Do I need to license a portable sawmill as a trailer. Plan to tow it home from Georgia and between NC and NY?
I would suggest using the search bar for it and see what you come up with.
From what I've read here it seems every state is different.
Possibly others will chime in with some experience.
I towed my mill for years doing jobs in the state with no license plate. I've heard I didn't need one but I didn't ask and was never stopped.
Bob
When I bought my mill at NC WM I was told that I did not need a tag in NC. A trooper passed me on my way home and slowed down to check it out. I was afraid he was looking for a tag but after a few minutes he pulled up beside me and gave me a big thumbs up. 8)I guess he was just admiring the shiny orange! I was relieved and have not had any other issues. That's all I know about it. Brian
There are state and federal laws. Whether you need to comply to make it home without getting caught is a separate question.
I would guess insofar as registration of the mill is concerned, you would be OK if you're obeying the laws of the state which your driver's license is issued from. If you post that, you might get more information from people in your state.
Federal law (FMCSA, "USDOT") requires a USDOT number if you cross state lines AND you have a combined GVWR of 10001 pounds or more (truck + mill), AND the purpose of that trip is commerce (business). My understanding is that if you are stopped for USDOT or state DOT registration or supposed infractions and you can say "I am not in commerce" (meaning at that point), you should be OK (that is if the officer believes you. Getting a USDOT number is easy and free, but complying with and understanding the rules are not.
Your state may adopt the federal rules exactly or all of them but have a higher weight limit than 10001 pounds before they are in force. Again these only apply to commerce.
It goes without saying that you need operating lights, brakes, safety chains on the sawmill and it should not be used to transport anything else.
My state requires plates on mostly everything.
With that said, i drove a chipper with no plate from nebraska back home to ct with no issue. (20 hours)
In NC, from my interpretation of the law, sawmills are not required to be registered. They fall under the following exemption:
ยง 20-51. Exempt from registration.
The following shall be exempt from the requirement of registration and certificate of title:
Any implement of husbandry, farm tractor, road construction or maintenance
machinery or other vehicle which is not self-propelled that was designed for use in
work off the highway and which is operated on the highway for the purpose of going
to and from such nonhighway projects.
Lucky guys in NC. Also the NCDOT rule I believe is up to 26000# GVWR combined doesn't need USDOTNC #. Nice state. 8)
Every state has it's own laws. For transporting a new sawmill, your Certificate of Origin/Bill of Sale should be all that is needed until you reach home.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, locked88.
No tag required in New York, lights are required, brakes are required on mills over 3,000 pounds!
The weight limit usually points toward hydraulic mills!
Quote from: taylorsmissbeehaven on February 11, 2016, 07:30:10 AM
When I bought my mill at NC WM I was told that I did not need a tag in NC. A trooper passed me on my way home and slowed down to check it out.
That's almost the exact same thing that happened to me on the way home from North Carolina Woodmizer when i towed my LT35 home. I mean he was on my bumper for miles, and then when I pulled off to get fuel he waved. Probably has dreams of a mill of his own one day.
In NH I have a construction plate on mine.
Hello,
You will be ok with out a license in Virginia and Pennsylvania. I have also been in NY with out a plate. Not sure what the law is in NY. As long as you do not use the bed as a trailer. Always have the fenders on, lights and brakes in operation.
Hope this helps.
Marty
In Michigan we haul chippers, stumpers and "equipment with wheels" No plate. However a Vermeer self propelled stumper on a purpose built small "T" trailer, trailer needs a plate. Michigan is super cool about what you can roll down the road so that is nice.
In Washington State I use a slow moving farm vehicle decal. I've been stopped for a safety check. Lack of a plate was not an issue as I was going from one farm to another within a 25 mile radius of home.
Quote from: Peter Drouin on February 11, 2016, 06:23:25 PM
In NH I have a construction plate on mine.
Ditto.
Anything classified above the 10k GVWR for "profit use", also requires a DOT physical card and possibly a CDL-B or CDL-A. At least this is true in New Hampshire per the NHDOT representative in Concord.
The DMV told me that I didn't need a plate on a mill or log splitter, but it must meet all safety requirements for it's weight in NY. If it is used comercially and the combo is over 10k lbs combined GVW there are DOT requirements. I don't know about the states that you are traveling through, but there are lists of trailer rules that I think are available online. :)
Quote from: 21incher on February 15, 2016, 08:43:25 AM
The DMV told me that I didn't need a plate on a mill or log splitter, but it must meet all safety requirements for it's weight in NY. If it is used commercially and the combo is over 10k lbs combined GVW there are DOT requirements. I don't know about the states that you are traveling through, but there are lists of trailer rules that I think are available online. :)
Generally, for private use the laws to obey most are the laws of your home state. How can one be expected to be an expert in the laws of all of states through which they are travelling? I have found this true in my travels with various vehicles, items in tow, and law enforcement officials. Just keep in mind there is safety (eg., lights for night travels) and then there is the rest of the stuff (eg., license plate or no). Is it 'safer' to have working lights on the trailer or not? Is it 'safer' to have a license plate on the trailer? I think you get the drift.
Hey everyone - thanks for all the great feedback. going to contact state dmv and see what pa rules are - then start getting it ready to move!
Suggest you call Woodmizer, Shade gap Pennsylvania They would probably know what the situation is.
They probably know since they operate there but for everyone I always suggest calling your state DMV, no matter where you live. Mine told me no plate was needed as it was a piece of mobile equipment, not a trailer. I've never had a trooper, deputy or city policeman stop me to challenge that.
In NYS you can haul the sawmill without a plate, if the sawmill is attached permanently to the trailer so they are one unit, as in a mill made with a trailer as a unit. However if you load anything onto the mill, it needs a plate. The same as with towable compressors, cement mixers and such.
I don't know about any other jurisdictions.
In PA I would trust Marty over the DMV for the correct answer. If they don't deal with it daily good luck getting the info.
Does a WM mill come with a title?
If not, I don't know how you'd get a plate for it from the DMV.
When I bought an out of state truck last year, I called the county tag office, and asked about a temporary plate to get the truck home. I was told no. Asked how to get the thing home and they said "call Colorado". Asked my neighbor who is a state trooper, he said just have my paper work in the truck in case I get stopped. He said I have a right to get the thing home. Drove half way across Colorado, and more than half way across Kansas with no tag, nobody bothered me. Did start insurance on it before I left on the way to get it.
The insurance is an interesting point. If you are buying the mill for personal use your vehicle insurance may provide partial or complete coverage as it would a boat or camper or such but if it is for business it may not cover it. It is sure worth checking into. I had WM deliver mine so that was not an issue for me.
Quote from: D6c on September 11, 2021, 09:12:16 PM
Does a WM mill come with a title?
If not, I don't know how you'd get a plate for it from the DMV.
Yes they do.
Quote from: D6c on September 11, 2021, 09:12:16 PM
Does a WM mill come with a title?
If not, I don't know how you'd get a plate for it from the DMV.
I think you'll find that the title is a state document. Not one from Woodmizer. My sawmills have come with a sales receipt and a certificate of origin from the manufacturer. Same as boat, boat trailer, and trucks that I have bought. I apply for a title with the state DMV, submitting the manufactures certificate of origin. The state then sends me a title.In my state anyway.
When I bought my new Polaris Ranger, got a certificate, and the company urged me to get a title, so the state has your VIN, and if it is stolen, they will know if someone happens to order parts using the serial number. Should be the same with trailers. Someone stole a baler from a farm where they were to have an auction, and it was recovered from the JD dealer putting the serial number in to check for parts.
I received an Indiana title with my 70.
I agree with DJ, the document I got with my mill says "CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN FOR A VEHICLE" across the top!
All of the pertinent information is printed on it!
Quote from: Southside on September 12, 2021, 09:09:47 AM
I received an Indiana title with my 70.
I suppose if a mill had been titled previously then one would receive that title with it assigned to him on the back, and use that apply to his state for a new title in his name.
Quote from: Southside on September 11, 2021, 11:33:41 PM
Quote from: D6c on September 11, 2021, 09:12:16 PM
Does a WM mill come with a title?
If not, I don't know how you'd get a plate for it from the DMV.
Yes they do.
I wonder if my '87 LT40 had a certificate of origin when my dad bought it. I'm sure he never applied for a title.
The title was for the "trailer" portion of the mill, states the weight rating and all. Here it's considered special mobile equipment and no plate required so I just tossed in into the filing cabinet.
Quote from: Southside on September 12, 2021, 10:17:37 AM
The title was for the "trailer" portion of the mill, states the weight rating and all. Here it's considered special mobile equipment and no plate required so I just tossed in into the filing cabinet.
We have special mobile equipment class also but it revers to the cargo, such as heavy equipment. The cargo weight isn't included in the registration tonage.
The trailer still has a registration.
I'm guessing I would be required to plate it. (Iowa)