GVWR - Commercial Registration ???

[LFEngineering]

Good afternoon everyone. Having just overcome the overheating issue in my truck I though I was finally on the right path for this summer. That was till Johnny-Law decided to flex his muscle and ruin my day. I was informed by a local officer that because my truck is a "dually" it needed to be registered as a commercial vehicle. I thanked him for the info and he was kind enough to let me finish my journey home. While I though he was just giving me a hard time I did some research and he was correct, any vehicle in MA that has "five or more wheels on the ground." classifies as commercial. To confirm my understanding of the write-up I called the DMV and they confirmed it aswell. This is unfortunate news because they also explained that I would need to pass the commercial vehicle inspection ($100+ / yr) as well as update my insurance to a commercial policy $$$.

The way I currently see it I have 3 options.

A.) Go though all the BS and get the commercial stuff done.

B.) Build a custom set of 20x10 rims with 5x8 bolt pattern and run a large width single tire on the rear, there by skirting the "Any vehicle which has five or more wheels on the ground." regulation.

C.) Pray that my insurance guy with his "RMV Contacts" can get a waiver or work some magic.

As a fabricator and owner of a machine shop I'm partial to option B. Now I understand this is going to most likely upset some of the purist, but fear not. I will not be getting rid of the dual rims, there's always hope for the future.

Lastly does anyone know the GVWR for the 1936 Ford Model 51 1-1/2T?

Feel free to chime in with other ideas.
Just sucks having a fully functional truck at home, stuck in the driveway because of some regulatory BS.

(rant over)

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by LFEngineering

Good afternoon everyone. Having just overcome the overheating issue in my truck I though I was finally on the right path for this summer. That was till Johnny-Law decided to flex his muscle and ruin my day. I was informed by a local officer that because my truck is a "dually" it needed to be registered as a commercial vehicle. I thanked him for the info and he was kind enough to let me finish my journey home. While I though he was just giving me a hard time I did some research and he was correct, any vehicle in MA that has "five or more wheels on the ground." classifies as commercial. To confirm my understanding of the write-up I called the DMV and they confirmed it aswell. This is unfortunate news because they also explained that I would need to pass the commercial vehicle inspection ($100+ / yr) as well as update my insurance to a commercial policy $$$.

The way I currently see it I have 3 options.

A.) Go though all the BS and get the commercial stuff done.

B.) Build a custom set of 20x10 rims with 5x8 bolt pattern and run a large width single tire on the rear, there by skirting the "Any vehicle which has five or more wheels on the ground." regulation.

C.) Pray that my insurance guy with his "RMV Contacts" can get a waiver or work some magic.

As a fabricator and owner of a machine shop I'm partial to option B. Now I understand this is going to most likely upset some of the purist, but fear not. I will not be getting rid of the dual rims, there's always hope for the future.

Lastly does anyone know the GVWR for the 1936 Ford Model 51 1-1/2T?

Feel free to chime in with other ideas.
Just sucks having a fully functional truck at home, stuck in the driveway because of some regulatory BS.

(rant over)

Let me start by saying that I live in California and have no knowledge of the laws where you live. I have the greatest respect for law officers. Many in the motor vehicle department are knowledgeable and helpful. Having said that it is easy to believe that they have never in their entire career encountered the situation you are involved with. I know the vehicle code in California is hundreds of pages and assume yours is the same. If there is an exception you are going to have to find it and point it out to them. Try calling the main office of your motor vehicle department in the state capital, sometimes these people are more knowledgeable than people in the local offices. Posting the question here is an excellent start. I think I would also post it on HAMB and earlyfordv8.org. If you are in the early Ford V8 club take your club roster and find everyone with a truck like yours in your state. Call these people and ask what they have done. Don’t give up yet.

A similar situation in California is that pre 1936 commercial vehicles may be registered as passenger cars and not pay a weight fee. Half of the time you need to point it out because a large number of the people that should know don’t.

Charlie Stephens

[LFEngineering]

Moderator, can this be moved to v8 page. My mistake.

[Tom Endy]

Attached is the California DMV statute exempting Model A vehicles from requiring commercial plates. My advice to anyone trying to register a commercial Model A in California is to take a copy of this with you to the DMV, and also carry a copy of it in the car along with your registration.


Tom Endy

[LFEngineering]

To clarify I'm in Massachusetts

Also this is a 1936 Model 51. I mis-posted it in the model A page.

[LFEngineering]

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thanks for the responses. I reposted it in the early v8 page. I hope the admin can fix this at some point.

[CarlG]

This was in Arizona in the late 50's.

My first vehicle was a 1931 AA 280A (ambulance), considered to be a commercial vehicle. Price for commercial tags then was something over $150 yearly. I only paid $45 for the vehicle in the first place.

Attempts to get it registered as non-commercial vehicle (or a passenger vehicle) all fell thru. Finally I was told that if I installed permanent seats in the rear compartment, I could then get it reclassified as a passenger vehicle. After I did that, and it passed inspection, the title was finally issued. It stated on the title under vehicle type: "Country Squire", showing the humor of the DMV agent. Yearly cost of the tags then dropped to $15.

[Russ/40]

Originally Posted by LFEngineering

Moderator, can this be moved to v8 page. My mistake.

Why move it? It pertains to Model A trucks. Saved me from paying weight and commercial fees.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Remove the two inside tires, so you drive on 4. After all, it's not going to be carrying a heavy load, I'd guess.

[Mike V. Florida]

Quite a lot depends of how you want to use the vehicle. If you want regular plate, that is non antique vehicle plate, they assume you want to use it as an every day vehicle. If you plan to use it solely for use in exhibitions, clubactivities, parades, and other functions of public interest then you can get an an Antique Motor Vehicle Plate.

This is from the Mass application for an antique motor vehicle plate application;
"An "antique motor car" is any motor vehicle over twenty-five years old which is maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades, and other functions of public interest. This includes test drives to prepare for such functions and transportation to and from repair facilities,and not used primarily for the transportation of passengers or goods over any way."

https://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/20132.pdf

As you can see you can get away without registration as a commercial vehicle depending on how you want to use it.