Landscapers around Port Huron finance mowers, skid steers and dump trailers through dealer programs, equipment lenders or their bank, either piece by piece or as a package, and often keep a credit line beside the equipment loan for fuel, parts and payroll.
An article from Frosthaven Funding in Port Huron, Michigan on how landscaping companies finance equipment, with St. Clair County counts , and an invented three-machine crew purchase priced two ways. Funding partners review each request and decide.
The direct answer for a Port Huron, MI landscaping crew
Landscape equipment financing is an equipment loan or lease on the machine: the mower, skid steer or trailer secures the agreement, and the crew repays over a term that should match the machine's working life. A crew can finance each machine separately or put several on one package. The day-to-day costs, fuel, parts, repairs and crew pay, sit better on a line of credit than on the equipment loan.
For St. Clair County, MI in 2023, County Business Patterns counted 79 landscaping services employers, with 224 paid employees; 60 of them (75.9%) had fewer than five employees. Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, counted 301 landscaping businesses without paid employees in the county for 2024.
Mowers, skid steers and dump trailers: financing each piece or a package
Financing each piece separately lets each carry its own term: a mower that works hard for a few years on a shorter term, a skid steer on a longer one, a trailer on whatever suits it. It also means each can be paid off on its own. A package puts everything on one payment and one set of papers, which keeps tracking in one place, and the partner sees the whole plan.
Illustration only, invented figures: financed separately, a $19,800 stand-on mower over 48 months at 8.5% is about $488 a month, a $58,000 skid steer over 60 months at 9% about $1,204, and a $16,500 dump trailer over 48 months at 9.5% about $415, about $2,107 a month in all. The same $94,300 on one 60-month package at 9% is about $1,958 a month (our arithmetic; all rates invented). The package payment is lower, but the mower is still being paid for in year five.
Dealer programs vs equipment lenders for a St. Clair County, MI crew
Dealer programs are financing offered through the dealer, often from the manufacturer's finance arm, on the brands the dealer sells. They can include promotional rates on new equipment. Equipment lenders are independent and can finance used machines, mixed brands and private-party purchases. A St. Clair County crew buying a new mower from a dealer and a used skid steer from another contractor may end up using both.
Compare a dealer's promotional rate with the cash price: some promotions are paid for with a higher price or by giving up a cash discount. The total of all payments is the figure to compare.
Some dealers also arrange financing on trade-ins: the value of an old mower or loader is applied as a down payment on the new one. Ask for the trade-in figure in writing and check it against what the machine would sell for privately.
Used equipment and what a lender asks about hours and condition
For used equipment, a lender asks about hours, age, condition and where it came from. Mowers and skid steers have hour meters, and a lender may set a shorter term or a larger down payment as hours rise. Photos, a dealer inspection or a mechanic's report help. A private-party sale may also need a lien search to confirm the seller owns the machine outright.
- Hours on the meter and the last service date.
- Year, make, model and serial number.
- A bill of sale and proof the seller owns it outright.
- Photos of the machine, including tracks, tires and deck.
A partner reviewing the line looks at deposits across the whole year, so a crew with a mix of maintenance contracts and install work can show how the line would be drawn and repaid month by month.
A credit line for fuel, parts and payroll alongside the equipment loan
A credit line carries the costs that come back every week: fuel, mower blades and parts, repairs, and crew pay before customers pay. Keeping those off the equipment loan means the loan pays only for the machines, and the line is drawn and repaid as jobs are billed.
Business lines of credit in Port Huron, MI sets out how draws and renewals work for a crew. For a large install with material bought up front, inventory financing is another option.
A pre-purchase checklist for a St. Clair County, MI landscaper
- Price the machine new and used, and note hours on any used unit.
- Decide which pieces belong on one package and which on their own term.
- Ask the dealer for the cash price and the financed price.
- List existing truck and equipment payments.
- Pull together the crew's recent bank statements and its latest tax return.
Landscaping equipment financing in Port Huron, MI covers buying a landscaping business and crew payroll; equipment financing compares loans and leases.
By Frosthaven Funding · Updated
