The tale of the trailer
Submitted by z00m on Fri, 2015-03-20 12:57
When I bought my boat recently I got a good deal a conceded there were a few things to put right with the boat. What I didn't realise was there were far more issues with the trailer.
- Turns out the number plate on the trailer didn't match the VIN number
- The chassis number had never been registered in WA (probably not in Aus either as it was an import)
- Trailer failed inspection due to noisy wheel bearings and rusted brake lines
So after a few days of running around the trailer is now registered so thanks goodness for small miracles.
Moral of the story - do your checks carefully if you have any doubts at all.
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Yes
Yes quite a few people get caught out with trailers. I get lots of inquires at work about dealing with the issues.
One common factor people fail to recognise while importing boats from the US , is they have different regulations and the width of boat and trailer can cause issues.
In the states they have a max width of 2500mm . In Australia we have a max width of 2400mm. If your boat or trailer exceed this you will need permits every time you put it on the road. And these permits are only for daylight hours.
z00m
Posts: 1086
Date Joined: 10/05/14
Maximum width is 2500 not
Maximum width is 2500 not 2400.
Taken from www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/vsb1/vsb_01_b.aspx
21.3 Width A trailer must not exceed 2.5 metres in overall width. The maximum distance is measured across the body including wheel guards, but excluding signalling devices and side-mounted lamps.
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Umm
My bad sorry, should be wearing my glasses. Please disregard my comment. Sorry to confuse every one.
roddo
Posts: 482
Date Joined: 16/10/09
You don't need a permit every
You don't need a permit every time u go out its 1 permit that lasts for 3 years and is only $50. and you can drive at night you just need to have a flashing beacon. but you are not allowed on freeways and certain roads during certain time but its not a huge issue just something you learn to manage with having an oversize setup. I believe a small price to pay for a great setup.
Rod
Rob H
Posts: 5742
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Only up to 2700mm wide at
Only up to 2700mm wide at night
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1299
Date Joined: 23/02/11
bad bad bad! - if the trailer
bad bad bad! - if the trailer was imported and has never been registered here the guy who sold it to you was a fool - (research!)
so here lies some of the traps of importing that people dont know about!
- fyi (and this is really important!!) under the import approval (that the importer signs thier life away on) of the trailer -you are NOT ALLOWED TO SELL OR TRANSFER an imported trailer until it meets Australian Standards, further the importer is responsible for ensuring that the trailer meets these standards -
So zOOm, if you had an accident towing the boat on the trailer and cleaned up someone -under the law the guy you bought the boat and trailer from would be responsible!!!! - may sound crazy but thats why the import approval is such a process....
The only way he could sell the trailer is to state that it had been sold as scrap and remove the VIN.... not your problem but just a heads up to anyone looking at selling (or buying) an imported trailer that has not been rego'd here
z00m
Posts: 1086
Date Joined: 10/05/14
Yeah the trailer had an
Yeah the trailer had an australian compliance plate and a chassis number, an inspection certificate from when it was remediated and passed in Broome in 2011 but was never actually registered.
I get what you mean but the guy I brought it off wasn't the guy that imported it so it had changed hands twice before I got it.
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1299
Date Joined: 23/02/11
Ahh ok - thats good!-
Ahh ok - thats good!-