How much does an aquatic weed harvester cost?
A new aquatic weed harvester costs roughly $100,000 to $223,000 for the machine alone, going by the public bid records and association documents we checked November 13, 2026. A used lake weed harvester costs a lot less, and the used aquatic harvester listings we found were asking $50,000 to $90,000.
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How much does a new aquatic weed harvester cost?
About $100,000 to $223,000 for the harvester by itself, going by the bids and lake association records below. The makers’ spec pages we checked don’t post prices.
| Harvester | Price | What’s included | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inland ILH-250 (7 ft cut, 250 cu ft hold) | $99,900 | Harvester only | Wisconsin lake association’s page, undated |
| Inland ILH-250 with tri-axle trailer/conveyor | $163,862 | Both pieces, with sales tax and shipping | Michigan lake association’s 2024 proposal to its lake board (purchase approved June 2023) |
| Inland ILH-450 (8 ft cut, 454 cu ft hold) | $162,537 | $182,202 with a tri-axle trailer ($16,190) and water pump ($3,475) | Sturgeon Bay, WI, committee minutes, Feb. 14, 2023 (low bid) |
| Aquarius HM-420 (7 ft minimum cut) | $222,605 | $241,605 with a TR-23 trailer ($17,500) and pump ($1,500) | Same minutes (the other bid) |
Prices from public records and lake association documents, checked November 13, 2026, not appraisals or offers. They date from 2023 and 2024 plus one undated page, so expect a current quote to differ.
Sturgeon Bay’s two bids make the best side-by-side: same city, same purchase, about $60,000 apart on the harvester alone. The committee recommended the Inland bid to the Common Council. The city had $375,000 in its 2023 capital budget for the purchase, and delivery wasn’t expected until 2024, so ask about lead time.
What makes one aquatic harvester cost more than another?
Size, the maker and the options. The Sturgeon Bay bids above show how far apart two makers can be.
- Cutting width. Aquarius’ stock harvesters cut 4 to 11 feet wide, and a wider head rides on a bigger boat.
- Hold size. Aquarius’ stock holds run from 100 to 1,050 cubic feet.
- Size on the road. Aquarius sizes its 6-foot HM-320 for legal road transport, handy if you work several lakes.
- Options. Alpha Boats lists a stainless hull, a wash-down system, a trash collecting package and hydraulic spud anchors among its FX-7 options. In Sturgeon Bay’s bids, an optional water pump added $1,500 to one and $3,475 to the other.
I’d size the harvester to the water you cut most weeks. A bigger hold saves trips, but it’s more boat to buy, haul and launch. Get every option, the freight, unloading, training and the delivery date in writing, so you can compare bids line by line.
How much do a shore conveyor and trailer add?
Tens of thousands of dollars more, going by the prices below. The harvester needs a way to the lake and a way to unload.
| Piece | What it does | New price we found | Used asking price we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport trailer | Hauls and launches the harvester | $16,190 (Inland) and $17,500 (Aquarius), 2023 bids | $30,000 each for Aquarius trailers |
| Trailer conveyor | A trailer that doubles as an offloading conveyor | $52,800 (Inland ILHTC, lake association page) | $40,000 for an Aquarius conveyor trailer |
| Shore conveyor | Lifts each load from the water’s edge into a dump truck or dumpster | $50,470, a 2020 replacement estimate (Lake Minnetonka) | $19,950 for a 1999 Inland 32 ft unit |
| Transport barge | Ferries cut weeds to shore while the harvester keeps cutting | $184,473, a 2020 replacement estimate (Lake Minnetonka) | $130,000 for a 2014 Aquarius Transport with 85 hours |
New: 2023 bids, an association’s posted price and 2020 estimates from a 2019 draft study. Used: listed asking prices we found. All checked November 13, 2026, not appraisals or offers.
The conveyor empties into a dump truck or dumpster, so budget for that as well. Hauling the cuttings yourself? We can finance the dump truck too.
Buy the harvester, shore conveyor and transport trailer together on one invoice and they can share one agreement. Buying from different sellers? Ask us. Financing one piece and leasing another takes two agreements, and the usual $15,000 minimum applies to the bundle as a whole.
How much is a used aquatic weed harvester?
The used harvesters we found were listed at $50,000 to $90,000, and only one of those prices included a trailer.
| Used harvester | Age and hours | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarius, stainless hull, 600 cu ft hold | Year and hours not stated | $50,000 with an Inland trailer | Inland Lake Harvesters’ used-equipment page |
| Aquarius HM-420 (two) | Built 1993; 2,587 and 2,313 engine hours | $80,000 each, trailers extra | Dredge Brokers listing 260116-WH |
| Aquarius HM-420, stainless (two) | Built 1996 and 2005; hours not stated | $90,000 each, trailers extra | Dredge Brokers listing 260125-WH |
| Aquarius HM-420 with trailer (trade-in) | Built 1995; hours not stated | Valued at $15,000 by one bidder and $25,000 by the other | Sturgeon Bay committee minutes, February 14, 2023 |
Listed asking prices we found, checked November 13, 2026, not appraisals or offers; details come from the sellers. Trade-in values are from the 2023 city minutes.
We finance used harvesters from dealers, auctions and private sellers. There is no age limit, though older equipment can be tougher to get done. Hours, condition and service records decide the term, and older equipment typically gets a shorter term than new. With good credit, you usually don’t need a down payment, even on a used harvester. Our guide to hours on used equipment covers the meter, and on a private sale, an attorney can look over the bill of sale and title.
What does it cost to run a harvester each season?
The season has its own bill:
- Fuel. Aquarius says a harvester uses 1.5 gallons of diesel an hour.
- Crew. Lake Minnetonka’s 2019 draft study lists a site supervisor and four or five seasonal workers each season, with trucking and repairs contracted out.
- Hauling. The University of Florida’s IFAS says costs can double for each mile cuttings are hauled within a lake, and climb again when they go to an outside disposal site.
- Permits. Wisconsin requires a permit for mechanical harvesting unless the water is 10 acres or less and sits entirely on one owner’s land. Minnesota’s fee for offshore harvest on lakes over 20 acres is $35 for the first acre plus $2.00 for each added acre, up to $2,500, and harvesting for hire takes its own permit there.
Rules vary by state; check with your state’s natural resources agency before you cut. Those are operating costs. What we finance is the equipment.
Is owning a harvester cheaper than hiring a harvesting service?
Over a long stretch, it can be. Lake Minnetonka Conservation District’s 2019 draft evaluation put its own program at $514 an acre on average from 2008 to 2018, in 2018 dollars, at about 346 acres a year. A private contractor quoted $790 an acre.
Timing matters, though. Most of the district’s equipment was due for replacement in 2020, and the study assumed every piece would be paid for in full up front. So it projected owning would cost about $93,398 more than hiring out over five years, then about $134,733 less over ten and $678,640 less over twenty. It also cautioned that the math only holds at about 346 acres a year.
Some harvesting is priced by the hour. In a 2024 proposal to its lake board, Michigan’s Indian Lake Improvement Association said it would charge $185 for each hour its harvester actually runs, with the operator, insurance and fuel included, up to 200 hours in 2025. That’s what one association proposed, not a market price.
If you sell harvesting, those are the numbers your customers compare. Your price has to cover the payment, the crew and the months the boat sits.
What’s the monthly payment on an aquatic weed harvester?
On the four examples below, an estimated $1,661 to $7,683 a month for an established business with nothing down.
| Example amount | 36 months | 48 months | 60 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| $80,000: used 1993 Aquarius HM-420, trailer extra (asking) | $2,544 | $1,991 | $1,661 |
| $120,000: used stainless HM-420 and straight trailer (asking) | $3,816 | $2,986 | $2,491 |
| $182,202: new ILH-450, trailer and pump (2023 bid) | $5,794 | $4,534 | $3,782 |
| $241,605: new Aquarius HM-420, trailer and pump (2023 bid) | $7,683 | $6,012 | $5,015 |
Estimates for an established business on an equipment finance agreement with nothing down, before taxes and fees. Examples only, not quotes. The used rows stop at 60 months because older equipment typically gets a shorter term. Your actual payment depends on credit, the equipment and the term.
New equipment can go longer. The $182,202 Inland package comes to an estimated $2,931 a month over 84 months, and the $241,605 Aquarius package to $3,887.
Does your harvester sit from fall to spring? Many programs can lighten the payment, or skip it, in the slow months, and our landscaping and forestry equipment financing page shows how that works.
An equipment finance agreement runs 24 to 84 months, and the harvester is yours from day one. Leases run 24 to 60 months and end in a $1, 10% or fair market value buyout; our lease vs. loan guide compares the two. Delivery and warranties can usually go on the quote too, plus installation and training on qualifying transactions. How much of that can go on is usually around 20% of the equipment amount, depending on credit and collateral.
Section 179 may let you write off qualifying equipment the year it goes into service; your CPA can tell you whether it fits. Starting a new lake management company? Those examples are for established businesses. Startups usually put some money down, and our startup equipment financing guide covers what else helps.
How do lake associations and towns pay for a harvester?
They use structures built for them, so the payment examples above are for businesses only.
We review a non-profit lake association on its own track record: years of operation, Form 990s or audited statements, and whether its income covers its costs. A board resolution or minutes show the board approved it and who signs, and on many programs, payments can line up with the group’s funding cycle. See equipment financing for non-profits.
Lake districts, towns, villages and counties can use a tax-exempt lease-purchase. Each year’s payment comes out of appropriated funds, a non-appropriation clause covers the budget cycle, terms reach 84 months, and the agency owns the harvester for $1 at the end. See municipal equipment leasing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a lake weed harvester cost?
New ones we found ran from $99,900 for an Inland ILH-250 on a Wisconsin lake association’s page to $222,605 for an Aquarius HM-420 in a 2023 city bid, before the trailer. Used harvesters were listed at $50,000 to $90,000 on November 13, 2026.
How much does a shore conveyor cost?
A 2019 draft study for Lake Minnetonka estimated a replacement shore conveyor at $50,470 for 2020, and a used 1999 Inland 32-foot unit was listed at $19,950. A trailer conveyor was posted at $52,800 on a lake association’s page.
Can you finance a used aquatic weed harvester?
Yes. Five West finances used harvesters from dealers, auctions and private sellers. There is no age limit, though older equipment can be tougher to get done, and older equipment typically gets a shorter term than new. With good credit, you usually don’t need a down payment.
Can the trailer and conveyor go on the same agreement as the harvester?
Yes, when they’re on one invoice. Buying from different sellers? Ask us. A financed piece and a leased piece need two agreements, and the usual $15,000 minimum counts on the whole bundle.
Can harvester payments skip the off-season?
On many programs, yes. Seasonal and skip-payment structures let a business carry a lighter payment, or none, while the harvester sits, then catch up in season.
How long does an aquatic weed harvester last?
A long time. Lake Minnetonka scheduled its harvesters for replacement about 15 years after purchase, Aquarius says harvesters run for 10 to 30 years, and Sturgeon Bay put up a 1995 harvester as its trade-in when it took bids in 2023.
Pricing a harvester for next season?
Send the maker’s quote, or the listing for a used one, with one short application. Approvals can come in as little as 30 minutes on a clean file, and a dedicated funding professional handles it through funding.
This article is general information about what aquatic weed harvesters cost and how businesses finance them, not tax, legal or accounting advice or a commitment to finance. Prices shown come from public records and listings on the date checked, not appraisals or offers. Example payments are estimates for an established business with no money down; actual terms and payments depend on credit approval, the equipment and the structure. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.