This Bellcrest Lending Group article, from a small-business funding service in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, covers snow plow financing for landscaping crews: financing a plow, spreader and truck, how plow contracts support a request, how mower and plow payments stack up, and how to plan working capital across the year. It cites Fond du Lac County landscaping figures.
Snow Plow Financing in Brief
A plow and spreader are equipment, financed with an equipment loan or lease, often as part of a truck purchase. Partners look at the truck and plow together, the crew's income from plowing contracts, and the business's statements. Landscaping services in Fond du Lac County, WI counted 36 employer establishments in 2023, 30 with fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns), and 125 landscaping businesses without paid employees in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program).
The wider picture for landscapers is on the landscaping business loans page.
Working capital for landscaping contractors in Fond du Lac, WI
Working capital for landscaping contractors pays crews, fuel and materials before customers pay. Adding plowing changes the calendar: fuel, salt and overtime are paid during storms, while contract income may arrive monthly. A line of credit can carry those weeks.
Keep plowing contracts in writing. A signed contract with a property manager is a record a partner can read; a list of expected calls is not.
Financing for lawn mowers: what Fond du Lac, WI owners should know
Mowers are financed as equipment, often through dealer programs or outside partners. When a crew adds a plow truck, the mower payments continue, so the two sets of payments stack. Write out every equipment payment by month before adding another.
Illustration only, invented figures: two mowers at $517 a month each (a $16,500 mower over 36 months at 8%, our arithmetic) plus a plow truck package at $1,204 a month ($58,000 over 60 months at 9%, our arithmetic) total about $2,238 a month (our sum).
How to get a business loan for a landscaping business for a Fond du Lac County, WI business
- List the equipment and its quotes: truck, plow, spreader, mower.
- Gather bank statements and tax returns.
- Collect signed mowing and plowing contracts.
- Send the request with the three range answers.
- Compare offers by total dollars, payment schedule and collateral.
A one-person business sends the same request; partners read the owner's records together with the business's.
Landscaping equipment loan in Fond du Lac, WI
A landscaping equipment loan covers mowers, trimmers, trailers, skid steers, aerators and plows. Plows mount to trucks, so the truck's age and capacity matter: a plow too heavy for the truck is a problem a partner may notice from the specifications.
Some partners offer payment schedules that follow a business's income pattern. Ask, and compare the total cost with a level schedule.
Small business loans for lawn care in Fond du Lac, WI
Small business loans for lawn care sort into equipment financing for machines, a line or working capital for payroll and fuel, and term loans for buying another company's routes. The request reads best when it shows where each payment comes from: mowing contracts, plowing contracts, or installation jobs.
Illustration only, invented figures: a crew with $9,000 a month in plowing contract income during its plowing months, against the $1,204 plow truck payment above, covers it about 7.5 times over in those months (our arithmetic). In months without plowing, the mowing income has to carry it.
Used Plow Trucks and What a Partner Checks
A used plow truck saves money up front, but plowing is hard on frames, transmissions and hydraulics. A partner financing a used truck and plow may ask for the mileage, the plow's age, service records and photos of the frame. A dealer inspection report answers most of those questions at once.
Illustration only, invented figures: a used truck with a plow at $34,000, with $4,000 down and $30,000 financed over 48 months at 10%, is about $761 a month (our arithmetic), against $1,204 for the new package above. Compare the savings with the repair risk before choosing.
Planning the Year Around Plow Payments
Plow payments arrive every month, plowing income does not. Set aside part of plowing income for the months without it, or ask for a schedule with lower payments in those months. A 13-week cash flow forecast, updated monthly, shows whether the reserve is on track.
Ready to price a plow? Price the plow through the request form, or phone (920) 274-3387 with the dealer quote. More reading is on the blog, and equipment financing covers loans and leases.
By Bellcrest Lending Group · Updated
