Truck Conversion & Toterhome Community - View Single Post

hot rod · 08-21-2013, 11:07 AM

Very murky issue that has been much discussed, but nobody really seems to know. Plus the rules vary wildly from state to state. Here in Ohio you can register the truck as "heavy duty non-commercial" by signing an affidavit that the truck will never be used for commercial purpose, and the plate is about the same price as a pickup truck. The trailer can undergo a title change to a "house vehicle" by again signing an affidavit that it meets the minimum standards of an rv. I did that myself for a previous rig, very easy. But I have read on the forums that California is much tougher, and Florida for example will not issue a non-commercial registration for any vehicle with a fifth wheel. Which does not make sense as every "fifth wheel" camper out there has to be towed with... you guessed it, a fifth wheel. I have never seen a legal distinction between a full size fifth wheel plate and an rv type fifth wheel, but the LEOs out there do seem to know the difference.

The first thing I would look into would be having the trailer re-titled as an rv (or camper, or house vehicle, or whatever their terminology is there). After that the truck can only be considered commercial if you are towing a commercial trailer, so the fact of an rv trailer may ease the transition of the truck to non-commercial. No different than the guys out there towing a "real" (as in factory built, no offense) fifth wheel camper. And there are a bunch of them.

On that subject, from reading other forums, I have seen folks with a class 8 truck like your have to actually install the minimum requirements of an rv as defined by your state into the truck itself in order to re-title the truck as an RV, which would have nothing to do with the trailer you are towing. Keeping mind of course that the shiny new rv title and registration would preclude you from ever using the truck for commercial purpose again. Look into your states definition of an rv for titling purposes and see if you can install that minimum amount of equipment in the truck to pull it off. For example if they require a toilet, you really don't need to install a full bathroom, you could just hide one under a cabinet or some such thing after titling. Or if it requires 110 power, as small breaker panel and cord to plug in is really no big deal.

Good luck.

08-21-2013, 11:07 AM	#3
hot rod Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 527	Very murky issue that has been much discussed, but nobody really seems to know. Plus the rules vary wildly from state to state. Here in Ohio you can register the truck as "heavy duty non-commercial" by signing an affidavit that the truck will never be used for commercial purpose, and the plate is about the same price as a pickup truck. The trailer can undergo a title change to a "house vehicle" by again signing an affidavit that it meets the minimum standards of an rv. I did that myself for a previous rig, very easy. But I have read on the forums that California is much tougher, and Florida for example will not issue a non-commercial registration for any vehicle with a fifth wheel. Which does not make sense as every "fifth wheel" camper out there has to be towed with... you guessed it, a fifth wheel. I have never seen a legal distinction between a full size fifth wheel plate and an rv type fifth wheel, but the LEOs out there do seem to know the difference. The first thing I would look into would be having the trailer re-titled as an rv (or camper, or house vehicle, or whatever their terminology is there). After that the truck can only be considered commercial if you are towing a commercial trailer, so the fact of an rv trailer may ease the transition of the truck to non-commercial. No different than the guys out there towing a "real" (as in factory built, no offense) fifth wheel camper. And there are a bunch of them. On that subject, from reading other forums, I have seen folks with a class 8 truck like your have to actually install the minimum requirements of an rv as defined by your state into the truck itself in order to re-title the truck as an RV, which would have nothing to do with the trailer you are towing. Keeping mind of course that the shiny new rv title and registration would preclude you from ever using the truck for commercial purpose again. Look into your states definition of an rv for titling purposes and see if you can install that minimum amount of equipment in the truck to pull it off. For example if they require a toilet, you really don't need to install a full bathroom, you could just hide one under a cabinet or some such thing after titling. Or if it requires 110 power, as small breaker panel and cord to plug in is really no big deal. Good luck.