Registering my trailer pit

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riseabove50 USER_AVATAR
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Registering my trailer pit

Postby riseabove50 » Wed May 06, 2015 11:41 am

so after some correspondence with another member of this forum, I realized that I've had my pit for over a year and have yet to register it and put a tag on it. and I have no idea how to do so.

so any step by step guidance on this would be appreciated.

thanks.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby k.a.m. » Wed May 06, 2015 11:59 am

Go to the tax office where you register your vehicles, they will have all the info you need. I believe you now have to have a serial number stamped into the frame, also there is no such thing as a home made trailer now for cheaper pricing. It goes by trailer weight, so you either tell them the GVWR or have it weighed at a scale house.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby TxPlates » Wed May 06, 2015 7:25 pm

You'll need proof of weight from a weigh station.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby GRailsback » Thu May 07, 2015 7:54 am

I went to register mine not long after I bought it and they wanted to charge me sales tax on the total cost of the trailer. So i still haven't registered mine as well, and its been a little over a year since it was built. There was never any mention of how much the trailer weighed?
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby riseabove50 » Thu May 07, 2015 10:21 am

I can ask the builder. he should have an idea. I'm still in contact with him. has anyone ever heard of someone getting a ticket for not having a tagged trailer? how strict are the Po-po on this?
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby k.a.m. » Thu May 07, 2015 11:08 am

It really depends on the officer and situation. The bottom line is every trailer traveling on a Texas highway should have an up to date registration and proper lighting that is the law. I was ticketed once for pulling a trailer mounted air compressor with no plates.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



My Hybrid cooker.
Competition trailer #2.
dmproske
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby dmproske » Thu May 07, 2015 6:43 pm

If a trooper sees it they will stop you for sure. A vehicle or trailer going down the road with no tags at all on it draws suspicion to the police of it being stolen. With no tags we cant run it from our car to get the stolen hit, we have to do a traffic stop and investigate it. So actually a better chance of getting stopped with no tags. Never said crooks are smart. So yeah rolling down the road like that you will get stopped just a matter of when.

If your trailer pit has no vin or tags you stand very little chance of getting it back if it disappears. The vin and tag numbers are how vehicles, trailers, tractors ect are entered into state and national databases when they are stolen, the police report is attached to it with the recovery information when you make the stolen report.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby k.a.m. » Thu May 07, 2015 7:48 pm

dmproske wrote:If a trooper sees it they will stop you for sure. A vehicle or trailer going down the road with no tags at all on it draws suspicion to the police of it being stolen. With no tags we cant run it from our car to get the stolen hit, we have to do a traffic stop and investigate it. So actually a better chance of getting stopped with no tags. Never said crooks are smart. So yeah rolling down the road like that you will get stopped just a matter of when.

If your trailer pit has no vin or tags you stand very little chance of getting it back if it disappears. The vin and tag numbers are how vehicles, trailers, tractors ect are entered into state and national databases when they are stolen, the police report is attached to it with the recovery information when you make the stolen report.

Solid advice dmproske. Thanks for posting. :D
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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grailsback USER_AVATAR
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby GRailsback » Fri May 08, 2015 8:12 am

I am pretty sure that most everyone is in agreement that a trailer pit needs to be licensed and tagged as any other trailer would be. But the question still remains is, does the state go buy the total cost of the trailer and charge you sales tax on it to title and license it, or do they go by weight. When I went to get mine titled, they wanted to charge me sales tax on the cost of the trailer pit. And it was going to take the manufacturer to sign a State supplied form as to the accuracy of the cost.

I was also provided with some forms by my manufacturer that said the State isn't supposed to charge sales tax on a BBQ trailer. But that wasn't the case when I went to title it.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby k.a.m. » Fri May 08, 2015 10:51 am

I would imagine just like boats and other recreational stuff a new cooker is taxed with the luxury tax when registered.
I built my trailer and cooker so mine was weight specific.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



My Hybrid cooker.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby GRailsback » Fri May 08, 2015 11:58 am

I'm afraid that may be the case. And its not so much about the amount of money on the sales tax. When you spend the kind of money I did to have mine built the sales tax is a drop in the bucket. But it sure did rub me the wrong way after being supplied with some documentation stating that BBQ pits weren't supposed to be charged sales tax by the state. I am offshore right now but maybe after I get home I will scan that paper work and post it.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby bsooner75 » Fri May 08, 2015 12:45 pm

Maybe I'm not understanding completely but are you saying you paid sales tax at time of purchase then paid the tax again at registration?


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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby GRailsback » Fri May 08, 2015 12:54 pm

Yes, that is what I am saying. Just like K.A.M mentioned on the luxury tax. There was never any discussion as far as what it weighed. I haven't paid it yet, but I don't think there is anyway around it. I am going to go to a different location from the first one I went to. The next location I am going to go to is close to the manufacturer. I bought and put a plate on it that says TEXAS on it for now and haven't been bothered. Now when I bought my motorhome used and went to get it titled in my name it went by weight.
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby Markw142 » Fri May 08, 2015 12:59 pm

Interesting, One of the last cook-offs I did, a guy on another team said that he didn't have to register his trailer and that if you go in to the assessor's office they will charge you, unless you ask about it, he said that they changed it so that BBQ trailers weren't lumped in with utility trailers anymore or something....so far I've still paid for my tags and kept them handy on the drives to comps, but don't like to put the tags on the trailer because in my area, they seem to disappear every time a lawn service sees it. I have passed several State troopers that way and never been pulled over (I pass a DPS station on my way home every day)....odd that someone would tell me that and it not be true... I can't find anything to back it up on the DMV web sites so he may have been pulling my leg or something...who knows
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Re: Registering my trailer pit

Postby GRailsback » Fri May 08, 2015 1:20 pm

It has been nothing short of confusing for sure. But at some point I will finally get the rules figured out and get it titled and get a set of real plates put on it. Not sure if there will be a penalty for waiting this long to do it or not.

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