Equipment financing pays to buy or lease business equipment, and the equipment normally serves as the security. Fieldcroft Business Capital, a small-business funding broker in Great Falls, Montana, arranges equipment loans, leases and finance agreements through lending partners, who review the quote, the asset and cash flow, decide, and set the rate and terms.
| Pays for | Machines, fixtures, tools, vehicles |
|---|---|
| Security | Usually the equipment itself |
| Structures | Loan, lease or an EFA |
| Used equipment | Possible; age and condition matter |
| Partners review | The quote, the asset, cash flow |
| Decision | Made by the lending partner |
Owning, leasing or an EFA: three ways in
| Equipment loan | Lease | Equipment finance agreement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | The business, from day one | The leasing company, until the end | The business, subject to a lien |
| End of term | Lien released | Return it, roll it over, or pay the buyout | Lien released |
| Payments | Installments | Lease payments | Installments |
An equipment loan and an equipment finance agreement both leave you owning the asset. A lease leaves the lessor owning it, and the end-of-term option, whether a fixed buyout or fair market value, changes the real cost a great deal. Ask what happens at the end before comparing monthly payments.
The equipment Cascade County, MT businesses buy
Construction is the clearest case. Cascade County, MT had 290 construction employer establishments in 2023, including 100 building contractors and 176 specialty trade contractors (County Business Patterns 2023). Compact excavators, skid steers, trailers and service trucks are typical asks. The county also had 669 construction businesses with no paid employees in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics), many of them one-person outfits buying their first larger machine.
Restaurants and dental offices finance equipment too: the county counted 213 food service and drinking place establishments and 46 dental offices with employees in 2023. Retailers finance fixtures, coolers and point-of-sale systems. The construction page and the industries overview go further.
Second-hand machines and work vehicles in Cascade County, MT
Partners do finance used equipment, but age, hours and condition affect the decision and the term. Expect a shorter term on an older machine, and expect the partner to want the serial number and an inspection or appraisal for higher-value units.
Work vehicles for a contractor or service business, such as a pickup with a utility bed or a cargo van, are common equipment requests. Fieldcroft Business Capital does not arrange funding for trucking or freight businesses.
Loan to buy equipment, or cash?
Paying cash avoids interest but drains the reserve that covers wages and surprises. Financing keeps cash available but adds a payment. The question is whether the machine earns its payment: more jobs, fewer rentals, less downtime. Our post on buying equipment for a Great Falls, MT business walks through loan, lease and cash with local context.
For a purchase financed as a straightforward installment loan, our term loan page explains amortization.
Match the term to the machine
A sound equipment deal ends before the equipment stops earning. Financing a compact excavator over a term longer than you expect to run it leaves you paying for a machine you have already replaced. Short-lived items, such as computers or point-of-sale terminals, belong on short terms; heavy machines with long service lives can carry longer ones, at the partner's discretion.
Remember the soft costs too. Delivery, installation, training and attachments may or may not be financeable. Ask whether the quote the partner funds includes them, or whether they come out of your cash.
Equipment for restaurants and practices
Kitchen equipment fails at the worst moment, and replacing a walk-up freezer or a range is often urgent. Equipment financing secured by the new unit is usually cheaper than an advance taken for the same purpose. Dental and medical offices finance chairs, imaging and sterilization units the same way; the county's ambulatory health care establishments paid $218.4 million in payroll in 2023 (County Business Patterns 2023), and equipment is a large part of what keeps those practices running.
Liens on the equipment
The partner normally files a UCC financing statement against the specific equipment. If an earlier lender holds a blanket lien over all business assets, it may cover new equipment too. Check before you buy: the Montana UCC search guide explains how.
Papers for an equipment request
- A dealer quote or bill of sale with make, model, year and price
- Serial number and hours for used equipment
- Bank statements, plus tax returns on bigger requests
- How long you have traded, and current debts
Our process page shows what we prepare before a partner sees the quote, and the Great Falls, MT page covers local business figures.
By Fieldcroft Business Capital · Updated