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Mining & Civil Equipment Finance
Finance for heavy plant and the work it is contracted to do, for mining-services and civil contractors across Perth, WA and nationally. Financing the machine is only one part of funding the job, so we structure the equipment, the mobilisation and the working capital together.
Mining equipment finance and civil equipment finance are not the same conversation as financing a car or a piece of office equipment. The plant is expensive, it works hard in remote conditions, and the businesses buying it are paid on contracts, progress claims and retention rather than steady monthly invoices. We arrange equipment finance for mining-services and civil contractors across Perth, Western Australia and nationally, and we structure it around how the work actually pays. Financing the machine is only one part of funding the job.
Most equipment finance pages stop at the machine: pick an asset, compare a rate, apply. For a contractor that is half the problem. The other half is the gap between winning the work and being paid for it, the existing fleet debt that limits the next purchase, and the mobilisation costs that land before the first claim. We are an equipment finance broker that works the whole funding requirement, not just the loan on the asset.
Quick facts: mining & civil equipment finance
| What it funds | Earthmoving and mining plant, mine-spec vehicles, service trucks, workshop gear |
| Purchase types | New, used, ex-auction and private-sale |
| Structures | Chattel mortgage, finance lease, commercial hire purchase |
| Beyond the machine | Mobilisation, progress-claim and working-capital finance |
| Where | Perth, WA and nationally |
| Cost to you | $0 on most deals. Lenders pay the broker. |
Mining equipment finance for heavy plant
Heavy machinery finance is a specialist job. The major banks are often cautious on mining plant, on higher-age and high-hour machines, and on contractors whose income moves with the work they have on. Specialist lenders are not, provided the deal is put to them properly. We finance the full range of mining and earthmoving plant, including excavators, dozers, graders, loaders and skid steers, dump trucks and haulage, drill rigs, crushing and screening plant, continuous miners and underground loaders, mine-spec vehicles, and the service trucks and workshop gear that keep a fleet running.
A lender financing mining plant is really assessing three things at once: the asset, the work behind it, and the operator. The machine needs to hold value and be verifiable. The contracts, tenders or pipeline need to show the plant will be earning. And the business needs a trading history, or a credible plan, that shows the repayments will be met through the cycle. We assemble that case before it goes anywhere near a credit team, which is what turns a cautious maybe into an approval.
New, used, ex-auction and private-sale machines are all financeable. Plant and equipment finance can often run at higher ages and hours than vehicle finance because well-built machinery has a long working life and holds value. An auction purchase needs the finance lined up before the hammer falls. A private sale between businesses needs proper verification. In every case the work is matching the specific machine, its age and the purchase type to a lender that is actively writing exactly that.
Civil and earthmoving equipment finance
Earthmoving equipment finance carries the same machinery questions and adds the rhythm of civil work. Roadworks, bulk earthworks, drainage and utilities, subdivision, and dam, bridge and infrastructure contracts are paid on progress claims, with retention held back and payment cycles that do not line up with the wages, fuel and subcontractors going out the door. The plant finance has to sit inside that reality, not ignore it.
For civil and earthworks contractors we finance excavators, graders, dozers, loaders, rollers, trucks and trailers, cranes and access equipment, and the support fleet around them. Where work has just been won and machines are needed quickly, we line the finance up to the settlement date so the plant is on site when the job starts, not weeks after. The structure of the repayments is set against how the project pays, which is the part a generic equipment loan misses.
Funding the job, not just the machine
This is where most equipment finance stops and where the real pressure sits. You win a contract, then you carry the cost of delivering it long before the money arrives. Mobilising plant and crews to a remote site, the first weeks of wages and fuel, parts and subcontractors, an overhaul to get an older machine contract-ready, all of it lands before the first progress claim is paid, and retention holds back more again. Win a bigger contract and the gap gets bigger, not smaller. Growth itself becomes the squeeze.
So we fund the runway, not just the asset. Depending on how your contracts pay, that can include:
- Contract mobilisation finance to cover the setup costs before the first claim
- Progress-claim and invoice finance that advances cash against unpaid claims, so you are not waiting on the head contractor's payment cycle
- Equipment-backed working capital that releases capital from plant you already own
- Business overdrafts for the day-to-day timing gap
- Master facilities for operators planning several purchases, so the fleet is funded as one system rather than a string of separate loans
We design the equipment finance and the working capital together, because they pull on the same balance sheet and the same security. Sized well, the plant and the cash flow are funded as one picture. Where the requirement is broader, this often forms part of a wider commercial finance facility.
Real scenarios
Mining-services contractor mobilising
A contractor is awarded a mine-site services contract and needs additional plant and a service truck on site within weeks, plus the cash to mobilise crews before the first claim. We fund the equipment and a mobilisation line together, sized to the contract, so the work starts on time and the cash flow holds.
Civil contractor bridging progress claims
An earthworks business has the machines but is carrying wages, fuel and subcontractors for six to eight weeks before progress claims are paid. We arrange invoice finance against the claims and structure the plant repayments around the project's payment cycle, so growth stops being a cash flow problem.
Hire fleet expanding
An equipment hire business is buying several machines to meet demand and wants to preserve borrowing capacity for the next ones. We set up a master facility so the fleet is funded as a system, with room left to keep adding assets without renegotiating from scratch each time.
Mechanical and field-service business
A heavy-duty mechanical and field-service operator needs service trucks, workshop equipment and an overhaul of an existing machine to take on more client work. We finance the vehicles and equipment and fund the overhaul and parts through a working capital line, so the gear is ready before the client work ramps up.
Why the right lender matters more than the rate
The equipment finance market is loud about cheap rates and fast approvals. We do not lead with either, because for a contractor the cheapest rate on the wrong structure can still cost you the next job. Different lenders suit different assets, ages, contracts and borrower profiles, and the value is in matching the deal to the right one, then structuring it so it does not get in the way later.
Most heavy plant is financed with a chattel mortgage, where you own the asset from day one and the lender holds a mortgage over it, often with a balloon set so the repayments match how the machine earns. A finance lease or commercial hire purchase suits other situations. The right structure depends on ownership, tax treatment, balance sheet and cash flow, which is a conversation worth having with us and your accountant before you sign. For general vehicles and non-specialist equipment, our broader equipment and asset finance page covers the same structures across every asset class.
What we bring is the credit case behind the asset and the contract. We frame the deal the way a lender's credit team needs to see it, which is the difference between a contractor being declined by a bank that did not understand the work, and being approved by a lender that did.
Just won work and need plant on site fast? Tell us the equipment, the contract behind it, and the settlement date you are working to. We will tell you what is realistic and line the finance up so the machine is there when the job starts, with the working capital to mobilise alongside it.
What to tell us
The more we know up front, the faster we can tell you what is realistic and line the finance up to your settlement date. Useful detail includes:
- The equipment type and approximate value
- Whether it is new, used, ex-dealer, auction or private sale
- The contract or project behind the purchase, if there is one
- Any mobilisation or working capital you will need before the first payment
- Your trading history and existing fleet finance
- The settlement date you are working to
Frequently asked questions
How does mining and civil equipment finance work?
Mining and civil equipment finance is funding used to buy plant and machinery without paying the full cost upfront, with the equipment itself serving as the security. For contractors, the lender assesses three things together: the asset, the work behind it, and the operator. The machine needs to hold value and be verifiable. The contracts or pipeline need to show the plant will be earning. And the business needs a trading history, or a credible plan, that shows the repayments will be met. It is arranged through a chattel mortgage, finance lease or commercial hire purchase, and for contractors it is often structured alongside a working capital line so the plant and the cash flow are funded together.
Can I finance an excavator?
Yes. Excavators are one of the most commonly financed assets, along with dozers, graders, loaders, dump trucks, drill rigs, crushing and screening plant, cranes, mine-spec vehicles and service trucks. New, used, ex-auction and private-sale machines are all financeable. The lender, the term and the rate move with the age, type and hours of the machine, and with the strength of the business and any contract behind the purchase. The job is matching the specific machine to a lender that is actively writing that asset class and age.
Can you finance used, ex-auction or privately bought equipment?
Yes. Used, auction and private-sale purchases are all routine with the right lender. Heavy plant holds value better than most assets, so machinery can often be financed at higher ages and hours than a vehicle. A private sale, where you buy from another business rather than a dealer, needs proper verification of the asset and the seller, but it is normal. Auction purchases can move quickly, so the finance needs to be lined up before the hammer falls. We match the purchase type to a lender that is comfortable with it.
Can you finance older or high-hour machinery?
Often, yes, though it depends on the asset and the lender. Some lenders cap the age or hours they will fund, while others will structure a shorter term so the facility ends before the machine reaches its maximum accepted age. The type of plant matters too, as well-built earthmoving and mining machinery has a long working life and holds value. Older and high-hour machines are a normal part of the contractor market, and the work is in finding the lender whose policy fits the specific asset rather than assuming a bank decline is the end of it.
Can equipment finance include repairs, an overhaul or mobilisation costs?
The equipment loan itself funds the asset, but the costs around it, an overhaul, a major service, repairs, or mobilising plant and crews to a remote site, are real and often arrive before the first payment on the contract. Those are funded through working capital rather than the equipment loan: an overdraft, an equipment-backed line, or invoice and debtor finance against the contract. We design the equipment finance and the working capital together so the overhaul or the mobilisation does not become a cash flow gap the week you start on site.
How do I fund contract mobilisation before the first progress claim?
This is the core problem for contractors. You win the work, then you fund the plant, the wages, the fuel and the subcontractors for weeks before the first progress claim is paid, and retention holds back more again. The bigger the contract, the bigger the gap. Mobilisation and progress-claim timing are funded with working capital sized to the contract: a business overdraft, invoice or debtor finance that advances cash against unpaid claims, or a contract-backed facility. The point is to fund the runway to deliver the job, not just the machine that does it.
What determines the rate and repayments on equipment finance?
Rather than quote a headline rate, it is more useful to know what moves it. The rate and repayment depend on the asset type, its age and hours, the deposit or trade-in, the loan term and any balloon, your trading history and credit profile, and which lender the deal is placed with. Two contractors buying the same machine can be offered different terms by the same lender depending on their financials and the contract behind the purchase. We structure the term, deposit and balloon so the repayment profile matches how the plant earns, which matters as much as the rate itself.
How hard is it to get equipment finance if a bank has said no?
A bank decline is not the end of the deal. The major banks work to rigid credit policies and are often slow or cautious on heavy plant, higher-age machinery, new ABNs, or contractors whose income rises and falls with the work in front of them. Specialist and non-bank lenders routinely write deals the banks decline, provided the case is put to them properly: the asset, the contract or pipeline, and the trading position framed so the lender can see how the repayments get met. That framing is the work we do before the application is lodged.