I read through all of the steps to licensing a homemade trailer here in MI. Apparently it must be inspected by a police officer, get it weighed, take everything down to the DMV and then they will have another department call you. That is the department that re-inspects it and then affixes the vin. I guess it can be a month or more before that department can come do the inspection.
Here's the problem, I was originally going to get it registered prior to putting the saw on the trailer to avoid any trouble. I was just going to consider that its load. But I really need to get this assembled on there before the second inspection would likely be. My question is, have any of you had any trouble registering a trailer with the saw on it?
Can you not register it a a home built utility trailer?
If you are using this to create a permanently mobile sawmill, and that is all it is used for, you don't need a plate.
Is it this assembly that you are asking about registering?
Appears it really is not a trailer, but a portable sawmill including the wheels.
Take a pic to a police officer and ask, likely the answer will be just what Jeff said. ;)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25819/IMG_6128.JPG)
This isn't in MI, but similar situation.
I got the run around from DMV when I built mine (very similar to the one posted above).
State Trooper pulled me over and told me that I needed a registration.
Went to DMV. They told me that they didn't have a classification for a "portable sawmill". No registration needed.
Got pulled over by the same Trooper (not happy). I told him what DMV said, he wrote me a citation.
Went back to DMV, same story. But they wouldn't put it in writing.
Went to court, the judge said that I shouldn't need a registration for a piece of equipment.
I lost at least a full day's work messing with all this, and $38.00 court cost. ???
Wonder why even if you're not wrong you still have to pay court cost? Maybe if the officer writing the citation had to pay the court cost out of his pocket this wouldn't happen very often. :D
Andy
What Jeff said. In many states portable mills are considered farm equipment and do not require registration or tags. Look into that angle.
I'd tell the story of trying to register my Turner mill here in the Peoples Republic of Stupid, but I'm in a good mood now, and I'd like to stay that way. ;)
WOW, thats cool!!! 8) That makes things a lot easier and cheaper ;D I've got some new pictures of it after paint that I will upload later. Thanks for the help!
hey timberline , all you have to do is take the trailer and get it weighed and get the weight slip and take it to sec of state tell them it a homemade trailer and they will ask you about how much its worth and then they will give you a permenant plate for 75 $ plus tax and misc not sure exactly , there are 3 trailer plates they go by weight progressively going up in price 75 to 300 i think for heavy trailer like semi , most scrap yards have drive on scales , it s very easy to get a mich perm plate ,
jim
oh i forgot to tell you too ,, you dont have to have it inspected by anybody no dot or police or nobody ,, i know , i buy ,sell and build trailers as my 3 job ,in my spare time i dont have
jim
Not in Mich myself but I believe what a few are saying is correct for there as it is for Ohio. On a "Specific Built Equipment Trailer" I.E. (trailer that is part of a piece of equipment to move it from one location to another does not require a tag/plates.) We bought one of the small HF trailers and welded it up for a Portable Welder Trailer. It does not require Tags because the "welder" is attached to the "Trailer" just as if the "Saw-Head" is attached to YOUR trailer. Things like a Boat Trailer however the boat is detachable and other boats or materials can be added so it (boat trailer) is not covered like equipment that is only used for one item that remains on the trailer.
Mark
In NY it is considered farm equipment and doesn't need to be registered. Same thing applies to wood chippers and other farm equipment. It does need running lights though. Many police officers do not know the law and cannot be relied on for accurate information. I've known police try to write a ticket for no license plate on a wood chipper. A friend of mine recently got a ticket for no license plate light on his wood chipper which doesn't require a registration in NY, no license plate to be illuminated. He has to go to court to get it dismissed and it will cost him time and money.
This DOT cop just pulled him over and said his lights on the chipper weren't working. He checks them every morning at hook up. When asking the cop to verify, the lights were working fine and the cop said the problem must have self corrected.
Ok, rant over.
As already been mentioned in Ohio it's just a piece of equipment like a welder ,morter mixer etc .
It it were a trailer all that's needed is a weight slip ,no title .
W. Virginia DMV asked me if my mill has a VIN, it does not, so no need (or way) to register my mill. It is a piece of equipment, not a trailer...
In the great white north, Ontario. The WM did not need registering because if the sawhead/equipment is removed and it cannot be turned into a trailer no registration needed. A generator bolted to a flat trailer would need a registration as it can be used as such when the generstor is removed.
I agree with Jim. I have built several utility trailers here in MI. Take a picture, get it weighted and go to the Sect of State. They charge you for the tag on its weight. Good luck.
Does anyone know about hauling a Woodmizer in the state of Maine? I move the LT30 mill once a year from my home to a woodlot about 20 miles away. I like the sound of the farm equipment exemption for registration. I also noticed that WM does not provide a place to hang a license plate but the single rear brake light does function.
GDinMaine has one on the road. Send him a pm,he might not see this.
Quote from: thecfarm on November 01, 2013, 07:57:46 PM
GDinMaine has one on the road. Send him a pm,he might not see this.
Thanks...I'll do that.
In Pa. it is my understanding that you can put an SMV plackard on the back and travel 35 mph and you are legal. I do however use stop and turn signals on my mill.
in Michigan, sawmills arel like Well drilling rigs. They are primarily machines that have to go places. They can't fly so they can have the convenience of having wheels attached. My WoodMizer LT10 has been retrofitted to a an old steel boat trailer. I called Lansing Secretary Of State to confirm these facts that I ALREADY knew. BTW, If you do the same by asking someone from Lansing SOS they are going to hate to agree to these facts. I think they are afraid to verify this information due to the lack of income for the state.
rimshot
Unless they changed the law in PA, you can get a ticket for going over 25 mph with a SMV triangle.
Here is the regulation: All farm machinery and implements of husbandry including all road construction and maintenance machinery designed to operate at 25 miles per hour or less, traveling on a public highway day or night shall display, on the rear of the vehicle, a slow-moving vehicle reflective emblem as specified in subsection (a) of the act. The emblem shall be positioned as near as practicable to the center of the machinery.
Quote from: eric3793 on November 01, 2013, 07:50:10 PM
Does anyone know about hauling a Woodmizer in the state of Maine? I move the LT30 mill once a year from my home to a woodlot about 20 miles away. I like the sound of the farm equipment exemption for registration. I also noticed that WM does not provide a place to hang a license plate but the single rear brake light does function.
When I registered my mill I was given an EQUIPMENT plate. As far as I know if the break/turn signal lights of the tow vehicle are visible while towing, the trailer does not have to have functional lights in Maine. I do like to have lights tho. If you only move the mill once a year I understand your hesitation. To me, it was the first thing I did, so I can roll down the road in a legal and safe fashion.
This all varies from state to state, but there are some gottcha's. I got caught by one. When I retired, the first major project was to build me a 16 ft 2 axle dump bed trailer. two cut down mobile home axles and a bunch of steel later it was all done. visit DMV, assigned serial number,registration and tag, and I'm all set. Except no title. Mississippi does not title home-made trailers. Not a problem until I move to Louisiana. Can't register trailer in Louisiana without a valid title. Went round and round between the two DMVs to no avail. Finally a savy old state trooper solved the problem. Tell Mississippi the trailer has been scrapped, then dis-assemble it. RE-assemble with a few minor changes that I needed anyway, then jump through all the Louisiana hoops to register a home made trailer, complete with title, registration, and a permanent tag. $40...
DanG bureaucrats are the same the world over...
i met the driver at 7:30 about 1 hour away to get my new ezboardwalk 40 tuesday morning. the driver drove all night from mo. they was no lights except a blinking light on the rear. he pulled that off and i asked him if i needed lights. he said no. i pulled it home about a hour away at highway speed.
Hey Diesel Pap, where are you at in WV?
Based on this thread and several "other sources" of information. I was hoping to not have to register and get a plate for the mill. So I decided to contact the NH DMV. She para-phrased the regs and then pointed me to them online.
In New Hampshire, if it has wheels on the road, it MUST be registered, MUST have a license plate, and MUST have brake lights, turn signals, and marker lights.
There are no caveats or if-ands-or-buts (like being able to see the tow vehicle lights or plate). For items that do not have a VIN (like log splitters), they must undergo the homemade trailer policy and get one assigned. Obviously the way around that would be to load the splitter onto a trailer that has a plate already.
Furthermore, if it is 3,001+ pounds and newer than 15 years it MUST have a title. Do the saw mill manufacturers provide titles at the time of purchase for the larger mills ie., Woodmizer LT30 and larger?
If it is more than 15 years old, you need a title, previous registration, or VIN Verification in order to register the 'towable item'.
any luck licensing that sawmill trailer in MI? just register it in maine as a homemade trailer. google maine homemade trailer form, fill it out and send it in. I have all my trailers(7) registered in maine. no need for a title if the dry weight is less than 3000lbs. weigh the trailer, and get a plate in about 7 days. you can go thru a licensing agency or just go straight thru the motor vehicle bureau. $22 per year, or about $90 for semi permanent 5 year tag. its all very easy and you won't get pulled over. good luck
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, guidermd66.
You mention MI (Michigan) and then discussed registering in ME (Maine)??
Adding your location to your profile helps us with questions/statements. ???
Magicman
People bend the rules and register their trailers in maine because of the lower registration fees and no inspections are required . As a result NYS DOT started a commercial vehicle inspection program especially to catch those semi trailers. They may not need annual inspection, but the safety equipment ( brakes /lights /and weight loads ) better be right or you get a BIG fine. My brother used to have his trailers registered their, but when questions like whether his insurance company would stand be hind him if he had an accident with out of state trailer plates he decided it might not be worth the risk. Each of us has to decide just how much risk we are willing to take.
Quote from: Magicman on February 10, 2015, 02:50:12 PM
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, guidermd66.
You mention MI (Michigan) and then discussed registering in ME (Maine)??
Adding your location to your profile helps us with questions/statements. ???
Lots of people (and businesses) from other states will register their trailers in the state of Maine.
I have had a 6x12 trailer registered in Maine for about the last 15 years, never a problem.
Cost $75.00 for 5 years, but I still have to comply with the rules here in NY, safety chains, lights, etc.
Portable sawmill trailers do not have to be licensed in Michigan. I didn't look back to the beginning of this topic, but thought we covered that.
I have heard that about box trailers in Maine too.
Just a point of clarification - manufacturers can not provide a "title" for a new vehicle/trailer/etc. Titles are state-specific. New vehicles/trailers/mills should come with a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, although for items not commonly registered you might have to ask for it.
If there is a Certificate of Origin, the state will take that and issue a title and/or registration specific to a certain owner, address and state. If there is no certificate of origin (used, untitled, homebuilt, etc.) some states will still issue a title but only after some hoop-jumping on the part of the person seeking the title.