biltil
New member
I averaged $69 per job doing 125 jobs last year. Time per job averaged 50 minutes. 70 percent with a CubCadet with a 30" hydraulic tiller and the rest with walk behing rear tine tiller. Hope that helps you out.
$$$$ for tilling
- Thread starter OrangeToys
- Start date
YotaBota
Bronze Member
$85 per hour. Sorry guys. Where have you figured in your maintenance costs for your equipement? YOU need to make money and your equipment has to make money. Otherwise, YOU will be paying for the cost of repairs, and not the machine. Transport time, fuel for the tractor, fuel for your tow vehicle- you must allow for these, or you will be paying to do those projects. Don't be interested in cheaper. Be Better! Those guys that are cheap aren't goning to be around long. BeenThereDoneThat!
smstonypoint
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2009
- Messages
- 5,351
- Location
- SC (Upstate) & NC (Piedmont)
- Tractor
- NH TN 55, Kubota B2320 & RTV 900, Bad Boy Outlaw ZTR
You beat me to it. What are the variable (fuel, maintenance, allowance for repairs, etc.) and fixed (depreciation, interest on investment, property taxes, insurance, etc.) costs of your equipment? What $ amount do you assign to your time?
Steve
workinallthetime
Veteran Member
$10-15 per hour goes to the equipment / insurence. price yourself to high and you spend alot of time on TBN asking questions and giving advise. No matter how much you value your time the service you are providing may also be provided by one of those people who dont have insurence, borrowed the truck, tractor, trailer from dad, and they are going to till the garden. Call around and get some quotes from your competion, and remember not to many people started their empire on the seat of a Kubota. i was able to cover all my expenses (truck payment, tractor payment, mower payment, fuel , and insurence) within the customer base i had the first month. I was now where near the only guy in this area doing the same thing but my customers loved me and still call. The only reason i am not still doing it was a much better opertunity came along. good luck and remember its not just about you, its the CUSTOMER who calls you back next year.
In this area of the country at least, I'd have to agree with workinallthetime on this one. Too many others out there that are willing to take on any job you bid too high on. Better to make a little money off a lot of people that make a lot of money off a few. Keep your charges down, keep your customers happy, ask them for referrals, tell them to recommend you to others.
Prior to her passing, I tilled a small garden plot every year for an older widow woman down the road, never charged her a dime, just did it because she needed it done and it killed me to see her out there trying to till the plot with an old front tine tiller. True it was close to the farm, I just drove the tractor down there and back, but I got at least one new customer every year because of her talking about it at church, the senior center, etc. Oddly enough, none of the customers I got because of her ever asked if I would do theirs for free. Dollar wise and good feeling wise, those were the best hours I ever put on the little tractor.
Prior to her passing, I tilled a small garden plot every year for an older widow woman down the road, never charged her a dime, just did it because she needed it done and it killed me to see her out there trying to till the plot with an old front tine tiller. True it was close to the farm, I just drove the tractor down there and back, but I got at least one new customer every year because of her talking about it at church, the senior center, etc. Oddly enough, none of the customers I got because of her ever asked if I would do theirs for free. Dollar wise and good feeling wise, those were the best hours I ever put on the little tractor.
YotaBota
Bronze Member
I have lived all over the states-New England, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, California. Now I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. It doesn't matter where you live, the people are the same. You will always have the guys grinding it out not playing above boards with insurance, driving a beater truck, doing it for nothing and giving huge discounts for cash, living paycheck to paycheck. I get that. As I said before, Been There Done That. Now, pushing 50, I now refuse to work more than 40 hours a week. Family, and health is way more important that having a gazillion customers. I charge more than everyone else-or at least as much as the highest price I can find. I would rather have less customers and more time of my own to look after me and the family-and fish, and go camping 3 days a week instead of just the weekend. And if you're bidding jobs, it's better to get the jobs by 1% or less. So when you're cutting it that fine, you gotta know your costs to bid appropriately. We did it for years.