Trailer plates for WI

srt20

srt20

Active member
snobuilder said:
I think it would come down to the discretion of the officer if you got pulled over. It would be legal to pull around an empty trailer weighing 2999.9 #'s in WI without plates and you'd likely never get hassled with an enclosed trailer.....at least I never did with my old enclosed 4 place.
Overall it doesn't seem to be a priority to check "recreational" trailer weights on WI highways. I don't notice many loaded open 4 place trailers with plates and same goes for big boat haulers, atvs etc.
I did reg. my 23' inline because I figured I was pushing my luck if I didn't.
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An empty trailer weighing 2999# will have a GVWR over 3000. Therefore it must be registered, legally.
Again, the actual weight of the trailer means nothing. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is what matters in this thread.

Yes I agree, it's not really a priority. But if you get a cop that's in a bad mood and you get lippy, you might be in for some extra tickets.

I personally don't care who registers what. Just trying to rely the "law" I pulled a race car trailer for years without plates. Til I got caught. Then I just registered it one year, and after that I "bent the plate pulling in a steep driveway" so the sticker at bottom couldn't be seen without getting up close to it. Hey I was like 22 or something.
 
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snobinge

Member
In WI you will probably not have an issue with a trailer not being register that has GVWR over 3k. The reason we register ours is for the trips out west. Once you leave WI the law is a lot more interested in trailer registration.
 
eagle1

eagle1

Well-known member
srt20 said:
You can have a trailer that weighs whatever weight you can think of. But if the GVWR as set from the manufacturer is over 3000, it legally has to be registered in Wi
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I don't see how GVWR has anything to do with plates. Trailer with high GVRW rating can still be operated under 3,000#.
My trailer is 2200# GVRW is 7,000# I can load 800# and still not need plates. Or am I understanding this wrong?


From DMV site.
Gross weight trailers
​A title and registration is required for trailers operated over 3,000 pounds. A title and registration is not required for trailers operated at or less than 3,000 pounds gross weight unless used for hire or rental. Title and registration is encouraged for these vehicles that will be used on roads outside the state of Wisconsin, as other states' registration laws may be different.
 
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snobuilder

Well-known member
Right..... post #12 is the actual check box on the WI DOT vehicle reg. form. It never mentions GVWR. Key phrase is "operating" 3000# or over.
An empty trailer weighing 2999# is under 3K no matter what the GVRW is....No?
 
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snobinge

Member
Technically I believe the answer is yes if boat/trailer/gear/etc. is over 3k. Good news is if you stay local to WI you won't get bothered with a boat...I never have.
 
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