Donate a generator or light tower that has come off the rental fleet

Where donated generators and light towers come from

Rental yards and event companies are the biggest source. A towable 20 kW or 45 kW generator comes off rent after its service life, and a yard would rather turn it over than keep it on the books.

Building owners and businesses send standby generators. A natural gas or diesel standby unit gets replaced during an electrical upgrade, and the old one is a functioning asset sitting on a pad. Removal and rigging are the obstacle, and that is arranged as part of the pickup.

Light towers come from rental yards, road contractors and utilities. Metal halide towers are being displaced by LED, which means a steady supply of working units with a real resale market.

Most of these tow behind a pickup

A towable generator or light tower on a trailer frame hitches up and goes. That is the cheapest haul in the whole equipment category, and it means a larger share of the sale reaches the cause. Tell us the hitch type and whether the tires hold air.

Skid-mounted and standby generators are different. A pad-mounted standby unit has to be disconnected by an electrician and rigged onto a truck. The disconnect is your side of it, for safety and code reasons; the rigging and haul are ours.

If you have several units, group them. Two light towers and a generator ride together, and one trip instead of three is real money kept with the cause.

What decides what portable power brings

• Output rating. kW for generators, and whether it is single or three phase. The rating is the first thing a buyer filters on.
• Engine hours and starting. A unit that starts and takes load is a working machine. One that cranks but will not run is a repair project, and priced that way.
• Fuel type. Diesel towables have the widest market. Natural gas and propane standby units sell into a narrower but real market.
• Light towers: mast, ballast and lamps. Whether the mast raises, whether all four fixtures light, and whether it is metal halide or LED. LED units bring noticeably more.
• Trailer and tires. A towable with sound tires, working lights and a good frame sells as a complete unit. Flat tires and a rotted frame come off the price.

Makes and models we accept

Portable power is shopped heavily by brand.

• Towable and standby generators: Generac, Kohler, Cummins and Onan, Caterpillar, Multiquip DCA, Doosan and Portable Power, Magnum, Wacker Neuson, Atlas Copco QAS, Baldor, Winco, Taylor Power.
• Light towers: Allmand Night-Lite, Magnum MLT series, Wanco, Doosan and Terex Light Source, Multiquip GloBug, Generac MLT, Chicago Pneumatic.
• Also seen: Whisperwatt, Airman, Denyo, Honda and Yamaha portable gensets, Mi-T-M.

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

A towable generator or light tower on a trailer frame is titled in some states and not in others. We will tell you which applies to yours, and the state title rules page covers the rest. Skid-mounted and pad-mounted units are not titled and a bill of sale or invoice is enough.

Giving Center sells the unit and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds, reported on Form 1098-C. Most towable generators and light towers land between $500 and $5,000, where you file Form 8283 Section A and no appraisal is required. Large standby units and newer LED towers can clear $5,000, and above that line the IRS requires a qualified appraisal at your expense.

Small portable gas generators normally sell for under $500. In that band the deduction is the lesser of fair market value or $500 and we send a written acknowledgment instead of a 1098-C.