Illinois has done it yet again. I have a buddy who just sold his house and is moving out of state later this month; he may be onto something here.
Illinois cannot find it within itself, to make anything easier on its residents only more difficult.
I have had a 6X10 utility trailer for a dozen years or so; I've had a couple others too over the years incl one that was made out of the back half of a 67-72 Chevy pickup; who hasn't seen that before?

well my old 6X10, has been torn down and rebuilt 3-4 times since my Dad got it in the 80s; it started out as a popup camper that my Dad bought for $50 with rotten canvas and tore that canvas off, so just a "box" was left, and put a plywood, hinged top on it; when he was done with it, that trailer went to sit in the weeds at my brother's house, til I decided I needed a trailer. (like 15 years later) so I stripped it down to the frame and put wood planks on it; I had a "utility" trailer. My Ma couldnt find the title, so I went and did what my Dad had done 15 years before; I went to the DMV and titled it as a "home made" trailer; for all intents and purposes it was; I took it down to bare bones and welded it back together adding in extra supports for its new intended use; hauling mowers around. I have rebuilt that thing 3 times in the years since, modifying it to my then current needs. mostly because I didn't want to give the State any more $ than I have to, I was the title and registration money ahead with the trailer I had... It was already registerd and plated so I didn't have to redo that. I was "that much" ahead of the game by not selling it and buying/building a different one.

Earlier this year, I decided that no matter what I ever did to it, that old trailer was still too "light duty" with its 2" square tube axle and dinky 4.80X12 tires, so I sold it. with its title and everything.

My buddy who's moving, offered me a replacement for free, since he had to clean up the yard. this one has brakes, 15" 6 lug wheels, and is a tube rather than (thin) channel and angle iron frame. If I didn't take it, he was gonna scrap it. This one used to be a 16-foot camper and not a popup ntype as my old trailer had started out as. Sometimes free is too expensive.

I cut it down 3 feet, moved the axle forward 2 feet, cut the thin gussets from the outside of the framerails and the folding camper step off too, then added 2X3 rect. tube "extensions" a foot long out each side of the frame and a few more "studs" (3" channel) than it originally had, going cross-ways at 2' intervals; originally they were only at 4' intervals.
.
the size of my old one was never a problem, just the light duty-ness.
I ended up building this one into a 77" wide (73" wide inside the side rails)X13' long trailer; the last 18" of which I turned into a dovetail. (2X4 rectangular tube) I V'd from the bottom, pushed the frame down, and welded teh now-narrowed "V", dropping that last 18" 3-1/2" over that span. so the flat "deck" is 11'6" long.
The tires and fenders are "inside" the rail much like a "fleet side" or conventional pickup truck bed. I have 59" between the fenders.
I went to the local farm store and bought fenders; I went to a local semitrailer repair place and bought a ton of LED's I bought a "break a way" for the brakes; (from what I've read, I guess all trailers w/ brakes built since '04 have to have this)
I went thru a whole 11 lb spool of 0.030" MIG wire plus a lil more. (I replaced that with a 44# spool, it'll take me a lil longer to use that up, heh heh)
I also built myself a 40"X75" drop gate; thanks to another buddy who works at an expanded metal warehouse who got me a piece 5'X8' for the floor of the ramp gate. (for free I might add) I just finished that part yesterday. I put a rail full length around the front and sides, 12" above the floor surface. top rail itself made of Unistrut. I still need flooring, which is gonna be either treated 5/4 deck material or rough sawn oak.

Now HERE comes the problem. and it's a doozie.
Used to be, all I had to do was go to the DMV and tell them I needed license and title for a home made trailer. A few forms and a few more $$$ than I think it is worth changed hands, I walk out with a temporary plate til my official one came in the mail; I could use it immediately. Well starting this year it aint that easy no more. All license and title, renewals etc went up cost wise significantly this year. Theiving bastages.... $100 for a renewal sticker for each car and truck up to 3/4 ton, title transfer went from $65 to $100, and so on.

and when it comes to a home made trailer? If you have one that you titled before 2010 you are fine; I have not heard of them going after trailer owners to back check them like this; but for home made trailers from 2010 on, now you have to fill out a ton of paperwork, incl a bill of materials, an affidavid (I dont remember what that pertains to I'm not looking at the packet) and at least 4 pix, showing all the safety stuff, license bracket and such; it has to be up to the latest (greatest has alot of debate on the table) and wait... 6 to 8 weeks for an appointment with the Sec of State cops who if they "like" it will put a metal tag on it (ID/"vin" number). Then and only then will they issue a title and therefore plates, in the meantime I have a 6'X13" (wait a minute, it's closer to 17' long incl the tongue) lawn ornament, tripping hazard etc because I can't use it for anything else til that inspection.
If you have something that you need rated for over 5000# you need to take it for a DOT inspection BEFORE bringing it to the state inspection!

I have called the Sec of State who referred me to their police div., who does these inspections and they refuse to answer any questions for me; I found out that from where I live, I have 2 possible inspection stations they could send me to; one within a couple miles of O'Hare airport, an area I avoid like the Plague because of the traffic nighmare; and the other about 100-120 miles the other way.... I guess "they" decide which one. They couldnt have me take it to the local DMV which is "crawling" with Sec of State cops or the weigh station along the highway since they also are the ones taht run those... that would be too easy. I will get a temp license plate good for like 10 days around the inspection time ONLY TO BE USED to drag it to the inspection lane... what I wanted was info about what it will take to pass; what are they most critical of; I have alot of time and materials wrapped up in this damn thing just to have a lawn ornament; and I refuse to take it on a 200 mile round trip to be refused what I am there for! I DON'T wanna go there and have them tell me I did something wrong, didn't do it to the proper extent, etc so as to be refused registration and have to bring it home and then back AGAIN..... I want to know what it has to have to make sure it passes the 1st time. they wont answer. they keep ducking my questions and giving me round-a-bout BS. and it has to be "done" put the full bounty of work and $$$ into it so it hurts more when they tell you it's unacceptable; no way to head off a bad build "at the pass".
Let this be a warning to Il members here that are also building or considering building their own trailer.

I don't get it; why all the BS and complication; I chalk it up to Illinois being Illinois. Put it this way; if it is their goal to keep someone from saving a few bucks and building something instead of buying I think it may have worked; I won't ever put myself into a position of having to go thru taht again; I'll buy a dilapidated one with a title already and rebuild that.

If you convert a boat trailer, cut a pickup truck in half and build a trailer from that, strip an old camper, etc; they want the old title from its original maker and they issue a "reconstructed" title not a "home made" one; I guess that's a different taril of red tape, I'm supposed to have that info coming; if you got no title with it? then you gotta get a "bonded" title; W-T-F is THAT?????

As far as brakes; IL law says that any trailer <3000GVW doesn't have to have them; so I wasn't gonna use them. there is no ID on the frame or axle as to a rating but the axle does have brakes; If I tell them it is <3000 GVW will they still black flag me for non functional brakes since the trailer has them? I went to the local farm store and looked at all the trailers they had; the closest to mine has a listed GVW of 2990#, and no brakes.... so going by that I should not need them either.
But according to a local truck accessory/trailer hitch/trailer dealer that I have been to looking for odds and ends for this thing, by the descripition of the axle I have he said it sounds like a 35-3600# axle going by the fact it has 10" brakes and 6 lug hubs. which if I go by that it puts me into the next higher weight class which does need brakes (and the yearly plate renewal is more too), but still below the 5000# rating I described above; that's the 3rd "tier" of trailer weight ratings, as they go, here.
I have regular "car" tires on it at the moment; will they refuse me for not having "trailer" tires on it?

What a headache; I will have a much better built trailer at a cost of less than 1/3 of what that one at the farm store goes for but aLOT of running around and Bull $#!t. Is it worth it? I don't know yet.

In our house IDK how it wound up this way but though our TV/Internet and home phone are in "my" name and our cell (same company!) is in the wife's; which makes it impossible for me to do anything with the cell, even a renewal;
Our cell "contract" expired 2 months ago; I wasnt in a hurrey to renew; I liked not having "early termination fees" hanging over my head in case I wanted to go elsewhere; well I (again) broke my phone--that's 3 in just over 2 years now; our kid is on #2 also; so I wanted "Construction grade";
I found the one I wanted online (none of the AT&T stores had any in stock) and ordered 2; one for me and 1 for the kid; he's the one who turned me onto the "construction grade; before that I had not heard of them;
I wanted the Motorola "Tundra" (actually a Military grade" phone) and got 2; one for me and one for the kid.
Anyway I found someone that had them, and ordered while the gettin was good; and ordered a 3rd (different from mine and the kid's) phone for my wife; well later that day I saw some online reviews saying the one I ordered for her was a big POS; so I called the local AT&T places who confirmed that they stopped offering the one I ordered for her for "that" reason;

So I called the online place I ordered from; and changed the phone that I ordered from them for her; I placed the order; put it on MY credit card (the bill comes in my name) and caught them in the "picking" stage; before they'd been packed and shipped; but here comes teh rub; I had to put the order in her name since she holds the contract that I renewed;
so they would not change "phone #3" on my order w/o her getting on the phone saying to do so; I ordered, I paid but I could not change it? WTF?

I give my wife full authority to speak on my behalf and she gives me the same on her behalf; we pay our bills from teh same checking account; both names are printed on teh check; what's next; they start refusing payment because an account is in "my" name but she signs the check to pay the bill? I mean, we are married and share the checking account; we don't live like simple "room mates" with seperate everything!

Then this morning; I called them again (the online cell phone company) because the phones I ordered took a big price dive over the weekend; I mean I was still waiting on UPS to bring them (they are here now) and all I was wanting was to make the price adjutsment and credit my CC account; not to change the order; and AGAIN they told me they will adjust the price ONLY if my wife calls and makes the request; we're talking a difference between paying $300 for these phones or $100 for these same phones; I was gonna refuse the shipment from UPS and reorder them at the new prices taht took effect between the time I ordered and the time I recieved them; (one is now "free" with renewal, which I did)
we used to have a BP/Amoco gas credit card; it was in "her" name; I say "used to" since we cancelled it after a similar hassle; I saw the bill and a questionable charge; I called the 800-number; and they saw and recognized the charge; and agreed to remove it "only if" SHE called to request the removal of the charge; again; WTF?
My Dad worked for US Steel and was often on the road; Mom wrote out all the bills and made the needed phone calls; often made calls to set up Dad's next airplane tickets for his business trips; if we had to wait for Dad (since everything was in his name) to make all the calls to "approve" anything we would have never had anything, growing up.
Now a days my wife works (if you call it that; retail is a low paying thankless field that sucks) and I am on disability; so I find myself dealing with much of the household day to day BS; things like this make it damn inconvenient to do so and makes it almost impossible to actually accomplish anything with her having to "OK" anything I try to do;