thinking of doing some bushhoging &some finish mower work.any one know what a good rate is? per hr. or acre? how about loader work? I have a kabota l3400 dt 5ft.bush hog & going to pur. a 6ft. finish mower. thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
price per hr.
- Thread starter razbota
- Start date
Indydirtfarmer
Platinum Member
Over on another site, We've been thrashing this issue for a few days. It seems to be a "regional" thing. I do bush hogging for a living (among other things) I get $60 an hour for a 60 HP tractor and a 7' bush hog. That rate CAN go up as needed for special circumstances. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I mow about 4 acres an hour in clean ground. That equates to about $15 an acre. That is about the going rate around here. It's WAY higher in some areas of the country. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I mow about 4 acres an hour in clean ground. That equates to about $15 an acre. That is about the going rate around here. It's WAY higher in some areas of the country. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Let me get this right... you're saying people would PAY me to sit on my tractor, listen to some cool music while sipping a beverage and chew stuff up with a big spinning chunk of steel?
Will these wonders ever cease? Next you'll tell me that I have to pretend I'm not having a good time while I'm doing it to protect some secret society.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Will these wonders ever cease? Next you'll tell me that I have to pretend I'm not having a good time while I'm doing it to protect some secret society.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
AlanB
Elite Member
Nice thread, I was thinking of posting the same thing and like to see what others say.
We (my wifes business www.awomanstouch.net ) (I assume I can post our website here it is not for advertising it is more to show that we really do this type of work.) were just discussing this.
You will find numerous opinions on how to price, and ours is not "right" but it works for us.
Tractor work we get about $30 an hour 2 hour minimum. But we never work by the hour. We figure in our head what it will take, then give a fixed price. (we do the same with everything but large jobs take a bit more figuring obviously)
The customer is then given a fixed price with no reference to time spent on that job etc.
My thought is that they are then not worried if we take a break, pull off go to another job, have equipment problems etc. They are just paying to have the job done, not paying me labor to do it. Also if we choose to bring in more or less folks, go to another outside contractor etc. that is on us.
This is always tough, but my one suggestion is that you do not drop your price to match what your customers expectation is.
We had one 2 days ago. The wife said $65 and the guy about fell over like we were gouging him. I could see my wife thinking about dropping the price (it really was not that much work) then rethought and said, yes, it is worth that much, here is our card, give us a call if we can do this work for you.
About an hour later we got the call and the job and wanted to know how fast we could get too it. I think he called and found out what it would cost to rent a tractor for the day and realized he was getting a good deal.
We tend not to do bushogging work, except in some rare exceptions, and then I am expensive as crud. Maybe I do not do it enough, or maybe I just run into jacked up customers, but it always seems to go wrong for us. We mow over something, we tear something up, etc. etc. At some point it is better for us to stay away from it.
Hope this gives you some ideas. I will be watching this thread with interest.
We (my wifes business www.awomanstouch.net ) (I assume I can post our website here it is not for advertising it is more to show that we really do this type of work.) were just discussing this.
You will find numerous opinions on how to price, and ours is not "right" but it works for us.
Tractor work we get about $30 an hour 2 hour minimum. But we never work by the hour. We figure in our head what it will take, then give a fixed price. (we do the same with everything but large jobs take a bit more figuring obviously)
The customer is then given a fixed price with no reference to time spent on that job etc.
My thought is that they are then not worried if we take a break, pull off go to another job, have equipment problems etc. They are just paying to have the job done, not paying me labor to do it. Also if we choose to bring in more or less folks, go to another outside contractor etc. that is on us.
This is always tough, but my one suggestion is that you do not drop your price to match what your customers expectation is.
We had one 2 days ago. The wife said $65 and the guy about fell over like we were gouging him. I could see my wife thinking about dropping the price (it really was not that much work) then rethought and said, yes, it is worth that much, here is our card, give us a call if we can do this work for you.
About an hour later we got the call and the job and wanted to know how fast we could get too it. I think he called and found out what it would cost to rent a tractor for the day and realized he was getting a good deal.
We tend not to do bushogging work, except in some rare exceptions, and then I am expensive as crud. Maybe I do not do it enough, or maybe I just run into jacked up customers, but it always seems to go wrong for us. We mow over something, we tear something up, etc. etc. At some point it is better for us to stay away from it.
Hope this gives you some ideas. I will be watching this thread with interest.
WVBartMan
Silver Member
Razbota: Here in wild and wonderful West Virginia, I get $40 per acre to bush hog. I use a 22' batwing which really knocks a field out. The only problem is the ground is steep and it takes someone who has grown up working steep ground. The price of hay is low and most property owners have given up cutting hay and sold the property to people without the equipment to maintain it.
Piedmont3
Silver Member
In Oklahoma the price for Brush Hogging equates to about $30 per hour. For other tractor work(Box Blade, Grading) it is about $40. If they use a backhoe it is about $65. These are not advertised prices, but they are the prices we paid before I got a tractor, divded by the hours he spent on the job site doing the work.
LarryD
Veteran Member
We estimate all our projects using a nationally published cost index called RSMeans. According to this book, you’re right on for your area Indy (actually it’s $54.70 hr.), but that is a bare cost price. If you were an employer paying wages and benefits the book shows $72.88 for the average in your area.
That figure is a basic tractor, mower and operator. The index also details production rates for various conditions i.e. light, medium and heavy density brush as well as 5’, 7’ and 12’ mowers.
If I was looking for someone to do a job I’d have to say you got it Indy, cause the book says I can get 20 bucks an acre for your time. I’m also going to charge for mob, de-mob expenses. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It actually gets into a little more detail but that's a ballpark figure.
Not knowing your location razbota, I can’t say what the average price is in your region.
That figure is a basic tractor, mower and operator. The index also details production rates for various conditions i.e. light, medium and heavy density brush as well as 5’, 7’ and 12’ mowers.
If I was looking for someone to do a job I’d have to say you got it Indy, cause the book says I can get 20 bucks an acre for your time. I’m also going to charge for mob, de-mob expenses. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It actually gets into a little more detail but that's a ballpark figure.
Not knowing your location razbota, I can’t say what the average price is in your region.
creeper
Gold Member
Around here I get a minimum $35 an hour for cutting and $60 for loader or blade work.Transporting is also charged in the hourly rate to the customer.
Thanks for all usefull info. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I live in south carolina low contury way down south!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif