Compact track loader financing exists because the machine costs more than a skid steer to begin with, and running rubber tracks over rough ground adds ongoing costs a wheeled machine doesn’t carry. 

New John Deere models alone range from $60,000 to $150,000 depending on size and configuration, according to RDO Equipment’s 2026 CTL pricing breakdown. Add a set of tracks at $2,000 to $4,000 installed, and the total climbs past what most contractors want on one invoice.

Dimension Funding finances construction equipment, including compact track loaders, for businesses across the U.S. Your loan or lease can run up to 60 months, and approval on amounts up to $250,000 can come from the credit application alone, no financial statements required. 

Sign electronically, and funding can clear the same day, quick enough that a loader you’re ready to buy doesn’t turn into one you have to keep shopping for.

What Compact Track Loader Financing Covers

A loan builds toward owning the machine outright. A lease spreads the cost of using it over a fixed period instead, and you decide what happens to it once that period ends. Either structure works whether the loader is new off the lot or already has hours on the meter.

Dimension Funding has written equipment financing since 1978. A track loader purchase usually starts with a specific job, not a plan. Soft or sloped ground shows up on a contract, a wheeled machine can’t handle it, and that’s what triggers the order.

Loan or Lease for a Compact Track Loader

The monthly figure can land close either way. What’s different is what you’re left holding when the term ends. A loan finances the purchase, so the machine is yours once it’s paid off. A lease finances the use of it for a set period, and ownership only happens if you buy it out afterward.

How a Loan Works

The lender pays the purchase price upfront. You repay it in fixed monthly installments, and the loader is yours from the day the loan closes, subject to the lender’s lien until the balance clears. There’s nothing to negotiate when the term ends, because you already own the machine.

How a Lease Works

Lease payments get priced against how much value the loader loses during the term, not its full purchase price. That’s why two contractors financing the same model can end up with different monthly numbers if their terms don’t match.

When the lease ends, you can buy the loader at a price set when you signed, hand it back, or move into a newer model. Running the same loader through wet season after wet season is a different bet than trading up for a lower hour machine every couple of years.

Compact Track Loaders vs Skid Steers: Where the Costs Diverge

Tracks are the reason a compact track loader costs more than a skid steer to buy, and more to keep running. Skid steer tires run $150 to $400 each. A set of rubber tracks costs $500 to $1,400 per track, or $2,000 to $4,000 installed as a full set, according to Machinery List’s 2026 track replacement cost guide. Budget $1.50 to $3.00 per operating hour for track wear, since most sets last 1,200 to 2,000 hours before they need replacing.

What you get for that premium is traction. Tracks spread a loader’s weight across a wider footprint, so it holds up on soft, muddy, or sloped ground where a skid steer would spin its wheels or sink. 

Skid steers answer back with lower running costs and tighter turns on concrete or compacted gravel, according to Skid Pro’s comparison of the two machine types. Ground conditions decide this one more than price does.

What a Compact Track Loader Costs

Pricing by Size and Configuration

New John Deere compact track loaders range from about $60,000 to $150,000 depending on size and setup, with the 317P around $62,000 and the larger 335P closer to $122,000, according to RDO Equipment’s pricing breakdown. Similar spreads apply across Bobcat, Caterpillar, and Kubota lineups once you compare equivalent horsepower and operating weight.

Cab upgrades add $5,000 to $50,000 depending on climate control and technology. Attachments run $1,500 to $40,000 or more on top of that, per the same source. Start with a $70,000 loader, add an enclosed cab and a grapple, and you’re financing closer to $100,000 by the time it’s all added up.

Where Financing Activity Stands This Year

More than 56,000 new compact track loaders were financed nationwide between May 2025 and April 2026, up 1.2 percent from the year before, according to Equipment World’s tracking of financed sales. Kubota led new financing at 27.1 percent, with Caterpillar close behind after an 18.8 percent jump in volume.

Used financing grew faster, up 8.7 percent to roughly 21,000 units, with Bobcat leading that segment at 23.3 percent. Average used pricing eased to $55,380 in the first quarter of 2026. The typical unit financed was 5.2 years old.

What Changes Your Payment

Term Length and Equipment Age

Push the price up or shorten the term, and the monthly payment climbs. Stretch the term out and it drops, but you risk paying on a machine after the tracks and undercarriage are already worn past their useful hours. Dimension Funding runs terms as long as 60 months, which usually lines up with how long a well maintained loader keeps earning its keep.

Buying New vs Buying Used

New loaders qualify for longer terms, since there’s more working life ahead of them. Go with a used unit, especially one already showing track wear, and the term shortens to match what’s realistically left in the undercarriage.

Approval Requirements for Compact Track Loader Financing

What Moves on the Application Alone

Up to $250,000, the credit application alone is enough for approval, no financial statements needed. That threshold covers most single machine purchases and plenty of two or three loader orders for a growing fleet. Go above it, and underwriting will ask for recent financials before funding closes.

Credit Profiles Dimension Funding Works With

Dimension Funding underwrites credit profiles from strong tier A down to marginal rather than applying one cutoff for every applicant. Approval commonly comes back within hours when the application and signatures are handled electronically, with funding following in a day or two. A used loader at a good price rarely waits around for a slow approval.

Financing That Matches How Long the Tracks Will Last

Every compact track loader starts running down a clock the day it goes to work. Tracks wear toward that 1,200 to 2,000 hour replacement mark no matter what the financing term says, 36 months or 60. Match the term to that clock, not to whichever number drops the payment most. Do that, and you won’t end up paying on a loader that needs a new undercarriage before the loan is done.

Dimension Funding can walk through what financing a specific loader, new or used, looks like against the job it’s buying for. Worth having that conversation before the term gets picked for you by whatever number looks smallest on the quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a lender finance a compact track loader that already has hours on it?

Yes, most equipment lenders finance compact track loaders with hours already logged as readily as units straight off the lot. Used financing grew faster than new financing over the past year, up 8.7 percent versus 1.2 percent, according to Equipment World’s 2025 to 2026 tracking. The term shortens to match whatever working life is left in the undercarriage.

What credit score do I need for compact track loader financing?

There’s no fixed score that decides approval by itself. Dimension Funding weighs your business history alongside personal credit, with programs running from strong tier A down to marginal, and on amounts up to $250,000 that review can happen straight from the application.

How long are typical compact track loader loan or lease terms?

Terms commonly run up to 60 months. Where your loader lands in that range depends on whether it’s new or used and how many hours are already on the tracks, since financing one well past its realistic working life rarely makes sense.

How do I decide between a loan and a lease if my jobs don’t always need a track loader’s traction?

Base the decision on how often the ground calls for tracks, not on the monthly payment alone. Lease if soft, muddy, or sloped terrain only shows up on some jobs, since you avoid paying to maintain tracks between the jobs that don’t need them. Buy outright once that kind of ground shows up often enough to keep the loader working most weeks.

Can attachments and cab upgrades be rolled into the same financing as the loader?

Yes, most lenders bundle attachments and cab upgrades into the same loan or lease as the base machine. That matters here more than with some equipment, since a grapple or an enclosed cab can add tens of thousands to the total cost, and financing the full package keeps the payment tied to what you’re driving off the lot.

How does financing a compact track loader differ from financing a skid steer?

The financing structure is the same, a loan or a lease with terms up to 60 months either way. What changes is the amount, since a compact track loader typically costs more upfront than a comparable skid steer and carries higher ongoing track replacement costs that are worth factoring into the term you choose.

How fast can compact track loader financing be approved?

Approval can come back within hours when the application and signatures are handled electronically, with funding following in a day or two. That turnaround matters most on a used loader, where a specific price on a specific machine tends to move fast once it’s listed.

Skid steer financing turns a machine that costs tens of thousands of dollars into a monthly payment you can plan for. A new mid-size unit runs past $50,000 before you even add attachments.

A used one in decent shape still clears $30,000 more often than not. Pay in cash and you tie up money you need for payroll, materials, or the next bid.

Dimension Funding finances construction equipment, including skid steers, for businesses across the U.S. Your loan or lease can run up to 60 months, and approval can move fast since it doesn’t always take a full set of financial statements to get a decision.

Sign the paperwork electronically and your funding can go through the same day. Find the right unit this week, and you’re not stuck waiting on it.

What Skid Steer Financing Covers

You’re choosing between two structures here: a loan that builds toward ownership, or a lease that spreads the cost of using the machine over a fixed period. Either one works for new or used equipment.

Dimension Funding has been financing equipment since 1978. That’s long enough for their underwriting to adjust to how contractors like you buy machines: in bursts, tied to a job, not on some long planning cycle.

Loans vs Leases: What Changes

The mechanics differ more than the monthly number on the page. A loan finances the purchase, so you own the skid steer once the term ends. A lease finances the use of the equipment for a set period, and what happens when that period ends is where the real difference from a loan shows up.

How a Skid Steer Loan Works

The lender covers the purchase price. You repay it in fixed monthly installments, and the machine is yours from the day the loan closes, subject to the lender’s lien until you pay it off. No return process. No buyout decision at the end. Once your last payment clears, it’s simply yours.

How a Skid Steer Lease Works

A lease prices your payment against the equipment’s value over the lease term, not its full purchase price. That’s why a lease payment can look different from a loan payment on the same machine.

At the end of the term, you return the unit, buy it at a price set when the lease began, or roll into something newer.

Neither structure is the automatic right call. A landscaping company running the same skid steer for a decade has different priorities than a contractor who wants a newer, lower hour machine every couple of years.

Why Skid Steer Prices Push You Toward Structured Payments

What Different Size Classes Cost

Size class moves the number more than brand does. A small frame unit like the Bobcat S70 runs about $23,000 new and $18,300 used, according to Heavy Equipment Appraisal’s 2026 value guide.

Step up to a mid-size machine like the John Deere 312GR or Kubota SSV75, and new pricing lands between $50,600 and $54,500, with used units running $25,000 to $36,500 depending on hours. Komatsu’s comparable model prices close to $50,000 new and around $29,750 used, right in that same band.

High-output machines push higher still. The Caterpillar 226D3 and Case SV300 both list around $63,000 to $65,000 new, dropping to about $30,000 used. Know which class your job needs before you shop, since jumping one tier up can add $15,000 or more to what you’re financing.

Renting Against Financing

You might be weighing renting against financing too. The numbers explain why renting rarely wins beyond a short job. A skid steer typically rents for around $300 a day, $1,200 a week, or $3,000 a month, per the same Heavy Equipment Appraisal guide.

Keep renting for three or four months on a longer project and the total can pass what a loan payment would have cost. You’re left without a machine to show for it either way.

A rental still makes sense for a single week-long job or a one-off task. Financing pays off once the machine is earning its keep across more than one job.

Financing Activity Industry Wide

Financing activity across the equipment industry has been picking up as well. The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s Monthly Confidence Index climbed to 64.6 in January 2026, up from 58.3 the month before, inside a U.S. equipment finance market the association sizes at $1.3 trillion.

Skid steers are a small piece of that number, but the same math applies to your purchase too: a payment instead of a lump sum.

What Shapes Your Monthly Payment

Equipment Price and Term Length

A higher purchase price or a shorter term raises the monthly payment. Stretch the term out and the payment drops, but you could end up paying on a machine well past its most productive years.

Dimension Funding runs terms as long as 60 months, long enough to match your schedule to how much work the equipment still has left in it.

New Condition vs Used Condition

A new skid steer supports a longer term since it has more work ahead of it. Choose used, especially with higher hours already on it, and you’ll usually get financed over a shorter stretch. The hours on the meter matter as much as the age on the title.

What Attachments Add to the Financed Amount

Attachments change the number more than people expect. Pallet forks run $500 to $1,000, and a basic bucket adds another $750 to $1,000, according to Skid Pro’s pricing breakdown.

An auger lands between $2,000 and $2,500, and heavier attachments like brooms, trenchers, or stump grinders run $4,000 to $7,000 each. A dozer blade or snow plow sits in the same range, $3,000 to $6,000, per Skid Pro’s breakdown.

Buy a $50,000 skid steer with a $6,000 broom and a $2,000 auger, and you’re financing closer to $58,000, not $50,000. Roll attachments into the same loan or lease and the payment reflects the full package, not the base machine alone.

Credit Profile and Business Documentation

Skid steer financing doesn’t always ask for what a bank loan does. Dimension Funding can approve amounts up to $500,000 on the application alone, and works with most types of credit rather than requiring a long, clean financial history.

That matters most if you’re a newer business that hasn’t had time to build the track record a traditional bank usually wants before signing off on an equipment purchase.

New vs Used: How the Financing Picture Changes

Used skid steers aren’t a fallback option. They’re a normal part of how this equipment gets financed.

Bobcat led new unit financing with more than 28 percent of the market between May 2025 and April 2026, yet new volume overall slipped nearly 10 percent industry wide over that same stretch, according to Equipment World’s tracking of financed sales.

Deere and Case CE round out the next tier, each holding under 14 percent of new units financed over that stretch, per Equipment World’s brand breakdown. No single brand runs away with the used market either.

Used prices held closer to $39,900 on average in early 2026, well under what most new units run. If you’re cross-shopping, that gap changes your numbers fast.

Matching the Structure to How You’ll Use the Machine

The right structure usually comes down to how the equipment fits your business, not which option looks cheaper on paper. Buy a skid steer to run one long contract and the math looks different than keeping one around for whatever job shows up next. A few things tend to settle it:

• Weekly hours matter. Run the machine daily, all season, and the math leans toward a loan.
• Some businesses keep the same machine for years. Others trade in for something newer every time the job changes.
• Resale only matters if owning the equipment outright is part of your plan. Otherwise, having a working machine on site is enough.

Which Way Most Businesses Lean

Run a skid steer daily across multiple job sites for years, and a loan usually fits. If your equipment needs to shift with the season, or you don’t want to get stuck holding an aging machine, a lease usually fits better.

Get the call wrong and it’s rarely a disaster. You end up paying for flexibility you didn’t need, or owning a machine you were ready to trade in.

Building a Payment Around the Job, Not the Sticker Price

Your skid steer earns its cost back by being on the job site, not sitting in a lot while you save up for it. The faster it’s working, the sooner the payment stops feeling like a cost and starts looking like the reason the job got done.

If your business is weighing a new or used skid steer purchase, Dimension Funding can walk through what a loan or a lease would look like for that specific machine and timeline. Reach out and talk through the numbers before you commit to either one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I finance a used skid steer, or only new units?

Most equipment lenders finance both. The used market moves enough volume that it’s a normal way to buy, not a consolation prize. The Case CE SV280B alone accounted for 533 financed units in early 2026. Used equipment loans typically run shorter terms than new ones too, since there’s less life left on the machine to finance.

What credit score do I need for skid steer financing?

There’s no single score that guarantees approval. Lenders weigh your business history alongside personal credit rather than applying a hard cutoff. On amounts up to $500,000, Dimension Funding can often make that call from your application alone.

How long are typical skid steer loan or lease terms?

Terms commonly run up to 60 months. The actual length depends on whether your equipment is new or used, and how long you plan to keep it. Stretch the term out and your monthly payment drops, but you keep paying longer, so match it to how much life is left in the machine.

Is leasing a skid steer better than buying if I only need it seasonally?

Leasing tends to fit seasonal work better. You’re not stuck holding equipment that sits idle for months at a stretch. A loan makes more sense when the same machine sees steady use all year.

Do skid steer attachments get financed together with the machine?

Usually, yes. Lenders roll attachments you buy alongside the skid steer into the total financed amount, since the payment covers the full equipment cost, not the base machine alone. Confirm this with your lender before the purchase closes, since not every lender handles it the same way.

What happens at the end of a skid steer lease?

It depends mostly on how many hours the machine has on it by then. If it’s still got plenty left in it, buying it at the price set when your lease began often makes the most sense. If it’s worn down, or a newer model would move the job along faster, handing it back or stepping into something newer usually wins out.

How fast can skid steer financing be approved?

Approval can happen the same day when you handle the application and signatures electronically. That speed matters more with used equipment especially, since a specific used unit won’t necessarily still be sitting there next week.