PMF Equipment financing is a loan or lease used to buy a business asset, with the asset itself as the main collateral. Terms run 2 to 7 years to match the life of the equipment. It fits Los Angeles businesses with 6+ months of history and 600+ credit. PMF LA arranges up to $1.5M per placement, paid directly to the vendor.
Who qualifies for equipment financing in Los Angeles
Meeting these means most of our equipment funders will look at the file. It is not an approval. The equipment type and its resale value matter as much as your credit.
How equipment financing works, and why it approves faster than a loan
With equipment financing, the thing you are buying is the collateral. A funder is not betting only on your bank statements; it is betting on a camera package, a walk-in cooler or a Class 8 tractor it can resell if something goes wrong. So the credit box is looser, the term is longer and the approval is faster than an unsecured loan for the same amount.
The mechanics are simple:
- You pick the equipment and get a quote or invoice from the vendor. New or used, from a dealer or a private seller in many cases.
- We place the file. Under about $250K, most of our funders approve on an application and a credit review alone, often the same day. Above that, add 3 to 6 months of bank statements and a tax return.
- The funder pays the vendor directly. You never touch the money. Delivery and a signed acceptance form trigger funding, usually 2 to 5 business days from approval.
- You pay a fixed monthly amount over 2 to 7 years. At the end you own the equipment, or on a lease you buy it for a set amount, return it or upgrade.
Soft costs are the detail owners miss. Installation, delivery, training, the electrical work for a hood: most funders roll a share of these into the financing. Ask before you pay cash for install.
PMF LA is a broker. We do not fund equipment ourselves. We match your file to lessors and equipment lenders who know your asset type and show you the offers side by side. Any California offer up to $500K comes with the state’s required commercial-financing disclosure showing total cost and payment terms before you sign.
Film and TV production equipment financing in Los Angeles
No other city has this market. Camera rental houses in Hollywood and Burbank, grip and lighting companies in Sun Valley and North Hollywood, sound stages in Santa Clarita, post shops in Culver City. All of them buy expensive gear that earns day rates, and all of them ride the production calendar: busy in the fall and spring, quiet over the holidays and during hiatus, dead in a strike year.
What gets financed:
- Camera packages. Cinema bodies, lens sets, monitors, wireless video. Typical tickets $60K to $400K. Terms of 3 to 5 years, because camera tech turns over.
- Lighting and grip. LED panels, HMIs, dimming, stands, rigging. Often bundled into a single package of $50K to $300K over 3 to 5 years.
- Grip trucks and production vehicles. A built-out 5-ton or 10-ton grip truck runs $150K to $350K. Financed like a commercial vehicle over 5 to 7 years, with the build-out included.
- Post, audio and mobile power. Color systems, storage, consoles, generators. $75K to $500K over 3 to 7 years.
How we structure it: some lessors allow lower payments in a known slow quarter, or a step-up schedule where payments rise as the gear books. Deferred first payments of 60 to 90 days are common so the gear earns before you pay. Funders ask about rental utilization and on-set insurance. A rental house with $40K a month in deposits and a 640 score can finance a $200K camera package; pair it with working capital for payroll gaps between productions.
Restaurant equipment financing in LA: kitchens, hoods and walk-ins
Los Angeles restaurants buy their kitchens along the Vernon and DTLA restaurant-supply corridor, where dealers on Alameda and Santa Fe stock new and used everything. Whether you are opening in Koreatown, Sawtelle or Alhambra, the shopping list is similar, and so is the financing.
- Full kitchen packages for a new opening. Ranges, fryers, flat tops, hood and fire suppression, walk-in cooler and freezer, reach-ins, prep tables, dish machine. $60K to $300K depending on size. 3 to 5 year terms.
- Single big-ticket items. A walk-in, a combi oven, an espresso machine, a wood-fired oven. $15K to $80K over 2 to 4 years.
- Hood and ventilation systems. Often the largest single cost, and the one LA County plan check cares about most. Installation and ductwork can be rolled in as soft costs.
- Bar and beverage equipment. Draft systems, ice machines, glass washers. $10K to $60K.
Two LA notes. Time the financing to plan check: LA County Public Health approves the kitchen layout before you build, so buy after plans are stamped. And used equipment is a strong option here because the corridor turns over so many closed restaurants; many of our funders finance dealer-sold used kitchen equipment over a shorter term.
A restaurant with 6+ months of sales and a 600+ score can finance a kitchen refresh in days; a new concept needs stronger owner credit and some cash down. See our restaurant funding page for the full picture.
Medical and dental equipment financing: chairs, imaging and lasers
Practices in West LA, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and the Valley buy equipment that lasts a decade and pays for itself in procedures. Funders like this asset class, so terms are long for licensed providers.
- Dental chairs and operatories. Chair, delivery unit, light, cabinetry. $30K to $60K per operatory; a three-chair build runs $100K to $200K. 5 to 7 years.
- Imaging. Digital pan and cone beam CT units, ultrasound, digital X-ray. $80K to $250K. 5 to 7 years, often with deferred first payments while the unit is installed and credentialed.
- Aesthetic and laser equipment. For med spas and dermatology on the Westside and in Studio City. $50K to $200K per device. 3 to 5 years, since technology moves.
- Full build-outs and acquisitions. Above about $500K, or with real estate, we pair equipment financing with an SBA loan.
What makes these files easy: a professional license, a signed lease and reimbursement history. What slows them: a new practice with no deposits yet. That is workable with the right funder and a modest down payment; ask about programs for new graduates.
Semi truck and trailer financing in Los Angeles: drayage, CARB and the ports
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach move more containers than any other port complex in the country, and thousands of small carriers in Wilmington, Carson, Compton, Fontana and the Inland Empire haul them. Truck financing here has one issue that no other market faces at this scale: California’s clean-truck rules.
CARB compliance. Under the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Fleets rules, new drayage trucks added to the port registry must be zero-emission and older diesels age out on a schedule. That puts a compliance clock on every unit, and it is the main reason LA carriers call us. State and port incentives often pair with the financing; we structure the loan around the incentive timing.
- Class 8 tractors, new. $150K to $200K diesel; zero-emission units are higher. 5 to 7 years for established carriers.
- Class 8 tractors, used. $50K to $120K depending on age and miles. 3 to 5 years. Most funders cap age and mileage.
- Trailers, chassis, reefers. $30K to $90K. 5 to 7 years.
- Owner-operator programs. One or two trucks, often with a down payment, for drivers with a CDL and a year of experience.
Funders look at your motor carrier authority, years operating and the truck itself. Since shippers pay on 45-day terms, many carriers pair truck financing with freight factoring. For a fast repair loan, working capital is the tool instead.
Construction and contractor equipment financing across LA County
Contractors in the South Bay, San Gabriel Valley and the Valley buy machines that go straight to work: skid steers, mini excavators, track loaders, lifts, compressors, work trucks with service bodies. Typical tickets $40K to $500K over 3 to 7 years.
What matters: your contractor license, time in business, and whether you buy from a dealer or at auction. Auction and private-party purchases work with inspection and title paperwork, over a shorter term. Contractors often choose a lease with a purchase option for a one-project machine and a finance agreement for a machine that stays in the fleet. Since progress payments lag the work, a line of credit often sits beside the equipment loan.
Lease vs. finance, Section 179 and used equipment
Lease or finance depends on how long you will keep the equipment and how you handle taxes.
| Equipment finance agreement | Lease with $1 buyout | Fair market value lease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | You, from day one; funder holds a lien | Funder during the term; you for $1 at the end | Funder; you return it, buy it at market value or renew |
| Monthly payment | Higher | Similar to financing | Lowest |
| Best for | Long-lived assets you will keep | Same, with lease paperwork | Tech that goes stale: cameras, imaging, computers |
| Tax treatment | Usually depreciated; may qualify for Section 179 expensing | Usually treated like a purchase | Payments often deducted as an expense |
| Upgrade path | Sell or trade it yourself | Same | Built in at end of term |
| Typical term | 2 – 7 yrs | 2 – 7 yrs | 2 – 5 yrs |
Section 179. Federal tax law lets many businesses deduct the full cost of qualifying equipment in the year it goes into service, even when financed, subject to yearly limits. That can make a December purchase attractive. This is general information, not tax advice. Consult your CPA before you buy with taxes in mind.
Used equipment. Most of our funders finance used equipment from dealers and many from private sellers, with age, hours or mileage limits by asset type. Terms are a bit shorter. In LA, used restaurant equipment, used grip and lighting, and used tractors are all common placements.
How to finance equipment in Los Angeles this week
- Get a quote. A vendor quote or invoice with the equipment description, serial numbers if used, and total price including install if you want soft costs covered.
- Check your options. Start a secure application at /apply. No documents, no credit pull.
- Specialist call. A Century City advisor asks what the equipment is, new or used, how long you will keep it and whether you want to own it. That decides lease or finance and which funders see the file.
- Approve. Under about $250K, often the same day on an application. Above that, 3 to 6 months of statements and a tax return, 1 to 3 days.
- Fund the vendor. You sign, the vendor delivers, you sign a delivery acceptance, the funder pays the vendor. 2 to 5 business days from approval in most cases.
We serve all of LA County, Orange County and the Inland Empire from 10100 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 100 in Century City. If the equipment is part of a bigger project, we often pair it with working capital, a line or an SBA loan from separate funders so the liens do not conflict.
Equipment financing options in Los Angeles
| Bank equipment loan | Dealer or manufacturer financing | Online lender direct | PMF LA (broker) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to funds | 2 – 6 weeks | 3 – 10 days | 2 – 5 days | 2 – 5 days |
| Amounts | $50K – $5M | Their equipment only | $10K – $250K | $10K – $1.5M |
| Credit needed | 700+ | 650+ typical | 600 – 620+ | 600+ |
| Time in business | 2+ years | 1 – 2 years | 6 – 12 months | 6+ months |
| Used equipment | Sometimes | Certified used only | Limited | Yes, most asset types |
| Soft costs included | Rarely | Sometimes | Rarely | Often, a share of the ticket |
| Cost of capital | Low | Low to medium | Medium | Depends on program; you compare |
| Number of offers | One | One | One | Multiple from equipment specialists |
Ranges are typical, not offers. The asset type and its resale value drive terms as much as your credit.
How LA equipment deals get structured
Rental house added a second 10-ton grip truck with a full lighting package ahead of fall production. Truck and build-out financed together over six years with a 90-day deferred first payment so the package could book before the first bill. Approved in two days.
Second-location build-out sourced a hood system and new cooking line from a Vernon dealer plus a used walk-in from the same corridor. One agreement covered both plus hood installation as a soft cost, over four years. Funded to the vendor after plan check stamped the layout.
Practice added a cone beam CT unit to bring implant imaging in-house. Structured as a five-year lease with a market-value buyout so the doctor can upgrade when the technology moves. Deferred payments for 60 days during install and credentialing.
Eight-truck carrier replaced two aging tractors with compliant units to keep hauling from the Port of Long Beach. Two-unit financing over six years, timed with a state incentive payment that reduced the amount financed. Approved on statements, a tax return and the carrier authority in three days.
Examples are illustrative of how PMF LA structures placements; amounts, terms and approval depend on the funder and your file. Not an offer of credit.
Frequently asked questions
How does equipment financing work in Los Angeles?
You pick the equipment and get a vendor quote. We place your file with equipment funders who approve on your credit, time in business and the asset itself. You sign, the vendor delivers, and the funder pays the vendor directly. You repay a fixed monthly amount over 2 to 7 years. Most LA files fund in 2 to 5 business days.
What credit score do I need to finance equipment?
600+ FICO opens most programs on our panel for established businesses. 650+ usually means no down payment and longer terms. Below 600, some funders will still finance strong collateral like a tractor or a walk-in with a down payment. The equipment type and its resale value matter as much as your score.
Should I lease or finance my equipment?
Finance or use a $1 buyout lease when you will keep the asset for its whole life: kitchens, tractors, dental chairs. Use a fair market value lease when the technology goes stale fast and you want to upgrade: cameras, imaging, computers. The lease usually has the lower payment; financing gives you ownership. Your CPA can weigh in on the tax side.
Can I finance used equipment?
Yes. Most of our funders finance used equipment from dealers, and many from private sellers with an inspection and clear title. Age, hours or mileage limits apply by asset type, and terms are somewhat shorter than for new. Used kitchen equipment from the Vernon corridor, used grip and lighting, and used tractors are common LA placements.
How fast can I get equipment financing in LA?
Under about $250K, approval is often the same day on an application alone, and the vendor is paid within 2 to 5 business days of your signed delivery acceptance. Larger tickets need statements and a tax return and take 3 to 7 days.
Can I write off financed equipment under Section 179?
Often, yes. Section 179 lets many businesses deduct the full cost of qualifying equipment in the year it is placed in service, even if you financed it, within yearly limits set by federal law. Leases are treated differently depending on structure. This is general information only; consult your CPA before buying with taxes in mind.
Can I finance film and production equipment?
Yes, and Los Angeles is where it happens most. Camera packages, lighting and grip inventory, grip trucks and post systems finance over 3 to 7 years. Funders look at rental utilization and insurance. Seasonal and step-up schedules match the production calendar.
Do I need a down payment for equipment financing?
Not always. Established businesses with 650+ credit often finance the full invoice, sometimes with soft costs included. Startups, owners with weaker credit, private-party purchases and older used equipment usually need a down payment. We tell you what each funder requires before your file goes anywhere.
Ready to see what you qualify for?
Start a secure application or call our Century City team to discuss your funding needs.
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