Tractor Title?

[dbernie]

Greetings,

I am fairly new to tractors, I won't try to hide it, either

I have a serious question--

Do tractors have Titles, Certificates of Origin, or any legal deed to certify ownership similar to cars, trucks, and motorcycles?

Is a hand written Bill of Sale enough?

Do they only have them after a certain year?

It may vary by state--I'm in Illinois, how does your state handle it?

Illinois does require Title for vehicles on the road, but maybe off-road (equipment/tractors) don't need it.

Thanks for any input--
I know its kind of late (for me, anyway),
but I'm hoping for some kind of answers tonight
(if anybody is still up)

Take care,
Dan

 

[MN Scott]

No titles or papers issued by the guberment of any kind for tractors YET, that I know of in the USA. A bill of sale is a good idea as it proves ownership but its not required by the goverment.

 

[Dan-IA]

Like yer name.

Round here, when it comes to tractors, possession pretty well covers it. I imagine a bill of sale would be nice, but proof of ownership isnt necessary in any way I can think of - though some form of receipt (anything on paper) should be sufficient to settle any disputes. If your checkbook makes carbon copies like mine, that should be enough if you indicate "tractor" on the memo line.

 

[Lanse]

My B diddnt come with one, i shook the guys hand, then the next day he delivered it, then i paid him for it. Thats all there is to it. Here. Some people are different id assume, i guess it just depends on the seller

 

[Anonymous-0]

Billof sale should be enough. purchase several tractor on a handshake

 

[RodinNS]

Depends on where you are....
Around here tractors have required a licence plate since long before my time, and as such require a certificate of ownership, the same as any motor vehicle on the road. One runs into a major hassle when they buy a used machine without papers here, either one that never had papers in this province or one from out of province that never required (or had) papers.
Personally I like the fact that a licence is required for tractors here and it's also one method of tracking down stolen tractors...
The plate is a one time fee here and is a nominal amount.

Rod

 

[Larry59]

In Missouri there is no title on a tractor.. bill of sale is always good to keep. With the tractor numbers on it. ...Just in case someone did take it. You would have the ID numbers to show.
Heck down the road one could get stopped with a stolen tactor on a trailer and the ID. You kept would show it is yours.
Bought my tractor on a hand shake to. Oh forgot! Also with a big smile from me. Really liked the tractor and price.

 

[dbernie]

Wow that was fast

Thank you, gentlemen.

Didn't even cross my mind,
'til I was gettin' things ready to go in the morning

I just never know what the government is going to be into, good or bad.

Yes, more paperwork, I suppose, could help with theft prevention--
but so could being allowed to shoot thieves on sight--
probably work better once we got 'em all

Well, I hope this tractor doesn't need anything too major, tomorrow.
I think its what I'm needing--I'll go look--AC 190 w/ a loader.

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[Anonymous-0]

In Louisiana no title or bill of sale. All tractors I buy or sell I make up a bill of sale for the buyer and seller. Just recently I sold a tractor and had the bills of sale for me and buyer. When loading the tractor the buyer had an accident loading the tractor. He swerved on the shoulder of the highway and a passing car hit him. The bill of sale was worth gold when the state police arrived.

 

[Ron in Nebr]

No tractor titles neccessary here either far as I know.

On a related subject, kinda O/T though...I looked at a '70 Ford Torino GT on ebay tonight from I think Alabama(or one of the surrounding states)...the guy who wrote the ad said there was no title with the car since their state didn't require a title on a vehicle until '74. Said he'd supply a bill of sale and that's it....is this right??? No titles for cars down there untill '74? Caint hardly believe it!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I wouldn't touch a tractor without a bill of sale which includes all the relevant serial numbers etc.It's your proof of ownership.
A Doberman in the same paddock is added insurance.

 

[Hugh MacKay]

Rod: Your age is telling, your obviously a bit younger than I. Proir to 1970 or there abouts the Nova Scotia registration was an annual event, $2.00 for each tractor as I recall. Often times we'd forget to renew them, and even if we did, forget to display it on the tractor until sometime around May. I got stopped once in Feb., failure to display was the charge. Cop told me it would be a maximum $25. fine plus court costs, and if I wanted to fight it I'd have to appear in provincial court. If guilty I could appear before a local Justice of the Peace, who just turned out being a local farmer. I called him immediately, course he didn't have the particulars, however he thanked me as his sons were spreading manure, ( two tractors, two spreaders. He said quickly, "I got to go, he left your place, just went by here, one spreader in field, other at the barn, I'll call you back." When he called back that evening, he advised he made it in time got validation stickers on both tractors before the cop came back. He didn't have a lot of time as cop only had 5 miles to county line.

That call turned out being my fine, he had the choice of not handing out a fine. Court costs were his own pocket money anyhow. He advised me to drop ticket off and he's process it.

It was shortly after that tractors changed to NO EXPIRY. Government were loosing money on the $2.00 annual registration, wanted to up it to $10.00. The NSFA went after and got the no expiry, we wanted them to do away with the plate and use a sticker much like a snowmobile. Couldn't get it through their skulls, that there is no provission on most tractors for a licence plate. I guess someone had good government contract for manufacture of steel plates.

Your right about the registration, I liked it, you have a title saying that tractor is yours. It certainly has discouraged tractor theft. Sorted out just who owned tractor in case of an accident. I still have the NS registration and plates for my SA and 130, most folks in ON don't quite know what to make of them. I had a OPP cruiser pass me one day, I expect he is still scratching his head how a Super A got that far from home. I discussed with an organizer one day about taking my tractor to a show. He said, "Leave the plate on, let the folks know how large a draw our show really is."

 

[Walt Davies]

When I was a kid growing up in Northern Calif. Some cities would license bicycles just another way to get your money and help a little company make money stamping out miniature plates.

I hope we never see tractor registration down here you guys up north keep them things home.

Walt

 

[Wesley Stephens]

It's always a good idea to get a bill of sale in case there is a dispute, and if Uncle Sam audits you you need to have a bill of sale for equipment you are depreciating.

 

[RodinNS]

Hugh,

I'll be 30 in a couple months... so i really only remember the last few of the old plates kicking around the garage that never got fired away. Seems to me that the change was somewhere around 1980?
Funny story you tell about not having the plate on the tractor either. One of the local clowns stopped me about 2 weeks ago. He demanded to know 'where my sign was'. I asked him, "What sign?".... He didn't like that.... 'The sign for the back of your tractor!!'
I says, it's home... been there since a couple years when the seat was changed, and the bracket for the sign went with it... (along with the seat belt, but I didn't point that out to him). He spit and sputtered and wanted the sign put right back on, and so on, and I could be charged for not having it, blah blah. So I says I'll put it back on... Then he wants to know where the PLATE is?? "Well.... it's with the sign" He was less than impressed. Then he wanted my licence, looked at it, and was off...
I still didn't find his damn sign, and probably won't.
Just a bloody desk sargeant, out in a ghost car, killing time on a nice day, and half an hour out of his area... so I doubt I'll see him again. Crime must have been firmly under control that day....

Rod

 

[GA Dave]

(quoted from post at 00:32:58 05/18/08) No tractor titles neccessary here either far as I know.

On a related subject, kinda O/T though...I looked at a '70 Ford Torino GT on ebay tonight from I think Alabama(or one of the surrounding states)...the guy who wrote the ad said there was no title with the car since their state didn't require a title on a vehicle until '74. Said he'd supply a bill of sale and that's it....is this right??? No titles for cars down there untill '74? Caint hardly believe it!

on, in Georgia a title is not required for vehicles untill 1986. Tractors? go figure. I've bought several tractors without even thinking about a bill of sale. Best to know the seller though. David....

 

[led]

Dan, If you are from il. Trust me on this one.
Keep a file on pictures of tractor, serial #, and paperwork, but we don't want the Sec of State involved with titles, license plates. This Gov & SOS would love to tax tractors!!!!!!!!!
Not that many years ago.
Title $3. now about $65.
License plates for car $18. now $65
Transfers $2. now $65.
NO sales tax from person to person on cars & trucks.
I'll stop & you can add more.
Led

 

[Hugh MacKay]

Rod: I'll not argue the exact date, just don't remember. I know it was very near 1970 when I got the ticket.

The no expiry plate was in force when I bought my 1066 in 75. Again in 1976 when I bought a John Deere 540A forestry skidder and wanted to register it as a farm tractor. I went to the registry office with documents. The John Deere 540A was 10 months old, had been out on lease and registered as GT. The supervisor in charge tried to tell me, it had to be registered as GT. I said, "GT is no good to me, I can't tow implements using GT plates." It must have taken him the better part of an hour to make that decission. His reasoning, "we can't call it a tractor, it's not manufactured as such." I said, "It's built by John Deere, has the same engine, transmission, rear ends, hydraulic pump and chassis as some John Deere tractors. It is nothing more than a forestry tractor." He finally gave in, but no willingly.

Three years later I encountered the same with MF-550 combine. GP lisence would not allow me to tow 15' header behind on cart. Same fight all over again.

 

[RodinNS]

We went through the same excercise when registering an IH 615 combine a number of years ago. We bought it used in PEI.... so the first step was to 'invent' a title for it. Thenthe hassles about width, about GT and so on. We were dealing with this in Sydney where there are 10 twits and 3 or 4 supervisors. The solution? Go to Baddeck to the one room office, one desk jockey. I want to register this farm tractor. OK. Fill out this form, pay this amount, signed, sealed and delivered. No problem. No supervision does wonders....
I go through this every time I want to change the registered weight on the truck too. "So, it's a farm truck.... tractor.... so it must be a farm tractor.... but I can't put a registered weight on a farm tractor...." and so it goes. I go to Baddeck and they don't blink, just do it. Ya gots to know the answers and give them the answers before they think of asking you the wrong question.
This is like a neighbour of mine that has a disc at the sale barn right now that needs to come home. A few of us have suggested to him that he go on Saturday, with his half ton, a chain and binder, bind the hitch and tow the bloody thing home. HE didn't do that. He called the Federation first asking the rules about towing such disc on highway. Ofcourse he was told, you musn't do that... it's not safe on a 100 series highway! Cripes, if you can't tow anything with a truck you might as well not bother having farm plates.
That follows the old adage that it's easier to seek forgiveness than permission. Stick a couple mag lights on the back and giver'.

Rod

 

[TxFarmallFan]

Never heard of a title for a tractor. I would get a bill of sale though.