Fund a shear or processing head for an excavator or forestry crane, whether you are re-heading an existing machine or fitting a new capability.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, with one important qualification: a shear or processor head is an attachment, not a complete machine, and funders treat attachments more cautiously. They will fund one, but they want to know what it is going on. If you own the excavator or crane outright, that strengthens the case considerably, because the head has somewhere to earn. If the carrier is hired or itself on finance, the panel narrows. Used heads are fundable where the serial number is legible and the manufacturer is recognised. The usual trap is buying a head with a hitch and hydraulics that do not match your carrier, which delays the payout while it is resolved.
Used kit: Yes — used heads are funded regularly, with age mattering less than knife or blade condition and whether the manufacturer still supports the model.
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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).
Attachments are a known weak spot in asset finance. A head is hard, serial-numbered and branded, which is good, but on its own it is only worth what a buyer with a matching carrier will pay, and that pool is small. Funders therefore look at whether you already own a suitable machine and whether the work behind the purchase is contracted. A named utility, rail or local authority contract turns a marginal case into an easy one. Expect the excavator ownership to be evidenced, sometimes with the V5 or original invoice. Private sales of heads are common, especially ex-demonstration and ex-contract units, and need the seller verified with no outstanding finance. Declines usually follow an attachment request from a business with no carrier of its own.
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 |
|---|---|
| Westtech Woodcracker C150 | Small tree shear for excavators |
| Westtech Woodcracker C350 | Tree shear for sectional felling |
| Mecanil SG160 | Compact grapple saw for arb work |
| Mecanil SG220 | Grapple saw for dismantling large trees |
| Kesla 19RH | Harvester head for thinning and felling |
| Kesla 25RH | Larger harvester head for final felling |
| Nisula 285E+ | Harvester head for excavator mounting |
| Ponsse H6 | Harvester head for mid-size timber |
| Ponsse H7 | Heavy harvester head for large stems |
| Waratah H480C | Excavator mounted harvester head |
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Arb and forestry contractors moving into mechanised felling, typically on utility vegetation work, roadside clearance or site clearance where climbing is slower and less safe. The trigger is often a rail, highways or utility contract that specifies mechanised removal. Firewood and biomass operators fit processing heads to an existing excavator to cut and stack in one pass rather than running a separate processor.
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We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in arb and forestry.
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.
It is difficult. Funders want the head to have a machine to work on for the whole term, and a hired carrier can go back at any point. Some will still look at it where the contract income is strong and the hire agreement is long-term, but expect a narrower panel. Owning the carrier, even an older one, changes the answer substantially.
You need the carrier to be capable of running the head, and the supplier should confirm the flow, pressure and hitch match before anything is ordered. Funders do not assess compatibility, but a head that cannot be fitted on delivery holds up the invoice and the payout, which is where deals lose momentum.
It is hard in the sense that it is durable and serial-numbered, but because it is an attachment the resale market is much shallower than for a complete machine. Funders price that in. In practice it means the lending decision leans more on your business and your contracts than on what the shear would fetch at auction.
Yes, and it is often the better route. A complete machine plus attachment on a single invoice is an easier case than an attachment on its own, because the funder is securing something with a broad resale market. If you were going to upgrade the carrier anyway, doing both at once usually gets a better outcome.
Generally yes, and ex-demonstration stock is one of the easier used purchases to place because the invoice comes from a VAT-registered dealer, the hours are low and there is often warranty left. Supply the serial number and the specification sheet and the case is usually straightforward.
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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.
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.