What Type of Equipment You Can Lease?

You can lease almost any commercial equipment your business runs on. Highway trucks, excavators, ovens, X-ray machines, office computers, you name it. Commercial gear is expensive, and it wears out, which leaves you facing both a steep upfront cost and a long-term liability. Leasing handles both at once. So this guide goes industry by industry, through the equipment you can lease and how to lease what you need.

Think of leasing as renting's longer-term cousin. The term stretches further, and the cost usually sits well under what a long rental would run you. You skip the upfront purchase and spread the cost out, which keeps cash flow breathing. And when something breaks? The leasing company sorts the repair, sometimes with a loaner while you wait. Little wonder so many Canadian businesses go this route. As Statistics Canada reports, “The commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing industry generated $17.5 billion in operating revenue in 2023, up 8.5% from 2022.” (Statistics Canada).

How an Equipment Lease Works

An equipment lease is simple at heart. You and the lessor sign a lease agreement. It sets the lease term, the monthly payment, and what happens when the term ends. Through the term you pay a fixed lease payment rather than one big upfront cost. At the end? You usually get an option to purchase the equipment, hand it back, or sign a fresh lease. The trick is matching the lease term to the equipment's useful life and the monthly payment to your cash flow. Do that and it sits comfortably, whether you lease a single forklift or a whole yard of machinery.

Transportation Equipment Leasing

Start with transportation. If your business runs on tractors, excavators, forklifts, trailers, or other heavy equipment to move goods and coordinate work, this is squarely your lane. The commonly leased units? Highway trucks and dump trucks. Dry vans, crane trucks, tow trucks, cement trucks. Pickup trucks, sprinter vans, plow trucks. Utility and reefer trailers. And plenty more besides.

Aviation Equipment Leasing

Aviation is a different beast. Buying a plane outright is rarely on the table, and few operators want more debt, so leasing suits an industry that cycles new and used aircraft constantly. Need a commercial jet? An amphibious aircraft? Leasing usually makes sense. The range is wide, too: single-engine propellers, twin turboprops, light and heavy jets, helicopters, even marine craft like fishing boats, catamarans, tugboats, and yachts.

Agriculture Equipment Leasing

Farming is brutally competitive, and timing is everything. Leasing lets a farmer or rancher get the right machinery on the right terms without the risk of buying new, then get straight to work, new or used. The usual leases? Tractors and harvesters. Sprayers, field cultivators, ploughs, balers. Irrigation gear, combines, processing lines, dairy equipment.

Construction Equipment Leasing

Construction is competitive and heavily regulated, a tough combination. Leasing is the quick way to put new or used equipment on site when a loan is hard to land, and it locks in long-term use so you can bid jobs and still finish on time and on budget. Excavator, backhoe, aerial lift, crane, dozer, generator, cement mixer, cold planer, trencher, telehandler, skid steer, pipe layer, whatever the project demands, you can lease it.

Industrial Equipment Leasing

Over in industrial, leasing is popular across manufacturing, food and beverage, and mining, and it lets you take on high-utilization equipment for shorter stretches. Warehousing, cross-docking, cold storage, those operations almost always lease, since buying outright is brutal on the budget. Forklifts and CNC machines. Laser cutters, compressors, power tools. Aerial lifts, presses, pumps, grinders. Welding gear, industrial scales, warehouse shelving. All fair game.

Hospitality Equipment Leasing

Hospitality is lucrative but pricey to break into. Open a restaurant and you immediately need grills, refrigerators, ventilation, and POS systems, each one a small fortune. Lease them instead and you open the doors sooner, cash flow intact. Ovens and ranges, ventilation systems, refrigerators, walk-in freezers. POS systems and ice machines. Blenders, washing equipment, furniture. The whole kitchen, really.

Office and Tech Equipment Leasing

Offices and tech firms need a surprising pile of gear before day one, and buying it all at once flattens a budget. Leasing spreads the load. Computers, servers, monitors. Copiers, printers, projectors. Security systems, telephone systems, desks, and the inevitable office furniture.

Medical Equipment Leasing

Medical leasing hands doctors and clinics top-grade equipment while the leasing company carries the cost, so the focus stays on patient care. Research facilities and science centres lease too, given how eye-watering the technical gear gets. X-ray machines, 3D imaging systems, CAD and CAM systems. Lab freezers and chillers, incubators. Analyzers, centrifuges, microscopes.

Lease Your Equipment With Equipment Finance Canada

Equipment Finance Canada is a leading commercial equipment leasing company in Canada, serving every industry above and many more. The application is simple, the terms are favourable, and the range of equipment is broad. Leasing eases cash flow, removes a big liability, and gets a business running sooner. Whatever sector you are in, Equipment Finance Canada can help; explore our equipment financing or apply now.