General Bill of Sale

By Mohamed SkhiriUpdated November 8, 2026Facts checked against California DMV

Not everything with an engine is a vehicle in the paperwork sense. A tractor, a skid steer, a zero-turn mower or a portable generator can be worth more than a used car, yet none of them comes with a title you can sign over. When they're sold privately, the only record of the deal is whatever the two people write down, and this page makes that record for you.

This free tool builds one around the details that matter for equipment: the manufacturer, model, year, serial number, hour meter and condition. You can sell one item or several of the same kind, and the document comes out ready to sign on a single page.

General bill of sale form: step by step

1. State, county and date. These go at the top of the page.
2. Seller and buyer. People or businesses both work. For a business, use its legal name and have someone authorized sign.
3. Describe the item. Choose a category, then write a plain description, for example "compact tractor with front loader and box blade." Add the make, model, year and quantity.
4. Serial numbers and hours. Copy the serial number from the manufacturer's plate. If attachments have their own serials, list them too. Add the hour meter reading.
5. Condition. Pick the option that honestly describes it. "For parts only" protects a seller who knows the machine doesn't run.
6. Price and terms. Enter the price and payment, or mark it as a gift. Add any agreements about hauling, attachments or delivery dates.

Then print two copies, or save it as a PDF, and both sign.

Tractor bill of sale

Tractors are where a written record matters most, because they're expensive and often untitled. Many states don't register or title farm tractors used for farm work. California shows how a state can still give them a paper trail: its DMV can issue a "title only" for implements of husbandry that are only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, as well as for special construction and special mobile equipment. To get one, the owner submits an application, a vehicle verification, a photograph and proof of ownership, including any bills of sale needed to establish a complete chain of ownership.

In other words, a tractor bill of sale you sign today may be the document a future owner needs to prove where the machine came from. Make it thorough:

• Write the tractor's serial number exactly as stamped on the plate.
• Record the hour meter. Hours are to a tractor what mileage is to a car.
• List each attachment (loader, mower deck, backhoe, box blade) with its own serial if it has one, and say whether it's included in the price.
• Note anything that needs work, so the price reflects it and there's no dispute later.

Pick "Tractor" as the category and the form works as a tractor bill of sale template, with the serial number and hours where a clerk or future buyer expects them. If the tractor has been titled or registered for road use in your state, sign over that paperwork as well; a bill of sale for tractor sales never replaces a title that exists. A blank tractor bill of sale form from the print-blank button is useful at farm sales where you don't have a laptop handy.

Equipment bill of sale form

Construction and landscaping equipment changes hands between contractors constantly. An equipment bill of sale form records which machine was sold, in what condition, and for how much, and the buyer will want it for insurance, for tax records, and to show the equipment wasn't stolen. Serial numbers are how stolen machines get identified, so a buyer should always check the number on the machine against the one on the paperwork.

For equipment, the as-is clause in this form goes a bit further than on our vehicle forms: it disclaims any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. That's standard language for used equipment sold privately. If the seller is giving any guarantee, such as "hydraulics hold pressure," untick the as-is box and write the promise in the terms.

Need an equipment bill of sale PDF to send ahead? Fill in the form, choose "Print or save as PDF," and pick "Save as PDF" in the print window.

Using it as a business bill of sale

Businesses sell personal property all the time: a delivery van's shelving, restaurant equipment, office furniture, a used forklift. For one-off items like these, this form works as the bill of sale for a business seller or buyer. Enter the company's legal name as the party, have someone authorized to sign for it do so, and describe the items with serial numbers where they exist. The result is a simple business bill of sale template you can reuse for each sale.

Selling the whole business is different. Transferring a company, its customer list, lease, licenses or debts takes a purchase agreement drafted for that deal, usually with a lawyer, and a basic bill of sale only covers the physical assets listed on it. A bill of sale for personal property, which is what this form is, records that those listed items changed hands, for the price and on the date shown.

General bill of sale vs vehicle bill of sale

A general template is flexible, which is exactly why it's the wrong choice for a car. Road vehicles have specific legal requirements: a title to sign over, a VIN that the motor vehicle office checks, and in many cases a federal odometer statement. Use the right document for the job:

General bill of sale example

The example shows a business selling to a person, more than one serial number, and a delivery term, which are all common in equipment sales. A simpler one, say for a pressure washer or a chainsaw, needs only the description, serial number, price and signatures.

General bill of sale template in other formats

Once filled in, the general bill of sale template can be printed on letter paper, saved as a PDF, or downloaded as a Word file you can edit, for example to add a list of a dozen items. There's also a "Print a blank copy" button for a form you complete by hand. It's useful at yard sales and estate sales where you're making several deals in a day.

Selling many different items at once, like a workshop's contents? Use the description field for a short summary ("contents of workshop as listed on attached sheet") and attach a signed list. Both parties should initial each page of the list.

Tips for both sides

• Check for liens. Equipment is often financed. Ask the seller whether anything is owed; a lender's claim can follow the machine.
• Match serial numbers. The number on the machine should match the paperwork and the seller's original purchase records if they have them.
• See it run. Start it cold, run the hydraulics and PTO, and listen for knocks.
• Agree who hauls it. Heavy equipment needs the right trailer, and the bill of sale should say when it must be picked up.
• Keep your copy. For a seller, it shows the machine was sold on a known date; for a buyer, it's proof of purchase for insurance and taxes.

General bill of sale FAQ