What are Your Forestry Equipment Financing Options?

If you're looking to do sawmill financing, purchase a wood chipper or buy other equipment for your land, here are multiple flexible payment options

Portable sawmills are great pieces of equipment that come in multiple price points to meet your needs.

Whether you're looking at a starting sawmill like the SE118 or the HM126, or a larger one like the HM136MAX, there are multiple types of engines, sizes, capacities and levels of customizability so there's a price point for every landowner. 

And to help afford their new investment many landowners look to financing solutions, as this helps ease the purchase price and manage it more easily over time.

So let's look at what sawmill equipment financing solutions are available so you can place your order.

Financing on the Woodland Mills Website

Woodland Mills partners with a few different financial institutions in different countries to provide on-site payment plan options, so you have flexible financing options as you check out.

For Canadian Customers

For our Canadian customers we've partnered with Payplan by RBC™ to provide on-site pay-in-installment options, so you have the best choices for how to pay when you check out. When you go to pay:

• • Place your portable sawmill and any accessories in your cart

  • When you're ready hit Check Out

  • At the Checkout hit "Payplan by RBC™" to look at your options

  • Fill out a quick credit application and once you're approved you can follow through with your purchase

With Payplan by RBC™ you can pick a plan that fits within your budget, so you can pay off your sawmill according to your own cash flow. Payplan charges lower rates than most credit cards and applying will not impact your credit score.

Personal Loans From Your Own Financial Institution

Another option is to look into loan options available from your own banks. Banks may offer competitive rates and reasonable down payment options that you can easily manage over time. To figure out what loan options are available:

• • Call or schedule an appointment with your local bank and ask to speak to someone abut financing

  • Sign into your account on your bank's website

  • Sign into your account on your phone via your bank's app

Most banks have flexible credit limits and lending options depending on your credit qualifications, so look into what payment options are available that breaks down your payments into manageable amounts.

Pay with Credit Card

You also have the option of paying on your personal credit card at checkout. This is a common approach many customers use, and it's wise to think about:

• • What your monthly payment on your credit card will look like

  • How long it will take to pay off your purchase

  • How much interest you'll be paying on your credit card each month

With this option you'll be responsible for managing your payments, so do the math to figure out how much you'll be paying monthly and how long it will take to pay off your portable sawmill.

Equipment Leasing

You may also be eligible for equipment leasing, a service offered by different leasing services. A customer can enter into an agreement with a leasing company where they purchase the equipment and the customer agrees to a leasing plan over time, potentially with the option to buy it outright at the end. Oftentimes this is offered for businesses looking to invest in equipment but don't have the upfront cash to pay for it right away. This can be a flexible payment option if you're looking to invest in a portable sawmill or stump grinder for your small business and would rather pay it off month-by-month.

Different leasing options are available from different companies, so look into what institutions offer these services in your area and see if there are affordable plans that can help you afford your new piece of equipment.

Recouping Your Investment

Many sawyers ask whether it's possible to make money with your portable sawmill and pay off your mill faster, and the answer is yes. A lot of sawyers run small part-time businesses and even full-scale commercial sawmill operations using their Woodland Mills portable sawmills.

Some use their mills to run portable milling services, travelling to customer's properties to cut down and mill trees for them.

Others mill trees from their own property or acquired in their local community, and kiln dry the lumber to sell to local woodworkers and builders.

This can be a lucrative way of making money with your sawmill and recouping your investment. We suggest:

• • Asking friends and family if they'd be interested in paying for milled lumber

  • Reach out to local woodworkers, via Facebook groups or craft shows, to gauge the demand

  • Start milling and posting your product on Facebook Marketplace and other community market boards to connect with customers

  • Set reasonable rates that let you slowly make back your investment while building a customer base

With a lot of work you can make back what you paid for your sawmill and start to make a profit as a paid sawyer.