The Pinch Points
Why Excavation Contractors Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
Excavation is the most capital-intensive trade in construction, and the bank doesn't move fast enough for it. These are the spots where we get called.
First to Move Gets the Iron
You need a second excavator for a subdivision grading contract. A used CAT 320 is $180K. The dealer has two buyers — whoever moves first gets it. Your bank wants 8 weeks.
Fuel Doubles Overnight
Fuel costs are $12K/month across your fleet. You just won two new site prep contracts that will double fuel consumption for 3 months. You need $36K in advance fuel capital.
Mobilization Before the Draw
The county awarded you a $500K drainage project. Mobilization — equipment transport, temporary roads, and erosion control — costs $80K before the first progress payment.
Undercarriage Down
Your dozer's undercarriage needs replacement — $25K for tracks, rollers, and idlers. Every day you delay costs $4K in rental because the grading project doesn't stop. The parts supplier wants payment upfront.
Big Contract, Slow First Draw
A developer wants you to mass-grade a 40-acre subdivision — $650K contract over 5 months. You need to hire 3 operators at $30/hour and rent a second dozer for $8K/month. The first draw is 60 days out.
Cash-Only Auction Next Week
A competitor is folding and their fleet hits the auction block next week — a low-hour excavator and two dump trucks for what one machine costs new. The kind of buy that doesn't come around twice. But the auction is cash-only, and your bank can't move in a week.
What an operator said
“County owed me $140K on a drainage job at net-60. Factored the progress billing, had cash in two days, made payroll and rolled straight into the next mobilization.”
Steve G. · Excavation Contractor · Columbus, OH
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for Excavation Operators
Heavy Iron, Funded in Days
Equipment financing funds in days with the machine as collateral, so when a low-hour unit is on the block and the dealer has another buyer, you get the iron instead of losing it to an eight-week bank timeline.
Fuel & Operating Advances
A working-capital advance covers the diesel when new site-prep work doubles your fleet's burn for a few months, so the machines keep moving without draining your operating account.
Fund Mobilization Before the First Draw
A working line fronts the cost of getting iron, crews, and site setup onto the job before the progress draw lands, so you don't carry mobilization out of pocket for weeks.
Same-Day Repair Funding
Working capital or equipment financing funds a hydraulic or undercarriage repair same-day, so a grounded machine isn't running up daily rental while your most expensive asset waits.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Excavation
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on your revenue and the iron you already run.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel cost surge | Diesel spikes across a 5-machine fleet mid-contract | Working Capital | $75K–$200K | 1–3 days |
| Undercarriage replacement | Tracks on the 336 are shot; downtime runs $3K/day | Equipment Financing | $75K–$150K | 3–5 days |
| GPS grade control install | Trimble/Topcon per machine — wins better jobs | Equipment Financing | $75K–$250K | 3–5 days |
| Mobilization ramp | Site-work contract, mobilization due before the first draw | Working Capital or LOC | $75K–$400K | 1–5 days |
| Wet-weather downtime | Weeks of rain, iron sitting, payroll still due | Working Capital | $75K–$150K | 1–3 days |
The Products
How Excavation Financing Is Structured
Most excavation files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured around the iron and the job. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Mobilization, fuel, payroll | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, daily/weekly ACH |
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–10yr | Excavators, dozers, graders | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Term Loan | $75K–$5M+ | 2yr–10yr | Yard, storage, facility upgrades | 3–7 days | Varies by amount and lender |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Ongoing access to funds | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Invoice Factoring | $75K–$5M+ | Per invoice | Government/GC progress billings | 1–2 days | Invoices secure the line, no PG typically |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on a Dozer — Worked
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“Excavation runs on iron, and iron is exactly what Section 179 rewards. Put 10% down on the dozer, finance the rest, and write off the full $250K in year one. At the top bracket the deduction is bigger than the cash you put down — that's the machine working a job and working your tax bill at the same time.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between an excavation file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
Excavation Contractor Financing
The Most Capital-Intensive Trade in Construction
Excavation is the most capital-intensive trade in construction and it's not even close. A used CAT 320 is $180K. A dozer is $250K. Your fuel bill is $12K a month and that doubles when you pick up two new site prep contracts. And every job starts with $80K in mobilization — equipment transport, temporary roads, erosion control — before the first progress payment. Your bank doesn't move fast enough for this business.
Funded in Days, Not the Bank's Eight Weeks
We fund excavation companies — site prep, grading, utility, drainage, heavy civil — in as little as 24 hours. One application. 70+ lenders. Soft-pull review. We've funded $180K CAT 320 financing in 3 days, $36K fuel advances for fleet operations, $80K mobilization costs on county drainage projects, and $15K emergency hydraulic repairs same-day. Government contracts with 60–90 day payment terms? Our lenders factor those invoices and get you 85–90% within 48 hours.
Common Questions
Excavation Financing — Questions, Answered
Equipment financing for excavators, dozers, loaders, and graders ranges from $75K to $5M+ with the machine as collateral. Your terms depend on the equipment type, your credit, and time in business. Start a soft-pull review to see your actual structure. Both new and used equipment qualify.
Yes. Working capital of $75K–$5M+ funds in 24–48 hours for mobilization costs including equipment transport, temporary roads, erosion control, and crew setup. No restrictions on use.
Invoice factoring is ideal for government contracts with 60–90 day payment terms. Submit your progress billing and receive 85–90% within 24–48 hours. Government invoices are the most reliable payers, so they tend to factor on the best terms.
No. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact.
Yes. Working capital funds advance fuel capital so doubling your site-prep load doesn't drain your operating account — cover the diesel now, repay as the contracts pay. Funded in days on a soft-pull review.
Yes. When a dozer or excavator goes down, equipment financing or working capital funds same-day to next-day, so you're not bleeding rental costs by the day while a parts supplier waits to be paid.
Recommended Funding
The Products That Fit Excavation Work
Equipment Financing →
Finance excavators, dozers, and graders — the heavy iron is the collateral.
Working Capital Loans →
Cover fuel costs and project mobilization before the first progress payment.
Term Loans →
Finance yard expansion, equipment storage, and facility upgrades with fixed monthly payments.
Other Construction Trades