Where to mount license plate?

[yooper1]

Ok, I suppose this is a dumb question and I could just put it anywhere but...

Where have you folks placed your license plate on your larger trailers?

My new Load Trail 10k trailer does not have a license plate holder and no license plate light.

I have seen some screwed / bolted to fenders and some mounted on the bottom of one of the ramps so it can be seen when the ramp is up.

I hate to drill holes in my fenders and I was just wondering where you may have mounted yours.

Thank you in advance for ideas and any input.

 

[aczlan]

Fender or another place where it isn't "hanging out" past whatever it mounts to.
That way it wont get as beat up or fall off.

Aaron Z

 

[bcp]

In WA, you can get a trailer license in the about half-sized motorcycle size. That helps a lot. Maybe in your state this can be done.

Bruce

 

[Diamondpilot]

I use rubber mounts via left tail light. In my state it must be lighted.

Chris

 

[yooper1]

Man, the tail lights are fairly low.

I believe Mich requires it to be lit also....darn

I guess I could get a rubber mount one somewhere and maybe that would keep it in a little better shape.

Mich has permanent plates, and I would hate to have permanent plates that look like heck

Thanks for the ideas so far

 

[yooper1]

bcp, I wish we had those, but here they are the same size as all other plates

 

[whiskywizard]

On both my car (tractor) trailer and my ATV trailer, I use cable ties to secure the plates to the back side of the ramp/gate. The upside is they will not snag anything, ever.

The downside is it technically isn't legal because it's not lit. But I've been stopped before and the cops haven't had an issue with it. I suspect - just my guess - that because they approach from behind with their headlamps lights on, the plate is brightly illuminated and they never think about it not having a dedicated lamp.

 

[brin]

On both my car (tractor) trailer and my ATV trailer, I use cable ties to secure the plates to the back side of the ramp/gate. The upside is they will not snag anything, ever.

The downside is it technically isn't legal because it's not lit. But I've been stopped before and the cops haven't had an issue with it. I suspect - just my guess - that because they approach from behind with their headlamps lights on, the plate is brightly illuminated and they never think about it not having a dedicated lamp.

I do the same with my license plate on my trailer...just cable tie it to the back of the ramp about headlight high and I have never had a problem...before I did that I kept ramming the license plate into every obstacle and they get bent up and you finally lose them...

 

[deepNdirt]

I have mine tucked away between 2 rungs of the left side tail ramp, I also ran wire inside plastic shielding flex-tube with enough slack so can move the ramp back-n-forth and built a bulb shield and installed a light so as to light up the tag at night,
It's the law here in GA to have the tag illuminated at night and they do ticket for not having it lit, Never could figure this law out, If the LEO pulls you over at night do they not have their headlights on and shining toward the rear of our vehicle or trailer not only that but the tags here are made of a reflected materials to illuminate themselves the instance a light were to shine on them, Oh-well we don't make the laws just have to obied by them, and these days it seems like the LEO are more focused on trailers than ever before,

 

[oldballs]

Kansas plates are only full size as far as I know. The darn thing doesn't fit the width of the fender where the light is. I custom trim parts of the plate then just bend the damned thing around the edge of the fender so as it doesn't snag any passing legs. That's dorky but works. It is bolted on for safe keeping. Some locals mount the plate vertically to fit the fender.

 

[Fixemall]

I got sick of my plates getting bent up so I made a frame out of angle iron from a bed platform, welded it tight, bolted the plate in it and hung it with two strips of stall mat bolted to the trailer. It protects the plate well and will swing when it hits something.

 

[soulasphil]

Here not only must the plate be lit, but all light signals from the towing vehicle must be repeated: red lights, brake light, turn signals. The whole thing generally goes under the trailer floor.

 

[Qapla]

I guess you could say that Florida only has one sized tag ... but do the motorcycles in your state have full sized tags?

We had a tag go missing. After filing the police report, the tag was replaced free. When we were getting the tag we asked if it possible to get a "motorcycle sized tag" for the trailer. They said yes. Actually, I found that the motorcycle tags have their own numbering sequence, so what they do is "re-assign" a motorcycle tag for your trailer.

So, even though all the "auto/trailer" tags are the same size, motorcycles have smaller tags. Just ask ... you may be surprised.

As for the placement, we fastened the new smaller tag to the back of the left fender with screws. No problem with drilling 4 holes for the tag here. Seems to me, the risk of the holes is way less then the risk of the ticket for not having a tag - or not haveing a "legible" tag.

 

[yooper1]

I will check on the size / substitution thing, thanks

 

[Bird]

If you go to Bing or Google, either one, and enter "trailer license plate bracket" you'll find an assortment of brackets, many made to mount onto the same bolts as a taillight. I would imagine every state has a statute requiring the license plate to be illuminated, so I'd recommend you try to do that. However, I've seen trailer license plates mounted all the places mentioned in this thread and have never, personally, known of a traffic citation being issued for one not being illuminated.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I bet my plates on both my boat trailers and my car hauler are less than 6" from the ground. I use the rubber mounts like I said before and they have been no issue. It just folds back if it hits the ground.

One other option is to just mount it where you want and put on a plate light. You can get them at any trailer parts store or TSC for about $5

Chris

 

[herringchoker]

Here's how mine is mounted....on top of the tail light box and illuminated.

 

[yooper1]

herringchoker, your tail lights are like mine. They are a welded on unit with the oval light held in with a grommet / gasket.

They are not bolted or screwed on like some.

That would be my only obstacle. The license plate brackets / holders that fit tail light bolt patterns.

On my lights I would have to drill holes to hold anything to it. Not saying I cannot do that.

Maybe on top like herringchoker's and a small clear light at the bottom?

Thanks again all for the ideas and input. I will look at various brackets on the web and see about getting one to work

 

[deepNdirt]

herringchoker, your tail lights are like mine. They are a welded on unit with the oval light held in with a grommet / gasket.

They are not bolted or screwed on like some.

That would be my only obstacle. The license plate brackets / holders that fit tail light bolt patterns.

On my lights I would have to drill holes to hold anything to it. Not saying I cannot do that.

Maybe on top like herringchoker's and a small clear light at the bottom?

Thanks again all for the ideas and input. I will look at various brackets on the web and see about getting one to work

If the ramp is wide enough I can see it would be very easy to splice in a parking light wire from the taillight and rout to the tag for a light if once mounted it onto the ramp,
here is my tag mount

 

[yooper1]

Yeah, that was kind of what I was thinking.

The ramps are 16 inches wide so there should be room.

Then make a mount with a light (or buy a bracket with light to adhere to mount) to fit under the ramp. And for the wires, I would get the loom and run it from the tail light. I would have to leave slack for up and down and right and left movement of the ramp. Would be nice if i could get a coiled wire, like a phone handset cord, small enough to use that would keep the slack coiled up and weather tight.