What Would You Charge For This Tractor Job?

[atsah]

I have a neighbor 3/4 of a mile up the road, he has a 500ft gravel driveway that washes out in heavy rain, I fix it four times a year, it takes me about two hours.
I bring all the material back up the driveway with my rear blade, ditch the sides and crown the top, when I'm done it looks great. He gives me $45.00 and I'm good with that..


He drives over the road for Walmart now and isn't home like he was before and his wife is not able to plow the driveway and asked if I would remove the snow with my tractor and snowblower. I said I would have to think about that.

I don't think I want to do it, cold as a well diggers >>>.. I wouldn't mind if we had one storm a week but sometimes we have three storms a week.. So what is a job like that worth in your neck of the woods if you had the free time to do it?

I'm thinking of telling him to hire a truck with a plow (they want $70.00 to make a pass in and a pass out) and if they don't push it back far enough I will come over and remove the banks once in a while, I would also tell him if his wife needs me for any reason when he isn't home to call me.. She is close to 70 years old with some health problems.

Snow removal can get pretty costly here, can't imagine paying someone $140 a week to do a terrible job but that's what they do..

 

[sixdogs]

Getting paid is only part of the equation. You screw up and damage something and they'll want you to pay for it. You could get killed driving up the road or deal with the aggravation of doing work for someone else at a too cheap price while you would feel better at home stoking the wood stove. You could slide off the road in an ice storm, destroy your tractor and only then learn you aren't insured while off the property. What kind of gravy deal have they done for you lately?

I've done what you've done and been where you are and unless you are in business and insured I would say so and say you need to decline. That's just my two cents.

 

[atsah]

Getting paid is only part of the equation. You screw up and damage something and they'll want you to pay for it. You could get killed driving up the road or deal with the aggravation of doing work for someone else at a too cheap price while you would feel better at home stoking the wood stove. You could slide off the road in an ice storm, destroy your tractor and only then learn you aren't insured while off the property. What kind of gravy deal have they done for you lately?

I've done what you've done and been where you are and unless you are in business and insured I would say so and say you need to decline. That's just my two cents.

Never thought of all that stuff before. Probably not a good idea now that you put it that way..

 

[nbking]

Yep just tell them your insurance doesn't cover anything off of your property. Done

 

[TomIre]

That's what I say - happens to be the truth too! My homeowner's insurance only covers my tractor up on my property. And, I can't afford to replace my tractor - also the truth!

 

[LouNY]

Well my tractor and liability insurance travels with me.
That said I don't look for work and try to avoid it,
if I get backed into a corner I do have pricing and a contract absolving me of all liability to any property damage
resulting from the requested work.
My tractor and one piece of equipment is $60 an hour and I'm $30 and that is portal to portal.

Except for friends or good family friends then it usually ends up around $20 hour or less $0 for me and the tractor or truck with sander and plow.

 

[atsah]

I have insurance on the tractor but only fire and theft and I’m sure my homeowners only covers it on my property, my answer will be no. I really don’t like leaving my place with the tractor at all, if I break down it would be a PITA..

 

[D2Cat]

When you reply "No" to the snow clearing because of lack of insurance coverage, it also eliminates your road grading....or it makes you someone real good at not telling the truth!

 

[atsah]

I don’t want to do any of it, the grading is in good weather and four times a year not three times a week in bad weather. There is no lying involved.. it’s a lot of risk to be on the road during and after a storm.

 

[dragoneggs]

Reading your initial post I thought... wow only $45... you are giving way too good of a deal. Then I read that you "would also tell him if his wife needs me for any reason when he isn't home to call me", and I thought... OKAY maybe you are getting the deal! Then I read she is 70 years old. :laughing: