Pusher Trailer: Legal Issues?
 

I have had a hard time finding information about the legalities associated with building a pusher trailer. I have read that some states do not allow re-purposed truck axles on trailers, but have not seen the actual sources of such information.

I'm specifically interested in Massachusetts (since that's where I live), but I am also interested in other states. I'd like to be able to take my trailer on out-of-state trips.

Are there laws preventing such trailers from being used on the road?

Thanks - Chris

I think this is very much a grey area in the law. FWIW, some articulated buses have pusher trailers.

You are going to have to wade through the motor vehicle statutes for each state. I have not seen anything in NYS law that addresses the issue. The trailer would have to pass the requirements for a non-powered license.

It's such an unlikely scenario that I don't think many states have put much effort into covering it, laws-wise.

Mr. Sharkey had a long writeup describing his efforts of pushing his electric VW Rabbit with a manual (!?) diesel Rabbit nose. The entire trailer consisted of a Rabbit front end, couple with a Rabbit convertible trunk. It got the job done but some of the control connections were, well, weird. A confabulated cordless drill doohickey acted as an ersatz linear actuator to work the clutch pedal.

The original site is lost but it exists in an archive here.

I would recommend asking a lawyer to look through the laws, or even stopping at the Secretary of State to get a copy of the regulations (online versions are usually truncated). In my experience most automotive law-related internet rumors are false, so always read the statute yourself before making a decision.

This is why I would use a generator on a trailer.

cant find the link to when he went to the dmv..
but i remember they asked him if it was under the 1,800lb mark and he said yes.....as far as the OR dmv card it was exempt from every thing title, plate, and tags...

but being that he was going to go out of state he went to the next level 1,801 to 8,000 lb or a light utility plate...same cost as a car in OR :(

they reluctantly Xed out the VIN of the car, and issued a dmv TIN for it, more or less gave it a home made trailer registration....
likly a major no no.....lol



Mr.Sharkey's Pusher Trailer

the laws on trailers vary a lot, some states don't care or just want lights on it. others want even a cosco or H/F 4'X4' trailer registered...


------------------

found it they registered it as a assembled trailer.
Amusing DMV Story | MrSharkey.Com

How about a bunch of charged batteries topped with solar panels? :thumbup:

If those batteries are just sitting on a trailer idle at your house they are still wasting away.
I think the only way a battery trailer would not go to waste is when electric vehicles become more popular and you can rent them from some where. That way the batteries are getting used at least weekly if not almost daily.

Here I am searching for pusher trailer information before posting... and apparently I already asked about it a few years ago.

How about this specific question: has anyone seen specific rules prohibiting axles (i.e., solid rear axles from trucks) from being used in trailers in their state? I recognize each state is different, but if I can find some decent starting information, it could be helpful in guiding further searches.