A Washington County, UT landscaping crew that runs stand-on mowers and hydroseeders hard for years can come out ahead owning them; one that rotates machines every couple of seasons may prefer leasing. Count the hours first, then the years.
Leasing versus buying mowers and hydroseeders, compared by Tealwood Funding Group for a Washington County, Utah landscaping crew, with Washington County counts and an invented example.
The Short Answer: Count the Hours, Then the Years
Hours decide how long a machine lasts; years decide how long the crew keeps it. A mower that runs every working day wears out sooner than one used twice a week. If the crew keeps machines until they wear out, owning is the comparison to beat; if it trades them in early, a lease with a return option may fit.
Illustration only, invented figures: 3 stand-on mowers at $14,600 and a hydroseeder at $21,000 total $64,800. Financed over 48 months at an invented annual rate of 10%, the package runs about $1,643 a month and $78,888 over the life of the loan (our arithmetic).
A lease at $1,420 a month for 48 months totals $68,160, and a $6,300 buyout brings it to $74,460 (our arithmetic), $4,428 less than the loan.
Write down how many hours each current mower logs in a year and at what hour count the crew has replaced machines in the past. Those two figures say more about lease versus buy than any brochure.
Then add the resale value. A mower sold after four years returns part of its price; that amount comes off the cost of owning.
Equipment Lease vs. Loan When a Washington County, UT Landscaping Company Needs Stand-On Mowers
An equipment lease versus a loan comes down to three numbers: the total of payments, the end-of-term cost, and what the machine is worth at the end. A loan ends with a machine worth its resale value; a lease ends with a return or a buyout.
The buy vs. lease calculator works out the loan payment; set the lease quote beside it.
Equipment financing covers both loans and leases.
Maintenance is the hidden fourth number. Some leases include service; a loan never does. Price a service plan for the owned machine before comparing.
Choosing Between Lease and Buy Capital Equipment as a St. George, UT Contracting Business
Capital equipment such as a skid steer or a dump trailer works for a contracting business over many years, which favors owning. Smaller tools that wear out sooner can be leased or bought outright.
For the cash gap while the new machines start earning, a line of credit can carry fuel, wages and materials.
A larger purchase such as a second yard or a company buyout fits a term loan.
A hydroseeder used a few weeks a year is a different case from a mower used every day. Low-use machines may cost fewer dollars rented for the weeks they work than owned or leased year-round.
Equipment Lease vs. Capital Lease: Which Suits a St. George, UT Landscaping Company?
An operating lease (often a fair market value lease) has lower payments and ends with a return or a buyout at market value. A capital lease (often a fixed or nominal buyout) works much like a loan and ends in ownership.
For a landscaping company keeping machines for their full life, a capital lease and a loan are close; compare totals. For one rotating machines, an operating lease may cost fewer dollars because the crew never pays the buyout.
Ask your accountant how each type is treated for taxes.
End-of-lease condition terms matter for mowers: decks, tires and engines will show wear. Read what the lessor considers normal wear and what it charges for the rest.
Landscaping Equipment Leasing for St. George, UT Landscaping Crews
Landscaping equipment leasing comes from dealers, manufacturers' programs and equipment finance companies. Dealer programs sometimes carry promotional rates for a set period; read the rate after the promotion and the total paid.
Lease agreements may limit hours of use or require specific maintenance. Read those terms before signing; excess hours can carry charges.
The landscaping page covers material deposits and crew hiring.
Ask dealers whether a lease can be converted to a purchase partway through. Some allow it, which keeps the decision open if the crew decides to keep a machine.
Washington County, UT Landscaping Counts Behind the Decision
Washington County, UT had 162 landscaping services employer establishments with 864 paid employees and $35.6 million in annual payroll in 2023; 108 had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns).
Nonemployer Statistics counted 229 landscaping businesses without paid employees in the county in 2024, a separate program. For comparison, construction counted 1,335 employer establishments in the county that year, the most of any sector.
See the construction page and the St. George, UT page for more figures.
Landscaping services with a ZIP 84770 address numbered 38 in 2023 (ZIP Code Business Patterns), a ZIP figure rather than a city figure.
By Tealwood Funding Group · Updated
