How much ground can a brush cutter cover in an hour?

[Rio_Grande]

I have a 7 foot brush cutter, rotary style on a CTL 70. I have been doing alot of work with it. I get alot of requests for a per acer bidding. All of the work I have been doing were either undefined size or people dont know what they have. I dont have a good personal estamate of what an acer is. Recently I have hooked up with a contractor who has defined size lots and he is requesting per acer bidding. He will not do per hour. I know it varies with density but is anyone willing to give me an idea of worst case best case? Trying to learn as I am going but this is the one hurtle i am having trouble clearing.

 

[OrangeToys]

First question, what size is the tractor?

 

[nybirdman]

Acre is 43,560 square ft or 208ftx208ft.

 

[mikehaugen]

a ctl70 is a skidsteer I believe, a rather large one if I'm right, no?

I would say 2 to 3 acres per hour if it is open and flat. I can do 1-1/2 to 2 per hour with a 6 footer in open land and have less power, as long as it isn't too dense. Check out google planimeter and check some of the lots that you have done in the past if you remember how long they took.

 

[Rio_Grande]

Ctl 70 is an 80 hp machine. These property's are grown up to the point they can't cut them with a standard bush hog. Lots of 3-4 inch stuff.

 

[RickB]

Ctl 70 is an 80 hp machine. These property's are grown up to the point they can't cut them with a standard bush hog. Lots of 3-4 inch stuff.

Depends on how bad you need the work. If you have alternatives, tell him you bill by the hour and take it or leave it. 3-4" stuff won't cut fast or easy. If you have been doing this type of work for any length of time it shouldn't be difficult to estimate the time it will take on an acre basis. Bidding jobs on an area basis is a good way to lose your butt. Remember that some of the best deals are the ones you don't make. The first thing you are going to get screwed on is the number of acres covered. Been there; done that with different types of machines.

 

[QwikDraw]

you need to be able to look and tell what 70 yards looks like. I use yards after shooting a bow for years, it's just easier for me to compute.

I would guess you're only going to get an acre a day with a rotary in that sie material...maybe two if it's lighter than I am thinking.

 

[fishfactor]

No acre is ever the same and there really isn't a set price. Ditches, hills, trash, roads, and other obstacles that dictate which way you must cut will always be a factor. 3-4" material all day with a rotary cutter will be slow and wear it out quick. I know it can handle it, but I wouldn't want to be in it all day. Like Quick Draw posted, 1 acre a day should be OK. Just be sure you have a minimum charge. You wouldn't want to do a 1/4 acre lot and only get paid for 1/4 acre. Assuming you run for around $100 per hour that wouldn't cover your moving expenses.

 

[Rio_Grande]

The first one is a 4 acre parcel. It is as thick as I have done. We run a minimum charge to cover 4 hours work and moving costs. I have usually came in on the good side of that with smaller jobs. Nobody will accept a per hour bid here.

 

[Loudo]

A simple formula I use is the width of cut multiplied by the forward speed of the machine and divided by 10 gives approximate acres per hour. Just my:2cents: