Registration vs OHV

[mattzj98]

I think i'm ready to take the jeep off the streets for good, plates just expired and I was wondering if anyone knows how one would go about getting the jeep registered as off highway vehicle and how does that affect insurace? do I need insurance on it still? where do i get it all done?

thanks in advance

[gm4x4lover]

I think you would be limiting your self by not registering it for street use. If you need to hop trail to trail or drive from trailer to trail head you are leaving your self open for a ticket. Which would be more than it would be to reregister it at any point.

[The StRanger]

X2. Get some 33 or smaller tires for the sniff test and keep it plated
Ultimate adventure, Moab, Etc do a lot of road travel
I'll keep mine plated just in case !!!

[glacierpaul]

1. call motor vehicle 2. call the state parks about OHV registration 3. call your insurance provider
I think there is a state law concerning this. I know here in Clear Creek, all motor vehicles have to be registered that are on your property, it is a zoning violation at the least :). I always would have some sort of insurance, no matter what. Think asset protection.
I agree with Nicholas and Sam. Also having a back up rig is important, at least to me, but then I got 5:rolleyes:

[mattzj98]

hmm.. in ordered to get it registered I'd have to figure out my motor, put a whole new exhaust on it, get small tires put on (which i also dont have) and then hope it passes. The insurance is kind of worthless to me at least at this point since all they will cover in case of an accident would be a 1998 jeep grand cherokee valued at $4k.. it wouldnt cover all 5 tires.. and if I don't drive it on the streets anyway, then it's kind of pointless to begin with

[glacierpaul]

Shizzen! A predicament to say the least! I will say that the insurance is not to replace your Jeep, but to cover you from a personal injury claim from a passenger or photographer (if that makes sense :)) or collision on the trail, just a thought. I only think of your avatar shot and the flop, there is a possibility of someone else getting hurt and you the driver are liable. I hate insurance, but I would hate to be sued and lose my assets. So a basic coverage policy with nothing fancy but PIP protection.
I think your rig qualifies for the state parks registration though for sure, if you do not have it licensed now, cover your a$$ on the trail at least. Our LEO for the forest has been out checking folks registrations, albeit mostly OHV, but your rig minus license plates would make it a OHV. Call the State Parks service and double check!

[mattzj98]

thanks, ill give them a call! the insurance does make sense, i have coverage on it right now and its just pretty much liability plus vandalism insurance (Which i no longer need) im gonna find out what State Farm has for just personal injury. . . i figured insurances dont really cover trails much... i guess another phone call it is!

[Adaa60]

Go to a ranger station and ask i would say. as for insurance many companys offer off road only insurance it only covers passengers and medical. the insurance does not care about your truck. if you run in to someone elses truck off road that is between the two of you. there is no fault off road. its basicly just like a parking lot. The police can not police a parking lot. i learned this the hard way a while back i had an acura and as i was getting out of m car this asshat drove by and caught my door, ripped it clean off my car..... i called the police and the cop said he could only file an incedent report but there are no traffic laws broken when your car is not on a legal paved road. forest service roads and pubilc land, or private property is a no fault. so unfourtnatly if someones truck falls down the side of the mountian and crashes in to yours there is not much that can be done im afraid.

However this info is what i was told by the Westminster police and my insurance company. they could be wrong and the insurance info could be only with my insurance company.

[mattzj98]

I don't care if someone runs into my jeep, im sorry for theirs :) but I have heard the same thing as you have so it's probably true.. im trying to call about the offroad insurance right now..

[Fordguy77]

What's up with the motor that it won't pass emissions? Even most then people I know with highly modified engines, they have just thrown it on a tuner and leaned it out to pass emissions then switched back to the regular tune. Also what do you need to do for the exhaust? You can get a high flow cat and a glass pack with flex piping and pass emissions...

You might also look into getting a stated value insurance policy. I did this when I put my 70 on the road, and they basically appraise all the work that's been done to it, and insure you for that amount...

[mattzj98]

it throws all kinds of codes since none of the sensors are correct to the motor, so it has a tune to fix it, with the tune, i dont think it will pass emissions, and without it, it wont pass because of the lights being on.. the exhaust is near non existant, out the headers into a single pipe, with a tiny cat and down.. it needs a muffler and a pipe out the back of the vehicle, that's more than i want to do for one day.. Geico offered the stated value policy but by my understanding, they will take the receipts and whatnot, figure out the value, and then only insure certain percentage of that..

[Jackie]

Matt - I have Geico coverage on all of our vehicles and the Jeep (which is by far the most valuable one) costs the least to insure because I told them it's primary use would be off-road. I stated that I expected less than 5K Miles per year, and that has proven to be a truthful estimate. Our old minivan costs way more to insure and I could care less if it gets damaged.

I would keep it plated and insured. Keeps you (personally) protected no matter what might happen on or off-road.

[glacierpaul]

Forgot about stated coverage. I almost got it for my YJ plow rig, because of the upgrades I did to it, new motor, the plow set up, etc. I am lucky to use it for my business, so I have an umbrella policy on my General Liability for the biz. But, no insurance is going to pay the 'full' amount for any vehicle they are insurance companies not pay out companies :) Edit: plow premiums are around $1600-$1800 annually, I am some of the few that carry it driving around with a plow blade.

[mattzj98]

i get to call again tomorrow since I couldnt get ahold of my agent :(

[Backcountryislife]

hmm.. in ordered to get it registered I'd have to figure out my motor, put a whole new exhaust on it, get small tires put on (which i also dont have) and then hope it passes. The insurance is kind of worthless to me at least at this point since all they will cover in case of an accident would be a 1998 jeep grand cherokee valued at $4k.. it wouldnt cover all 5 tires.. and if I don't drive it on the streets anyway, then it's kind of pointless to begin with

#1, you can insure it for it's real value with nearly any company... very easy to do. From my jeep to my sleds that are worth nearly double what a new one would cost, my toys are insured for what's in them. Just call the insurance company & ask how they deal with mods. I've got $7800 in mods covered on one of my sleds, and $3500 on the other.
Btw, no appraisal or anything like that generally needed, you simply cover what you need covered, and in the case of a claim, they'll need a list of the parts that are outside of stock. The last sled I totaled I received $3k over the cost of a new one because I got 65% of the value of all my mods, and then I kept the sled as well... keeping most of the mods.

#2, come "move in" with paul or I ;) problem solved :D

At the age of your rig, registration can't be much more than OHV would be, so it seems like if you can get rid of the hassles, it'd be worth it to keep it a street legal rig since that covers you for everything.

Having to run EVERYTHING as an out & back would bore the living SH** out of me, I considered a buggy when I got my JKU, but that was a no go for me.

[mattzj98]

#1, you can insure it for it's real value with nearly any company... very easy to do. From my jeep to my sleds that are worth nearly double what a new one would cost, my toys are insured for what's in them. Just call the insurance company & ask how they deal with mods. I've got $7800 in mods covered on one of my sleds, and $3500 on the other.
Btw, no appraisal or anything like that generally needed, you simply cover what you need covered, and in the case of a claim, they'll need a list of the parts that are outside of stock. The last sled I totaled I received $3k over the cost of a new one because I got 65% of the value of all my mods, and then I kept the sled as well... keeping most of the mods.

#2, come "move in" with paul or I ;) problem solved :D

At the age of your rig, registration can't be much more than OHV would be, so it seems like if you can get rid of the hassles, it'd be worth it to keep it a street legal rig since that covers you for everything.

Having to run EVERYTHING as an out & back would bore the living SH** out of me, I considered a buggy when I got my JKU, but that was a no go for me.

The rig is already not street legal one way or another, meaning I have to trailer it outside my town so that cops don't say anything... they pulled me over twice. (no ticket)

cost of the registration is also not an issue..

If i do end up registering it, ill probably try Elbert County

[glacierpaul]

[/QUOTE] #2, come "move in" with paul or I ;) problem solved :D[/QUOTE]

No, then the problems begin :)

[sunk]

I agree with the insurance thing, you can call your agent and disclose all of the mods you have made to ensure that they are covered. I have also heard about a company that covers rigs like yours just for offroad but would have to search around for where I heard that.

Something else to consider, most trails intersect with regular roads that you need to be registered to drive on. Just tape over the lights on the dash and dont say anything about the exhaust...maybe they wont notice :)

[Backcountryislife]

If i do end up registering it, ill probably try Elbert County


Wouldn't Elbert also have inspections & emissions though?

We don't have either up here. You could register a goat if it had a legal title and Mary isn't going outside to go check it.

[mattzj98]

Elbert county is no emissions, it's mostly just farms

[glacierpaul]

Elbert and Clear Creek = low resident count = no emissions :) this may change at some point though....

[Backcountryislife]

AH! got ya.

I'd think as long as you can avoid emissions & inspections... the "reality" of how legal the thing is, is a minor detail :D

[glacierpaul]

:lmao: