Insurance for the halftrack

[Andrew]

Starting to look for insurance (if its possible) for the half track. Anyone recommend a company in Canada?
Hagerty said no to the tracks.

Andy

[horsa]

I use American Collectors Insurance for three antique military vehicles including a fully tracked T-16 Universal Carrier. Seems pretty affordable as you submit what you think your ride is worth along with a photo. If they agree, they quote a rate. A vehicle with a replacement value of around $20K would cost you roughly $120 per year and that has liability insurance as well as full replacement insurance if something happened to the vehicle at home or at an event.

http://www.americancollectors.com/

[Jack Innes]

Andy, I have found that US insurance companies can/will not insure cars in Canada.
Perhaps you need to operate under the same system that covers cranes, vacuum excavtor trucks, truck mounted tree spades, etc. here in Ontario. They do not have license plates & must be insured as off road machines. If you could come up with a legitimate farm use for the half track your farm policy should cover it on the road. I drive my John Deere to town once in a while & it is covered by Farmer's Mutual. Your White would certainly pull a wagon load of carrots through a wet field where many tractors would not.

[Harry Moon]

Try Haggerty's they are offering specialty car insurance in B.C. and i see on the web they are in Ontario now too.

[maple_leaf_eh]

The name that comes to mind from when I asked about my M38A1, was Silver Wheels.

[Jack Innes]

The Silver Wheels Insurance is now known as Haggerty's Silver Wheel. It appears that Silver Wheels has merged with Haggerty's. I understand there is a new method of evaluation that eliminates the need for appraisals.
I have many vehicles insured with Silver Wheels & have been treated very well for years, assumably this good service will continue.

[chris vickery]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, unless Silver Wheels has changed its policies, goodluck with your halftrack....
This issue has been hashed to death here on MLU, more related to universal carriers in the past, to no avail.
I have been there, done that with my M9A1 International halftrack I used to own. Why do I not own it now?

[Geoff Bottoms]

I use ZEHR Insurance Brokers for my CMP F60 and Willys Jeep.
E mail Amber Lamka from ZEHR in New Hamberg at
alamka@zehrinsurance.com
See if they can help you.

[Harry Moon]

You gotta move to BC Chris! But you would still need a co-driver to reach up in the Timmy's drive thru!

[Ed Landstrom]

Mine is covered under my farm policy as an "antique White tractor". The company has pictures of it so apparently it doesn't bother them that it was originally an artillery tractor rather than a farm tractor. After all, a lot of military equipment has been converted to farm, forestry, or construction use with varying degrees of success. I have seen half tracks with things like trenchers and well-drilling rigs mounted on them. A few decades back, one of the big American surplus dealers used to advertise converted half-tracks in Rock and Dirt.

I was only interested in liability insurance. The coverage allows me to drive it to up to (I'd have to look up the number) shows a year.They might have been harder to deal with if I had wanted to insure the vehicle itself against damage. I figure that something that conspicuous would be hard to steal, and it's unlikely to be seriously damaged in any collision that I'm likely to survive. That leaves fire, and all I can do about that is carry a lot of extinguishers.

My Carrier is insured the same way as an "antique Ford tractor" but I'm still trying to find a category to insure the Ferret. It was insured under my antique auto policy with Zurich, but when the company was sold, the new company said it didnt "fit their idea of an antique vehicle". To be honest, I haven't looked too hard for a replacement company. It still gets out occasionally, but only to events where the organizers provide transportation and have a liability policy that covers participants.

[Andrew]

Thanks guys.
I talked to Lant insurance in Stouffville as they are brokers for Hagerty. They told me no tracks. I called the head office of Hagerty Canada and they told me shouldn't be a problem. I filled out all info they sent me and sent it online, so I'm waiting now to see what is the end result. Since I'm a farm, the next step would be thru farm insurance. Hagerty does not need a appraisal, as they ask you what you think its worth, then their adjusters look over the pics you send and agree or revalue it for you. They told me $50,000 value with 1m liability and $1000 deductible is $330 yr

So if your looking for insurance on military, call Hagerty head office, don't bother with the little guy brokers

Andy

[charlie fitton]

"I called the head office of Hagerty Canada and they told me shouldn't be a problem...........Hagerty does not need a appraisal, as they ask you what you think its worth, then their adjusters look over the pics you send and agree or revalue it for you. They told me $50,000 value with 1m liability and $1000 deductible is $330 yr"

If this works out for you and the deal goes through, be sure to let them know that at least one more customer will be calling ( ME )

thanks

f

[chris vickery]

This insurance issue is but only part of the issue; yes, you may indeed end up with liability coverage and/or loss coverage which may assist in covering yourself at a public display etc but, there is still the issue of vehicle licensing.

I know that this topic has been addressed and debated previously.
Driving an unlicensed vehicle on a public roadway without being licensed may get you into trouble. I would read the fine print carefully as an insurance company may decline to pay a claim in the case of an accident with an unlicensed vehicle.

Before anyone jumps on me for saying so or trying to debate this, I must point out that laws are subject to interpretation. You may be right, you may have to prove that you are right. How much money will it cost in the end?
An overzealous LEO can throw whatever charges against you that he feels warrant the particular situation and it wil be up to you to defend yourself in a court. You can call your UC or halftrack whatever you want but in the end insurance companies are weasels, just remember that. All they need is an excuse to deny a claim or coverage because you mis-represented your vehicle, forgot to fill something out correctly or otherwise throw some other reason at you. Just be careful is all I am saying. All it would take would be for one accident with the wrong kind of mv to spoil the pot....

[BCA]

As Geoff B. previously indicated, Zehr Insurance Brokers may be the route: 519-662-1710, New Hamburg, Ontario.. They advertize a as being willing to insure "out-of-service military and public service vehicles". I don't know whether a valid Ontario licence plate is required but most insurance companies work flexibly with good customers.
A cold-call phone call asking if they'll insure your weird, perhaps tracked vehicle, will usually draw a "no" with most speciality insurance companies can do most kinds of insurance for those they deem to be reliable, responsible customers.
If an appraisal is required then myself or other P.A.V.E. (Professional Association of Vehicle Evaluators) memners can provide a proper appraisal that is accepted by all insurance companies.
........ Brian

[Andrew]

Just for everyone's info, Hagerty did insure my halftrack. They did not need an appraisal or a provincial safety certificate.

Andy