California Bus with expired registration

[john61ct]

Looks great, some are very cheap.

I guess no point buying from a salt-free area, these go all over the country right?

I see only tow-rated for 6000# I'm planning on doing a 5th wheel just forward of the axle

should be fine for 14000# but how do you get that legally certified?

[cadillackid]

The cab and chassis are licensed and driveable as is. You can buy it and drive it home, they replace the box on it with a light panel in back so it’s legal.. the ones near me of course are sold in Ohio so I’m guessing they’d hand me an Ohio title which i can get a temp tag and drive wherever.. they are rated under 26k so non CDL if operated privately which buying from a business as an individual means it’s now a private truck. If you are towing a camper it’s an RV hauler no different than a regular pickup truck. If you build a motorhome on top of it then you’d just have to meet that states motorhome requirements..

As a tow rig these are pretty easy to shorten the frame. It appears the bosses are there to move the axles forward at least 6-10 feet or so.. maybe not enough to make a pickup out of but it’s something that could be done in a normal home or shop setting with pretty normal tools.. the ones ive looked at don’t appear to be rust buckets.

While the trucks can go anywhere I venture to say that I’ll bet 90% of them stay within a given region so if you go to buy one in the southwest chances are it lived there.. unless for some reason my Columbus Ohio location is ground zero for vehicle sales.. they seem to always have lots of trucks coming and going.. I see Arizona plates on a lot of them .. maybe that’s uhaul corporate so they all get those?

[john61ct]

Thanks for all that!

My "make it legal" question was specifically wrt the tow capacity since factory says 6000 using a bumper hitch

but my plan is 14000 using a 5th wheel.

Not sure if I need/want to move the rear axle forward, just reducing the overhang might be enough

The trailer will be 32-34' total, so depends on maximum total length requirements for non-commercial MH usage.

[demoman]

The thing stopping the registration in california is called a vin stop. It is placed on a vehicle that has been forever banned from california title and registration for several reasons. Usually a government agency gets permission to use some vehicles beyond their time in exchange for saying they will get rid of others earlier than required. I got stuck in this ten years ago when I bought a 1989 f450 flatbed with a 7.3 diesel. When I talked to air resources they said it had voluntarily blocked by the university so others could be used longer. There was no way of reversing it once this was done unless the vehicle was repowered with a newer approved engine. There was a way to prevent this from happening in the first place by changing it to exempt personal use or motor home but once done it can't be reversed. Now the dmv is blocking registration for older then certain year diesels but this can be appealed by proving it is used for a mh or towing a travel trailer exclusively. This is because the current dmv block is not the same as a vin stop.
The idea of registering it out of state then keeping it hidden unless used has some merit. On the off chance you are pulled over with it in ca state it would be necessary to have an out of state address and let them know you are just visiting here. Maybe some business cards with out of state address would help? Local law enforcement doesn't enforce air resources laws especially in non commercial uses. Just dont get caught driving it in state before its converted.
There is a 1000 mile per year exemption allowing out of state vehicles to be driven in california but I think once a vin stop is filled you dont qualify for it.

[demoman]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I believe this applies to commercial trucks, and Calif. residents. They can't keep my bus out of the state.

They can keep your bus out of the state but they can't keep your converted and titled motor home out of the state.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by demoman

The idea of registering it out of state then keeping it hidden unless used has some merit. On the off chance you are pulled over with it in ca state it would be necessary to have an out of state address and let them know you are just visiting here. Maybe some business cards with out of state address would help?

Not if your DL shows you are legally domiciled in CA.

[DoubleO7]

We must have scared the O.P. away.

[s2mikon]

Shame on you people.

[cadillackid]

maybe the yare busy packing a Uhaul to move out of the Craptastic state of california