Ferncroft Business Loans, a small-business funding service in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, wrote this guide for lawn care and landscaping companies in Sheboygan County. It covers building the equipment list from your routes, financing zero-turn and stand-on mowers, trailers and trucks, comparing dealer promotions with partner offers, loans versus leases, and keeping payments in line with uneven months.
A Small-Business Trade
Sheboygan County had 61 landscaping services employers in 2023, and 73.8% of them had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). Another 137 landscaping businesses had no payroll at all in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics, a slightly broader code). For these firms an equipment purchase is a large decision, and the payment has to fit the business's own revenue pattern.
Build the List From the Routes
Start with the work: the number of properties, their size, how often each is mowed, and what else you do there, such as trimming, edging, aeration or cleanups. That tells you how many mowers of which deck size you need, whether a stand-on or a zero-turn suits tight properties, and how much trailer space each crew needs. A list built this way avoids buying a larger mower than the routes require.
Financing Zero-Turn and Stand-On Mowers
Financing for zero-turn lawn mowers is one use of equipment financing in this trade. Commercial mowers are financed through equipment financing, new or used. Used mowers can be good value, but engine hours, deck condition and maintenance records matter, and partners discount heavily for wear.
Trailers, Trucks and the Rest
Enclosed or open trailers, pickup trucks, dump trucks, aerators, dethatchers and handheld equipment round out a crew. Titled vehicles and trailers are financed against the title; handheld equipment can be bought outright or bundled onto one invoice. A complete crew package can be financed at once instead of through several small loans.
Dealer Promotions, Partner Offers, Loans and Leases
Dealers may advertise promotional financing on mowers. It can be competitive, but it is tied to one brand and dealer and sometimes to list price. A partner's offer can be used at any dealer or for a used unit. Compare total cost: the price, every payment, fees, and the cost of paying early.
Landscaping equipment financing options also include leases. A loan suits a mower you will run until it is worn out; a lease can suit equipment you replace on a fixed cycle. Add up the lease payments and any buyout before comparing.
Payments and Uneven Months
If your revenue is concentrated in part of the year, a payment schedule that is the same every month can pinch in the slow months. Ask partners whether payment schedules can be adjusted, and test the payment against your leanest month, not your average. A line of credit for fuel, materials and wages in the months when costs run ahead of revenue can keep equipment payments current.
Illustrative only. If a mower package costs $600 a month and your leanest month brings in $4,000 of revenue against $3,800 of other costs, the payment does not fit that month without a cushion. Either keep the cushion in savings, adjust the package, or plan a line of credit for those months.
A Quick Checklist Before You Buy
- Does the list come from the routes you have, or from the routes you hope to win?
- Have you compared new and used by total cost, not by payment?
- Does the payment fit your leanest month?
- Do you have spare parts and a plan for repairs when a mower is down?
What Partners Review
- Equipment quotes with make, model and hours for used units
- Twelve months or more of bank statements
- Route lists or commercial contracts
- Existing equipment loans, including dealer financing
More on the trade is on landscaping business loans. Mower counts aside, county numbers live on the Sheboygan, WI page; more lawn-and-crew reading on the blog.
By Ferncroft Business Loans · Updated