Donate a motorcycle or ATV trailer after the bike it followed is gone

Where these come from

Riders who stopped riding, and families settling estates. A motorcycle trailer outlives the bike almost every time, because the bike gets sold to somebody who has their own way to haul it.

ATV and UTV owners who sold the machine or moved to a truck bed. A two-place trailer is a specific thing and it sits once the pair of quads is gone.

We see these paired with bike and off-road donations regularly. If you are donating the machine too, put both on one form and we do one trip.

The simplest pickup we do

It tows behind a pickup or an SUV. Tires, lights, coupler and safety chains are all we need to confirm. This is the least expensive move in the whole program.

Folding trailers are even easier. A stand-up folding motorcycle trailer can sometimes ride in a truck bed, which costs almost nothing.

Clear the tie-downs, chocks and ramps you want to keep, and tell us what is staying. A trailer with its chock and straps sells better than one without.

What decides what one brings

• Steel or aluminum. Aluminum is worth clearly more and does not rot, which is why old aluminum trailers still sell well.
• Capacity and rails. Single-rail, two-place, three-place, or an open deck with a ramp gate.
• Chocks, ramps and tie-down points. A complete setup with a working wheel chock is a real add on a small trailer.
• Tires and bearings. Small trailer tires age out fast. Sound tires and greased bearings mean it can be hooked and driven.
• Folding, on motorcycle trailers. A stand-up folding design is a premium feature with its own buyer pool.

Makes we accept

Small trailers still sell on brand.

• Motorcycle: Kendon stand-up folding, Aluma, Trailer In A Bag, Drop-Tail, Black Widow, Harbor Freight folding.
• ATV and UTV: Aluma, Triton, Karavan, Carry-On, Floe, Yacht Club, Echo, Sport Haven, Bear Track.
• General small utility: Big Tex, Sure-Trac, Load Rite, H&H, Wesco.

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. Small trailers are the class most likely to have no title at all, and that is normal rather than a problem.

Giving Center sells the trailer and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. A newer aluminum two-place trailer can land between $500 and $5,000, where Form 8283 Section A applies. Most smaller steel trailers sell for under $500, where the deduction is the lesser of fair market value or $500 and we issue a written acknowledgment instead of a 1098-C.

We would rather tell you that up front than have you expect a 1098-C in January and get an acknowledgment letter instead. On a small trailer, the honest answer is usually that the deduction is modest and the pickup is free and easy.