Timber harvester finance
Hire purchase and lease options for eight-wheel and small-scale harvesters, covering dealer machines, private sales and imports from Scandinavia and Ireland.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a timber harvester?
Yes, and a harvester is one of the easier forestry machines to place despite the size of the ticket. It is a serial-numbered, brand-name machine with an international resale market, so funders can see an exit. What they weigh is the income behind it: harvesters are usually bought against contracted volume from a timber merchant, estate or forest management company, and the contract matters as much as the machine. Used harvesters are funded, though head hours, crane condition and the state of the measuring system drive the view. Imports need the VAT position and ownership chain evidenced before drawdown.
Used kit: Yes — used harvesters are commonly funded, with machines around ten years old still placeable where hours and head condition are documented.
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What would a timber harvester 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
This is a big-ticket hard asset, so it goes to funders with a forestry or plant appetite rather than a general small-ticket panel. They look at the machine first — make, hours on the base and separately on the head, whether the crane has been rebuilt, and how quickly it could be resold or exported. Then they look at whether the volume is real. A named contract, framework or steady merchant relationship makes the case; open market hopes do not. Seasonality bites here, because wet ground and bird nesting restrictions stop work for weeks at a time, so funders want to see you can carry the payments through a quiet spell. Declines come from thin trading history against a heavy commitment, and from ownership chains on imported machines that cannot be evidenced.
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 |
|---|---|
| Malwa 560H | Small footprint thinning harvester |
| Ponsse Beaver | Compact harvester for thinnings |
| Ponsse Ergo | Six-wheel harvester for final felling |
| Ponsse Bear | Large harvester for heavy timber |
| Ponsse Scorpion King | Three-frame harvester with levelling cab |
| John Deere 1170G | Mid-size wheeled harvester |
| John Deere 1270G | Wheeled harvester for demanding sites |
| Komatsu 911 | Thinning and final felling harvester |
| Komatsu 931XC | Eight-wheel harvester for soft ground |
| Logset 8H | High-capacity wheeled harvester |
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Who buys one
Forestry contractors stepping up from chainsaw felling teams, or existing operators replacing a machine that has run its hours out. The common trigger is a merchant or forest manager offering a season of guaranteed volume that cannot be cut by hand quickly enough. Estate and farming businesses with their own woodland buy the smaller thinning harvesters to handle their own crop and take in neighbouring work, which changes the case from contractor income to mixed income.
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 arb and forestry.
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.
Timber harvester finance questions
Can I get a harvester funded if I have only just started contracting?
It is hard but not impossible. A brand new business taking on a machine of this size is a stretch for most funders, so the case usually needs a named contract, relevant operating experience, a meaningful contribution and a personal guarantee. Many contractors start with a smaller thinning machine or a forwarder and come back for a harvester once there is trading history behind them.
Will a lender fund a harvester I am importing from Sweden or Finland?
Some will. The machine itself is rarely the issue because Scandinavian stock is well regarded. The work sits in the paperwork: the seller invoice, proof of ownership, the VAT and import position, and confirmation the machine is on UK soil or covered by an agreed payment route. Build that in early, because it decides which funders can look at it.
Does a harvesting head get funded separately from the base machine?
It can be, if you are re-heading an existing machine you already own outright. A head on its own is a harder ask than a complete machine because it is an attachment, so expect a shorter view from the funder. Where you are buying base and head together, it goes on one agreement as a single asset.
How do lenders deal with forestry work stopping over winter?
They expect it. Wet ground, storm damage and nesting season all interrupt the year, so funders look at whether the business can cover payments through the quiet weeks rather than assuming twelve even months. Showing contracted volume across a season, or other income such as haulage or firewood, makes that a lot easier to argue.
Can a harvester be refinanced to release cash for another machine?
Yes, where you own it outright or have low settlement on an existing agreement. Funders will want the original invoice, the serial number and evidence of clear title, then value the machine on hours and condition. It is a common way of funding a forwarder to pair with a harvester you already run.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Also in arb and forestry finance
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- Sawmill finance
- Stump grinder finance
- Forwarder finance
- Timber trailer and crane finance
- Forestry winch finance
- Tree shear and processor head finance
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- Fencing trailer finance
- Chip truck and arb tipper finance
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- Arborist chainsaw finance
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- Forestry mulcher finance
- Forestry mulching head finance
- Tracked chipper finance
- Timber crane finance
- Log splitter finance
- Timber grab finance
- Arb platform and MEWP finance
- Forestry tractor finance
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- Sawmill edger finance
- Firewood kiln finance
- Forestry flail finance
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See everything we fund in arb and forestry finance →
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.