Prairiespring Advances, a small-business funding service in Portland, Maine, explains landscaping equipment financing and other funding for Cumberland County landscape companies, with Census figures for landscaping services and the records partners request.
At a glance
- Landscaping employers, Cumberland County, ME
254 (CBP 2023)
- Paid employees at landscaping employers
1,264 (CBP 2023)
- Landscaping businesses without employees
453 (NES 2024)
Landscaping Financing Options in Portland, ME
Landscape companies own a lot of machinery for their size. Cumberland County, ME had 254 landscaping services employers in 2023 with 1,264 paid employees and $64.3 million in payroll, and 73.6% of them had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, counted 453 landscaping businesses without employees in 2024.
| Group (NAICS) | Employers | Paid employees | Annual payroll | Payroll per employee (our arithmetic) | Under five employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping services (561730) | 254 | 1,264 | $64.3 million | $50,904 | 73.6% |
| Janitorial services (561720) | 140 | 1,057 | $33.4 million | $31,577 | 65.0% |
Landscaping payroll per employee was about $50,904, against about $65,672 for all county employers (our arithmetic).
Landscaping Equipment Financing Options for Portland, ME Companies
- An equipment loan: you own the mower or skid steer from the start, and the loan is secured by it.
- A lease with a nominal buyout: payments like a loan, ownership at the end.
- Dealer or manufacturer financing: offered at the counter, sometimes with promotional terms that change after a set period.
- A line of credit: for parts, repairs and small tools rather than large machines.
Set the term by how long the machine will keep working. A commercial mower and a dump trailer wear out at different rates, and financing either for longer than it lasts leaves payments on equipment that has to be replaced.
Financing Landscaping Equipment: What Portland, ME Owners Should Know
Illustration only, invented figures: a three-person crew adds a commercial zero-turn mower at $14,800, a dump trailer at $9,200 and a plow and spreader package at $7,600, $31,600 in all. A partner reads the dealer quote, the crew's maintenance contracts and the business's deposits over the past year. Plows and spreaders financed apart from the truck they mount on can be priced on their own terms.
The article on how Cumberland County, ME landscapers finance mowers, trucks and trailers goes further into used units, dealer programs and timing.
Landscaping Financing Companies and What They Check
Equipment makers' finance arms, independent equipment lenders, banks and credit unions all finance landscape machinery. Before choosing, compare the total of payments, the down payment, whether the lien covers only the machine or all business assets, and early payoff terms. For used units, expect questions about hours and condition; some lenders cap the age of equipment they will finance. The guide to business lender types in Maine explains each kind of lender.
Payroll and Materials Before Customers Pay
Installation jobs require plants, stone, mulch and crew hours before the customer pays the final invoice. A line of credit drawn for materials and wages and repaid when invoices are paid fits that cycle. Maintenance contracts billed monthly smooth deposits, and partners read them as evidence of recurring income.
Buying an Existing Landscape Company
A landscape company's value is its route of maintenance contracts, its crews and its equipment. A partner reads the contract list with monthly values and renewal dates, the equipment list with hours, three years of returns and whether the crew leaders stay. A term loan covers the business and its equipment; the contracts themselves should be assignable to the buyer.
Trucks, Trailers and Titles
Work trucks and trailers are titled vehicles, so a partner financing them records a lien on the title rather than a general equipment filing. Bring the vehicle identification numbers, the dealer's buyer's order and proof of insurance. A truck that carries a plow or a spreader may be financed as one unit or as separate pieces, and the choice affects what happens if one part is sold or replaced first.
Contracts That Show How Equipment Earns
A partner judging a landscaping request wants to see the work the equipment will do. Maintenance contracts with monthly values, installation jobs signed but not started, and any snow removal agreements are what a partner reads. Cumberland County, ME landscapers paid $64.3 million in wages in 2023 (CBP 2023), and the contracts behind those wages are what make an equipment payment readable. Keep the contract list current, with start and end dates, and show which accounts renew year after year.
Landscaping Equipment Financing and Maine Paperwork to Have Ready
- The business's Maine Secretary of State registration.
- Any pesticide applicator or other licenses the work requires.
- Certificates of insurance, including workers' compensation.
- Dealer quotes with model, year and hours for used units.
- Maintenance contracts and recent invoices.
- Recent bank statements for the business and its latest return.
ZIP 04103 counted 17 landscaping employers in 2023 (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023). Contractors in related trades are on the construction page.
By Prairiespring Advances · Updated