Looking at attachments to hire out with? Flail, brush hog, tiller? Which one.

[roadhunter]

That plow looks pretty nice. I think I would have to be nearer more construction though. Sure do appreciate you bringing it to my attention.

No problem. I think you will be surprised how much of that stuff is used when you start looking for it.

 

[roadhunter]

This was my thought exactly, and the reason I mostly shy away from mowing jobs other than field reclamation (good money in that).
I have averaged more money per hour using the stump grinder than any other means, and I've done jobs using my box blade, heavy duty mower, chipper, grapple, rear blade, sawmill, and power rake. Hour for hour nothing I've used had been more profitable than the grinder.

I would like to look more into the silt fence installer though, I could see that being a good money maker.

Here is a slightly different silt fence installer for a tractor that looks interesting.
the tommy™SILT FENCE MACHINE | Not to be confused with a silt fence plow.

 

[Fallon]

Do you have a minimum for travel? At 60 an hour I am afraid I will stay in the shed. I do not see much income there?

The rate starts from the time I leave the house wether or not I'm trailering or roading. And also 75% of my jobs I just spend 20 minutes or less roading the tractor to the job rather than trailering it. That makes up for the lack of a travel charge. It's a side hobby for me & I mostly work for people in the extended neighborhood. Most of my work is evening stuff after I get home from my day job. Definitely not worth it if they were long jobs with lots of travel, but I won't travel much more than half an hour or so unless I'm helping out a friend.

Mowing is about 75% of what I've ended up doing, followed by post holes, then driveway maintnance & stall mucking type stuff. Only used my tiller once & that was for fluffing up a horse arena, not actually tilling. I figure my operating expeses are about $20/hr for fuel, maintnance, insurance, etc., which isn't to bad.

 

[screamin400]

The rate starts from the time I leave the house wether or not I'm trailering or roading. And also 75% of my jobs I just spend 20 minutes or less roading the tractor to the job rather than trailering it. That makes up for the lack of a travel charge. It's a side hobby for me & I mostly work for people in the extended neighborhood. Most of my work is evening stuff after I get home from my day job. Definitely not worth it if they were long jobs with lots of travel, but I won't travel much more than half an hour or so unless I'm helping out a friend.

Mowing is about 75% of what I've ended up doing, followed by post holes, then driveway maintnance & stall mucking type stuff. Only used my tiller once & that was for fluffing up a horse arena, not actually tilling. I figure my operating expeses are about $20/hr for fuel, maintnance, insurance, etc., which isn't to bad.

Understandable. I have been getting calls for jobs that are an hour away. Really don't want them. My sister owns a business that does a lot of government contracting. When on a rate job she has to pay the person driving the lawn mower ( yes lawn mower) 52 and hour. Ever wonder why my state is broke?

 

[TheMan419]

What did it cost to get 10 acres done?

I feel I got ripped off at $400. It is completely open ground and the weeds were about waist high. It was farmed as corn last year so no trees or anything crazy.

With my Boomer 24 and 5 foot rotary cutter if I just ran straight through I could do like an acre and change an hour if I do not let the weeds get that high. In the spring we will turn it and plant pasture grass.

 

[screamin400]

I feel I got ripped off at $400. It is completely open ground and the weeds were about waist high. It was farmed as corn last year so no trees or anything crazy.

With my Boomer 24 and 5 foot rotary cutter if I just ran straight through I could do like an acre and change an hour if I do not let the weeds get that high. In the spring we will turn it and plant pasture grass.

Wow. I would stay parked for 400. I think that is a great deal for you. Here in NY lots of folks make 25 per hour without an investment or travel. When on a government job the person driving the lawn mower makes 52 an hour and has no investment. Here 400 would have been a great deal.

 

[TheMan419]

Wow. I would stay parked for 400. I think that is a great deal for you. Here in NY lots of folks make 25 per hour without an investment or travel. When on a government job the person driving the lawn mower makes 52 an hour and has no investment. Here 400 would have been a great deal.

It did not take him 8 hours to do it. He had a much larger tractor and bush hog. One of those big bat wing deals. He farms about 100 acres across the street from me (he farms like 1500 total acres).

In any event it is done and now that I keep up with it not that tough to do with my SCUT and 5 foot hog.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I got rid of a big Vermeer 665A stump grinder. It would do a six foot stump, no problem. I never got the requests for it, that I thought. Mostly jobs for friends. Now I just have a little Steiner unit.

One guy in the tree business says grinding stumps is not a moneymaker, just a service he has to provide to round out his offerings.

I always got the impression that stumps don't bother a lot of people like they do me.

 

[MESSMAKER]

It did not take him 8 hours to do it. He had a much larger tractor and bush hog. One of those big bat wing deals. He farms about 100 acres across the street from me (he farms like 1500 total acres).

In any event it is done and now that I keep up with it not that tough to do with my SCUT and 5 foot hog.

Batwing bushog usually take a 18' cut each time so you can knock out 10 acres in less than 2 hours but most have a minimum of 3 hours and charge $120-140 an hour so you did not get it too bad. I hire out a five foot cutter and I would have charged $300 plus travel.

 

[JimCan]

Scream... I had a friend on Cape Cod who bought a big, hulking grinder. He said it took minutes whereas some others with small units took a long time. He could drive down the street like a Jypsy black topper and pick up work. I have run a 6', Bush Hog brand finish mower and a heavy bush hog for 20+ yrs. and am listing them on CL because I just bought a 72" flail mower - a Caroni from Agri Supply. I have a 5ac pasture and some other acreage that I only get to about every six weeks. The finishing mower is too light - bush hog too heavy - for general weeds/gum seedlings. One major error: the finishing mower was side discharge ..which would may have been fine for a lawn. The problem with both my mowers is clumps. My pasture is a mess of dead areas because of too much material left over. I am speaking without having used the flail yet; I expect to over the weekend, and will re-post.

I have a 6' Land Pride tiller I got off CL for $875 ...pretty sure I could make 'slow' money with it. I'm doing some wildlife planting and wanted a finer seedbed than I could get with plow/disks. It does a great job - even with chunks of heavy/gummy clay.

Jim