can't get trailer title transferred

boatman37

boatman37

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2015
4,241
pittsburgh
Boat Info
2006 Crownline 250CR. 5.7 Merc BIII
Previous: 1986 Sea Ray 250 Sundancer. 260 Merc Alpha 1 Gen 1
Engines
5.7 Merc BIII
bought my boat and trailer 2 years ago from a guy in Ohio (i'm in PA). Ohio doesn't issue titles for trailer so i have a bill of sale along with the origin or manufacture and the PO's registration. went to the local notary 2 years ago and transferred the boat but he said i didn't have the correct paperwork for the trailer. forgot about it until a few months ago and went to a different notary and they said i had everything but the bill of sale wasn't notarized so i needed the PO to go with me to get it notarized and to bring the trailer. PO was in FL for the winter but called him the other day and called the notary again today and confirmed they needed to see the trailer. they told me they needed to see the VIN tag and i told them there was no tag on the trailer so they told me they couldn't transfer it. called PA DOT and they told me i needed to fill out form MV41 and get a police officer to sign off then go to a PA enhanced inspection shop to have them verify the weights to put on the new title and trailer tag. that leads to my next issue, its a tri-axle trailer but only has brakes on 2 axles, in PA i think all axles are required to have brakes (didn't find this out until after i bought the boat). the origin of manufacture has the weights on it (shipping = 1500lbs, GVWR = 8000lbs, capacity = 9984lbs).

not sure of any other way around this? trailer is in great shape (built in 1986). it was custom ordered through Olympic Trailer in Hubbard, OH in 1986. tried finding them but the only Olympic Trailer i could find is in Washington state. ughhh. remind me to never buy an out of state trailer again.

rant over....lol
 
boatman, my suggestion is to take all the paperwork you have and go see the guys at the enhanced inspection station. You might want to call ahead to see if an appointment is needed. Sit down with them, explain all the things you have written above and beg them for their help.

I don't know about PA but in WA the people that work in those departments have all kinds of power. It's up to you to convince them you're not trying to do anything illegal, just trying to play by the book. Once you convince them of that they likely will be able to help you.

Good luck.
 
I had a similar experience many years ago, buying in New Hampshire and trying to register in Connecticut. The boat was no problem, but the trailer was a long beurocratic nightmare.

The work around for me was CT had me post a bond for the value of the trailer and get a DMV inspection. It took me two years and lots of visits/ phone calls, but it got done.
 
You will need to install brakes on the third axle, PA requires brakes on all axles. I agree about going to enhanced inspection station and see what they can do.
 
IF that doesn't work and IF you have relatives you can trust in another state that doesn't require all the hassle PA does, sell the trailer to them. Let them title it and register it for a year. Buy it from them with a title and bill of sale, and current registration.
 
Some states allow for the registration of "home built" trailers. I have been told that this is used as on option sometimes.

-Kevin
 
a home built title is basically what i would be doing. i have to fill out a state form and have a police officer come see the trailer (i guess to verify i didn't steal it) then i have to take it to a state enhanced inspection facility to have the weights verified (i have this info on the original manufacturers statement of origin). then i have to go to a notary and have everything sent to the DMV. my only concern with this is that i have been to the closest enhanced inspection station and they are tough. if you buy anything with a salvage title in PA it has to go through enhanced inspection to get re-titled. i bought a wrecked car from a guy that did the repairs and the enhanced inspection failed because the cruise control didn't work. hard to think he would let me through with brakes on only 2 axles. but i plan to go talk to him tomorrow and take my paperwork to see what he has to say. i spoke with the PO who bought the trailer new in 1986 and he confirmed that it never had a VIN tag on it. he custom ordered it
 
Brakes are the easiest thing to fix, just buy a set of drum or disk brakes and install on that axle and plumb in the brake lines and you're done.
 
SCORPIO said:
Brakes are the easiest thing to fix, just buy a set of drum or disk brakes and install on that axle and plumb in the brake lines and you're done.
Click to expand...
yeah, thought about that. wouldn't be too hard but not sure of the cost for something i only tow twice a year.
 
went to the enhanced inspection station today and it went well. i have the original manufacturers statement of origin from 1986 that is notarized so they were ok with using those weights. it didn't require a full inspection, only weight verification so they signed off on it. now have to have a police officer sign off then have the notary send everything in to the state. hopefully the rest goes
 
Why bother with any of this if you only tow twice a year?
 
glad to hear that things went better than you thought, If things change I've heard that Maine is the State to register trailers.
 
Good job on getting it inspected. See, those guys who do that for a living are very thorough bit if they believe you're not trying to pull a fast one they go easy on ya.
 
paulswagelock said:
Why bother with any of this if you only tow twice a year?
Click to expand...
the trailer is still in the previous owners name even though he signed a bill of sale. as far as Ohio knows he is still in possession of it. for liability reason i'm sure he would like it out of his name but also i need a license plate for it and can't get one without a title and without it registered in my name. the few times i have pulled it i grabbed a license plate off another trailer just to get from point A to point B. thats all well and good until i happen to encounter the police for whatever reason. i was stopped once years ago for a burned out light on my old car trailer and my plate was inside my truck because the bracket had broke off the trailer. i didn't get a ticket but had i had an illegal plate on there i'm sure i would have been in some trouble
 
Wow. here in Alabama, boats no titles. Trailers, no titles. no registration.
 
thought i had updated this thread but anyway...i was able to get it transferred. had to basically register it as a home built trailer. made it easier that i had the manufacturers statement of origin with the weights already on there. had to have the police sign off on the form then the notary sent everything in.
 
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