Post Knocker & Post Driver Finance

Post knocker, post driver, post rammer — the same machine

It is worth saying plainly, because it causes confusion on quotes and insurance: post knocker, post driver, post rammer and post banger all describe the same machine. Which word you use is mostly regional. Lenders are no more consistent than anyone else, so an application can come back oddly simply because the machine was described in a way the credit team did not recognise.

Tractor-mounted machines

A tractor post knocker is the most common setup: a three-point linkage or front-loader mounted knocker running off the tractor. The finance question that follows is whether to fund the knocker alone or restructure the tractor with it — particularly if the tractor is already on an agreement with someone else, or is nearing the end of its term.

Trailer and self-contained machines

Self-contained and trailer-mounted machines carry their own power pack, so they do not tie up a tractor and can be towed between jobs by a pickup. They cost more up front and hold their value well, which usually means a longer term and a lower monthly figure than the price difference suggests.

Hiring versus buying a post knocker

Plenty of contractors hire a post knocker before committing to one, and for occasional work that is the right call. The moment hire stops making sense is when the machine is out on a job most weeks — at that point the hire invoices are simply rent on something you could be building equity in. It is worth adding up what you spent on hire over the last twelve months before assuming a purchase is out of reach; the monthly figure on a funded machine is often lower than people expect once that comparison is made.

New or used

Used post knockers are financed routinely. These are simple, heavily-built machines that last, so age matters less than it would on something with more electronics — condition, hours and who made it count for more. A well-kept used machine from a known maker will often fund over a longer term than a cheaper unbranded new one.

Funding the knocker and the tractor together

If you are buying both, or replacing a tractor that a new knocker has to mount to, say so at the outset. Structuring them as one facility usually beats two separate agreements: one set of paperwork, one payment, and a lender that has seen the whole picture rather than being asked twice in three months. It also avoids the awkward case where the knocker is approved and the tractor is not.

What lenders look at

Fencing is contract work, so documented forward work strengthens an application considerably — more than a strong month does. Lenders also want to know the machine will be used rather than resold, which is why a contractor with an existing fencing business gets an easier hearing than a general buyer. As with all our rural lending, seasonal profiles are available where the work falls unevenly across the year.

What to send us

Send us the machine — make, model, whether it is new or used, and what it is mounting to. Tell us if the tractor needs funding at the same time. If you have been hiring, tell us roughly what you have spent on hire this year, because that is often the number that decides whether buying makes sense. We will come back with which lenders will fund it and on what terms. No credit check to ask.