Quick answer
Skid steer finance helps landscapers, builders, fencers and earthmovers buy a compact loader and repay it from the work it speeds up. Attachments often make the machine, and they belong in the budget. Unsecured options typically run from $5k to $500k, property-secured from $20k to $5m, for business use only, with no credit check on first enquiry.
Key points
- The attachments decide what the machine can earn
- Wheeled and tracked machines suit different ground and different budgets
- Hours, service history and brand shape both value and approval
- Hire-out income can help justify ownership
- No credit check when you first enquire
Where an excavator digs, a skid steer shifts. It scoops, pushes, lifts, levels, sweeps and carries, and with the right attachment it can drill post holes, trench a conduit run or grade a driveway base. A small business with one tends to get through a surprising amount of site work without the labour bill that used to come with it.
What makes a skid steer earn its keep?
It is the combination of size and flexibility. A compact machine gets into side access and backyards where bigger plant cannot, and it swaps tools in minutes. That shows up in jobs like:
- clearing and levelling a site before landscaping or paving
- moving soil, gravel, mulch and pallets around a build
- loading trucks and trailers without hand-shovelling
- post-hole drilling for fencing crews
- sweeping and cleanup on larger sites
If your current method for any of these is hired labour or hired machines, you have the start of a payback case. The equipment payback calculator will test it with your own figures.
Wheeled, tracked or something in between?
| Type | Strengths | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Wheeled | Fast on hard ground, lower running costs | Tears up turf, struggles in mud |
| Tracked | Float over soft ground, better grip on slopes | More wear parts, usually dearer |
| Compact track loader | A middle path for mixed work | Check the undercarriage condition |
Your work decides it. A landscaper on suburban lawns will weigh turf damage heavily, while an earthmoving crew on a wet site will not.
How much do attachments matter?
A great deal. The machine is the carrier; the attachment is the earner. Common choices include a general-purpose bucket, pallet forks, a bale spear, an auger, a trencher, a sweeper and a grapple. Each costs, and some are only worth it if you have regular work for them. Plan the first attachment around your most frequent job and add others once the machine is paying. Whatever you choose, put it on the same quote so the finance covers the whole working setup.
How do lenders look at a skid steer?
Like other plant, favourably when the paperwork is neat. They look for:
- serial number, hours and service history
- seller type: dealer, auction or private
- brand and local parts support, which feed into resale value
- your trading history and the pattern of money in the business account
- a believable plan for the work it will do
Putting money down or adding security can help, and property-secured loans from $20k to $5m are available for larger purchases. On the used side, see second-hand equipment finance.
Want to see where a skid steer purchase could land?
With a machine and attachments in mind, you can check your options in about a minute. Nothing is run against your credit file at that first step.
An illustrative example
This is a made-up scenario for explanation only.
A landscaping business that mostly does backyard rebuilds hires in a small loader for a couple of days per job. Hire, delivery and occasional waiting add up, and some bigger jobs are declined because there is no machine available that week. The owner buys a used compact skid steer with a bucket and forks, plus a small trailer, and borrows to do it.
If the machine is used on most jobs and the saved hire covers the repayment, the maths works. If jobs dry up for a month, the owner can hire the machine out to others to stay afloat. That backup is worth thinking through before you sign.
What does ownership really involve?
Beyond repayments, you will deal with:
- scheduled servicing, hydraulic hoses, tyres or tracks, and cutting edges
- insurance for theft, damage and transport
- somewhere secure to park it overnight
- a trailer or truck to move it, which has its own finance page: trailer finance
- licences and training, depending on the site and the attachment
If your work is mostly landscaping, look at the lawn and landscaping equipment page too, since the smaller machines often travel with the skid steer.
What about the larger loaders?
If you need more lift or reach than a compact machine offers, a backhoe or front-end loader may be the answer. The bobcat and loader finance page explains how that class differs and what lenders ask.
How do I make sure the machine matches my sites?
Before you commit, measure the narrowest gate and access path you regularly work through, then compare it with the machine’s width and the width of the trailer carrying it. Check the lift height against what you actually need, since a bucket that cannot clear a truck tray is a nuisance. Ask about operating weight if you work on lawns, driveways or near services. A short on-site demonstration from a dealer, or a day’s hire of the model you are considering, is a cheap way to avoid buying the wrong size. Once you are sure, put the exact model, attachments and delivery on one quote so the finance reflects what you will really use.
Ready to see if you qualify?
A compact loader can turn a labour-heavy job into a machine job, but only when the structure suits your cash flow. Describe what you plan to buy, the work behind it and what you can contribute. The first enquiry is not a credit check, your details do not go out to a stampede of lenders, and a real person works on the case. The more accurately you complete the form, the better the first match will be, so start your skid steer enquiry whenever you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose a wheeled or tracked skid steer?
Wheels are quicker and cheaper on firm ground; tracks cope better with soft, wet or sloping sites. The right one depends on where you work, and it affects price, wear and attachments.
Can I finance attachments with the machine?
Usually, if they are on the same quote. Buckets, forks, augers, trenchers, sweepers and grapples can each change the job list, so decide which ones pay first.
How is a skid steer different from an excavator for lenders?
Both are identifiable, resellable plant. A skid steer often costs less and is more versatile across tasks, while an excavator is tied more closely to digging. Lenders mostly care about hours, condition and how you will earn.
Is used or ex-hire machinery a good idea?
It can be, if service records and hours are clear. Ex-hire machines have often worked hard, so get an independent check where you can.
Can I finance one as a new business owner?
It is possible with a deposit, security or contracted work behind it. Explain the plan and be upfront about how long you have traded.
Short on time? Enquire right here
About 60 seconds. No credit check when you first enquire, and a real person calls you back.