Container handler finance
The heavy end of materials handling, stacking boxes several high in port yards and inland depots where nothing smaller will do.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a container handler?
Yes, but this is specialist territory and only a handful of UK funders write it regularly. Container handlers and reach stackers are very high value, so the strength of your business carries as much weight as the machine does. They are funded on hire purchase or lease, and used units are fundable. The thing operators underestimate is how few buyers exist for a recovered machine — the market is a small number of ports and depots, so funders structure these deals conservatively even though the asset itself is enormous.
Used kit: Yes — used container handlers are funded, though age tolerance is tighter than for smaller plant and a full service and inspection history is close to essential.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
What would a container handler cost per month?
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).
How lenders treat it
A small pool of funders and a longer conversation than a forklift. The asset is unquestionably hard — serialised, enormous, and traded internationally — but the UK resale market is thin, moving a recovered machine is a genuine logistics exercise, and the buyers are the same handful of operators the funder may already be exposed to. Expect underwriting to focus on your contracts, your terminal volumes and the covenant of the business rather than purely on the steel. Empty container handlers are more liquid than laden ones and considerably cheaper. Manufacturer finance houses are active and often the sharpest option. Spreader condition and hours on the boom are the two things a valuer looks at first on a used unit.
Makes and models we fund
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 |
|---|---|
| Hyster H23XM-12EC | Empty container handler for depot stacking |
| Hyster H18XM-9 | Laden container lift truck |
| Kalmar DCG90-45 | Heavy duty container lift truck |
| Kalmar DRG450 | Reach stacker for laden containers |
| Konecranes SMV 4531 | Reach stacker for container yards |
| SANY SRSC45 | Reach stacker for container handling |
| Liebherr LRS 545 | Reach stacker for port and rail |
| Terberg YT182 | Yard shunter terminal tractor |
| Taylor TX Series | Heavy duty lift truck for laden containers |
| Combilift Straddle Carrier | Rubber tyred container straddle carrier |
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
Who buys one
Port operators, inland container depots, rail freight terminals, shipping line depots and larger hauliers with their own container storage. The trigger is usually a new terminal contract, a volume increase that has outgrown a hired unit, or the point where an ageing machine starts causing yard delays that cost more in demurrage and driver waiting time than a replacement would.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
How it is treated for tax
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.
Container handler finance questions
Why is a machine this valuable harder to fund than a forklift?
Because value and liquidity are not the same thing. A forklift can be sold to thousands of businesses within a week. A container handler can be sold to a few dozen operators, and moving it to them is a project in itself. Funders price that illiquidity into how they structure the deal.
Are empty handlers easier to finance than laden handlers?
Generally yes. They cost less, there are more of them in circulation and depot operators across the country use them, so the onward market is broader. A laden handler or a large reach stacker is a bigger commitment and tends to require a stronger balance sheet behind it.
Does the spreader come as part of the asset?
It should, and it needs to be on the invoice. The spreader is a major assembly in its own right and a machine without a serviceable one is severely devalued. On used units the spreader is usually where a valuer starts, since twistlock and hydraulic wear tells you how hard the machine has worked.
Can terminal tractors be financed on the same facility?
Yes, and they often are. Yard shunters are far more liquid than a reach stacker, so putting the two together can actually improve the overall package. A schedule listing each unit with its serial number keeps the facility straightforward to administer across a mixed yard fleet.
Is finance available for a new depot with no trading history?
It is difficult at this value level. A brand new operation asking for a high-value, illiquid machine is a hard proposition for any funder. Where it happens there is normally a signed terminal contract, experienced directors with a track record, and a substantial contribution from the business.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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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.