Question on "trailer Inspection" and Farm Tags

[ranchdog]

I was stopped by a sheriff who was a License & Weight officer coming back from my deer lease having just finished planting our fall food plots because I had a tail light out on the trailer. Ok, I get the tail light thing. Then he issued me two citations for misuse of Farm Tags on trailer and "No inspection sticker on trailer" ? Huh?

I have never heard of an inspection sticker needed for a 14 foot plain ole trailer. He said you have to have one over 4500 lb trailer. The one I used is a two axel 7000 lb trailer. I borrowed the trailer from a friend of mine who has a farm so I could hall my planting supplies. I have pictures of the food plots, planting seeds, protein, and all the supplies I used.

We are an MLD property and the landowner has a wildlife exemption so we have to do wildlife projects for her to keep that. I plan to fight these citations.

Anyone know about this inspection sticker? And about Farm tags. All I could find was this link. If it has farm tags it is exempt from inspection according to this link at TXDPS. This is a small 14 ft trailer like all of us use.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/lw/cmvlaw/registration/Farm.asp

Thanks for anyhelp on this,

Ranchdog

[bwssr]

over 4500#..yep, you can get it inspected at one of the big trailer places.
The farm tag will be issued in X county, you had it for other reasons, so he is right....he most have had a bad day....

[tgil]

The way I read it, it sounds like the trailer should probably stay within the county it is registered to not be suspect. Take your pictures and any other documents to the JP or what ever court has jurisdiction and see what they might do for you? The worst that can happen is yo still have to pay the same amount as if you just sent it in. You might get lucky and get a break if you show up and plead your case.

[ranchdog]

The way I read it, it sounds like the trailer should probably stay within the county it is registered to not be suspect. Take your pictures and any other documents to the JP or what ever court has jurisdiction and see what they might do for you? The worst that can happen is yo still have to pay the same amount as if you just sent it in. You might get lucky and get a break if you show up and plead your case.

Yeah, that is what I was thinking. I mean I am not trying to cheat, I was using it for what I thought was farm stuff. I just have not heard of this trailer inspection thing, funny no one has mentioned it on here before.

[Nate Riley]

The rules on farm tags both on trucks and trailers are pretty cut and dry and limited. I know that "recreational use" is not included, we have been pulled over going to a ranch rodeo. Even though we use the trailer 90 percent for qualifying uses, the trooper still gave us a hard time and a warning ticket. I think planting food plots would be probably be considered recreational.

I don't think staying in your county is a requirement either. You just have to be carrying farm products or livestock from the farm to the market or visa versa.

Here are the rules:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/lw/cmvlaw/registration/Farm.asp

[Miki]

I never herd this eather. I have a big horse trailer its not inspected. I have a 16 ft trailer hell it might be 20 ft. If I had a tractor on it would be over the limmit too.

[Jaspro]

FARM TRAILER
An owner is not required to register a farm trailer or farm semitrailer that has a gross weight of 4,000 pounds or less. A vehicle owner my obtain a "FARM TRAILER" license plate for a farm trailer or farm semitrailer with a gross of more than 4,000 pounds but not more than 34,000 pounds. The fee for a "FARM TRAILER" license plate is $5.00 per year. A farm trailer or farm semitrailer with a "FARM TRAILER" license plate is exempt from the state inspection certificate requirements. "FARM TRAILER" license plates may only be used on farm trailers and farm semitrailers used exclusively to transport:

Thats crazy he stuck you like that. He must have been having a very bad day. I have a trailer I use to haul my 4-wheeler around on haul hay and irrigation pipe with and it has farms tags and I have never been questioned on it.

[ranchdog]

I know Jaspro, and I was very polite about all of it. I think they are just looking for revenue. I hope the JOP will drop the tickets, but we will see.

Anyone know how much this inspection sticker cost?

Plus, I don't see where he can get me on both. The trailer has legit Farm Tags on it so it did not require the inspection even if he gets me for misuse of the Farm tags, the farm tags exempt it from the inspection.

Guess I will see about it with the JOP.

Ranchdog

[DavisHollow]

"FARM TRAILER" license plates may only be used on farm trailers and farm semitrailers used exclusively to transport:

- seasonally harvested agricultural products or livestock from the place of production to the place of processing, market, storage: or
- farm supplies from the place of loading to the farm.

This section also applies to:

- a farm trailer or farm semitrailer owned by a cotton gin and used exclusively to transport agricultural products without charge from the place of production to the place of processing, market, or storage.
- a trailer used exclusively to transport fertilizer without charge form a place of supply or storage to a farm.
- a trailer used exclusively to transport cottonseed without charge from a place of supply or storage to a farm or place of processing.

This section does not apply to a farm trailer or farm semitrailer that:

- is used for hire; or
- has metal tires operating in contact with the highway: or
- is not equipped with an adequate hitch pinned or locked so that it will remain securely engaged to the towing vehicle while in motion; or
- is not operated and equipped in compliance with all other law. "


The word "exclusively" means nothing else can be on the trailer except the things listed. I haul my ATV and golf cart in a different county (as if they can tell) on my farm trailer, I've never been stopped, didn't know it was illegal.

How much is the fine? May be cheaper than regular tags.

[ranchdog]

It's $95 for the misuse of Farm Tags, and $145 for the no inspection of trailer.

RD

[jenningsshuter]

Talked to a DPS friend of mine and yep, its the size of the trailer that bit you. Small utility trailers don't have to have all the fancy stuff, but the bigger trailers do. They started cracking down on this in the deep east texas area after the big scrap metal boom hit. Every Sanford and son in the country was hauling rusty metal to the local smasher on trailers that should have been scrap themselves! (I ain't tellin where they got the metal from!)

[ranchdog]

Talked to a DPS friend of mine and yep, its the size of the trailer that bit you. Small utility trailers don't have to have all the fancy stuff, but the bigger trailers do. They started cracking down on this in the deep east texas area after the big scrap metal boom hit. Every Sanford and son in the country was hauling rusty metal to the local smasher on trailers that should have been scrap themselves! (I ain't tellin where they got the metal from!)

Ok, then that means everyone with a dual axel 16 foot trailer then needs this inspection sticker unlesss it has Farm Tags. Dual axels are 3500 lbs each for a total of 7000 lbs. The law states trailers over 4500 lbs.

Why have we not heard about this? A bunch of us on here have 16 ft trailers.

RD

[BrianL]

You don't plant "food plots", you plant "winter Pasture".
You dont carry "deer corn", you carry "feed corn".

He was right and there are a lot of laws regarding trailers that are not strickly enforced. Type of axles(dual tandom req. DOT inspection), type of chains required(load grade), amount of reflective tape(?ft), type of booms(rachet type), # of booms and chains per implemet(2 on tractor one on implement), brake-a-ways, and use of trailer. The use of non load grade chains and non rachet booms for a tractor and something on the back is $1500.00

[rhester]

Question for a trooper........I had heard about the registration but didn't pay attention to the weight requirement. I thought that the trailer would have an inspection on it when it left the dealer if it was required. A car can't leave a dealership before it has an inspection on it why can a trailer?

[BpsDaddy]

I have Farm tags on both my trailers. 16' dual axle flatbed, and my 40' 4 horse slant with living quarters. Never heard of these stipulations before. As a matter of fact the dealer that I bought them from is the one that registered them for me. Am I in danger of a ticket also?