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Gable Asset Finance is a specialist UK business finance brokerage with deep experience arranging finance for heavy plant and construction machinery — often referred to as yellow plant or plant machinery. If you buy, lease or operate excavators, bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks, telehandlers, compactors, or any other heavy construction equipment, we can design a finance solution that fits your cash flow, project lifecycle and fleet strategy.
This page explains the types of finance available for yellow plant equipment (hire purchase, finance leases, operating leases, asset loans, sale & leaseback), the practical considerations for lenders, VAT and tax implications, used vs new machinery, age limits, insurance, maintenance and residual values. It also outlines who typically buys plant equipment, how Gable Asset Finance works with lenders and suppliers, and step-by-step guidance for applying.
In the UK construction and civil engineering sectors, the term yellow plant describes heavy-duty, high-value equipment commonly painted bright yellow for visibility and safety. Typical categories include:
The bright yellow finish is common across many brands and helps with site safety, stock control and deterrence of theft. In industry jargon these assets are often called yellow goods and are core capital items for contractors, civils firms, plant-hire businesses and local authorities.
Users and purchasers of plant machinery include:
There is a wide range of funding structures to suit different ownership goals, tax treatments and cashflow needs. Below are the most frequently used options we arrange for UK customers.
How it works: The lender buys the equipment and hires it to you. You pay fixed monthly instalments and own the asset after the final payment.
Best for: Businesses that want to own the machine at the end of the term and claim capital allowances.
Benefits: Predictable repayments, clear path to ownership, and often flexible deposit and term options (typically 1–7 years for plant depending on age and type).
How it works: A finance lease funds the equipment while the funder remains the legal owner. You effectively pay for the asset’s economic use and often have a purchase option at the end of the term.
Best for: Businesses that prefer off-balance-sheet options (in some accounting treatments) or want to pass residual value risk to the funder.
How it works: You hire the equipment for a fixed period and return it at the end. The funder typically deals with residual value and remarketing.
Best for: Contractors who want predictable rental costs, shorter-term use, or to avoid asset ownership and disposal duties.
How it works: A standard secured or unsecured loan to buy the equipment outright. You own the assets from day one.
Best for: Businesses that prefer ownership and direct control, and where a loan offers cheaper finance than HP or leasing depending on circumstances.
How it works: If you already own valuable plant, you can sell it to a funder and lease it back. This releases capital while allowing continued operational use.
Best for: Companies looking to extract equity, improve balance sheet ratios or fund expansion without losing access to equipment.
How it works: A consolidated facility covering multiple machines, allowing easier renewal, blended pricing and centralised management.
Best for: Plant hire firms and large contractors managing many assets across sites.
How it works: Many manufacturers and dealers offer finance programs (sometimes with promotional rates) that Gable can access and tailor.
Best for: Buyers wanting a seamless purchase experience via a dealer, possibly with bundled maintenance packages.
For project-specific needs a combination of short-term hire and flexible leasing can reduce idle equipment risk and match costs to project cash flows.
To select the correct product, lenders and owners weigh several factors:
Lenders assess age, hours, condition and service history when financing used plant. Typical points of difference:
Lenders typically impose age and hours limits for second-hand plant — for example:
We will always advise on realistic term lengths to avoid negative equity where the outstanding finance exceeds asset value.
Plant finance has tax consequences and your accountant should be involved in choosing the best structure. Key points:
Ownership under HP usually allows you to claim capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery. The structure and timing of allowances will affect taxable profit.
Operating lease rentals are typically tax-deductible as a business expense for VAT-registered businesses, while finance lease treatment can differ — always check with your tax adviser for up-to-date rules.
VAT on plant purchases can often be reclaimed if you are VAT registered and the asset is used for VATable business activity. Leasing rentals may include VAT that can be reclaimed where appropriate. For used equipment bought from non-VAT registered sellers, special VAT treatments may apply (e.g. margin scheme) and need careful handling.
Plant is high-value and mobile, so insurers and lenders expect robust risk management:
At the end of finance contracts there are several possible outcomes:
Remarketing channels (dealers, auction houses, direct trade-in) influence residual values. Lenders often rely on specialist residual calculators and market intelligence to set rental and residual assumptions.
Including maintenance and servicing in the finance package reduces downtime risk and can be attractive to lenders. Options include:
To speed approval, prepare:
We work with a wide panel of funders including:
Contractors often require flexible fleet finance to match project timetables. Example: a civils contractor finances a set of excavators and dumpers on HP with seasonal payment flexibility tied to milestones on supply contracts.
Plant hire businesses need fleet-wide financing and remarketing strategies. A combination of asset-backed loans and operating leases provides capital to scale fleets while managing remarketing risk at contract end.
Long-term projects for utilities often use structured finance or leasing tied to contract revenues and guaranteed volumes.
Smaller operators often prefer HP or short-term leases for compact plant to reduce capital outlay while preserving mobility across sites.
Client: Regional plant-hire company
Requirement: Add 25 compact excavators and 15 dumpers for seasonal peak.
Solution: Gable Asset Finance arranged a mixed facility: HP on newer units (to retain resale margin) and operating leases for short-term high-turnover units. We negotiated dealer discounts, arranged a maintenance package and set up centralised tracking and reporting as lender covenants.
Outcome: Fleet capacity expanded 30% without straining cashflow; improved earnings during peak season and streamlined asset disposal process.
Client: Medium-sized civils contractor
Requirement: Finance a package of heavy earthmoving plant for a 12-month road improvement contract.
Solution: We structured short-term HP aligned to project milestones with an interest-only period during initial mobilisation. The lender accepted project payment profile and client contracts as supporting covenants.
Outcome: Contractor avoided large capital outlay; repaid facility from staged project invoices; retained machines for future work.
Client: Large landscaping group
Requirement: Release capital tied up in owned plant to fund acquisition.
Solution: Gable arranged a sale & leaseback of high-value plant with a long-term operating lease and optional purchase clause. The client used proceeds to fund an acquisition and maintain operational continuity.
Outcome: Balance sheet improved, acquisition completed, and plant remained in service under the new lease.
Yes. Used plant is routinely financed. Expect lenders to require service history, hours, pictures and sometimes an independent inspection report. Terms are often shorter and pricing may be marginally higher than for new equipment.
Deposits vary: 0%–30% is common depending on asset condition, borrower strength and lender appetite. Dealer promotions sometimes reduce or remove deposits for new equipment.
Simple HP or lease applications can complete in 3–10 working days once paperwork is in place. Complex fleet or bespoke structures may take several weeks for negotiation and legal documentation.
Yes. Full-service lease packages include maintenance and servicing; HP agreements can also be bundled with maintenance contracts for convenience.
Comprehensive insurance is required by lenders. Theft or damage events should be reported immediately; insurers and funders will follow their respective claims processes. Anti-theft measures (trackers, immobilisers) are recommended and sometimes required.
We combine sector expertise, lender access and practical deal management:
Gable Asset Finance is one the fastest growing asset finance companies in the UK. We can finance a range of yellow plant to the construction related industries. In addition Gable Asset Finance can finance new and used excavators, mini diggers, backhoes, loading shovels, mini excavators, crushers, cranes, dozers, dump trucks, tractors to business in the UK.
When it comes to funding yellow plant equipment Gable Asset Finance have all the business finance and leasing solutions available large construction equipment such as:-
Gable Asset Finance specialise in arranging business finance and leasing of all yellow plant and construction equipment from most of the recognised brands in the market place such as Hitachi, CAT, JCB, Kobelco, Benford, Komatsu to name but a few. We can also arrange business finance and leasing on other yellow plant and machinery such as Excavators, Dozers, Dumpers and Rubber Tyred Machines, Teleporters and also peripheral equipment like Rock Breakers and Buckets to suit all types of machines.
We can arrange business finance and leasing all leading makes of Yellow plant and equipment, including:
The team at Gable Asset Finance pride ourselves on supplying a prompt, reliable and helpful business finance and leasing service at all times and are confident that the quality of our service and standard of service is second to none. Please give us a call today or contact us online if you require a competitive business finance and leasing quotation on any yellow plant and a machinery such as Excavators, Telehandlers, Dumpers and Rollers, Backhoe – Loaders andTrucks.