To finance a utility trailer, a Kerrville, TX landscaper can use a dealer program or an independent equipment lender, with the trailer itself as security. Zero-turn mowers fit the same agreement, and a wood chipper can be evaluated as movable equipment with any security set by the provider. Fuel, parts and plant stock belong on a credit line. The request reaches funding partners through Bellshire. They decide whether to proceed and what any offer contains.
Four purchases a growing landscaping crew makes, each matched to a way of paying for it, with invented prices worked out in full and Kerr County, TX landscaping counts.
Financing a utility trailer and zero-turns for a Hill Country crew
A utility trailer carries a VIN and a zero-turn mower a serial number, so both can be listed as collateral on one equipment financing agreement. That keeps the crew to a single monthly payment instead of a trailer note from one seller and a mower plan from another. A rack or toolbox bolted to the trailer can ride along; loose hand tools are a separate purchase, and a partner decides which smaller items it will include.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 16-foot tandem-axle utility trailer with a ramp gate | $7,400 |
| Two 60-inch zero-turn mowers | $25,200 |
| Trimmer and blower rack bolted to the trailer | $1,150 |
| Package total | $33,750 |
Spread across 48 months at an invented 10.25% annual rate, the $33,750 package works out to $860.04 a month; the 48 payments total $41,281.92. A mower wears out sooner than a trailer frame, so a partner can set a shorter term on the mowers, or ask for a larger first payment on them.
Most landscaping outfits here are small. Kerr County, TX had 26 landscaping services establishments with paid employees in 2023, and 21 of them had fewer than five employees (CBP, NAICS 561730). ZIP 78028 held 21 landscaping services establishments in the 2023 ZBP. Nonemployer Statistics counted 153 landscaping services businesses without paid employees in the county in 2024.
Comparing a dealer program with an independent lender for mowers
A dealer program is financing offered at the counter, at times through the mower maker's own finance company. It can come with a promotional rate for a fixed number of months, but only on that brand, and sometimes only at the list price, because the promotion takes the place of a cash discount. An independent lender looks at the crew, not the brand: it can finance a used mower, two brands on one agreement, or a trailer bought somewhere else.
| Line | Dealer program at list price | Independent lender at the cash price |
|---|---|---|
| Price financed | $12,600 | $11,700 |
| Months | 36 | 36 |
| Rate per year (invented) | 1.9% | 8.9% |
| Monthly payment | $360.35 | $371.51 |
| Total of payments | $12,972.60 | $13,374.36 |
In this invented case the dealer program wins by $401.76 over the term, even though the price is $900 higher. Change the cash discount or the rates and the answer can flip, so put both totals side by side before signing. The promotional term can also end with a balloon or a rate change; read the last page of the dealer contract as closely as the first.
Adding a wood chipper without a cash crunch between jobs
A wood chipper is movable equipment that can be reviewed under an equipment agreement, with any security and release conditions in the offer. The quote can also list a trailer, a toolbox and safety accessories; the provider decides which items belong in the financed total.
Invented example: a $48,900 wood chipper with $4,300 of trailer and safety accessories and a $5,320 down payment leaves $47,880 to finance. At 9.4% annually, the invented chipper-trailer balance of $47,880 has 60 payments of $1,003.23.
The crunch comes from the people, not the chipper. A second crew is paid every two weeks from its first morning, while its first customer pays on invoice terms. If that first job runs 12 days and the customer pays net 30, the crew works 42 days before any of its money arrives, which is 3 biweekly paydays: $10,800 of wages at $3,600 per payday. A working capital loan or a draw on a line can cover that stretch, so the down payment does not drain the payroll account.
Fuel, parts and plant stock on a revolving line
Fuel, mower blades and plant stock for an install are short-lived costs that come back when the job is paid. A business line of credit suits them: the crew draws what a job needs, pays it down when the invoice clears, and draws again. Interest applies to the outstanding draw in this crew example, rather than the entire approved limit.
| Draw | Amount |
|---|---|
| Shrubs and perennials for an install | $2,800 |
| Fuel for two trucks | $640 |
| Blades, belts and filters | $410 |
| Balance in use | $3,850 |
Carried for 35 days at an invented 13.5% annual rate, a $3,850 balance costs about $49.84 in interest before the install invoice pays it off. A trailer or a mower, by contrast, belongs on a fixed schedule: a line drawn down for a machine stays drawn for years and leaves no room for the next round of shrubs.
- Trailer, mowers, a skid steer: an equipment agreement, secured by the machine.
- Wood chipper: an equipment agreement, with any security defined in the offer.
- Second-crew wages before the first invoice clears: a working capital loan or a line draw.
- Fuel, blades, filters and plants for one job: the credit line, repaid from that job.
Kerr County, TX landscaping figures and a mower-and-skid-steer table sit on the landscaping industry page; the Bellshire blog lists the other articles, and the request form starts a request.
By Bellshire Business Funding · Updated
