Legal Issues what to do???

[Jerm S.]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum to be putting this on but i wasn't sure.

I just bought an XJ that i know isn't going to be street worthy. I don't think that i will register it, here in utah, as a motor vehicle, because utah requires a vehicle to pass a saftey inspection. So could i register it as an OHV and then (since i am going to any way), trailer it every where. I'm just wondering what any of you that have extreme rigs that are no where near road worthy have done. I will insure it so that in the event of disaster i am covered.

Any coments or suggestions are very welcome.

TIA

Jerm S.

 

[rockwerks]

I don't think that i will register it, here in utah, as a motor vehicle, because utah requires a vehicle to pass a saftey inspection.

If its jsut a safety inspection...Ive seen some pretty scarry reagistered jeeps around MOAB....if it wont pass a safty inspection...maybe you shoud work on it a little...I mean even jARCA requires the competitors to be road worthy

 

[Jared]

Jerm, I live in Ogden. I have an '87 Bronco II that won't pass a safety inspection either. The license is over a year lapsed also. I tow it with a tow bar that my dad and I fabbed up. I have towed it to Moab 2-3 times and have had no legal troubles.
When in Moab last over Easter Jeep, I spoke to the crowd of cops at the top of Potato Salad. They informed me that if any of the towed vehicle's wheels are touching the ground on any public road, the vehicle must be registered as a highway vehicle. So not even a tow dolly would be technically legal.
In my experience, they just look for a license plate of some sort, working taillights, and mudflaps.
The ultimate would be to just trailer the thing everywhere, or make it street legal.
What sort of things are keeping it from passing an inspection? If you are doing the full-width thing again, make sure the fender coverage is wide enough. Mudflaps go a loooong way toward keeping The Man off your back. Put some tiny tires on it and register the thing. If emissions are killing you, it is probably worth your while to just fix the problem. Often bad emissions= bad performance.

Good luck with it....

jared

 

[Jared]

BTW - I too have considered the idea of registering a truck as an OHV. It would have to be trailered to do it.

Talk to the jerks down at the DMV and see what your options are. They should be as curt and unhelpful as ever.

 

[Jerm S.]

The thing that prohibits me from getting it passed is the fact that if i have a axle under the jeep that wasn't meant for that car they consider that unsafe modification. and it won't pass. If you figure in that i have completly redone the front suspension design there is alot they can call unsafe modification. So i think what i will do is to get a trailer and tow it every where. with all four tires off the highway. then when in moab i doubt that i would have a problem. and i wouldn't drive it any where excpet short distance to trails.

thanks for the input guys.

Jerm S.

 

[Eagle]

Ummmmm ...

Check in with Goatman and some of the lads who have run at Moab before. It is my understanding that some of the "trails" are in fact legal rights-of-way under the jurisdiction of either the BLM or the National Forest Service, and that since they are legally considered "roads" you need a registered vehicle to drive on them.

I have considered the possibility of a trailer queen, but the drawbacks outweigh the benfits for me.

 

[Jared]

Just so you know, being the only guy in the group who trailers/tows his rig is sort of a pain. Well, it is mostly just the fact that 6 other rigs have to wait 10 minutes while you unfasten/secure/lock up everything to get your rig off the trailer/towbar and get it ready for the trail.
Okay, so it isn't that big of a deal, just an inconvenience. And you feel like a dork for making everybody wait.
Just a thought.

Also, you might want to take the rig to some different shops and ask them to just take a quick look at your rig and identify anything that would immediately fail your safety inspection. Some shops (the ones that want to charge you for repairs) are alot more stringent with their inspections than others. The shop I go to has "overlooked" a number of legal discrepancies over the years. I would bet that many shops would just look at your fender/mudflap coverage and stop at that. They would likely not really care if they are original axles or not.

Jared