A lorry loader turns a flatbed into a self-sufficient delivery vehicle, and funders assess the crane with as much care as the truck under it.
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Yes. A crane lorry funds as a commercial vehicle with the loader crane treated as mounted equipment, whether it is bought complete or the crane is fitted to a chassis you already have. Used crane lorries fund well because self-loading capability is valued across construction, merchanting and steel. The requirement people overlook is the thorough examination record: a lorry loader is lifting equipment and must be examined periodically under LOLER, and funders will ask for the certificates. A crane with no inspection history is a slow deal at best.
Used kit: Yes — used crane lorries fund well, commonly to around ten years, with the crane’s examination and service record leading the valuation.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Crane brand is the first checkpoint. Hiab, Palfinger, Fassi, Effer and Atlas units have UK parts networks, known values and a real second-hand market; an unbranded or import-only crane does not, and funders reflect that. Installation matters equally, because a crane mounted without proper subframe work compromises the chassis and any competent inspector will see it. Funders ask who installed it and want the commissioning paperwork. Lifting moment and reach are noted because they determine what work the vehicle can take. On the operator side, merchants and manufacturers read well on accounts; owner-operators are underwritten personally. Declines centre on self-installed cranes, missing examination certificates, and second-hand cranes transferred between vehicles with no documented refit.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| HIAB X-HiPro 232 | Loader crane for builders merchant deliveries |
| Palfinger PK 23.002 | Mid-range crane for palletised loads |
| Fassi F245A | Loader crane with good reach and lift |
| DAF CF 290 with loader crane | Rigid flat with rear-mounted crane |
| MAN TGS 26.360 HIAB | Six-wheel flat with heavy loader crane |
| Scania P280 6x2 crane lorry | Rigid with crane for merchant work |
| Volvo FM 420 with crane | Heavy chassis for large loader cranes |
| HIAB X-HiDuo 188 | Compact crane for mid-weight rigids |
| Palfinger PK 14.002 brick grab | Smaller crane with brick grab attachment |
| Isuzu Grafter 7.5t with crane | Light crane lorry for tight sites |
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Builders’ merchants, steel and timber suppliers, precast concrete and fencing manufacturers, and plant firms delivering equipment. The trigger is nearly always site access — deliveries to locations with no forklift, where either the driver lifts it off or the load does not get delivered at all. Drainage and utility contractors buy them for lifting chambers and pipe sections into position without hiring a separate crane and operator.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Yes. A loader crane is lifting equipment and requires periodic thorough examination by a competent person while in use. Funders ask for the certificates because they confirm the crane is both legal and maintained. On a used purchase, get the inspection history from the seller before you agree a price, not after.
Only with the funder’s agreement. The vehicle is their security and mounting a crane changes the asset, sometimes requiring chassis modification. Most funders will either fund the crane separately or refinance the combined vehicle. Get the conversation done before the installer books the truck in, because retrospective approval is much harder.
It depends on the weight you lift and how far from the truck you need to place it — lifting moment falls off sharply with reach. Merchants delivering blocks over a fence need very different capability to a steel supplier lifting sections. Specify from your worst-case delivery, because an undersized crane costs you the jobs you bought it for.
Yes, and by more than people expect — a substantial loader crane and its subframe can take a real bite out of the available weight. That is why merchants often go up a chassis size when fitting one. Work out your payload after the crane is on, not from the manufacturer’s bare chassis figure.
It can be, if it comes from a recognised manufacturer, has examination certificates and is fitted by a competent installer. Where operators get into trouble is buying a crane from one vehicle and having it transferred with no documentation of the refit. Funders will question that, and so will your insurer if something goes wrong.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.