What is a fair price to charge for tracktor/backhoe work?

[Jeff244]

I am going to do a couple days of work for a contractor friend with my Kioti DK65 with loader and backhoe. What would be a reasonable price to charge? I am starting the job tomorrow and would like to come up with a price per hour before I start. I asked him what the going rate was and he told me to come up with a price. I am in the Southern IL area. I was thinking around $50 to $60 per hour. I would rather err to the low side.



Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Willl]

You guys are going to think I'm wacked with this figure.

For non-family/non-close friends, I charge 100.00 an hour.

 

[ddigger]

Here in my area I get 75 an hr for my kabota L39 with laoder backhoe and for my cat 330L excavator with bucket and thumb I get 185.00 an hr. I dont try to make my living with the L39 its mainly as a favor when I use it on a job.

 

[sandman2234]

At what it costs to fix something when it breaks, and the downtime needed for repairs, that price isn't out of the realm of reality, but is mainly dependant on what type of equipment you have, and what your doing with it. I seriously doubt most of us could get that type of money for bush hogging a few acres,(especially with a SCUT or CUT) but someone with a 75 hp tractor and batwing might be able to justify it just in reduced time on the job.
Twenty years ago I worked a 13 hp Ford doing small lot mowing that took an hour per lot and it paid about $50 an hour but that didn't included travel time. It seemed like an awfully good deal since the tractor used limited fuel and almost no repairs and could be hauled in a long wheelbase pickup bed.
David from jax

 

[davitk]

I bill 40/hr for my machine plus 45/hr for my labor, of course I also carry a fairly expensive insurance rider.

 

[LBrown59]

I bill 40/hr for my machine plus 45/hr for my labor, of course I also carry a fairly expensive insurance rider.

I can get a full size TLB for 60 to 65 bucks an hour here.
So no way could i ever charge anything like 85 dollars per hour.

 

[davitk]

your loss

 

[Jeff244]

Thanks for the replies.

I think my machine can do about 3/4 the amount of work as a full size TLB at best.

I think that $60 per hour would be fair. Based on an 8 hour day I came up with this: machine $200, fuel $50, travel $60(60 miles round trip), labor $160.

If I get to the point of actually being in business(which I am considering), I would possibly be a little higher to cover insurance and other costs. Hopefully the guy I am working for will think I am being fair.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[LBrown59]

your loss

At 85 bucks an hour you wouldn't last long around here.
The Big boys with the full sized commerical TLBs at 60 to 65 dollars an hour would run you out of town.
For you to be able to charge $85 an hour the Boys with the big toys out your way must be way up there with their rates.

 

[rtdiggr]

I think it depends on what you are doing. Most times i charge for the job not by the hour. IE if i am just moving stone or dirt around an hourly wage is fine. but if i am going to do a job like weeping tile i will do it by the job not the hour.

As for competing about the BIG guys don't worry if they are big enough they won't touch small jobs OR if they do they would charge a great deal more then you would.

I have made well over $200 an hour and sometimes $50 it depends on a job. Another ie if i grind a stump lets say 50" across i would charge probably $300 it would probably take me an hour,but when you start counting what you need to do a $300 stump there is alot of money sitting in the guys driveway before i even start the machine.

Shane