I bought a new used trailer and Rex,d a bill of sale plus the registration paperwork. But, I have not registered it and do not have a tag. I will register next week but want to use the trailer tomorrow tho worried about getting pulled over. A, I legal since I have a bill of sale, good for 30 days or not?
New trailer, no tag, am I legal?
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Nick Jacobs
Member
I'm sure it varies from state to state. You should be fine to go from point A to point B with no troubles as long as your insured. I don't think you could get away with a bill of sale for 30 days.
In OH you'd be illegal.
Prime Target
New Member
Also illegal in NY. It's registered or it's not.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
I think its illegal in FL, but I don't think its a severe fine, no more expensive or time consuming than paying for the tag an getting it over with. You might have a 30 day grace in Florida, I remember being told that but when I googled it a long time ago I could only find reference to vehicles, not trailers. < sorry
Side note: I was told (3rd hand) That no tag is better than a borrowed tag, I had a guy tell me that his friend was pulled over with a tag from a different trailer and the cop told him that he was "being nice" by suggesting that he remove the tag immediately (while the cop did paperwork) and accept the ticket for no registration with no complaints, option B was that he was going to have the trailer towed to an impound lot and he gets a 2nd degree misdemeanor.
< not sure of the accuracy but that story motivated me to never swap tags over to a new purchase ever again, now I just tow it home with my fingers crossed and the bill of sale in my pocket. I think i've towed home un-tagged trailers about 15 times if not more over the past few years and eventually my luck will run out.
Side note: I was told (3rd hand) That no tag is better than a borrowed tag, I had a guy tell me that his friend was pulled over with a tag from a different trailer and the cop told him that he was "being nice" by suggesting that he remove the tag immediately (while the cop did paperwork) and accept the ticket for no registration with no complaints, option B was that he was going to have the trailer towed to an impound lot and he gets a 2nd degree misdemeanor.
< not sure of the accuracy but that story motivated me to never swap tags over to a new purchase ever again, now I just tow it home with my fingers crossed and the bill of sale in my pocket. I think i've towed home un-tagged trailers about 15 times if not more over the past few years and eventually my luck will run out.
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Fact. Failure to register (no tag) is MUCH better than Fictitious Plate. So yes, no plate is Much less of a fine.
ORION '95 Speedster
Active Member
Buy a 3 day moving permit. They cost $30.
ocod
Well-Known Member
Don't know what it is with me and trailers but I can confirm by experience and being held captive by POLICE.
I was coming home from riding and cop was finishing with someone and rolled up behind me and pulled me over as I made a Left into my development.
Since trailer had no tag or identifying VIN I was kept close to what felt like hour.
Constant questioning about how I obtained it and why its not registered and I'm on the road with it.
And no way to find PO registration other than when I scored it and posted it up on 03/2015
Needless to say he was Ill drop that ski on the road and take you and that trailer.
Straight up register trailer in your name and beware of those homemade titles when clearly labeled differently.
Absolutely be careful of registering something as HOMEMADE when it is clear it is not... I was going to do that and Ocod talked me out of it due to Trucks, Trailers, Boats being towed and confiscated. Pictures were shown for proof,,, The next weekend I was contacted by a CG friend of mine where they and the local police towed 14 vehicles from the marina. They literally waited for the owners to come back, load the ski/boat, then approached them and grave them the bad news...
ORION '95 Speedster
Active Member
I looked into the trailer title thing a while back. Don't switch licence plates, don't swap titles around, don't do anything that your not supposed to. Most crimes that are super easy to do have a nasty penalty if you get caught.
Hawk388
Active Member
In Florida, the only way you can ride around without a tag on the trailer for 30 days max is if you bought it from a dealership and have the paperwork saying tag applied for. Same goes for the registration numbers on the ski. I got pulled over three different times and having that paperwork was what saved me.
I asked the cop about buying a trailer from an individual. He said if the title was signed over into your name, the contact info was good on the seller, you had a one time tow to your home. After that, you had to have a tag on the trailer.
I asked the cop about buying a trailer from an individual. He said if the title was signed over into your name, the contact info was good on the seller, you had a one time tow to your home. After that, you had to have a tag on the trailer.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
sticking with the theme, I drove home last night with a new vehicle and I deliberately didn't bring my other car's tag with me, just had the wife follow me home and kept my fingers crossed. Seller was surprised when I told him the reason why but after about 30 seconds he understood my line of reasoning, small ticket is better than a big one.
So, people sell cars and sign the title and hand it to you and you leave. Then you go and get it in your name the next day?
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
ya, pretty much, no different than buying a ski or a trailer or a boat... I just took the paperwork and drove home.
i'm taking my current daily driver to the tax collector office today to get new tags, registration on the lexus, (left lexus at home since it has no tag) then i'll sell my old vehicle in the next week or so and the buyer will pretty much do the same. In a perfect world I can transfer the tag from Vehicle 1 to vehicle 2, and save about $40 but I'm going to keep my dodge for a few days while I get the lexus detailed and a put in a MAF sensor that's throwing CEL codes.
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Spim,, When I transferred my title for my Lexus from Ohio to Florida it cost me $480. I was pretty much in shock... Kind of unfair as I paid all the taxes for the car in Ohio. Guess Florida wants their share too...
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
I think its different with out of state transfers, some additional impact type fee if I recall, I know my customers have b1tched about that before I just never paid attention to the specifics since i've never transferred one in. I'm usually 3-4 years minimum between vehicle swaps so I have no idea what I paid last time.
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