Donate a wheel loader when the yard it worked in has closed

Where donated wheel loaders come from

Aggregate and landscape supply yards, small municipalities, and farms that bought a loader for feed and snow. In every case the machine is worth something and the owner has no channel to sell it that does not involve weeks of phone calls and a buyer who wants to negotiate on site.

Estates are the other common source. A loader in an estate is hard to divide and harder to move. Donating it produces one document and one date, which is what an executor actually needs.

Compact wheel loaders come to us from nurseries, stables and equipment rental yards. They are easier to haul and they sell quickly.

Lowboy, and sometimes a permit

A full-size wheel loader goes on a lowboy. Depending on weight and height it may need an over-dimension permit and a route that avoids certain bridges. Giving Center arranges the trailer, the permit and the route, and covers the cost.

We ask for the operating weight off the data plate rather than a guess, because the difference between a 16,000-pound compact loader and a 45,000-pound production machine is the difference between two entirely different trucks.

Bucket off or bucket on, either is fine, and we will tell you which after we know the machine. If it does not start, a winch load is still possible on most lowboys but the driver needs to know in advance. Tell us about the ground, too: a loader parked on soft fill after a wet week is a different job than one on a paved pad.

What decides what a wheel loader brings

• Size class. The 2 to 4-yard bucket range is the volume market. Compact loaders sell fast at lower numbers; very large production machines bring more but wait longer for the right buyer.
• Hours and drivetrain. Transmission and axle condition carry more weight than engine hours alone. A loader that shifts cleanly and holds a load is a working machine.
• Tires. A set of large loader tires is a serious expense. Good rubber is one of the clearest value swings on the whole machine.
• Attachments and couplers. Forks, a quick coupler, a second bucket, a snow pusher. Send them; they add to the sale.
• Leaks and pins. Loose bucket pins, leaking cylinders and a tired articulation joint are the faults buyers check. Photograph them; honest photos sell better than surprises.

Makes and models we accept

Loaders are shopped by make and model number, so have the data plate in hand.

• Full-size: Caterpillar 930, 950, 966 and 980, John Deere 544, 624 and 744, Komatsu WA series, Volvo L series, Case 621 and 721, Hyundai HL, Kawasaki, Doosan and Develon DL, Liebherr L series.
• Compact and utility: Bobcat, Kubota R series, Wacker Neuson WL, Volvo L20 and L25, Avant, JCB 407 and 409.
• Backhoe and integrated tool carriers: Caterpillar IT series, JCB 3CX and 4CX, Case 580.

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

Loaders are not titled. Ownership is proved by the purchase invoice, a bill of sale, a company asset record, or a lien release for a machine that was financed. Serial number off the data plate goes on the paperwork.

Giving Center sells the loader and your deduction is the gross proceeds, reported on Form 1098-C. Working loaders in the common size classes usually clear $5,000, which brings in the IRS requirement for a qualified appraisal plus Form 8283 Section B. The appraisal is a donor expense and a donor decision. If the machine sells for $500 to $5,000 you file Section A and skip the appraisal.

If the loader was a business asset and has been depreciated, run it past your accountant first. Business property donations follow different rules than personal ones.