Donate a stake bed truck that has hauled its last load

Where donated stake beds come from

Landscape and lawn companies, mostly. A stake bed with a dovetail and a ramp is the standard landscape truck, and there is a steady cycle of them coming out of service.

Nurseries, masonry contractors, fencing outfits and rental yards send the rest. So do school districts and parks departments, whose trucks tend to be in better shape than their age suggests.

Farms send older one-ton stake beds. Many have low miles and high hours, which is a different profile than a delivery truck and worth mentioning on the form.

Driven when it runs

A registered running stake bed is driven to the sale. Simple and cheap, which is good for the cause. We arrange the driver.

If it does not run it rides on a rollback. Tell us whether it starts, rolls and stops. A one-ton stake bed is an easy rollback load; a medium-duty cabover with no brakes is not.

Remove anything in the bed you want to keep and tell us what is staying: a ramp, a toolbox, racks, a dump insert. All of it is part of the sale unless you say otherwise.

What decides what a stake bed brings

• Chassis class and drivetrain. The one-ton dually and the medium-duty cabover are different markets. Four-wheel drive on a light chassis adds.
• Bed length and condition. A 12 or 16-foot bed with straight sides, good stake pockets and a sound floor is what a buyer wants. A rotted wood floor is a known cost.
• Ramp and dovetail. A landscape dovetail with a working ramp is worth real money because it defines what the truck is for.
• Dump feature. A dump bed or dump insert widens the buyer pool considerably.
• Rust and mileage. Frame and cab rust, and the usual mileage and engine questions.

Makes and bodies we accept

Chassis and bed maker are two separate names.

• Light and one-ton: Ford F-350, F-450 and F-550, Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and 4500HD, GMC Sierra 3500, Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500.
• Medium duty and cabover: Isuzu NPR, NPR-HD and NRR, Hino 155, 195 and 258, Mitsubishi Fuso FE, Ford F-650, Freightliner M2, International CV, UD.
• Beds and equipment: Knapheide, Rugby, Godwin, Monroe, Hillsboro, CM Truck Beds, Landscaper Pro, Supreme, and dump inserts from Downeaster and SnowEx.

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

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

A truck is a titled vehicle, so the title has to transfer. If it is lost, most states have a duplicate process and the state title rules page walks through yours. If it was financed, we need the lien release. A company-owned truck needs whoever signs to have authority to sign for the entity.

Giving Center sells the truck and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds on Form 1098-C. Stake beds land across a wide band. A late-model medium-duty landscape truck can clear $5,000, where a qualified appraisal and Form 8283 Section B are required at your expense. An older high-mileage one-ton often falls between $500 and $5,000, where Section A applies and no appraisal is needed.

A rusted-out truck with a dead engine and a long haul can sell for under $500. In that band your deduction is the lesser of fair market value or $500 and we send a written acknowledgment instead of a 1098-C. If that is where yours sits, we will tell you before the tow is booked.