Meridian, ID landscape crews usually finance compact track loaders, mowers and dump trailers with equipment loans or leases secured by the machines, matched to the years each will work. Payroll for the crew that runs them is a separate cost, carried on a credit line or working capital until contracts pay.
An article from Eastgrove Business Loans in Meridian, Idaho on landscaping equipment loans, with Ada County, ID landscaping counts and an invented crew adding a track loader and a trailer.
Compact track loaders and dump trailers
A compact track loader moves soil, rock and pavers on installation jobs, and a dump trailer hauls them. Both hold resale value and are financed against themselves. A dump trailer is titled, so the partner records its lien on the title; the loader is not titled, so the lien is filed against the equipment. One request can include both, with each on the dealer quote.
Equipment financing sets out how loans, leases and finance agreements differ.
Mowers and aerators: financing a fleet
A maintenance crew's fleet is mowers, trimmers, blowers and aerators. Mowers are the largest pieces and are commonly financed; small tools are often bundled or paid from cash. A company adding a crew may finance two or three mowers at once. Because mowers wear with hours, some crews lease them and trade them in on a cycle.
Partners reading a fleet request ask how many hours each mower runs a year and how the company replaces them.
Used equipment hours and condition
Used landscaping equipment can be financed, with closer checks. The partner asks for the year, the hours, the serial number and the condition, and for private sales, proof of clear title. An older machine may get a shorter term, so it is paid off before it wears out.
- Hours on the meter and the year of manufacture.
- Service records and any major repairs.
- Photos or an inspection report.
- Proof of ownership and a lien check for private sales.
Keeping payroll covered while equipment payments start
A new equipment payment starts soon after delivery, while the work the machine brings may take a few weeks to pay. If the crew also grows, payroll rises at the same time. That overlap is a short gap, and a credit line or a small working capital loan can carry it until the new contracts' invoices are paid.
Illustration only, invented figures: 4 added crew members at $22 an hour for 40 hours a week cost about $14,080 over 4 weeks (our arithmetic). A business line of credit drawn for that month and paid down as contracts pay fits the gap.
Fitting a New Equipment Payment Into a Weekly Cash Forecast
Before signing for a loader or a mower fleet, a landscaper can lay out a simple weekly forecast for the next three months: money expected in from each contract and job, and money going out for payroll, fuel, materials, insurance and every existing equipment payment. Adding the new payment to the outgoing column shows which weeks run short.
If the short weeks cluster around the start of new contracts, a small credit line covers them. If the forecast runs short most weeks, the payment may be too large for the business as it stands, and a longer term, a smaller machine or a used one may fit better. Partners reading the request may ask to see that forecast, so it is worth keeping.
- List each contract and the dates its invoices are paid.
- List payroll dates and amounts for the current and added crew.
- Add fuel, materials and insurance by week.
- Add every existing equipment payment and the new one.
- Mark the weeks where money out exceeds money in.
Ada County, ID Landscaping Employers and Their Payroll
County Business Patterns counted 315 landscaping services employers in Ada County, ID for 2023, with 1,946 paid employees and about $92.4 million in annual payroll; 65.4% had fewer than five employees. Landscaping services ranked sixth among six-digit industries in the county by employer count, and ZIP 83642 had 43 of them.
Nonemployer Statistics counted 573 landscaping businesses without paid employees in 2024, a separate count. Landscaping equipment financing has more.
An Invented Crew Adding a Track Loader and a Trailer
Illustration only, invented figures: a crew adds a $68,000 compact track loader and an $11,000 dump trailer, $79,000 in all (our arithmetic). Financed together at an annual rate of 9.75% over 60 months, the monthly figure lands at roughly $1,669, and the five-year total at about $100,129 (our arithmetic).
If the loader lets the crew take on installation jobs it used to turn down, the partner will want to see those jobs: signed contracts or bids, and how they pay. A loader that will sit idle part of the year is still a fixed monthly payment.
Questions for the Dealer and the Funding Partner
- What is the price with attachments, delivery and setup?
- Does the dealer offer financing, and at what total cost?
- What warranty comes with the machine, new or used?
- What term does the partner offer, and is there a down payment?
- Is there a prepayment fee?
With the dealer answers written down, the next step is a call to (208) 273-8536 or use the online request form.
The articles page index has the other five articles, one per trade.
By Eastgrove Business Loans · Updated
