Donate a bulldozer without brokering it yourself for six months

Where donated dozers come from

Excavation and site-work contractors who have downsized, land owners who cleared what they needed to clear, and estates. A dozer bought to build a pond, cut a driveway or clear thirty acres does its job and then has nothing to do for years.

Small municipalities and landfills send us the larger ones. A machine replaced on a capital schedule still runs, but a public entity often cannot sell it easily and a documented donation to a 501(c)(3) is cleaner than a surplus auction.

Small crawler dozers, the four to eight-ton class, come from farms and from homeowners with acreage. They are much easier to move and they sell quickly.

Tracks mean a lowboy, always

Nothing on tracks is driven on pavement and nothing on tracks fits a light trailer. A dozer goes on a lowboy, often with an over-width permit for the blade. Giving Center books it and pays for it.

We need the operating weight and the blade width from the data plate. Blade width is what usually triggers the permit, and a six-way blade can sometimes be angled to get under the limit. Steel tracks and a heavy machine also mean the loading spot matters: a lowboy needs firm ground and room to straighten out.

If the dozer does not start, we can still move it with a winch on most lowboys, but the driver has to arrive with the right equipment. A dozer that will not steer, or has a track off, is a harder problem and we will be honest about whether it is worth the trip.

What decides what a dozer brings

• Undercarriage. Track, roller, idler and sprocket wear is the number that moves the price most. A fresh undercarriage on an older machine can be worth more than low engine hours.
• Size class. The small to mid range, roughly CAT D3 through D6 equivalents, has the widest buyer pool. Very large dozers bring more but sell into a narrow market.
• Blade type. A six-way power-angle-tilt blade is worth noticeably more than a straight blade. A winch or ripper adds as well.
• Hours and leaks. Final drive leaks, a tired pump and blow-by are the faults inspectors look for. They do not disqualify a machine; they set the price.
• Cab or open station. An enclosed cab with working heat and air widens the buyer pool, especially in the north.

Makes and models we accept

Dozers are searched by make and series number, so include yours.

• Caterpillar: D3, D4, D5, D6, D8 and the older 9U through 955 crawlers and crawler loaders.
• Other majors: John Deere 450, 550, 650, 700 and 850 series, Komatsu D31 through D155, Case 650 and 1150 series, Dressta, Liebherr PR series, Volvo, Hyundai.
• Compact crawlers: Yanmar, Takeuchi TB, Bobcat and CAT small dozers, Struck mini dozers, older International and Allis-Chalmers crawlers.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own machine. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

Dozers carry no title. Ownership is established with the purchase invoice, a bill of sale, a company asset record, or a lien release if it was financed. Find the serial number on the frame or inside the cab and photograph the plate.

Giving Center sells the machine and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds, reported to you on Form 1098-C. A working dozer almost always clears $5,000, so plan on a qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B. The appraisal is your expense and your decision, not something we can do for you.

Where it sells matters. A dozer sent to a regional equipment auction with real contractor attendance does better than one sold into a thin market, and a shorter haul leaves more of the proceeds for the cause. We will tell you the plan before the trailer is booked.