Towing to the airport

wrote:

A portable trailer-mounted generator has an engine, a propulsion
system for electrons. Would he have to put it on a second trailer
to tow it in Connecticut? Or would the fact that the engine doesn't
drive the wheels be what matters?

I think maybe he should have talked to more than one DOT guy,
maybe politely asked to talk to a supervisor.


I wasn't there, and they didn't call to ask for my input 8*)

but...

I just looked up the old newsletter article. Here it is, straight from
the builders's mouth. Make of it what you will.

"He went back into the building and returned with another inspector.
This one had a big smile on his face and explained that this was the
part of his job that eh loved. He said, "I love to see all these
unusual things that people try to register." (Behind me by a couple of
vehicles was a Hotdog vendor's wagon). He thought that he would need to
take a Polaroid photo of the Delta and fax it to the DOT to get approval.
Obviously he was trying to cover his ass so that he would not get into
trouble. He went to get the camera and when he returned he explained
that he was not going to be able to register it for me. He checked that
statutes and found two that apply.
It seems that in order to qualify, as a trailer, the vehicle cannot have
its own motive power, and since he considered the engine and propeller
motive power he could not allow it. Secondly the statutes specifically
prohibit the DMV from registering aircraft as motor vehicles. So that
was it. He said that if I wanted to tow it on the road I would have to
put it on a trailer. I was, to say the least, very DISSAPOINTED.

Ernest Christley wrote:
wrote:

A portable trailer-mounted generator has an engine, a propulsion
system for electrons. Would he have to put it on a second trailer
to tow it in Connecticut? Or would the fact that the engine doesn't
drive the wheels be what matters?

I think maybe he should have talked to more than one DOT guy,
maybe politely asked to talk to a supervisor.


I wasn't there, and they didn't call to ask for my input 8*)

Nor mine...


but...

I just looked up the old newsletter article. Here it is, straight from
the builders's mouth. Make of it what you will.

Thanks for checking.


"...
It seems that in order to qualify, as a trailer, the vehicle cannot have
its own motive power, and since he considered the engine and propeller
motive power he could not allow it. Secondly the statutes specifically
prohibit the DMV from registering aircraft as motor vehicles. So that
was it. He said that if I wanted to tow it on the road I would have to
put it on a trailer. I was, to say the least, very DISSAPOINTED.

Assuming that the Ct DMV defines a trailer as a motor vehicle, then
yes, he was clearly SOL as there was a rule that expressly
prohibitted licensing an airplane as a trailer. The first rule had
some
wiggle room, the second did not. The authorities had considered
exactly that situation and decided to prohibit it.

--

FF

I just towed my plane on it's wheels when it was time to move it to
the airport. I figured if I was stopped I would argue that it is a
federally registreed vehicle so no other registration is needed. Now
that it's on floats I didn't get it licensed as a boat for when it's
on the water. Crop dusters around here sometimes use roads for landing
strips too.

wrote:

A portable trailer-mounted generator has an engine, a propulsion
system for electrons. Would he have to put it on a second trailer
to tow it in Connecticut? Or would the fact that the engine doesn't
drive the wheels be what matters?

I think maybe he should have talked to more than one DOT guy,
maybe politely asked to talk to a supervisor.


I wasn't there, and they didn't call to ask for my input 8*)

but...

I just looked up the old newsletter article. Here it is, straight from
the builders's mouth. Make of it what you will.

"He went back into the building and returned with another inspector.
This one had a big smile on his face and explained that this was the
part of his job that eh loved. He said, "I love to see all these
unusual things that people try to register." (Behind me by a couple of
vehicles was a Hotdog vendor's wagon). He thought that he would need to
take a Polaroid photo of the Delta and fax it to the DOT to get approval.
Obviously he was trying to cover his ass so that he would not get into
trouble. He went to get the camera and when he returned he explained
that he was not going to be able to register it for me. He checked that
statutes and found two that apply.
It seems that in order to qualify, as a trailer, the vehicle cannot have
its own motive power, and since he considered the engine and propeller
motive power he could not allow it. Secondly the statutes specifically
prohibit the DMV from registering aircraft as motor vehicles. So that
was it. He said that if I wanted to tow it on the road I would have to
put it on a trailer. I was, to say the least, very DISSAPOINTED.