Financing program
Borrow against excavators, loaders, dozers and skid steers you already own, and keep them on the job while you pay it back.
Updated October 22, 2026
Quick answer
According to Axiant Partners, a business-loan broker in Boca Raton, a heavy equipment equity loan is business-purpose financing secured by excavators, loaders, dozers or other construction machines you already own. Lenders typically advance 50-80% of forced liquidation value over 24-72 months, and because most yellow iron has no title, they file a UCC-1 lien instead of a title lien. You keep the machines working while you repay.
A heavy equipment equity loan is business-purpose financing secured by construction equipment you already own: the lender files a UCC-1 lien and advances a share of the machines' liquidation value, while you keep them on the job.
Typical ranges across lenders, not a quote. Your figures depend on the machines and the business.
People search for a title loan on an excavator because that is how a truck works. Construction equipment mostly does not. A dump truck or a lowboy trailer has a state title, and a lender notes its lien on it. An excavator, dozer or wheel loader generally does not, because off-road machines are not covered by state certificate-of-title statutes.
| Equipment | Titled? | How the lender records its lien |
|---|---|---|
| Dump & service trucks | Yes | On the title (see truck title loans) |
| Lowboy trailers | Yes | On the title |
| Excavators, dozers | Generally no | UCC-1 financing statement |
| Loaders, skid steers | Generally no | UCC-1 financing statement |
| Cranes, graders, backhoes | Generally no | UCC-1 financing statement |
The practical result is the same: you borrow against the machine and keep using it. The difference shows up in the paperwork - the lender searches and files with the secretary of state rather than the DMV - and in the most common surprise, a blanket UCC lien from another lender that already covers every machine you own.
Not sure what your machines support? Send the make, model, year and hours and get a real number back instead of a guess.
Check My EquipmentLenders want machines with an active resale market, because the resale market is what they are really lending against:
What usually stops a deal: unclear ownership or a machine titled to someone other than the business; a blanket lien that will not be released or subordinated; very high hours with no records; a niche machine with too few buyers; or an open bankruptcy or large unresolved tax lien.
The figure comes from the machine, then the business:
Our guide to what your excavator is worth to a lender walks through each one, and equipment appraisal explains the valuation itself.
Illustrative arithmetic, not a quote. A contractor owns two machines outright and has a third with a loan on it:
| Machine | Forced liquidation value | Owed | At 65% of FLV, less payoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-size excavator | $96,000 | $0 | $62,400 |
| Wheel loader | $70,000 | $0 | $45,500 |
| Dozer | $80,000 | $38,000 | $14,000 |
| Total | $246,000 | $38,000 | $121,900 |
Pledging all three raises more than any one alone, and the dozer's existing loan is paid off at closing. At an illustrative 12% APR over 48 months, $121,900 works out to roughly $3,200 a month - the number to test against your slowest months, not your best.
Own several machines? Pledging more than one usually means a better structure on the whole package.
See What My Fleet SupportsIf the goal is cash and you own the equipment, four structures compete:
| Option | You keep / you raise | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Equity loan | Keep the machine and ownership; raise a share of liquidation value; loan payment | You own it clear |
| Cash-out refinance | Keep the machine and ownership; raise a share of value less the payoff; loan payment | You still owe, with real equity |
| Sale-leaseback | Keep using it, give up ownership (usually with a buyout); often raises more; lease payment | You need the maximum cash |
| Sell it | Give up the machine; raise the full sale price; no payment | The machine sits idle |
The one owners overlook is the last column. A machine that sits more than it works is often worth more sold than borrowed against. See equity loan vs sale-leaseback and equipment refinancing for the detail.
It tends to make sense when: you own machines with real equity and need capital for something that earns - a bigger job, a new crew, a down payment on another machine; you are bridging slow progress payments on a contract you have already won; or you are replacing expensive short-term debt such as stacked merchant cash advances with one secured payment.
It tends not to make sense when: the equipment is the business's only asset and revenue is already unstable; the need is small and short enough that a line of credit would serve better; or the shortfall will recur next month regardless. Adding a secured payment to an operation that cannot carry its current payments makes the problem worse.
Compared with an advance, see equity loan vs MCA.
Deals in this category move quickly when that list is complete. They stall on liens far more often than on credit, so knowing what is filed against the business before you apply saves the most time. See borrowing with an existing lien.
Have the list ready? One application, real offers, and checking won't affect your credit.
Get MatchedIf anything goes wrong later, the lender's remedies are set by the Uniform Commercial Code; what happens if you default explains the sequence and where it can still be stopped.
Figures above describe ranges commonly seen across lenders and reflect published guidance as of the date on this page. Confirm current terms with the cited source or your lender before acting.
Business-purpose financing secured by construction equipment you already own, such as excavators, loaders and dozers. The lender files a lien and advances a share of the machines' liquidation value; you keep using them while you repay.
Not in the car-title sense. Most excavators, dozers and loaders are not covered by a state title statute, so there is no title to hold a lien. Lenders secure the loan by filing a UCC-1 financing statement instead. The effect is similar: you borrow against the machine and keep using it.
A share of what the machines would bring at a quick sale. Lenders commonly advance roughly 50-80% of forced liquidation value, less anything still owed. Hours, undercarriage condition, brand, emissions tier and service records move the valuation.
No, but you need real equity. If a machine still has a loan on it, the usual structure is a cash-out refinance that pays off the existing lender and advances the rest. If you owe close to what it would sell for, there is nothing to draw.
Equity loans against equipment commonly run 24 to 72 months with fixed monthly payments, depending on the age of the machines and the amount.
Often, because the loan is secured by equipment a lender can value and recover. Credit still affects the amount and the price, and an open bankruptcy, unresolved tax liens or disputed ownership can stop a deal regardless of score.
Construction machines with an active resale market: excavators and mini excavators, wheel and track loaders, dozers, skid steers, backhoes, motor graders, compactors, cranes and similar. Titled units such as dump trucks and lowboy trailers also qualify but are handled through their titles.
An equity loan keeps the machine in your name with a lien against it. A sale-leaseback sells the machine to a lessor and leases it back, which can raise more cash but gives up ownership and can trigger tax on the sale.
Borrowing against excavators, loaders and dozers you already own - what they are worth to a lender, how the lien works, and the alternatives. See all 5 guides.
Start with the value. Tell us what you own and Axiant shows you what an equity loan, a cash-out refinance and the other asset-backed routes would each raise against it, so you can pick the one that frees up the most cash for the lowest cost. One application, real offers, no obligation, and checking won't affect your credit.