Donate an orchard or vineyard tractor built to fit between the rows

Where these come from

Orchards and vineyards that were sold, replanted at a different row spacing, or pulled out entirely. A tractor sized for one spacing is the wrong machine for another.

Growers who moved to a specialized sprayer or a crawler and no longer need the narrow wheeled tractor.

Estates, and small operations winding down. These machines are frequently low-houred because the work is seasonal and slow.

Easier than most, because it is narrow

A narrow tractor is one of the simpler ag hauls precisely because width is not the problem it is on a row-crop machine. It fits a tilt-deck or a drop-deck trailer without a permit in most cases. Giving Center books and pays for it.

Tell us whether it starts and drives, the overall width and height, and whether the ROPS folds. A low-clearance folding ROPS is normal on these and it matters for the load height.

Access is the first question on any farm pickup. Tell us where the machine sits, what the ground is like and what is between it and a road a trailer can use. If it has to be driven or dragged to a staging area, that generally happens on your end. Orchard rows in particular are narrow and soft, so tell us whether the machine can be driven out to a hard surface.

What decides what one brings

• Overall width. The defining spec. Growers buy to a specific row spacing and the width number is the first filter.
• Horsepower and hours. The 50 to 100 horsepower range covers most of the market.
• Cab or open station. An enclosed cab with filtration is worth substantially more where spraying is involved, and it is a real premium.
• Hydraulics and PTO. Remotes, PTO speeds and a creeper gear all matter to a grower.
• Foliage damage. Scuffed flanks and bent shields are normal and barely matter. Bent hydraulic lines, damaged glass and a cracked ROPS do.

Makes we accept

Narrow models are specific and buyers name them exactly.

• Most common: Kubota M-Narrow and L series narrow, New Holland TN and T4 Narrow and the older Fiat-based models, Massey Ferguson 3600 and 3700 series, Case IH Farmall N and Quantum.
• European specialists: Fendt 200 Vario V and F, Deutz-Fahr 5D and Agroplus F, Landini Rex and Mistral, Same Frutteto, Carraro, Antonio Carraro, BCS and Pasquali, Ferrari.
• Also seen: John Deere 5GN and 5GV, Kioti and LS narrow models, Goldoni, Valpadana, and older Ford and Massey orchard variants.

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

Farm equipment is not titled. Ownership is established with the purchase invoice, a bill of sale, a farm asset record, or a lien release if it was financed. Find the serial plate and photograph it. If the machine is part of an estate or a farm partnership, whoever signs needs authority to sign for it.

Giving Center sells the tractor and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. A running narrow tractor with a cab usually clears $5,000, which brings the IRS qualified appraisal requirement and Form 8283 Section B at your expense. An older open-station machine often lands between $500 and $5,000, where Section A applies.

Most farm equipment is a depreciated business asset, which makes a conversation with your accountant worth having before the pickup. Farm business property follows different rules than a personal donation.