate person
to help you get through the BS.
Good luck..
I can confirm that. I have a custom built motorcycle that does not have an
official certificate of origin or factory VIN number. The procedure in MA
was to have the state police inspect it ... record engine, frame and
transmission serial numbers, verifying that it met all safety requirements,
and then issuing a "MA VIN" number and sticker. Once that is done, it was
registered and issued a regular MA title. This procedure may be similar in
other states.
BTW ... the last I knew ... in MA, a trailer rated at up to 3000 lbs GVW
does not require a title although you can request one when you register it.
A simple bill of sale is all that is required to register. That is, unless
the law has been changed in the past couple of years.
Eisboch