Funding for bolted steel grain bins and the conditioning fans, sweep augers and monitoring that make them work as storage rather than just containers.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, and silos are one of the few storage structures that genuinely suit asset finance. A bolted steel bin is assembled from panels and stands on a base, so it can be dismantled and re-erected elsewhere, which keeps it identifiable as equipment rather than becoming part of the land. That distinction is what makes a funder comfortable. Conditioning fans, temperature cables and augers are normally included on the same agreement. What is not included is the concrete base, which is groundworks and has to be paid for separately, so budget for it from the outset.
Used kit: Yes, dismantled bins are re-erected and traded, though condition of the panels governs value
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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).
Silos illustrate the difference between a structure and a fixture better than anything else on a farm. Because the bin is bolted rather than built, funders can point to a recovery route, and there is a working secondhand market in dismantled bins. That puts them on a different footing from a portal frame store, which cannot be lent against at all. Underwriters still look through to the business, assessing acreage, cropping and whether the grain has a home, since a silo earns only by allowing better marketing. Base preparation and erection costs sit outside the agreement. Repayments weighted towards the months when stored grain is sold fit the purpose of the investment and are commonly available.
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 |
|---|---|
| Collinson grain silos | Galvanised silos for farm storage |
| Bentall Rowlands hopper silos | Cone bottom silos for easy discharge |
| Bentall Rowlands flat bottom silos | Large diameter bulk storage silos |
| Symaga silos | Corrugated steel silos for grain stores |
| Sukup grain bins | Wide diameter bins with aeration floors |
| Martin Lishman aeration pedestals | Cooling pedestals for stored grain |
| Martin Lishman BarnOwl monitoring | Temperature cables and store monitoring |
| Kongskilde grain fans | Aeration fans for silos and stores |
| Skandia Elevator conveyors | Elevators and conveyors for silo filling |
| Guttridge sweep augers | Floor clearing augers for flat bottom silos |
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Arable farms adding storage so grain can be held and sold through the season rather than moved at harvest, growers keeping varieties or specifications separate for a premium market, and farms where a flat store has run out of room. The purchase is usually triggered by grain going off farm at the wrong moment for want of space, or a merchant requiring separation the existing store cannot provide.
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We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
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.
Because it is bolted together rather than built in place. A bin can be taken down, moved and re-erected, so a funder retains a route to recover value. A portal frame building cannot be, which is why that side of a storage project has to be borrowed against the land instead.
No. The base is civil work and there is nothing in it for a funder to recover, so it sits outside the finance. It is also not a corner to cut: a bin needs a properly engineered foundation, and getting that wrong is expensive in ways the finance cannot fix.
Yes, and it is worth including. Fans, pedestals, sweep augers and temperature cables are what turn a bin into usable storage, and they are funded alongside it as one package. Putting them on a later, separate agreement means extra paperwork for no benefit.
It can be, and dismantled bins do change hands. The questions are the condition of the panels and fixings, whether all the parts are present, and what re-erection will cost. Funders will lend against a good used bin but want the erection arranged by someone who knows what they are doing.
Frequently, because bins are tall and visible. Requirements vary with height and location, and permitted development rights do not cover everything. Get the planning position confirmed before ordering, since a funder will not release money for a structure that may have to come down again.
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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.
Machinery, livestock and land — each with its own page, because each is assessed differently.