Donate a car hauler trailer after the car it followed around is sold

Where donated car hauler trailers come from

Collectors and hobbyists, mostly. An open 18-foot car hauler or a 24-foot enclosed trailer follows a project car for years and then outlives the project. We see these alongside collector car donations often enough that the two usually arrive together.

Racers send enclosed trailers when they stop competing. Those often have cabinets, a workbench and wiring already in them, and that work adds to the sale rather than subtracting.

Small dealers and flippers send open haulers off a business that wound down.

Towed, and cheaply

Sound tires, working lights, an intact coupler and it gets towed behind a pickup. One of the least expensive pickups we do.

Tell us the deck length, whether it is open or enclosed, and whether the brakes work. An enclosed trailer is taller and catches wind, which occasionally changes the tow vehicle but rarely the cost.

Empty it out. Tools, spare parts, tires and shop equipment left inside go with the trailer and become part of the sale unless you tell us otherwise.

What decides what a car hauler brings

• Open or enclosed. Enclosed trailers bring substantially more, and aluminum enclosed more still.
• Deck length and axle rating. 18 to 24 feet on 3,500 or 5,200-pound axles is the core market.
• Steel or aluminum. Aluminum commands a real premium and resists the rot that ends steel trailers.
• Ramps, winch and tie-downs. Slide-in ramps, a working winch, D-rings or a wheel-strap system all add.
• Interior, on enclosed: cabinets, a workbench, lighting, a 110-volt hookup and an escape door widen the buyer pool.

Makes we accept

Buyers filter by brand, then by length.

• Open haulers: Kaufman, Big Tex, PJ Trailers, Aluma, Diamond C, Sure-Trac, Carry-On, Trailer Express.
• Enclosed: Featherlite, inTech, ATC, Haulmark, Pace American, Look, Wells Cargo, Continental Cargo, Cargo Mate, United, Sundowner.
• Race and toy haulers: inTech, Vintage, Bravo, Renegade, Trailex, T&E.

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

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

Trailer titling varies more by state than anything else we accept. Some states title every trailer, some only above a weight threshold, and some issue nothing at all for smaller ones. We will tell you which applies where you are, and the state title rules page covers the process. Where there is no title, a bill of sale plus the VIN or serial plate off the tongue is what we need.

Giving Center sells the trailer and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. An open steel hauler typically lands between $500 and $5,000, where Section A applies and no appraisal is needed. A late-model enclosed or aluminum trailer frequently clears $5,000, and above that line the IRS requires a qualified appraisal at your expense and by your choice.

If you are donating a car and its trailer together, they are itemized separately on the paperwork, because the IRS thresholds apply per item and to groups of similar items. Your accountant will want the itemized list.