Skid Steer and Track Loader Financing: The Easiest Machine to Finance
September 18, 2026 · 7 min read · Equipment Funding Network
Skid steers and compact track loaders are bought by landscapers, excavation contractors, farmers, snow removal operators, demolition crews and rental yards. That breadth is exactly what makes them easy to finance: a lender holding one as collateral is holding something a great many people want.
Wheels or tracks changes more than traction
- Wheeled skid steers — lower purchase price, cheaper running costs, and better on hard surfaces. Tyres are inexpensive relative to tracks.
- Compact track loaders — far better flotation on soft ground and less surface damage, at a higher price and with undercarriage wear that is a genuine operating cost.
- Resale differs by region and by trade: tracked machines dominate where ground conditions are soft, wheeled machines where work is on pavement.
- Undercarriage condition on a used tracked machine is a major value component and the first thing an inspector looks at.
The attachments are the business case
A loader with only a bucket is a fraction of the machine it could be. Augers, breakers, brush cutters, grapples, trenchers, snow blowers and pallet forks are what turn one machine into several trades' worth of capability, and they are the reason the utilisation case usually works.
Finance them with the machine where you can. On the same invoice they are part of the asset; bought later they are a cash purchase, and the attachment package is frequently a meaningful proportion of the total spend.
If snow removal is part of your season, say so in the application. A machine that earns through winter with a blower or pusher is a machine whose payment is covered year-round, and that is a materially different story from a landscaper's April-to-October utilisation.
Why these are approachable for newer businesses
Ticket sizes are modest by heavy-equipment standards, the collateral is liquid, and many lenders will write compact loader deals on an application-only basis at smaller sizes. That combination makes them one of the more realistic first financed assets for a young landscaping or contracting business.
The usual caveats still apply — a start-up should expect a larger down payment, and a private-party purchase invites more scrutiny than a dealer one — but the category itself is not an obstacle.
Hours, and what counts as high
Compact loaders accumulate hours quickly because they are rarely idle on a working site. Lenders read the meter alongside age, as with any hour-metered machine, and documented maintenance moves a borderline unit into range. Ex-rental machines are common in this category and are not a red flag in themselves — rental fleets service on schedule — but they will have worked hard, and the hours will show it.
The rental-to-own question
Rental purchase options are common in this category, and they are worth evaluating rather than dismissing. Renting proves the utilisation before you commit, and many dealers apply some portion of paid rent toward a purchase. The catch is that the applied portion is rarely all of it, so the total cost of a long rental-then-buy usually exceeds financing from the start.
The honest rule: if you already know the machine will work five days a week, financing it outright is cheaper. If you genuinely do not know — a new service line, an uncertain contract — renting first is buying information, and information about utilisation is worth real money in this business.
Fleet buyers and multiple units
Landscaping and site-work companies frequently buy several loaders at once, or add one a year on a cycle. Financing them under one facility simplifies administration and can improve terms, but it also concentrates the credit decision and means several payments start together. Staggering purchases across a year keeps the payment profile smoother and keeps capacity available with more than one lender.
Common follow-up questions
Are compact loaders easier to finance than excavators?
Often, at comparable price points, because the buyer pool is even broader. Smaller tickets also mean more lenders will consider an application-only structure.
Should I finance tracks or wheels?
It depends on your ground conditions and surfaces, not on the financing. Tracked machines cost more to buy and to run; wheeled machines are cheaper on both counts and better on pavement.
Can I add attachments to the loan?
Yes, if they are on the invoice with the machine. Attachments are a large part of the machine's usefulness and its resale appeal, so including them helps the case rather than complicating it.
Is an ex-rental machine a problem?
Not inherently. Rental fleets generally maintain on schedule, and the service records often exist. Expect higher hours than a private-owner machine of the same age.