Can you finance a forestry crane?

Yes, forestry cranes are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £10,000 to £70,000, and most deals are written over 12–60 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

Forestry Crane Finance: Rates, Options & Eligibility

Q: Is a forestry crane usually financed separately from the trailer it's mounted on?

No, not usually. Most forestry cranes are sold as a combined trailer and crane unit from a single supplier, and lenders are happy to finance the whole unit as one hire purchase or lease facility rather than splitting the crane and trailer into two separate agreements. Because the crane sits on its own trailer chassis and is towed behind a tractor rather than built onto a lorry, it is not treated as a road-going vehicle for finance purposes in the way a truck-mounted loader crane would be. It is still a towed load on public roads, though, so the combined weight of the trailer and crane, and the driver's licence category, need to be checked before taking it on the road, separately from the finance arrangement itself.

Q: Can I finance a used forestry crane?

Yes. Most lenders will finance a used forestry crane up to around 10 to 12 years old, though the exact age limit and rate depend on the condition of the hydraulics, slew ring and boom sections rather than age alone, since these are the components that see the most wear. Given the loads a forestry crane lifts and the consequences if a component fails, an independent inspection or a recent service history from a dealer is worth having before you commit to a used purchase, and most lenders will want to see this as part of the application. A crane from an established Scandinavian manufacturer with UK dealer support tends to be easier to finance used, since parts and servicing are more readily available.

Q: Does crane reach affect the finance available?

Reach and lifting capacity affect the price of the crane rather than the type of finance available to you. A small tractor-mounted crane bought by a farm managing its own woodland thinnings costs a fraction of a high-reach trailer-mounted crane used by a forestry contractor extracting timber commercially, so the loan or lease amount simply scales with the specification you choose. Hire purchase, finance lease and operating lease are all available regardless of reach, and the choice between them is usually driven by whether you want to own the crane outright or prefer lower payments with the option to return it, rather than by the crane's size.

Q: Can a forestry crane be financed alongside a woodchipper or log splitter?

Yes. Many lenders will finance a forestry crane together with related timber handling equipment such as a woodchipper or log splitter under one facility, rather than requiring separate agreements for each item. This suits farms and forestry contractors building a complete timber extraction and processing operation in one go, since it keeps the paperwork and repayment schedule to a single agreement rather than several running in parallel. Each item still needs to be itemised with its own value on the supplier invoice so the lender can see exactly what is being financed, but the underlying facility, and often the deposit, can be structured as one deal covering the whole set of equipment.

Q: What deposit do I need for forestry crane finance?

It depends on the finance type. Hire purchase typically asks for a 10 to 20% deposit, while finance lease and operating lease agreements are usually available with no deposit required at all, since the lender retains an interest in the crane throughout the agreement. A larger deposit on a hire purchase agreement reduces the monthly repayment and can improve the rate offered, which matters given cranes at the higher end of the £10,000 to £70,000 price range. Farms and contractors financing a crane alongside a trailer or other timber handling equipment sometimes negotiate the deposit across the whole package rather than per item.

Q: What happens at the end of a forestry crane finance agreement?

It depends on which type of agreement you chose. Under hire purchase, the crane is yours outright once the final payment is made, with no further action needed. Under a finance lease, you can typically pay a final balloon payment to own the crane, or hand it back, depending on how the agreement was structured at the outset. Under an operating lease, you simply return the crane at the end of the term, which suits contractors who expect to move to a higher-reach or newer crane as their extraction work grows rather than keeping the same unit long-term. It's worth deciding which outcome you want before signing, since it affects the monthly cost.

Typical Cost

£10k – £70k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £100k

Rates From

4.8% APR

What would a forestry crane cost per month?

Forestry Crane price (ex VAT) £30,000

Deposit 10%

Agreement term 60 months

Annual interest rate 9%

Balloon payment £0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical forestry crane price. Indicative only, not a quote.

Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate: From 5.2% APR
Term: 12–60 months
Deposit: 10–20%
Ownership: Yours at the end
Best for: Farm woodland owners and forestry contractors wanting to own the crane outright

Finance Lease

Rate: From 4.8% APR
Term: 12–60 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for: Tax-efficient, spreads the cost of timber extraction equipment

Operating Lease

Rate: From 5.6% APR
Term: 24–48 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return at end
Best for: Contractors wanting a higher-reach crane without a large upfront cost

Representative example

On a purchase price of £30,000: a 10% deposit of £3,000, then 48 monthly payments of £633 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £33,384, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification	Guide price	Type
Farma T6 Small Timber Crane	£10,000 – £16,000	Tractor-Mounted Timber Crane
Farma T9 6.3m Crane	£20,000 – £30,000	Trailer-Mounted Timber Crane
Kesla 606T Crane	£30,000 – £45,000	Trailer-Mounted Timber Crane with Grapple
Farma T17 8m Crane	£45,000 – £70,000	High-Reach Trailer-Mounted Timber Crane

Tax benefits

Forestry cranes qualify for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full cost from taxable profits in year one, up to £1,000,000. HP gives access to capital allowances; lease payments are fully deductible from farming or forestry contracting profits.

Market context

Forestry cranes, usually mounted on a trailer and used to load timber onto that same trailer, are bought by farms with their own woodland managing thinnings and windblow, and by forestry and firewood contractors extracting timber for others. Crane reach and lifting capacity are matched to typical log size and extraction distance rather than to farm size generally, and the boom, slew ring, and hydraulics take the most wear, which tends to drive replacement more than age. Scandinavian manufacturers with established UK dealer support, such as those behind the well-known trailer and crane combinations used across British forestry, help sustain a steady used market.

Bad credit?

Some specialist lenders consider businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options may be available. Fundably may use a soft credit check for matching, which does not affect your credit score. A hard check may happen if you choose to proceed with a lender.

Frequently asked questions

Is a forestry crane usually financed separately from the trailer it's mounted on?

No, not usually. Most forestry cranes are sold as a combined trailer and crane unit from a single supplier, and lenders are happy to finance the whole unit as one hire purchase or lease facility rather than splitting the crane and trailer into two separate agreements. Because the crane sits on its own trailer chassis and is towed behind a tractor rather than built onto a lorry, it is not treated as a road-going vehicle for finance purposes in the way a truck-mounted loader crane would be. It is still a towed load on public roads, though, so the combined weight of the trailer and crane, and the driver's licence category, need to be checked before taking it on the road, separately from the finance arrangement itself.

Can I finance a used forestry crane?

Yes. Most lenders will finance a used forestry crane up to around 10 to 12 years old, though the exact age limit and rate depend on the condition of the hydraulics, slew ring and boom sections rather than age alone, since these are the components that see the most wear. Given the loads a forestry crane lifts and the consequences if a component fails, an independent inspection or a recent service history from a dealer is worth having before you commit to a used purchase, and most lenders will want to see this as part of the application. A crane from an established Scandinavian manufacturer with UK dealer support tends to be easier to finance used, since parts and servicing are more readily available.

Does crane reach affect the finance available?

Reach and lifting capacity affect the price of the crane rather than the type of finance available to you. A small tractor-mounted crane bought by a farm managing its own woodland thinnings costs a fraction of a high-reach trailer-mounted crane used by a forestry contractor extracting timber commercially, so the loan or lease amount simply scales with the specification you choose. Hire purchase, finance lease and operating lease are all available regardless of reach, and the choice between them is usually driven by whether you want to own the crane outright or prefer lower payments with the option to return it, rather than by the crane's size.

Can a forestry crane be financed alongside a woodchipper or log splitter?

Yes. Many lenders will finance a forestry crane together with related timber handling equipment such as a woodchipper or log splitter under one facility, rather than requiring separate agreements for each item. This suits farms and forestry contractors building a complete timber extraction and processing operation in one go, since it keeps the paperwork and repayment schedule to a single agreement rather than several running in parallel. Each item still needs to be itemised with its own value on the supplier invoice so the lender can see exactly what is being financed, but the underlying facility, and often the deposit, can be structured as one deal covering the whole set of equipment.

What deposit do I need for forestry crane finance?

It depends on the finance type. Hire purchase typically asks for a 10 to 20% deposit, while finance lease and operating lease agreements are usually available with no deposit required at all, since the lender retains an interest in the crane throughout the agreement. A larger deposit on a hire purchase agreement reduces the monthly repayment and can improve the rate offered, which matters given cranes at the higher end of the £10,000 to £70,000 price range. Farms and contractors financing a crane alongside a trailer or other timber handling equipment sometimes negotiate the deposit across the whole package rather than per item.

What happens at the end of a forestry crane finance agreement?

It depends on which type of agreement you chose. Under hire purchase, the crane is yours outright once the final payment is made, with no further action needed. Under a finance lease, you can typically pay a final balloon payment to own the crane, or hand it back, depending on how the agreement was structured at the outset. Under an operating lease, you simply return the crane at the end of the term, which suits contractors who expect to move to a higher-reach or newer crane as their extraction work grows rather than keeping the same unit long-term. It's worth deciding which outcome you want before signing, since it affects the monthly cost.

Ready to finance your forestry crane?

Explore business funding options through Fundably.

Check Eligibility →

For UK limited companies with at least 3 months’ trading and monthly revenue.

Forestry Crane Finance