I'm often asked "How did you register for a license with this trailer?" The simple answer is that I just applied for and received a utility trailer registration, but the actual act of getting that registration was a bit more complex than that.
Early on a July morning in 2001, I arrived at the Oregon DMV office with the EV towing the Pusher, and had my receipt of sale for the VW Rabbit that I bought from the wrecking yard. My number is called and I walk up to the counter and tell the worker that I want to register a utility trailer.
He says: "Is it made from parts of another vehicle?"
Me: "Yes, here's the receipt."
DMV: "Is the trailer here?"
Me: "Yes"
DMV: "I'll have to inspect the VIN number on the trailer to see if it matches this receipt." (I expected this, and had located the number on the body so that I could point it out) We walk out to parking lot. DMV says: "Whoa, what is this?"
Me (opening hood): "My new utility trailer, here's the VIN on the strut tower."
DMV: "Hmmm...174VW124XXX, yes, looks OK (begins to turn away from trailer). Hey, why is there still an engine in this trailer?"
Me: "That's to run this generator (pointing to 3,000 watt AC generator mounted on engine) to recharge the batteries in my electric car (pointing to car)."
DMV: "Oh, let's go back inside and fill out the forms"
Inside the office, we fill in a form with the VIN, make, year, etc, and he stamps the date on the forms. At this point, I relax, 'cause I figure it's over, and he didn't ask any hard questions that I hadn't expected, like "Why does the generator engine still have a transmission and drive axles". Then he hesitates. I think "Don't think about it, just take my money."
DMV: "Uh, we get graded on these forms, you know accuracy and stuff, I'm just going to show it to my supervisor."
Me (thinking): "NO NO NO NO NO NO...."
DMV goes into an office, and shows the forms to a female supervisor, then they both go to the window and look out into the parking lot where my car and trailer are parked. Lots of head shaking, DMV comes out of office and looks for a long time through many pages of a *huge* book, flipping back and forth looking for some piece of information, then he returns to counter.
DMV: "Well, we've never registered a trailer made from the front half of a passenger car before. It would be easier if it was the back half of a truck. (fills in a couple of spaces on the form). Alright, that'll be $7.00 for your new title."
Me: "$7.00? But I want a license plate also."
DMV: "Utility trailers in Oregon don't need license plates"
Me: "I know that but I want one anyway"
DMV: "Why do you want a license plate, it will cost another $30.00 for two years"
Me: "I'm planning on traveling out-of-state, and both Washington and California require utility trailers to have license plates."
DMV: "Oh, yeah, you need plates. (fills in more spaces on form). I'll just run this past the supervisor again."
Me: (thinking again) "NO NO NO NO NO...."
DMV returns to supervisor's office. Heated debate ensues after looking out window again. Supervisor comes out of office, then both of them flip back and forth through Big Book. DMV returns to counter, with supervisor following.
Me: (thinking) "Now I'm really screwed."
DMV uses white-out to cover up make (VW) and year (1978) of trailer, and some codes in other parts of form. Supervisor indicates that trailer is now an "Assemble" for make and "2001" for year.
Me: (to supervisor) "Don't worry, I promise never to do this again."
Supervisor: (jokingly) "Good, be sure that you don't."
At this point, I hand over $37.00, and walk out of the building with a new license plate, registration tags and a temporary title. The Pusher is now a piece of titled property, and has been registered in my name. More importantly, I have something to cover up the blank spot on the rear of the pusher, so that when Law Enforcement comes up from behind, they see a valid, current registration, and are a lot less inclined to delay their doughnut break to see what this crazy vehicle is all about.
What I find incredible is that the DMV clerk was more worried he would get into trouble for registering a car-turned-trailer improperly, than the two-tenths of a second glimmer of thought that this nutty assembly of cast-off parts still had and engine and might not actually be classified as a utility trailer at all, or even be legal for that matter. I'm sure that the Big Book inside the DMV office has some kind of regulations, and if it doesn't that there are legislators just waiting to pass rules against anything of the type.
So, from this point onward, the DMV will be sending me a renewal notice every two years, and I just send them some money, and everything is cool. Until the legislators get wind of my project....