I looked all over this forum and could not find an answer as well as on the DMV site. Anyway I am picking up a trailer (M1101) and will be towing it back to PA. Do I need any special plates or paperwork for Pennsylvania? The trip will be a couple hundred miles and don't want to get hassled by the police. I was going to tow it back on my other trailer but it would be easier to just tow it home with my truck.
Pennsylvania law requires any vehicle operated on public highway (highway is defined as essentially any street) to be registered, with some exemptions. The statute is here:
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/vehicle_code/chapter13.pdf If a vehicle must be registered, it has to have plates.
There are many exemptions to vehicle registration, which are listed in Section 1302. Whether a small utility trailer falls within the list is not clear cut. The best argument for exemption of a trailer is under #11 of Section 1302, which says,
(11) Any trailer or semitrailer, including but not limited to non-self propelled special mobile equipment and amusement rides constructed as an integral part of the trailer chassis to create a single unit, to be used primarily for off highway use and only operated incidentally upon the highway.
Note the mobile equipment/amusement ride language is not requirement, just an example. So if your trailer is to be used primarily for off highway use (off road), and is being incidentally used on the road for ferrying it from location purchased to location of use (off road), it's exempt. There is also an exemption for military vehicle (#13), but it has to be used within 1 mile of the property owned by you... There is also an exemption for a trailer under 3,000 pounds GVWR, provided it has a portable traffic control signal. Assuming GVWR of M1101 is under 3,000 lbs (I am too lazy to look), just put a few traffic cones and arguably you are exempt.
Note that PA regs do NOT require a trailer to be inspected that is under 3,000 lbs GVWR. This is another exemption/safe harbor when you get pulled over. See
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/pub_45/SubchapterG.pdf
Finally, I think, but not 100% certain, that you have at least 24 hours to TRANSFER a registration from one vehicle you own and that is registered in PA to another that you just purchased. So... you can take the registration and plate with you from the trailer you already own and if all else fails, tell LEO that you intend to transfer it to the one you are hauling.
I think that unless you do something stupid or the trailer is visibly unsafe looking, you should be alright with above precautions. Good luck.
