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illegal trailer -wheels axles
I was using my brothers home built 6x15 single axle trailer hauling brush and logs and the neighbor comes over and tells me that 'my' trailer will be illegal in two years. I ask why what. He stated because of the 'mobile home' tires /rims and axle that are under the trailer. I was like "WHAT??" as I keep seeing ads in the auto trader magazine at RV surplus places they are selling stacks of these type of axles and tire/rim sets. SO I'm wondering if any one else has heard or has proof of the rumor. I've tried searching the Michigan state police and state MDOT web sites but get lost chasing lot of dead ends. Other websites just mention about having the DOT imprint on the tire. My brother and I don't relish the idea of reworking the trailer --but if we must then we want to get to finding a few extra $$ and fix it soon. (no fun paying the 'collection agent' with the tinkling lights.. ). I appreciate any leads,info to support or discredit such rumor.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Your neighbor isn't quite right, the trailer won't be illegal in two years.
It's illegal now, and in fact has been all along.
You won't find the info you're looking for on any DOT or Police site either. It's in the regulations under the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards). It's an immense beast of a document.
Basically, all components of any licensed vehicle, not "farm use" or off-road, MUST conform to those standards. I.E. be stamped "DOT" or "V-5" or something to show that it complies.
Now that's not say anyone actually checks, but if they do, like following an accident, it could be a problem. It could (and likely would) also be enough for an insurance company to deny a claim.
Best of luck.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Further to Murph's last sentence, make a claim and expect the insurer to see if it can be legally denied. Your policy likely includes exclusions like telling a material lie on your application, operating a vehicle not in compliance with applicable regulations, and in rare cases being convicted of violating any statute contributing to the claim. In some jurisdictions they'll pay a third-party claim and seek reimbursement from the policy-holder.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Call the Mich. State Police Motor Carrier Division in Northville. Those are the guys who will know. What I know is it NOT illegal to have mobile tires on a trailer--I have them on my 12,500 dump trailer. Pretty sure MHT are DOT approved regardless---but will verify when I'm back in the yard.
What I also know is the feds are or have outlawed if you haul mobile homes the use of 7" wide tires which are lower rated compared to the required 8" wide which are not quite double the rating and supposed to last longer. Years ago I called the MDOT and asked about using mobile home tires and they said it is not an issue. But things do change.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
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What I know is it NOT illegal to have mobile tires on a trailer--I have them on my 12,500 dump trailer. Pretty sure MHT are DOT approved regardless---but will verify when I'm back in the yard.What I also know is the feds are or have outlawed if you haul mobile homes the use of 7" wide tires which are lower rated compared to the required 8" wide which are not quite double the rating and supposed to last longer. Years ago I called the MDOT and asked about using mobile home tires and they said it is not an issue.
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EW, I think you're mixing up 2 different things.
MH tires & axles are for delivery of a new, unlicensed units only. As such they are not on a licensed vehicle and are allowed to run cheaper 'delivery' hardware.
The 7" wide tires were an issue only because of loads transmitted to the road surface. An 8" wide tire is +14% wider than a 7" tire is and so spreads the weight over a larger surface. Capacity is based on ply rating, etc., not width
For years all 14.5" tires on UTG style rims were generically called MHT's but that's not correct. They are available as 'standard' 12 ply tires also.
If you look at a true MHT, the sidewall clearly reads "Delivery Only" or "Mobile Home only" or something like that, and there is no "DOT" stamp in the sidewall either.
Best of luck.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
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What I know is it NOT illegal to have mobile tires on a trailer--I have them on my 12,500 dump trailer. Pretty sure MHT are DOT approved regardless---but will verify when I'm back in the yard.What I also know is the feds are or have outlawed if you haul mobile homes the use of 7" wide tires which are lower rated compared to the required 8" wide which are not quite double the rating and supposed to last longer. Years ago I called the MDOT and asked about using mobile home tires and they said it is not an issue.
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[QUOTE=Murf;173691]MH tires & axles are for delivery of a new, unlicensed units only. As such they are not on a licensed vehicle and are allowed to run cheaper 'delivery' hardware.
------Murf, then anyone hauling a used home is doing so illegally?
The 7" wide tires were an issue only because of loads transmitted to the road surface. An 8" wide tire is +14% wider than a 7" tire is and so spreads the weight over a larger surface. Capacity is based on ply rating, etc., not width
-------my sources tell me that the 8" are taller by as much as 1.5" which I know, and wider and thereby, in part, carry a heavier rating. I was told the 7" were lower pressure 70 PSI-ish (mine are 85 PSI) and 8" are sometimes 110 (as my other worn out sets are)
For years all 14.5" tires on UTG style rims were generically called MHT's but that's not correct. They are available as 'standard' 12 ply tires also. If you look at a true MHT, the sidewall clearly reads "Delivery Only" or "Mobile Home only" or something like that, and there is no "DOT" stamp in the sidewall either.
------the little research I did says that in Michigan at least, there is no specific law banning the use of MH tires or axles for other purposes. As far as DOT-approved, as the article I found pointed out, if it's used upon a highway it has to be DOT approved. Further, the MI law specifically states categories of tires that shall not be used on a highway: marked for "not for highway service" and "for non highway racing only", but nothing about MHS.
And speaking of "DOT approved" per se, I'm not sure there is such a thing. There is a DOT number, but that is not an approval, but for tracking for safety and identification---so I was told by the Nebraska attorney general a few years ago. I bought some "blemished" skid steer tires for my manlift. The company that sold them to me cut out the mold numbers (which destroyed the tires) which are linked somehow to the DOT, as they told me a. The company (actually several) removed the tires from a dumpster of rejected tires b. Defaced them by removing the numbers a c. Sold them. Titan was the mfg. and turned a blind eye to the situation, they were indicted along with the several "resellers". The AG wanted me to testify against Titan and the resellers, but my schedule didn't allow---plus I had to pay my own way! I hear they were a world of trouble.
I'm going to look into this a bit more come next week. I've never been wrong. Ok, ONCE I was mistaken. 
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
If I can drive out on a tangent,
Recently needed a power liftgate so rented a truck. The rental terms said if I got a flat it was my responsibility. Ever heard of that? (And the mandatory insurance cost half the rental fee.)
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Auer, why would you NOT be responsible for a tire?
Case in point I did a dirt job for a couple the other day. They negotiated beforehand about what they wanted but feined lack of money (they both work and house is paid for). I do the work and they want more work than they negotiated for and figgered I would just do it for free. Uh-uh. Homey don't do dat. Suspicious of what was in this supposed "garden" they wanted flattened I told them I found two 6' steel angle in the area so for $50 more I would do it---but if a tire gets damaged, a new tire is $200--and I just spent $1300 on new tires and rims. They agreed to it. Lucky for them I didn't have an incident.
It's the same reason I no longer haul to the dump for hire--punctured truck or trailer tires--and one time an ell-shaped 4" x 6' cast iron sewer pipe came up and dented my new truck's door.
Back to renting: when I rent a piece of equipment from the Cat dealer or even a rental house, mandatory insurance is 6-10% of the rental cost. The Cat dealer has a $2000 deductible (found out the hard way when I overturned a miniexcavator and smashed the cab door). And the Cat dealer won't rent to you unless you carry two million in liability. Anything that the renter had a hand in breaking he's responsible for---and even some that he didn't---which have to be hammered out later and depends mainly on who you know at the dealer and how you stand as a customer---like scratched paint or dented body panels, or blown hydraulic hose that maybe was caused by the previous renter.
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Not sure. What if the tire was failing unseen because a previous renter damaged it? Or the tire was defective? Or someone picked up a nail? Even if you drive into a marked obstacle, isn't that what insurance is for?
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illegal trailer -wheels axles
Maybe the tires are just fine but the roads are illegal.
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