What's a good hourly rate for a 55 hp, 4wd tractor, with FEL?

[screamin400]

Not sure about you guys but I am not going out as cheap as you fellas. Truck, trailer, tractor, insurance. I am no where near 45 an hour when I bid. I retired from a job that paid more than that with no investment. Then again I am in NY and things here are pricey. I do not think I would break even at 45.

 

[Cobble]

I'd be extremely leery of burning for someone. How good is your liability insurance?

Very good friend of mine, who is a LARGE farmer, told me 20 years ago, "it took me awhile to realize if I'm losing money planting an acre of crops it does no good to plant more acres". That philosophy applies here. It should be clearly lucrative or you shouldn't do it. Almost sinfully profitable.

I'm a certified burn manager, and understand the risks. The risks are almost enough to say no, but the profit on a good day are lucrative enough to stay in. On some of the challenging Rx burns, I've seen contract rates over $100/ ac, with over 150 ac/ day happen.
And I've seen it repeated.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I've charged $65 an hour, estimates are estimates of hours. Prices change based on actual time. I charge a 4 hour minimum, and I charge a $130 mobilization fee within my county.

I have 5 trees to dig out once the ground hardens up in a housing plan near me. The guy wants to add on to his old concrete block storage shed and the trees are in the way. He had the trees cut with 4-5 feet left standing. Trees are 8" to 14" diameter at the base. I estimated 7 hours (@ $65 an hour) + mobilization (2 hours @ $65, it takes about an hour to grab the trailer, pull out the chains and binders, load and tie down tractor and additional attachments. Do it all again to leave the job, and undo it all when you get back home) but explained that I can not see under ground any better than he can, and it will be what it will be. I also suggested calling in a grinder, the fellow absolutely does not want a grinder, and does not want the root balls rotting under his addition. He wants them dug out and gone.

 

[4get gto]

You got to be competitive in your area. Too expensive and you wont get work and too cheap makes you wonder why you got up the morning. Best thing I can say is be better than the other guy. People will see that.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I kind of think I am to cheap. I have the rates in my add, and I get calls and put hour estimates out and people are almost giddy with excitement to get me to do their work. That is starting to throw off alarms to me. Add money to the hourly rate! I turn down more work than I take though. I advertise for small work with a small/light weight machine. I get emails or calls saying that they have a simple job.... then you get there and they want an acre of ground landscaped into multi level terraces, retaining walls built between the 3 levels that they want cut into the slope, shed/outbuilding foundations put in and a 12 foot wide road created to go back 500' to the outbuilding. Then I am told no material will be dropped on the property, all will triaxles dropped on the street in front of the property and that I would need to carry 80-100 yards of topsoil, 70 tons of #4 and 44 to 66 tons of 2A.... one LA534 60" bucket at a time on a B2650. And that was all one job request!!!!.... and the email that started it all was "I need some topsoil spread and ground leveled."

I drove a half hour away, listened to the fellow, then tactfully backed away and ran like my butt was on fire!

The sad part is that he was really wanting me and my small/light machine to do it. He does not want his new driveway damaged from triaxles, heavy machines, or black tire marks from skid steers. So those bucket full of soil, #4 and 2A would be a 10 minute round trip... per bucket. I told him, I could eventually do it, but it would cost him enough in hours paying me that he could EASILY go buy himself a NEW tractor and attachments, do the work over the course of the summer, sell the machine 1 year old and maybe 400 or so hours on it and be WAY further ahead than me doing it. He said that his time is to valuable, and he does not have the time to do it.

Guess what, same here buddy! I'm a full time engineer, I do this for a hobby job on weekends... I do not have unlimited time to devote to your insanity project. But anyways, my goal is to bid and take 6-8 hour jobs. 1 day, in and out. If you want bigger jobs done, call bigger equipment in.

You've got to know when to fold em.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I get $50 t0 $60 but my rig is about 1/2 your size so you can do more work. I do 5% loader work,10% grading and dirt work and the rest is rough cut mowing with a few odd jobs thrown in. I would say $65 per hour mowing and everything else by the job. I would try your best to shoot for $100 per hour on the other work but you will be fighting the guy down the road with a Bobcat for work, and you can get them around here for about $50 per hour all day long.

 

[CincyFlyer]

West of you there are a couple of people charging $50. I used one of them a while back to do some grapple work for me and I was very pleased. Got an honest 7 hours of on the ground work for $350. He didn't charge me for travel or loading/unloading time.

And he perhaps didn't declare that money on his income taxes ...

 

[Rock Crawler]

And he perhaps didn't declare that money on his income taxes ...

Only a fool would declare a cash money small job like that on taxes. I know a lot of tree service, landscapers and lawn maintenance people, it happens to be the circle I run in. Every one of them will take cash money and shove it in a pocket if possible.

 

[Peter 315]

Only a fool would declare a cash money small job like that on taxes. I know a lot of tree service, landscapers and lawn maintenance people, it happens to be the circle I run in. Every one of them will take cash money and shove it in a pocket if possible.

I would not even tell the wife

 

[rustyshakelford]

This is delicate terrain. Hopefully we are all thick skinned enough to not take offense.

No way in God's Green Earth I would do custom work for $50 an hour. I'd have to research the project completely before I'd commit to $75 an hour. One stupid human trick and all profit would be gone for the day/week.

Hopefully we all realize that at $60 an hour you are making $1 a minute. How much damage can you do to your tractor in a minute??

I’m with ya. I am expensive but seem to have plenty to do. I’m upfront, honest, top notch equipment and do what I saw when I say it with good communication. People will pay for that. I’m starting to slow down though and being much more selective and only doing what I really want. When it becomes work it becomes work and no longer fun if that makes sense

Brett