On this page Sprucewood Financial walks through equipment financing for Silver Bow County, Montana purchases: vans and furniture for child care centers, imaging and exam equipment for clinics, backhoes and trailers for contractors, food trailers and truck kitchens, kitchen hoods and refrigeration, tavern draft systems, and how a loan, a lease and a line of credit compare.
Passenger Vans, Cribs and Classroom Furniture: Child Care Equipment Financing Around Butte, MT
Child day care services had 25 employer establishments with 145 employees in Silver Bow County, MT in 2023 (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). A passenger van is a large purchase for a center that size, and it finances like any vehicle: the van secures the loan, and its title shows the lien.
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented center finances a $62,000 van at 9.5% over 60 months; the invented payment is about $1,302 (our arithmetic). Cribs, tables and playground sets resell for little, so partners may fold them into a small loan read on tuition deposits rather than finance them as stand-alone collateral. The daycare center financing page covers both.
Imaging Systems and Operatory Chairs: Dental and Medical Equipment Financing Around Butte, MT
Offices of physicians numbered 30 and offices of dentists 24 employer establishments in Silver Bow County, MT in 2023 (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Imaging units, operatory chairs, sterilizers and exam tables all have makers' finance programs as well as independent and bank financing, so ask for at least two quotes.
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented $145,000 imaging unit financed with a loan at 9% over 72 months costs about $2,614 a month, $188,187 in total. An invented lease at $2,450 a month for 60 months with a $14,500 purchase option at the end totals $161,500 (our arithmetic). Compare the totals and who owns the unit at the end. The medical equipment loan calculator runs your own figures.
Construction Equipment Financing in Butte, MT: Backhoes, Lifts and Job-Site Trailers
Specialty trade contractors had 72 employer establishments and building contractors 38 in Silver Bow County, MT in 2023 (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). A backhoe, a scissor lift or an enclosed job-site trailer holds value and can be repossessed, which is why construction equipment is one of the more financeable purchases a small crew makes.
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented contractor buys a used skid steer for $72,000 with 10% down and finances $64,800 over 48 months at 10%; the invented payment is about $1,643 (our arithmetic). A used machine bought from a private seller needs a bill of sale, the serial number and proof the seller owns it with no liens attached. The construction business loans page covers the rest of a contractor's file.
Food Truck Financing in Butte, MT: Food Trailers, Generators and Truck Kitchens
Food services and drinking places with no paid employees numbered 50 in Silver Bow County, MT in 2024 (Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024, a separate program from the employer counts); small food operations sit in that group. A food truck finances as a vehicle, its kitchen as equipment, and a generator or trailer on its own title or bill of sale.
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented food trailer with a built-in kitchen costs $68,000; financed at 11.5% over 60 months, the invented payment is about $1,495 (our arithmetic). A partner wants to know where the truck will sell, which permits it holds and where it preps food, and an existing restaurant adding a truck has deposits to show where a new operator does not.
Hood Systems, Ice Machines and Refrigeration: Restaurant Equipment Financing Around Butte, MT
Full-service restaurants had 29 employer establishments with 782 employees and limited-service restaurants 35 with 630 employees in Silver Bow County, MT in 2023 (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). A hood and fire-suppression system is installed into the building, so it carries little resale value on its own; a walk-in cooler or an ice machine can be removed and resold.
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented $28,000 hood and suppression package financed at 10.5% over 48 months costs about $717 a month (our arithmetic). Because the hood stays with the building, a partner may want a landlord waiver or read the request more on the restaurant's deposits than on the equipment. The restaurant loans page covers ranges and second locations.
Draft Systems, Glass Washers and Back-Bar Coolers: Tavern Equipment Financing in Butte, MT
Illustration only, invented figures: an invented tavern replaces a glass washer and two back-bar coolers for $19,500, financed over 36 months at 11% for about $638 a month (our arithmetic). Drinking places had 32 employer establishments in Silver Bow County, MT in 2023 (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). The bar business loans page sets equipment beside remodels and payroll.
Types of Equipment Financing: Loan, Lease or Line for a Silver Bow County, MT Purchase
| Type | Who owns it | What the payment covers | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment loan | The business, with a lien until paid | Principal and interest | Items kept for their full life |
| Lease with a purchase option | The lessor until the option is used | Use of the item, then a buyout | Items replaced on a cycle |
| Fair-market-value lease | The lessor | Use of the item only | Technology that ages fast |
| Line of credit draw | The business | Interest on the draw | Small items bought again and again |
Tax treatment differs between a loan and a lease, so ask your accountant before choosing. The six funding types page sets equipment financing beside the others, and the Butte, MT data page has the county figures for each trade.
Shops financing fixtures can start on the retail page, and every trade is listed on the industries page. Four articles go deeper on equipment: a tavern cooler on a loan or a line, imaging units and clinic hiring, vans and playground sets for a growing center and where to finance a work truck.
By Sprucewood Financial · Updated
