A Benton, AR landscaper can finance a zero-turn mower, a skid steer or an enclosed trailer with equipment financing, where the machine secures the payment, either through the dealer or an independent funding partner. Fuel, crew payroll and repairs between invoices fit a credit line or working capital instead. Below, each one is priced with invented figures.
Three machine payments, a dealer 0% offer against the cash price, used-unit values and the weeks of payroll before a contract pays.
Zero-turn mowers, skid steers and enclosed trailers
Saline County had 36 landscaping services establishments with a payroll in 2023, employing 134 people, and 26 of the 36 had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns). Nonemployer Statistics counts the one-person side separately: 269 landscaping businesses in the county had no paid employees in 2024, with $10.1 million in receipts. For a crew of two or three, one machine can be the largest purchase of the year.
| Machine | Price | Term | Rate | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60-inch commercial zero-turn mower | $14,800 | 48 months | annual rate 10.5% | $378.93 |
| Compact track loader (skid steer) | $61,500 | 60 months | annual rate 9.9% | $1,303.67 |
| 7 x 14 enclosed trailer with ramp door | $9,400 | 36 months | annual rate 11.5% | $309.97 |
Together the three come to $1,992.57 a month. Financed separately, the trailer is paid off after 36 months, the mower a year later and the loader a year after that. Matching each term to how long the machine will earn keeps a crew from still paying for a mower it has replaced. The equipment financing page explains how the machine itself works as the collateral.
Dealer programs compared with an independent equipment lender
A dealer program finances the machines that dealer sells, sometimes with a promotional rate. An independent equipment lender or funding partner can also look at a used unit from an auction or from another crew. The comparison that matters is the total paid, not the rate on the flyer.
Illustration only, invented figures: a dealer offers a mower at $14,760 with 0% for 36 months, $410.00 a month. The same dealer will sell it for $13,950 cash. Financing the cash price elsewhere at an annual rate of 10.5% over 36 months runs $453.41 a month and $16,322.76 in all, $1,562.76 more than the promotion. Here the dealer program wins. It stops winning once the cash price drops below about $12,614, because 36 payments on that amount at 10.5% cost less than the promotional total.
So ask the dealer for the cash price in writing before choosing, and check whether the promotion requires a minimum down payment or a shorter term than the crew would pick.
An independent partner also helps when one request covers machines from different sellers: a mower from the dealer, a trailer from a trailer lot and a used loader from a private seller. Each unit keeps its own quote or bill of sale, and the request lists all three with prices, so the partner can weigh the package against what the crew deposits, instead of three separate applications.
Used equipment: inspections and what a lender values
Used machines save money, but a funding partner values them at what they would bring if sold, not at the asking price. Illustration only, invented figures: a skid steer is listed at $38,000 by another contractor. A partner using a guide value of $33,500 would finance against that figure, and the $4,500 difference comes from the buyer's own cash.
Documents that support the value of a used unit:
- Hour meter reading and a photo of it
- Serial number plate, plus the title for a trailer
- Service records showing oil, filter and track or tire work
- A signed bill of sale naming seller, buyer and price
- A mechanic's inspection note on the hydraulics, engine and undercarriage
Skid steers, mowers and trailers for lawn and grounds crews are also on the landscaping page, with the Saline County figures for the trade.
Fuel, crew payroll and repairs between invoices
A commercial grounds contract can be billed monthly and paid weeks later, while fuel and payroll go out every Friday. Illustration only, invented figures: a four-person crew runs $3,680 of weekly payroll and $640 of fuel. A property manager pays 35 days after the invoice, so the crew carries about 5 weeks of costs: $21,600.
If that gap comes back every month, a business line of credit drawn on payroll day and repaid when the check clears is the natural fit. For a one-time hole, such as a transmission repair on the truck plus the payroll it delayed, working capital is the closer match. Illustration only, invented figures: as working capital repaid over a year at an annual rate of 15%, the $21,600 gap costs $1,949.58 per month and $23,394.96 across all 12 payments.
When a quote is ready, the online request takes the machine, the price and the crew's revenue. Other articles are on the Flintgate articles page.
By Flintgate Capital Group · Updated
