If you live in Pa. Don't buy a trailer without a title

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lucescoflathead

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I bought a trailer in Ohio for my jonboat. The trailer is in nice shape and I got it for a good price. I got a sales receipt with it but in Ohio they do not title it like they do in Pa. I got it home and applied for a Pa. title.It has a vin tag and after doing the paper work, It was rejected. Anyone have any tips for getting a title? Thanks Todd
 
Go to another DMV & tell them that you built a boat trailer & want to get a title.You'll probably have to get it weighed.
Oh do a few mods to the trailer so your not breaking the law. :lol:
 
I just registered an untitled trailer in California last night. It went pretty well. There was several forms to do and I had to validate what was spent on the materials, labor, etc. However no inspection or walk around. Was issued a DMV VIN number and registration papers.
 
Oh man, I did not want to hear that. I bought a trailer in PA without a title and it has no VIN plate. I sent an email to PennDot and they wrote me back saying I needed a bill of sale and an MV1 and that I should be able to get a title and registration for it. I just got done refinishing it and got my boat on it. I was planning on going down there to start the process next week. I will let you know how it goes and if I find out anything that can help you.
 
I bought mine in Ohio. I tried to get it titled. I had a bill of sale, and did the MV1. They said I needed an owners card form the person I bought it from to show it was once licensed in Oh. I contacted the guy I bought it from and he didn't have an old owners card.

I'm in the process of building another trailer. If I was to do it again, I'd only buy one for parts or buy a Pa. trailer with a title. Unless you can get a super deal on one, it's not worth the hassle in Pa. to buy a trailer without a title.

I hope you have better luck than I did. For what I have invested in my trailer build,I could have bought a newer trailer with a title. Good luck Todd
 
Oh man, I did not want to hear that. I bought a trailer in PA without a title and it has no VIN plate. I sent an email to PennDot and they wrote me back saying I needed a bill of sale and an MV1 and that I should be able to get a title and registration for it. I just got done refinishing it and got my boat on it. I was planning on going down there to start the process next week. I will let you know how it goes and if I find out anything that can help you.
Hi how did it go
 
Don't buy a boat in Florida without a title or it will only be allowed in a private pond with a paddle
 
Pa is hard to work with. I bought my 1436 in PA and WV wouldn't let me transfer it or the trailer without a notary from PA. My understanding was nothing could be transferred out of PA without a notary to go along with it. Made for a lot of extra leg work....lesson learned
 
And that folks is what makes a boat or trailer WITH titles worth more than those without.... It's the very first thing I do when I buy a used rig. Until I get the titles squared away I don't consider it a viable project and therefore don't start any work.....
 
My son bought a new Tracker boat and trailer from Mass while he lived in CT. He lived on a lake so didn’t register or title the trailer. A couple of moves later, and he lost the COO. After trying to get Tracker to replace the COO, the selling dealer helped him register it in Me. The plate is lifetime and for that owner only. Might be something for those with reg/title problems to look in to.

When he sold it, advertised the issue with the trailer. The buyer was going to look into the Me thing, but tried out the NY state process and was able to reg after processing some paperwork. My son had to sign some docs, and after a month or so received a text from buyer that it went through. So for NYers, the process might be worth it.
 
While it might be a pain, if you get the necessary reciepts and proof, you state can't refuse to allow the trailer to be registered!! Unfortunately some states make it way to difficult.
 
NJ used to give 'homemade' titles and issue a new VIN when there was a 'dealer's window'.

Not sure about the current MVC
 
I had a similar frustration in Ontario Canada. I purchased a boat and trailer a couple years ago, no ownership paperwork for either. Small boats in Canada aren’t titled (unless commercial) just need to request a license number from the feds with signed bill of sale as proof of ownership; got that no problems.

Trailer, different story. First time I went to the local MTO office (DMV equivalent) I knew they wouldn’t give it to me but wanted to know what I needed. They found no record of this trailer in the system so the clerk said I just needed Bill of sale (check), signed affidavit stating I bought the trailer from its legal owner, and a weight.

Note that this trailer is a 1962 Ward’s Sea King which means it predates the modern VIN system and only has an 8-digit serial number on a nameplate riveted to the back (which a previous owner had painted over probably as part of registering it “home built” - more on that later)

So I return in a couple days. Different clerk. This one is very hesitant, doesn’t like the non-standard VIN so they make a few calls and tell me I need to have it inspected by a “trailer dealership” to look for evidence of any other VIN or other way to identify a former owner (?), and/or contact the manufacturer to find out who the original owner was. They tell me stolen trailers often have VIN tag removed and another (false) tag added, but “true” VIN may be engraved elsewhere.

Stolen, really? I bought a beat up old trailer for $100.

Fine. I sorta know a guy with a dealership, so I take it there, explain the situation. By this point I’d done some research, determined the age based on the serial number, determined that Wards stopped selling trailers in 1986 and went bankrupt in 2001 so any records of original owner are long gone.

So my dealer guy takes this info, does an “inspection” and writes me a letter confirming the info on the trailer is correct.

He also does me a solid and contacts another local MTO office where he knows someone, and discusses the situation with her to ensure his letter contains the needed info.

Then I show up to that MTO office, letter in hand (plus my affidavit) and get my papers and a license plate in about 10 minutes.

At several points along the way various people told me “just register it as home built” and no doubt that’s what previous owners did to avoid the hassle. Silly me trying to do this above board. What frustrated me the most was, first; that no other owner bothered to title it properly, second; that the first clerk made no reference to a need for an inspection, and third; the second clerk had no idea that VINs didn’t exist in their current format before 1980 and questioned the legality of my purchase. But if it’s truly so easy to register a “home built” trailer then wouldn’t I just go that route if it were stolen??

The moral of the story: buy a trailer with title, or make sure you know a guy who can smooth things over on your behalf.
 
Same here. In Indiana. If you call it home built and the popo doesn't object when they inspect it, it's simply a matter of submitting several forms and a pic of the trailer. Mine was actually home built as far as I know, but think this would work on most any trailer if somehow the VIN plate falls off or the number stamped into the frame gets filled in and painted over. Not that I'd do anything like that.......

What I'd like to know is how come there's so many damned boats and trailers around that don't have a title? I've never lost a title in my life. I also don't do crap to either until I get a title. A boat you can't put a motor on and a trailer that can't be plated is pretty much worthless. I buy when dirt cheap and so far haven't got burned, but it's a risk.
 
Here in VA, if the trailer has a VIN, you go through an Abandoned Vehicle Process. (AVP) They notify the last registered owner of record, and if they don't claim the trailer, you eventually get it. Takes about 30 days.

If no VIN can be found, then you can go through the home made trailer process. The police will come and carefully inspect the trailer. If there is any evidence of the VIN being removed, then you are rejected. Sometimes, they can find a "secret" VIN somewhere, and you can go the AVP route. Otherwise, if everything seems on the up and up, the officer signs off on it, and you go get your title.

What can be a pain is if you don't get an experienced officer or person at the DMV. I've had to ask for a supervisor on several occasions, because the clerk, who took their 2 hours of training, didn't know how to handle it.

The pain is usually worth it for me. I mainly look for ones with a VIN number, as that is MUCH easier to deal with, compared to the home made route. I just got title to a 24' dual axle trailer in mint condition for $300 from a junk removal service. GREAT place to find boats and trailers, by the way!
 
In VA it's almost impossible to get a trailer or boat registered with out a title per the Game Commision with all the red tape and paper work. With that being said it took me almost a year and a half before I actually found someone that actually had titles for both when purchasing them. It's crazy. Nobody had titles.
 

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