Seed drill finance
Funding for combination, tine and disc seed drills and direct drills, bought in the weeks before autumn drilling when the window is short and unforgiving.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a seed drill?
Yes. Seed drills fund easily on hire purchase and the direct and low-disturbance drill market in particular has strong resale because demand has grown faster than supply. Used is fine. The thing that catches people out is timing. Drills are bought in a rush in August and September, and a machine sourced privately in the last week of summer can stall while a funder checks ownership and outstanding finance. Get an approval in place before you start looking, so that when the right drill appears the money is ready and you are not waiting on paperwork while the ground dries.
Used kit: Yes, with coulter wear and metering condition the main considerations
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
What would a seed drill cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 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.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat it
Establishment kit is a good asset class. Mainstream drills from the leading European manufacturers have an active and national secondhand market, and low-disturbance drills currently sell on quickly, which makes funders comfortable. Underwriters look at coulter and disc wear, whether the metering system has been maintained, hectares drilled where that is recorded, and whether the drill is matched to a tractor the farm already owns. A drill that needs more horsepower than the farm has is a warning sign. Niche or imported drills with no UK dealer network are valued more cautiously. Because arable income arrives after harvest, repayments weighted to the autumn and winter after drilling are commonly available from agricultural funders and make good sense on this asset.
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 |
|---|---|
| Weaving GD 3m | Low disturbance direct drill |
| Sumo DTS 3m | Tine and disc direct seeding drill |
| Claydon Hybrid T6 | Strip tillage drill for direct establishment |
| Kuhn Espro 4000 R | Trailed combination drill with discs |
| Kverneland u-drill | Compact trailed disc drill |
| Amazone Cirrus 6003-2 | Wide trailed drill for arable acreage |
| Vaderstad Rapid A 400S | Trailed system disc drill |
| Vaderstad Spirit 400C | Trailed drill with cultivation discs |
| Horsch Sprinter 6 ST | Tine drill for min-till establishment |
| Horsch Avatar 6.16 SD | Single disc no-till drill |
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Who buys one
Arable farms moving from plough-based establishment to min-till or direct drilling, growers whose drill can no longer cover the acreage in the autumn window, and establishment contractors drilling for several farms. The trigger is frequently a change of system after a difficult autumn, a soil health or environmental scheme commitment that requires lower disturbance, or an ageing drill whose metering will no longer place small seeds and cover crops accurately.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
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.
Seed drill finance questions
Can I get a drill financed quickly in the middle of drilling?
Yes, but it is far smoother if you arrange approval before you find the machine. Decisions on a dealer purchase can come back quickly. A private purchase in the middle of the autumn rush needs ownership and finance checks that take longer, and that is exactly the week you will not want to wait.
Are direct drills harder to finance than conventional drills?
No, if anything they are easier at the moment. Demand for low-disturbance drills is strong, used machines sell on quickly, and funders read that as good security. The main caution is with small-volume manufacturers where UK parts support is limited, because a funder wants to know a dealer would take it back in.
Can repayments be set to fall after harvest?
Usually yes. An autumn-drilled crop is not sold for the best part of a year, so a profile that takes modest payments through the growing season and heavier ones after grain is sold matches reality. Specialist agricultural funders offer this routinely; a generic finance offer often will not.
Should I fund the drill and the power harrow together?
If they are bought together, yes. A combination unit is a single machine anyway. Where you are buying a separate cultivator or power harrow at the same time from the same dealer, putting both on one invoice makes one clean agreement instead of two small ones.
What if I change establishment systems and no longer need the drill?
You can settle the agreement early and sell or trade the machine, and the funder will provide a settlement figure. Because low-disturbance drills hold value well at present, many farms find the sale covers the settlement. Tell us at the outset if you expect to change system, so the agreement is not longer than the plan.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Get your quote
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
Specialist agricultural funding
Machinery, livestock and land — each with its own page, because each is assessed differently.