Were you able to register your truck w/ expo camper shell setup as a house car?

[alaska]

I'm not talking, here, about commercially-made campers such as the FWC, Alaskan Camper, XP Camper, etc., but simply about very basic camper shell expedition-oriented setups, made for example with caps such as the A.R.E. or Caravan Camper, permanently bolted to the bed of a full size truck (Ram, GMC, Ford, Chevy), with inside permanently bolted home-made sleeping/storage platforms and cabinets, and stuff for cooking such as a camping stove, an ice box or small fridge, and other needed items (such as a portapotti) to be used as living in space during expedition travel.

There are pretty big savings in DMV (commercial) fees and the insurance policy for the vehicle when you can successfully register it as a house car. Which is, indeed, what you have built your truck to be.

I'm wondering how many of you were able to do so and what was your experience getting or attempting to get there. I live in California, but I'm also very interested in getting feedback about this from people in other US states.

 

[alaska]

To be more specific, for instance, for those living in California, the California Vehicle Code, Section 362, says:

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A "house car" is a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached. A motor vehicle to which a camper has been temporarily attached is not a house car except that, for the purposes of Division 11 (commencing with Section 21000) and Division 12 (commencing with Section 24000), a motor vehicle equipped with a camper having an axle that is designed to support a portion of the weight of the camper unit shall be considered a three-axle house car regardless of the method of attachment or manner of registration. A house car shall not be deemed to be a motortruck.
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This should be a topic of much interest for those who, like us in this forum, have altered our trucks by placing a camper shell on it to be used for "human habitation" during our expedition travels.
The trucks we use for our expedition travels seem to fit the legal definition of "house car", at least as far as the CA Veh. Code goes (I'm sure the same is true for other states).
I'm really surprised no one has chimed in yet.

Anyone feels inspired to look into it and contribute here their thoughts/experience?

 

[Kevin M]

I looked into this briefly when I first put my Wildernest on, although i was looking into registering as a recreational vehicle (instead of commercial as all trucks are in CA) to decrease the registration amount. From what i gathered, if the shell was permanently attached and made the truck bed useless for hauling things, then it could be considered a recreational vehicle. So, with just a shell you can still use the truck bed, but with a shell and storage/sleeping platform the truck bed is no longer useful in hauling anything. Perhaps this is similar for the "house car" but i do not know specifically.

 

[chet6.7]

When I put a Callen camper on my PU the fees were reduced,the camper had to stay on,but for me,that was fine as I keep gear back there.My platform was some plywood cut into two pieces,I would slide one on top of the other,so I had enough usable bed for my needs.I think any problems from LE will be from taking the camper off.

 

[underdrive]

A "house car" is a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached.

You need to check what the equipment they consider needed for "human habitation" actually includes. In most states there is a list of items (110V system, stand-alone A/C unit, kitchen stove, fridge, plumbing, bathroom, etc) of which you have to have a certain number, you pick which items you install. By that definition most camper shells fail epically even when outfitted with sleeping platforms and lighting and ventilation, as there is simply no space (and/or need by the owner) to install the required number of items to reclassify the vehicle as one primarily used for human habitation.

Also, by permanently attaching they mean bolting down, no clamps (for camper shells) or chain tie-downs (for slide in campers). Not a huge deal when working with a camper shell as both its rails and those of the bed are easy enough to drill (and if you use eye-bolts instead of regular hex-head ones you gain tie-down points for cargo nets to keep your stuff from shifting around when you go bouncing down some cool trails). However, not many slide-in campers are built strong enough to handle being bolted to the truck bed thru the floor, and even with those it's a good idea to bolt them down to a bed that is relatively rigid and won't twist and flex as you go bouncing down the aforementioned trail. Just some more food for thought...

 

[verdesardog]

Many years ago in CA I bought an old Willy's that had a home made camper on it. I tore it apart and had just a nice 9' bed on my FC170. Never did change the registration from "car" plates to truck plates, I was never stopped for it.

 

[alaska]

Thanks for your feedback guys, please keep it coming..

Here's a couple of threads I was able to find today on this topic:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/10160-Cal-registration-motorhome-vs-commerical

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=8660.0

For sure, this is a subject rarely talked about, at least in forums, perhaps due to people not being aware of the possibility of using this legislation to reduce their DMV fees/insurance premiums?

 

[rayra]

Seems like an odd quest. CA isn't typically very cooperative about such things.
Just how much cheaper is RV / 'house car' reg vs regular trucks?

http://www.dmv.com/ca/california/car-registration

 

[Regcabguy]

I'm not talking, here, about commercially-made campers such as the FWC, Alaskan Camper, XP Camper, etc., but simply about very basic camper shell expedition-oriented setups, made for example with caps such as the A.R.E. or Caravan Camper, permanently bolted to the bed of a full size truck (Ram, GMC, Ford, Chevy), with inside permanently bolted home-made sleeping/storage platforms and cabinets, and stuff for cooking such as a camping stove, an ice box or small fridge, and other needed items (such as a portapotti) to be used as living in space during expedition travel.

There are pretty big savings in DMV (commercial) fees and the insurance policy for the vehicle when you can successfully register it as a house car. Which is, indeed, what you have built your truck to be.

I'm wondering how many of you were able to do so and what was your experience getting or attempting to get there. I live in California, but I'm also very interested in getting feedback about this from people in other US states.

My friend obtained the house car title on his Dodge w/Callen non-cabover shell. it does save you the weight fee which in my case was $203 this year i believe.

 

[billy bee]

Reviving an old thread here. I registered my 1996 Chevy K1500 Z71 as an RV, saving me about $100/year in DMV fees. I only wish I had done it earlier.

A little of the back story: I found a used FlipPac on CL about 7 years ago. It was too big to fit my T100, but I bought it anyway and decided to swap trucks to make use of the FP. I wanted a Dodge with a Cummins 12-valve, but had a very hard time finding the right truck. Finally settled on a 2000 CTD (24-valve) that was set up with a flat bed. I bought it in CO and drove it home to CA. The first thing they make you do to a out-of-state truck is get it weighed to assess some surcharge for commercial vehicles based on weight. Forget exactly what those fees are. But my Dodge weighed in at 6600 lbs and cost me $400/year to register. Welcome to California. I removed the flat bed, installed a stock truck bed, and paid my $400. Then I mounted the FP.

My wife hated the Dodge so I started looking for a replacement truck. Sold the Dodge and found a Chevy that my wife could live with and mounted the FP on it. $175/year in fees.

I had heard about the home car thing and inquired one day when I was at the AAA registering a motorcycle. I had it on the back of my Chevy. The agent took a quick look at the Chevy and informed me that I could save some money if I registered it as an RV. The term 'home car' was never used. She verified that the FP was bolted to the truck, warned me that the FP could never come off, and issued me new plates...$76/year in registration fees. The AAA agent said there was a steep fine if I were to get caught driving the Chevy without the FP.

That was it. I paid $400/year for the Dodge for two years and then $175 for the Chevy for two more years. I've paid $76 for a few years now and have only removed the FP to do mods. It lives permanently on the Chevy.

The only reason not to do this is if you don't keep your camper or camper shell on your truck all the time. Otherwise, it's a no brainer...

bb

 

[Accrete]

Different/Neighboring state for me here in Oregon, though we do have some similar DMV regs on the books.
One thing I found out in our case was that even though our van conversion (started as a commercial van) has all that is required to qualify as an "RV"...the deal stopper for us is that our rig is also used as my wife's daily driver. And since it is going to/from a workplace on a consistent basis the state will not register it as an RV nor will my insurance company (State Farm).

Just a ramble as I pass through : )
Happy Holiday(s)
Thom

 

[alaska]

Thanks so much for your informative feedback, billy bee, it is very much appreciated!

Reviving an old thread here. I registered my 1996 Chevy K1500 Z71 as an RV, saving me about $100/year in DMV fees. I only wish I had done it earlier.

A little of the back story: I found a used FlipPac on CL about 7 years ago. It was too big to fit my T100, but I bought it anyway and decided to swap trucks to make use of the FP. I wanted a Dodge with a Cummins 12-valve, but had a very hard time finding the right truck. Finally settled on a 2000 CTD (24-valve) that was set up with a flat bed. I bought it in CO and drove it home to CA. The first thing they make you do to a out-of-state truck is get it weighed to assess some surcharge for commercial vehicles based on weight. Forget exactly what those fees are. But my Dodge weighed in at 6600 lbs and cost me $400/year to register. Welcome to California. I removed the flat bed, installed a stock truck bed, and paid my $400. Then I mounted the FP.

My wife hated the Dodge so I started looking for a replacement truck. Sold the Dodge and found a Chevy that my wife could live with and mounted the FP on it. $175/year in fees.

I had heard about the home car thing and inquired one day when I was at the AAA registering a motorcycle. I had it on the back of my Chevy. The agent took a quick look at the Chevy and informed me that I could save some money if I registered it as an RV. The term 'home car' was never used. She verified that the FP was bolted to the truck, warned me that the FP could never come off, and issued me new plates...$76/year in registration fees. The AAA agent said there was a steep fine if I were to get caught driving the Chevy without the FP.

That was it. I paid $400/year for the Dodge for two years and then $175 for the Chevy for two more years. I've paid $76 for a few years now and have only removed the FP to do mods. It lives permanently on the Chevy.

The only reason not to do this is if you don't keep your camper or camper shell on your truck all the time. Otherwise, it's a no brainer...

bb