Landscape equipment financing lets a Smyrna, TN company replace mowers a pair at a time, each loan tied to the machines it buys, instead of replacing a whole fleet at once. This article works through a staged fleet, a new treatment service and used mowers with invented figures.
A six-mower fleet replaced all at once or two a year, two stand-on spreader-sprayers for a new treatment service, a used mower against a new one, and the papers to gather. The dollar amounts are invented, and each county count names its source.
Landscape equipment financing for a mower fleet: replace in stages or all at once
Illustration only, invented figures: a crew company runs 6 stand-on mowers and prices replacements at $10,980 each. Replacing all six with one loan over 48 months at 9.65% costs $1,659.84 a month for four years. Replacing two a year, each pair on its own 48-month loan at the same invented rate, costs $553.28 a month per pair.
| Year | Pair loans running | Staged: monthly | All at once: monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 1 | $553.28 | $1,659.84 |
| Year 2 | 2 | $1,106.56 | $1,659.84 |
| Year 3 | 3 | $1,659.84 | $1,659.84 |
| Year 4 | 3 | $1,659.84 | $1,659.84 |
| Year 5 | 2 | $1,106.56 | $0.00 |
| Year 6 | 1 | $553.28 | $0.00 |
Staging keeps the payment low in year 1 and spreads the peak over years 3 and 4, and the last pair is paid off in year 6. It also leaves older mowers in service longer, with their repair bills. One fleet loan ends sooner but starts at the full payment.
The down payment moves the same way. If a funding partner asked for 10% down in this invented example, staging would mean $2,196 at each pair purchase instead of $6,588 at once, and the cash the company keeps in the first year can go to fuel, parts or payroll.
County Business Patterns counted 105 landscaping services establishments with employees in Rutherford County, TN in 2023 (NAICS 561730), 66 of them with fewer than five. Nonemployer Statistics, a separate count, found 738 landscaping services businesses with no paid employees in the county in 2024.
A landscaping equipment loan for stand-on spreader-sprayers and a lawn treatment service
Illustration only, invented figures: a mowing company adds a lawn treatment service with 2 stand-on spreader-sprayers at $9,450 each. Over 36 months at 10.95%, the pair costs $618.31 a month, $22,259.16 in all, of which $3,359.16 is interest.
The machines go on the equipment loan; the products they spread do not. Fertilizer and other materials are operating costs, which a line of credit or working capital can carry while treatment invoices are paid. For the spreader-sprayers themselves, a lease is the other route, and the equipment financing page compares the two.
Used landscaping equipment financing: hour meters, spindles and shorter terms
A used mower can cost far less, and a funding partner may offer a shorter term on it than on a new one. Check these before any financing:
- Hours shown on the meter, checked against the mower's service log
- Worn spindles and bearings, and any rust-through or welds on the cutting housing
- Leaks at the hydrostatic drive pumps and wheel motors
- A bill of sale with the serial number
- Proof that no loan or lease still claims the mower
Illustration only, invented figures: a used mower with 640 hours on the meter is listed at $6,200. Over 24 months at 12.15%, it costs $292.29 a month; a new $10,980 mower over 48 months at 9.65% costs $276.64. The used mower costs $15.65 more each month, yet it is paid off two years sooner, and its 24 payments total $7,014.96 against $13,278.72 for the new one. The new mower comes with more working hours ahead of it.
A shorter term on a used machine has its own logic: it keeps the loan from running longer than the mower is likely to stay on a route. For the same reason, a used mower with a high hour reading can cost more in repairs than its lower payment saves, so set a repair allowance beside the payment when the two options are compared.
Financing landscaping equipment in Smyrna, TN: what to have ready before the call
Gathering these before the call shortens it:
- The dealer quote or the used listing, with model, hours and serial number
- A list of the current fleet with each machine's age
- Payments already running on other equipment
- Recent business bank statements
- The business tax return for the latest full year
Aerators, a hydroseeder and route software are worked through on the landscaping page. More articles are on the blog.
By Deltaspring Lending Group · Updated
