How can spray drone dealers offer financing to their customers?
Spray drone dealers can offer financing to their customers by joining a free partner program and printing an estimated monthly payment on every quote. Five West then handles the credit, the paperwork and the funding, and pays you 100% of the invoice. Here’s how spray drone dealer financing works, what to put on a quote, and how to stay ahead of the late-winter rush.
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Why does financing close a spray drone sale?
Because a grower can measure a monthly payment against the acres a drone will cover, and a $40,000 price tag is a harder yes when cash needs to stretch. Farmers are being careful. In Purdue’s Ag Economy Barometer survey of 400 farmers in mid-October 2026, only 20% called it a good time to invest in machinery and buildings, and the share reporting a strong balance sheet had slipped from 76% in January to about 62%.
As an example, a $42,719 T100 kit over 48 months comes to about $12,760 a year in estimated payments. Across 3,000 acres a year, that’s about $4.25 an acre, and your customer can plug in their own acres. A buyer paying cash has every reason to drop the spreader, but at $3,459 it adds about $86 a month over 48 months.
How does spray drone dealer financing work?
You sell the drone, and Five West does the rest. Your customer applies with a soft credit inquiry, and most get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours. Clean application-only files can be approved in as little as 30 minutes, and qualifying files up to $500,000 don’t need tax returns or financial statements.
Once your customer signs and the drone is delivered and accepted, we pay you 100% of the invoice when the deal funds, which can be as little as 24 to 48 hours after signing. You don’t carry a receivable or do any collecting.
Your customer can pick an equipment finance agreement (24 to 84 months, ownership from day one) or an equipment lease (24 to 60 months with a $1, 10% or fair market value buyout). Drones improve quickly, so I’d quote 36 or 48 months first.
Our guide to setting up a dealer financing program has the full steps, and our spray drone financing guide is the one to hand your buyers.
What can an ag drone dealer financing program cover?
Most of your invoice: the drone, new or used, its spray and spreading systems, and the gear around it, from the usual $15,000 minimum to $5 million and above. Our commercial drone financing page has the full list:
- Power and control: spare batteries, chargers, generators, controllers and software licenses. A rugged field laptop can go on too if it’s on your invoice.
- Field setup: trailers and ground rigs.
- Soft costs: delivery, training and warranties, usually around 20% of the equipment amount, depending on credit and collateral. Treat that as a guide, not a promise.
The $15,000 minimum counts the whole bundle, so a compact drone can get there with its batteries and charger. A financed piece and a leased piece need two agreements, so pick one structure for the package.
What payment should you put on a spray drone quote?
Show the price, an estimated payment and the term. As a guide, every $10,000 financed with nothing down is about $249 a month over 48 months, or $318 over 36. Here’s that at a few package sizes:
| Package size | Example package | Listed price | 36 months | 48 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact kit | DJI Agras T25P: remote, 3 batteries, charger | $19,895 | About $633 | About $495 |
| Mid-size kit | DJI Agras T50: remote, 3 batteries, charger | $24,989 | About $795 | About $622 |
| Large kit with generator | DJI Agras T100: 3 batteries, 14,000-watt generator with charger | $42,719 | About $1,358 | About $1,063 |
| Full season setup | T100 generator kit, 150-liter spreader, 2 extra batteries, 16-foot trailer | $71,353 | About $2,269 | About $1,776 |
| Two-drone crew | 2 T100 generator kits, 40-foot command center trailer | $131,638 | About $4,186 | About $3,276 |
Listed asking prices we found, checked November 5, 2026, not appraisals or offers. All are Drone Spray Pro listings, before tax and shipping, and the last two rows add up separate listings. Five West has no affiliation with these sellers or makers. Payments are estimated examples for established businesses only (two or more years in business), on an equipment finance agreement with nothing down. Actual payments depend on credit, the equipment and the term.
Swap in your own prices. A rep’s line: “This T100 kit with the generator is $42,719, or about $1,063 a month over 48 months, estimated and subject to credit approval.”
The Quote Builder turns a price and term into a payment with no credit pull. Partner widgets put a payment estimate or an apply button on your website with one short snippet, and you don’t have to be a partner to use them. Keep it an estimate, though. Reps shouldn’t promise a rate or an approval.
How do you handle the late-winter rush?
Start the conversation in the fall. Buyers tend to decide in late winter, and spring moves fast. USDA’s Crop Progress reports had corn 38% planted across 18 major states on May 3, 2026, and 76% planted two weeks later.
Financing usually won’t be the slow part, since approvals are sized to seasonal windows and a late-winter application for spring spraying is routine. FAA paperwork is another story. FAA rules say to submit an exemption petition 120 days before you need it to take effect, so a customer who files February 1 shouldn’t count on one before about June 1.
Here’s how I’d lay out the year:
- October through December: Ask every prospect where their Part 107 and FAA exemption stand. For a Section 179 deduction this year, the drone has to be ready to fly by December 31, so send them to their CPA.
- January and February: Send the full package with a payment on it, get the application in, and have your customer ask about pushing the first payment back until the season starts. Approvals stay open a set time, so line that up with a delivery date you can hit.
- March and April: Deliver the drone and get paid.
Holding a drone on pre-order? Where the equipment requires a deposit, deposit funding can be released once your customer signs, with the balance on delivery.
What does the dealer send with a drone deal?
Not much:
- The Part 107 certificate: every drone deal needs a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. I’d ask for it when you write the quote.
- An itemized quote or invoice: a line each for the aircraft, batteries, charger or generator, spreader, trailer and training.
- The customer’s details: business, contact, equipment and cost. We collect documents and Social Security numbers from the customer directly.
- On a used drone: flight hours, battery cycles, the serial number and whether the manufacturer still supports it.
Can customers finance used drones and trade-ins?
Yes. A used drone from your lot goes through much like a new one. There is no age limit, though older equipment can be tougher to get done. An older drone will typically get a shorter term. With good credit, you usually don’t need a down payment, even on used equipment.
A trade-in lowers the risk on the new deal, much like money down, and the drone you take in becomes used inventory your next customer can finance. If your customer sells the old drone to another operator instead, Five West can finance that buyer at the same speed, with application-only decisions up to $500,000 on qualifying files. The lien search is part of the file, and the funds go directly to the seller. If the seller still owes on the drone, we pay off their lender at closing so the lien is released.
What about a brand-new spraying business?
Financing is possible, but leave the payment off quotes for any business under two years old. Precision Farming Dealer reported in February 2025 that people looking to become custom applicators were the biggest market for drone sales.
A business under a year old is underwritten as a startup. Those programs typically look for 700+ personal credit, documented experience in the work, working capital left after the purchase and usually some money down, plus the same Part 107 copy. Signed or pending contracts for the season make a much stronger file than a business plan alone. Pricing depends on the whole application, so point them to our startup equipment financing guide.
Why should a drone dealer work with Five West?
Because it costs you nothing, and you hear early when a deal won’t work. One submission reaches two funding paths: the sharpest pricing, or our direct lending program when speed or structure matters more. A borderline file gets reviewed for more money down, a shorter term or a different program before it’s declined, and if it can’t be placed, we’ll say so plainly. Every tier comes with a dedicated finance rep, and our team averages about 10 years of experience.
Which partner tier fits a drone dealer or ag retailer?
Whichever matches your application volume today. All three are free, with no setup fee, no monthly fee and no application fee for your customers, and each starts with a 90-day trial.
- 3rd Party Financing: no minimum and nothing to sign. Send customers to support@fivewestfinancial.com or a named contact. It’s the easiest way to offer financing to drone customers if you sell a few a season.
- Co-Branded: about $100,000 a month in applications, or two or three T100 generator kits, plus one funded deal a quarter. You get your logo on a payment calculator and financing page, an apply-online link, ongoing training, 100% funding upfront on orders and the Partner Portal.
- Private Label: about $500,000 a month under a partner program agreement. It adds a program built under your brand, CRM integration, sales meeting sponsorships and trade show support.
Drone sales bunch up before spraying starts, so I’d begin on 3rd Party and move up once volume is steady. Our partner programs page has the full comparison.
On Co-Branded and Private Label, the Partner Portal shows each deal’s stage and whose move it is, and your reps can text a payment estimate or send us a customer in about a minute. You see your customer’s payment and never their rate. Try the Partner Portal demo.
Frequently asked questions
How can a spray drone dealer offer financing to customers?
Join a partner program and put an estimated monthly payment on every quote. Five West has three free tiers: 3rd Party Financing has no minimum and nothing to sign, Co-Branded adds your logo on a payment calculator and financing page plus the Partner Portal, and Private Label builds the program under your brand.
What does it cost a drone dealer to offer financing?
Nothing. All three Five West partner tiers are free, with no setup fee, no monthly fee and no application fee for your customers. 3rd Party Financing has no minimum, Co-Branded asks for about $100,000 a month in applications and one funded deal a quarter, and Private Label about $500,000 a month.
What is the monthly payment on a spray drone package?
As an example for an established business with nothing down, every $10,000 financed is about $249 a month over 48 months. A DJI Agras T100 kit with a generator, listed at $42,719 in November 2026, is about $1,063 a month over 48 months. Actual payments depend on credit, the equipment and the term.
When does the dealer get paid on a financed drone?
When the deal funds. Five West pays you 100% of the invoice after your customer signs and the drone is delivered and accepted. Where the equipment requires a deposit, deposit funding can be released once documents are signed, with the balance on delivery.
Can the first payment wait until spraying season?
Often, yes. Spray drones bought for a season are often financed with the first payment deferred until the season starts, so your customer should ask about it when they apply.
Does every drone deal need a Part 107 certificate?
Yes. Five West needs a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate on every drone deal, new or used. Send it with the quote so the file can keep moving.
Do I need a license to offer financing on the drones I sell?
Usually not. When you sell your own equipment and a funder handles the deal, you’re a vendor making a sale. It can be different if you charge the buyer a separate fee for arranging financing, and a few states have their own rules, so check with your attorney. This isn’t legal advice.
Put a payment on your next drone quote.
Most applications get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours, and you’re paid 100% of the invoice when the deal funds. The partner application takes about 10 minutes, and it’s not a credit application.
This article is general information about offering financing on agricultural spray drones, not tax, legal or accounting advice or a commitment to finance. Prices shown are listed asking prices from public pages 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. Tax treatment depends on the contract and the business, so confirm it with a CPA. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.