Trailer license plate questions

[hornadylnl]

I have a 20' heavy duty flat bed trailer. I just got the plate renewal in the mail and it's $139.75 for a year. This trailer will be lucky to see 200 miles in the next year. If I decide to let the plates expire until I need it, will they charge me a penalty?

I've considered getting rid of it anyway. It came with my tractor package and I needed it to transport my tractor while my new house was being built. If I don't have the trailer, I don't have to worry about others wanting to borrow it or my tractor. $140 is absolutely freakin ridiculous for a trailer that will sit 360 days a year. I'm thinking I can rent one for cheaper. Why are trailer plates so high?

 

[Stschil]

I have a 20' heavy duty flat bed trailer. I just got the plate renewal in the mail and it's $139.75 for a year. This trailer will be lucky to see 200 miles in the next year. If I decide to let the plates expire until I need it, will they charge me a penalty?

I've considered getting rid of it anyway. It came with my tractor package and I needed it to transport my tractor while my new house was being built. If I don't have the trailer, I don't have to worry about others wanting to borrow it or my tractor. $140 is absolutely freakin ridiculous for a trailer that will sit 360 days a year. I'm thinking I can rent one for cheaper. Why are trailer plates so high?

Pitch a two man tent on it, take a picture and call it a home made camper.
My Coleman pop-up tags are only about 30 bucks a year.

 

[hornadylnl]

Pitch a two man tent on it, take a picture and call it a home made camper.
My Coleman pop-up tags are only about 30 bucks a year.

I've got a 14' enclosed cargo trailer as well. Iirc, the plates for it are about $80 a year. I get far more use out of it so I plan on keeping it. I don't know how the state thinks they're going to gain revenue by pricing these plates so high that I let them expire or sell the trailer. It'll probably go on craigslist in thenext month or so. That'll free up some real estate in my barn as well.

 

[Dogman]

Maybe cause yours is new , I've got a 20' trailer that I bought for my tractor that the plates are only $24.75 a year. I don't think I ever paid more than $50.00 for plates. I move mine around getting it out of the way more that I use it, but it's paid off and the plates are cheap.
You might call and ask about the BMV rechecking what they are charging you.

Sound almost like they are figuring the cost of the tractor into what they are charging you for plates.

 

[hornadylnl]

It's a 2005 Load Trail. I believe it's rated for 12 or 14,000#. I register it for 12,000# Andi think that's where I'm getting screwed. The state plate fee is $79.75. County excise is $35 and a $25 wheel tax. Yet a farmer can drive his 60,000 tractor on the roads with no plates.

 

[Dogman]

It's a 2005 Load Trail. I believe it's rated for 12 or 14,000#. I register it for 12,000# Andi think that's where I'm getting screwed. The state plate fee is $79.75. County excise is $35 and a $25 wheel tax. Yet a farmer can drive his 60,000 tractor on the roads with no plates.

Yeah, that'll be the reason, I've got mine only registered for 7000 lbs.

 

[hornadylnl]

Probably the most weight I've had on it was 60 rr ties. My tractor with loader and backhoe probably only weighs 7-8000#. Do they make you plate it at what the trailer is rated for?

 

[Dogman]

Probably the most weight I've had on it was 60 rr ties. My tractor with loader and backhoe probably only weighs 7-8000#. Do they make you plate it at what the trailer is rated for?

Don't know, I had mine made and the lady asked me how much it could hold so I just told her what I wanted, but this was 13-14 years ago that I bought mine. I think my tractor weights in at around 3800 lbs without the front scoop and the most weight I've had on it is when I go get mulch in the spring. Couldn't hurt to call and ask about getting the weight changed.

 

[jclark]

Probably the most weight I've had on it was 60 rr ties. My tractor with loader and backhoe probably only weighs 7-8000#. Do they make you plate it at what the trailer is rated for?

Yes.

 

[femurphy77]

I don't know if it's so much that it has to be tagged at the trailers rating but don't ever get stopped and weighed by D.O.T. with more weight on it than the trailer is tagged for. And yes they will charge a late fee but it's only $5.00 in my experience.

 

[CountryBoy19]

It's a 2005 Load Trail. I believe it's rated for 12 or 14,000#. I register it for 12,000# Andi think that's where I'm getting screwed. The state plate fee is $79.75. County excise is $35 and a $25 wheel tax. Yet a farmer can drive his 60,000 tractor on the roads with no plates.

Without side-tracking the thread I'll just say that the tractor example is apples to oranges and no comparison.

Also, did you ever consider the farmer that hauls grain with a semi? He uses that semi a couple months out of the year, but he still pays for the plates as if the truck is being used every day of the year. Do you know how much semi plates are? My dad spends over $5,000 a year just in plates to put 2 semis on the road for farm use. He uses them only a couple months out of the year, mostly driving no more than 10 miles from home with it. He pays the exact same price as the guy next door that has a $100,000 semi and drives 100k miles a year on it.

I know it's frustrating, but unfortunately it's just the way things work. The cost of your plates are likely due to the fact that it's a newish flat-bed, with a higher load capacity.

 

[1$Chuck]

Probably the most weight I've had on it was 60 rr ties. My tractor with loader and backhoe probably only weighs 7-8000#. Do they make you plate it at what the trailer is rated for?

You don't have to plate it for the full weight capacity of the trailer, but you have to have plates for the weight your going to carry + the trailer. Have the license branch quote you some 9K plates. Also, if you can get them you might want to go with farm tags.

 

[Plinker]

If I recall correctly, you won't be penalized by the BMV for a late registration renewal, but you will have to pay for any prior years that you didn't renew. For example, if you do not renew your trailer plate this year, but decide next year to renew, you will have to pay for the year you didn't renew as well as the year you are renewing. Make sense?

 

[eldirector]

You don't have to plate it for the full weight capacity of the trailer, but you have to have plates for the weight your going to carry + the trailer. Have the license branch quote you some 9K plates. Also, if you can get them you might want to go with farm tags.

+1 - I have 9K plates on my 7K trailer (they don't make 7K plates, and 5K is too light for me). You can register it for pretty much any weight you want. Lots of folks "de-rate" down to what they will actually haul (plus the weight of the trailer). Don't carry over the registered weight, though. That can be an expensive ticket.

 

[indyjoe]

I have a trailer I bought new for $250. Just a low weight 4x8. They want over $50 a year to register the thing. I have driven it 16 miles. Hasn't driven on the road in a year and a half. It cost the same amount as my 1996 Maxima, that has driven 10k miles in that time. Just a freakin' rip off.

 

[6birds]

All my trailers are "owned" my my brother in WI, no plates need for the little trailers.

 

[femurphy77]

I was surprised when I moved here from Oklahoma that it was even required to plate a trailer. Down in Okie land you only plate a trailer if it is used for commercial purposes. Counting the boat and jetskis I had 4 trailers, man was I in for a surprise when I first came up here. I now have 10 registrations to pay each year, there's your ripoff! Oh and "renting" school books. Talk about culture shock when I moved up here amongst all yall Yankees!

 

[indyjoe]

All trailers in Indiana also are required to have a hand rail on them.













So you can have something to hold onto while you bend over to get reamed.

 

[Woo]

I am pretty sure the enclosed trailer plates fit on the flat bed trailer.......if you know what I am saying!


Just sayin.................... hahaha

 

[jeremy]

I do know a group of People that "sell" a trailer between themselves when one needs to have plates on it...