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How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

danwilkerson.com

71–80 of 409 posts

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I put 20 bags of mulch in an SUV last weekend, one that almost certainly could carry less than TFA's mini-truck-thing. What gives?

That's the expensive route if you do it too often. I can buy 2 yards of mulch scooped into the back of my truck for quite a bit less than the cost of 20 bags. And then there's things like gravel, which you really don't want to try and get in bags at all. I could probably get by with a smaller truck if I didn't tow a big trailer with it, but I'd still choose an actual open-bed truck over an SUV or minivan. Different s…

I mostly do outdoor activities that benefit from more interior space. I'd probably buy a trailer if mulch, gravel, etc. hauling became an issue. You're right that it depends on what you need space that's more than a sedan or a hatchback for.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#72
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that this form factor could absolutely replace the vast majority of trucks use for delivery and contractor duties in many cities and towns in the US. Edit: flat bed pickup trucks that is, not lorries.

They already have the form factor, it’s called a Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger. They are bigger than Kei trucks because they have actual safety features.

The size being the safety feature, and thus a danger to other vehicles on the road

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can do the job of a $50,000 pickup using a machine that is half the size of a Honda Civic No you can’t

For what the average person uses their $50k pickup for, you most certainly can. Do you really imagine most pickup trucks in the US are hauling bricks on a dirt road up the side of mountains?

You said it yourself. People aren’t buying trucks for their function. They aren’t hauling bricks up mountain roads. So if it’s not about function, then it’s about something else and a Kei truck might not fill that role.

It’s like people who spend thousands of dollars on a wristwatch. They don’t do that because they need to know what time it is.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Break the cycle how? Every time one of these threads come up I suggest buying a domestic full size 90’s truck instead and nobody gives a shit. The only things that gain traction in these threads is people shitting on their cultural enemies. Because Truck People bad!! Maybe you can help break the cycle by looking at the huge used truck market we already have

> Truck People bad!! One thing that I try to remind people of is that pickup trucks are the best selling vehicles in the US because the approximate definition of 'Truck People' is everyone .

Here I thought the childmashers were best selling because there is literally no alternative, as is the topic of this entire thread we are in.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#75

These HN threads about trucks are amazing. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again * Kei trucks are the coolest. Big gubment is making it so we can’t register them due to protectionism! * Chicken tax chicken tax chicken tax * Big trucks cause more crashes because reasons! * Trucks are just lifestyle vehicles and nobody actually needs or uses them Over and over and over again

Usually followed by someone saying "I'd like to see that thing in a crash test against ".

Well maybe if the giant truck driver was able to see over their hood, they wouldn't be in a collision.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already have the form factor, it’s called a Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger. They are bigger than Kei trucks because they have actual safety features.

They are bigger because they need to house 200HP+ engines, which are, in most cases, unnecessary.

My Ford Ranger has 143 HP, thank you very much.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#77

These HN threads about trucks are amazing. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again * Kei trucks are the coolest. Big gubment is making it so we can’t register them due to protectionism! * Chicken tax chicken tax chicken tax * Big trucks cause more crashes because reasons! * Trucks are just lifestyle vehicles and nobody actually needs or uses them Over and over and over again

> nobody actually needs or uses them These make me chuckle. Those people have never done home improvement projects or just projects that require picking up 8ft sheets of plywood or 20 bags of mulch.

Home Depot rents a big truck for $20-$40 for the 2 hours I'd need it. I could rent this truck every weekend for 30 years for the same price as a giant truck. And I wouldn't have to worry about its maintenance either.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#78
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Oregon, Kei cars are specifically illegal, they cannot be titled or registered. Other states are following a similar path so definitely make sure you can title it before you buy it.

Is that for safety or market protection reasons?

Not an expert on Oregonian law, but my theory is that Oregon's motor vehicle law references the federal NHTSA regulations, and Kei vehicles laughably don't meet them (exterior lighting, crash performance, theft resistance, emissions, and so on).

An owner might be able to use it as an off-road vehicle only (no title, no tag, with maybe only comprehensive insurance), but that's not the point of buying one for a lot of owners.

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#79
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that for safety or market protection reasons?

The only reason given is that they are not manufactured for US highways. Which may be a roundabout way of saying they aren't capable of going highway speeds.

This seems like a weird way of US states attempting to enforce their own local interpretation of federal laws and not laws that actually exist as state code. Anything that's over 25 years old is specifically exempt from federal FMVSS. If it's under 25 years old you can't legally import it anyways for use on US roads (with title, etc).

People do import https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Motor_Vehicle_Safety_S...

google "usa 25 year import car rule".

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=USA+25+ye...

Re: How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania

#80
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difficulty is that this idea is not new and the regulations are written with that in mind.

Chicken tax trucks have entered the chat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

For a while Ford was importing Turkey manufactured small vans with seats in the back as passenger vehicles, immediately un-bolting and shredding the seats after they'd arrived at the US port, and selling them for their real intended purpose (small electrical/telecom/plumbing/other trades services vans).
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