How should landscape equipment dealers offer financing to landscapers?
Landscapers buy in late winter and don’t get paid until the spring jobs start. Get the payment, and its timing, right and most of those sales close. Here’s how to set that up, what to do with small orders, and which partner program fits your volume.
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Your customers’ year isn’t a flat line. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 756,000 people working in landscaping services in January 2025. By July, it was about 1,014,000 (Current Employment Statistics). That’s about a third more people on the payroll in six months.
So when do landscapers decide what to buy? Mostly in the winter, when cash is tightest. And the work isn’t going anywhere: BLS counted 1,299,200 grounds maintenance jobs in 2025 and expects that number to grow 5% by 2035, faster than average (Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Why does financing decide landscape equipment sales?
Because the bill shows up before the revenue does. In most of the country, a track loader bought in February won’t bring in much money until spring. Start a level payment the day it’s delivered, and the landscaper is paying for it during the leanest stretch of the year. Push the first payment out, or let it pause over the winter, and that objection mostly goes away.
Spring is expensive, too. That’s when landscapers are hiring, buying fuel and materials, and covering payroll for bigger crews. In the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s 2024 Horizon Report, 62% of businesses said optimizing cash flow was a top reason they finance equipment. For a landscaper, that isn’t abstract. It’s April payroll.
Where do landscape equipment deals stall, and what closes them?
Here’s where they tend to get stuck, and what gets them moving again:
| The deal | Where it stalls | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| One small machine, like a walk-behind stump grinder | Comes in under the $15,000 usual minimum | Add a trailer, attachments, or a second machine to the same agreement |
| Buying in February | The crews aren’t working yet | Push the first payment out so it starts when the work does |
| The winter months | A full payment due while the crews sit idle | A seasonal or skip-payment schedule, offered on many programs |
| A newer landscaping company | Less than two years in business | Startup programs that look at the owner’s credit, industry experience, and working capital |
| Used gear, other brands, trailers | Not covered by the manufacturer’s promotional program | One partner for everything that program doesn’t cover, with used equipment judged on hours and remaining life |
| A customer who got turned down | One “no” ends the sale | A partner with more than one option reviews it, usually within hours |
On used loaders, mini excavators, and mowers, hours count for more than age, so send the hour meter reading and any service records with the deal. Used equipment from a dealer usually needs 10% to 15% down. For newer companies, the full requirements are in our qualification guidelines.
What do landscape equipment payments look like?
Put a monthly number on every quote. Landscapers already run their business on monthly bills (payroll, fuel, insurance, the truck payment), so give them the equipment in the same terms. Here’s what common orders look like at an assumed 9%:
| Example order | Price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial zero-turn mower | $16,000 | About $398 over 48 months |
| Stump grinder | $35,000 | About $871 over 48 months |
| Brush chipper | $55,000 | About $1,369 over 48 months |
| Mini excavator | $65,000 | About $1,349 over 60 months |
| Compact track loader with attachments | $85,000 | About $1,764 over 60 months, or $1,532 over 72 |
| Same loader, seasonal schedule | $85,000 | About $2,330 for 45 payments, with nothing due in December, January, or February |
Illustrative payments at an assumed 9% with no money down, on example prices, not market quotes. Seasonal schedules vary by program and file.
Why the different terms? Mowers and chippers get worked hard, so they usually go on 24 to 48 months. Skid steers, track loaders, and trucks hold their value longer and can carry longer terms. If your reps want a quick way to run these numbers at the counter, we wrote one up in our guide to quoting a monthly payment.
What should a landscape dealer’s partner program include?
- One agreement for the whole order. Chippers, stump grinders, forestry mulchers, skid steers and track loaders, mini excavators, mowers, trucks and trailers, and irrigation and turf equipment, plus the attachments that go with them.
- Payments that follow the season. Seasonal and skip-payment schedules on many programs, and a deferred first payment when the equipment starts working before the money comes in.
- No paperwork on most deals. Application-only decisions up to $500,000 on qualifying files, so no tax returns or financial statements. The application starts with a soft credit inquiry.
- Fast answers. At Five West, most submissions get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours, and clean files can be approved in as little as 30 minutes.
- New or used, on a term that makes sense. Equipment finance agreements from 24 to 84 months and leases from 24 to 60, with the term matched to how long the equipment will last.
- You get paid in full. 100% of the invoice when the deal funds, after delivery and acceptance.
Which program tier fits your landscape dealership?
If you already use a manufacturer program for the promotional deals, figure about a quarter of your sales come to a partner like us. Here’s where that puts you:
| Annual equipment sales | Through the partner, if a quarter | Per month | Tier that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3 million | $750,000 | About $63,000 | 3rd Party Financing, our referral tier, with no minimum |
| $8 million | $2 million | About $167,000 | Co-Branded |
| $15 million | $3.75 million | About $313,000 | Co-Branded |
| $25 million or more | $6.25 million or more | About $521,000 or more | Private Label |
Application volume usually runs higher than funded volume, because not every application funds.
None of the three tiers costs you anything. 3rd Party Financing is our referral tier: no minimum and no setup, so you could send a customer this afternoon. Co-Branded fits dealers sending about $100,000 a month in applications and funding one deal a quarter. You get your logo on a payment calculator and financing page, plus the Partner Portal for tracking deals live. Private Label fits about $500,000 a month and builds the whole program under your brand, with CRM integration, sales meeting sponsorships, and trade show support. Our partner program comparison puts all three side by side.
What should your reps say to a landscaper?
- On a $12,000 stump grinder: “If we add an $8,000 trailer to haul it, it’s one payment for both, about $498 a month over 48 months. That’s an estimate, subject to credit approval.”
- In February: “You don’t have to start paying before your crews are back to work. On a lot of programs, the first payment can wait.”
- On a track loader: “We can set it up so you pay nothing in December, January, or February. The in-season payments run a little higher to make up for it.”
- To a newer company: “We have programs for newer companies. They’ll look at your personal credit, your experience in the industry, and how much cash you’ll have left after the purchase.”
- After a decline: “One lender saying no doesn’t end it. Let me send it to a partner that works with more than one program.”
What should landscape dealers do in the fourth quarter?
Bring up Section 179. Landscapers who had a good season start looking for deductions in November and December, and Section 179 covers financed equipment as long as it’s placed in service by December 31. Add a seasonal schedule where the program allows it, and a landscaper could buy in December, possibly deduct it this year, and make the first payment in the spring. Our Section 179 sales playbook covers the details for your reps, and there’s a Section 179 guide you can send to customers.
Where should a landscape dealer start?
Start with timing. Push first payments out in the spring, offer a seasonal schedule for the winter, and put a monthly number on every quote. Bundle the small single-machine orders. Tell newer companies what they’ll need to qualify. Then send every application to a partner that answers within hours. None of it costs you anything, and once you’re sending about $100,000 a month in applications, the program can carry your name.
Frequently asked questions
Can landscaping equipment payments skip the winter months?
On many programs, yes. A seasonal or skip-payment schedule lets a landscaping company pay less, or nothing, during the slow months and make it up once the work picks back up. Deferring the first payment is common too, especially on equipment bought before the season starts.
What’s the smallest landscaping purchase that can be financed?
Our usual minimum is $15,000. A single small machine, like a walk-behind stump grinder, can come in under that, so add a trailer, attachments, or a second machine to the same agreement.
Can used landscaping equipment be financed?
Yes. Used equipment is underwritten on how much useful life it has left at the end of the term, and on mowers, loaders, and other compact equipment, hours matter more than age. Expect 10% to 15% down on used equipment from a dealer.
Can a new landscaping company finance equipment?
Yes, selectively. A company with less than a year in business is underwritten as a startup. That means strong personal credit, relevant experience in the industry, and working capital left over after the purchase.
How long can landscaping equipment be financed?
Equipment finance agreements run 24 to 84 months, and leases run 24 to 60. Mowers and chippers usually land in the 24 to 48 month range. Skid steers, trucks, and other equipment that holds its value can go longer.
What does it cost a landscape dealer to offer financing?
Nothing. All three of our tiers are free to the dealer. There’s no setup fee, no monthly fee, and no application fee for your customers. The landscaper pays the finance charge.
When does a landscape dealer get paid on a financed sale?
When the deal funds. We pay 100% of the invoice once the customer signs and the equipment is delivered and accepted, and funding can happen in as little as 24 to 48 hours after documents are signed.
Start a partner program.
Your name on a landscape financing program, with seasonal payment options, answers within hours, and 100% of the invoice when deals fund. The partner application takes about 10 minutes, and it’s not a credit application.
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This article is general information about vendor financing for landscape equipment dealers. It is not a rate quote, a commitment to finance, or tax advice. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.