Service
Crane finance, sized to the lift and the work.
Cranes are the biggest ticket in mobile plant, bought against hire demand and contracts. We finance pick and carry, mobile, crawler and tower cranes for hire operators and contractors, with the income story structured into the deal.
Big machines need properly built deals
Rockwall Finance arranges crane finance across Perth, WA and Australia wide: pick and carry cranes, all terrain and rough terrain mobile cranes, crawler cranes, tower cranes, vehicle loading cranes and crane trucks, and the support gear around them. Crane purchases sit at the heavy end of equipment finance, where the value of a broker with a credit background is most visible, because the deal needs to be built, not just submitted.
A lender funding a crane is funding the work it will do. Hire rates and utilisation, a construction contract, a mining services agreement, the customer base of an established hire fleet, all of that belongs in the application. Fewer lenders write big ticket cranes than write utes and forklifts, their appetites differ on age, type and borrower, and the pricing spread between the right lender and the wrong one widens as the numbers grow.
What we finance
- Pick and carry cranes, new and used
- All terrain, rough terrain and truck mounted mobile cranes
- Crawler cranes and tower cranes
- Vehicle loading cranes and crane trucks
- Dealer, auction, import and private sale purchases
- Transport, assembly and commissioning costs wrapped in where the lender allows
Cranes hold value, and the finance should use that
Cranes are among the longest lived assets in mobile plant. A maintained crane works for decades, holds resale value, and lenders recognise it: cranes can be financed at ages that would end the conversation on most vehicles, with the term set against the machine's remaining working life rather than an arbitrary cap. What carries a used crane deal is the paper trail, service history, inspection records including major inspections on older machines, and hours. On private sales and imports we run the ownership, encumbrance and compliance checks before the lender asks. A well bought used crane on the right term is one of the better value equipment deals going.
Hire operators: financing against demand
Most cranes earn through hire, wet or dry, and lenders assess hire businesses on evidence of demand: contracts in place, utilisation on the existing fleet, the customer list, the rates. For an established operator, that history is an asset in the application. For a contractor taking a first crane in house instead of hiring, the comparison is hire spend versus ownership cost, and the hire invoices you already pay are the evidence. We build whichever story fits, and for operators adding machines on a rolling basis we set up a master asset finance facility: an approved limit you draw against as cranes come up, so you commit at the price you want, like a cash buyer, rather than losing the machine to a faster bidder while an application crawls.
The whole lift, not just the crane
Big machines come with costs around them: transport to site or yard, assembly and commissioning on tower and crawler cranes, crew and rigging gear, insurance premiums worth financing over the year. Some of that can be wrapped into the equipment facility; some is better funded as working capital alongside it. That whole of job approach is the same work we do on mining and civil equipment, where the funding covers mobilisation and progress claim gaps and not just the machine, and across equipment and asset finance generally. Crane trucks and the transport side connect to our truck finance work. If a settlement deadline or the end of the financial year is in play, our EOFY settlement guide covers what can realistically move in time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I finance a used crane?
Yes, and most crane purchases are used. Cranes are long life assets that hold value well, so lenders will fund them at ages that would rule out a truck or a ute, provided the term is set sensibly against the crane's remaining working life. What lenders want to see on a used crane is the service and inspection history, including major inspections for older machines, the hours, and on private sales the usual ownership and encumbrance checks. A well maintained twenty year old pick and carry crane on the right term is a routine deal.
How is crane finance different from other equipment finance?
Mainly in the size of the numbers and the work behind them. Cranes are high value machines, often bought against hire demand or a contract, so the lender is assessing the asset and the income it will generate together. The deal usually needs more structure: a term and balloon matched to the crane's long life, the hire rates or contract built into the serviceability story, and sometimes working capital alongside the machine for transport, assembly and crew. Fewer lenders write big ticket cranes, and matching the deal to the right one matters more as the value rises.
Can I get finance for a crane hire business?
Yes. Wet and dry hire operators are a large part of the crane market and lenders know the model. What strengthens a hire deal is evidence of demand: hire contracts in place, a customer base, utilisation history on existing machines, or a contract that the new crane unlocks. For an operator adding machines over time, a master asset finance facility is often the right structure, an approved limit you draw against as cranes come up, so you can commit quickly at the price you want rather than waiting on a fresh approval.
Do I need full financials to finance a crane?
For larger cranes, usually yes. Streamlined low doc approvals exist for smaller equipment but most crane purchases sit above those limits, so expect to provide financials or BAS, details of existing equipment finance, and the story behind the purchase. That is not a bad thing: a properly documented application gets sharper pricing on big ticket deals. We assemble it with you once, properly, and put it to the lender whose appetite fits the machine and the work.