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Forestry Forwarder Finance

Spread the cost of a forestry forwarder from £19,000 to £200,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a forestry forwarder?

Yes, forestry forwarders 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 £19,000 to £250,000, and most deals are written over 24–60 months with a deposit of around 15–25%. Decisions typically take 3–5 working days. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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Typical Cost

£19k – £250k

Approval Speed

3–5 working days

Same-day agreement in principle for < £75k

Rates From

5.6% APR

What would a forestry forwarder cost per month?

£90,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

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

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

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 6.0% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
15–25%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Contractors who own their fleet and control their own maintenance schedule

Finance Lease

Rate
From 5.6% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 6.8% APR
Term
36–48 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Contractors who want predictable costs on a machine with an hours-driven residual value

Representative example

On a purchase price of £90,000: a 10% deposit of £9,000, then 48 monthly payments of £1,899 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £100,152, 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
Used forwarder, high hours or older model £19,000 – £45,000 Used, high hours
Forwarder crane and grapple refurbishment £15,000 – £35,000 Crane refurbishment
Used mid-size forwarder (8–10 tonne payload) £45,000 – £100,000 Used mid-size forwarder
Used large forwarder, low hours (under 10,000 hours) £100,000 – £200,000 Used, low hours

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Tax benefits

Forwarders are plant and machinery and qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance up to £1,000,000 in the year of purchase, whether bought new or used. HP agreements allow capital allowances to be claimed in the normal way, and finance lease payments remain fully deductible against the contracting business's profits.

Market context

Forwarders are bought by forestry contractors and, less often, by estates running their own in-house extraction operation, typically to replace a machine reaching the end of its economic working life or to add a second unit as a contract book grows. A forwarder's value tracks its engine and crane hours far more closely than its calendar age, two machines built in the same year can be priced very differently depending on how hard and how long each has worked, so lenders look closely at logged hours and maintenance records rather than the registration date alone when valuing the asset. Because that hours-based resale value is harder to pin down than a more standard piece of farm machinery, a lender assessing a forwarder purchase typically pays close attention to the length and terms of the contractor's extraction contract with the landowner or forestry estate, since a secure multi-year contract is often what really underwrites the deal, more than the machine's residual value alone. There is a well-established international trade in used forwarders through specialist forestry equipment dealers, and buying a used machine with known, verified hours is a common and accepted route into the trade for smaller contractors.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does a forwarder's hours matter more than its age when I'm financing one?
A forwarder's engine, transmission and crane wear according to how much work has gone through them, not how many years have passed since it was built. A five-year-old machine that has worked flat out can be worth considerably less than an eight-year-old machine used more lightly. Lenders will ask for logged hours and service history rather than relying on age alone, and this is the single biggest factor in how a used forwarder is valued and financed.
Does my extraction contract with the landowner affect my finance application?
Yes, often significantly. Because a forwarder's resale value is harder to predict than more standard equipment, lenders look closely at the length and security of your contract with the estate or landowner you are extracting for. A longer, well-established contract gives the lender more confidence in your ability to service the repayments over the term, and can improve the rate and deposit you are offered.
What deposit is typical for forwarder finance?
Expect 15–25% on hire purchase, reflecting the hours-driven and less predictable residual value of forestry machinery compared with more standard farm equipment. A stronger, longer-term extraction contract or additional security can help bring this down, since it gives the lender more confidence in your ability to service the agreement even if the machine's resale value moves against you. Contractors with several years of trading history and a diversified client base of estates and landowners are generally offered the more favourable end of that range.
Can I finance a used forwarder from overseas?
Yes, there is an active international trade in used forwarders, and many UK contractors buy machines sourced from Scandinavia and elsewhere through specialist forestry dealers. Lenders will typically want to see a UK-based inspection or condition report, and verified hours, before agreeing terms on an imported machine.
How long should my forwarder finance term run?
Most agreements run 24–60 months, shorter than typical farm machinery finance, reflecting how quickly a heavily used forwarder accumulates hours and how that affects its future resale value. Matching the term to your expected annual hours, rather than a standard calendar length, keeps the agreement in line with the machine's real working life.

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