What to charge for snowplowing

[grsthegreat]

I also total up my plow costs, and I'm averaging about $60/hr of seat time AFTER fuel. Now i know id love to make more $$$$, but this is about the same as i make as an electrician, and this is wayyyy more fun.

I would like to charge more, but people are really hurting for $$$ right now. My new neighbor just moved in last week and doesn't even have a snowblower. Has a 300' long driveway also. It only took me 20 minutes to blow it out, so i mean really, how much can you charge for 20 min work. I was there anyways clearing the fire hydrants. It wasn't like i had to gear up and drive all the way there. $35 seems like a fair price.

by the time i do 2-1/2 miles of association roads, some driveways and assorted things, Ive made some serious $$$ for a few hours work. It only sucks that i have to start soooooo darn early.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have done a little math and it seems like real costs will run about $50 per hour but some of that cost will occur even if the tractor never moves.

$75 per hour would be more ideal. If a guy with a tractor can not do more work in one hour as 1 man making $7.50 an hour can do by hand in 10 hours your tractor is not very powerful.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have done a little math and it seems like real costs will run about $50 per hour but some of that cost will occur even if the tractor never moves.

$75 per hour would be more ideal. If a guy with a tractor can not do more work in one hour as 1 man making $7.50 an hour can do by hand in 10 hours your tractor is not very powerful.

how do you figure $50/hr.

that is way too high. what are you basing that on?

 

[Bigturk]

Man, I like plowing/blowing snow. I have a regular job and look forward to the seat time. $30 is what I charge for a typical driveway. Most contractors are charging the same for their plow truck. You can do a much neater job with a blower equiped tractor. I don't rake gravel or patch sod in the spring. A tractor is not a feather duster and some damage to lawn should be expected. Still waiting for snow here in the Great White North.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[spruce Deere]

I have done a little math and it seems like real costs will run about $50 per hour but some of that cost will occur even if the tractor never moves.

$75 per hour would be more ideal. If a guy with a tractor can not do more work in one hour as 1 man making $7.50 an hour can do by hand in 10 hours your tractor is not very powerful.

After ALL is accounted for example, transport, tractor fuel, commercial insurance, tow rig fuel, wear on stuffs 'consumables' like rubber/nylon or iron plow cutting bits, tires, tines.... what ever is the work is, the list generally is not cheap. $65-70/hr looks bout' right. A minimum charge for services or a "seasonal" charge has worked out for me.

But, there is such a thing called being neighborly.... helping out when needed. For me most of the time, good things have come back around. Ol' fashioned bartering gets lots of play around here. Or stated earlier, getting 2 or 3 or more jobs lined up in the same area ether do to you, or the neighbors of the person you are doing work for needing some work done can help save some expenses for me and them.

The last "job" I did was to spread a dump truck load of peat moss over a large garden spot and till it in for the winter, The urban farm movement seems to be really gaining steam around here. The fella knew how much work that would entail to spread the peat by hand and then heard his troy-built around tilling. He gladly paid the 2 hour minimum even though it did not take the full two hours. My travel time there and back, load/unload time was a dead tie with the actual "work" time.

 

[lilranch2001]

I am sure ya'll are reporting your earnings to Uncle Sam

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I am sure ya'll are reporting your earnings to Uncle Sam

Not required. There are a few here doing for the posters.

 

[grsthegreat]

Well as best as i can figure, a $40,000 tractor , blower blade can be expected to last a long time, but for sake of a figure lets say 2,000 hours before some major works needs to be done.

1. 40,000/2,000 hr = $20/hr for equipment
2. All mine are local drive to so $0 transportation
3. My commercial policy $300/yr = less than $1 per day
3. Fuel runs $40/day = $5/hr on my tractor
4. Extended basic maintainance (oil, filter, hydro) = $1.00 per hour (cost about $400 per 400 hours changes on hst, and reg oil changes)

total = $27/hr for my tractor

Im making between $50-75/hour right now.

This is not bad wages for seat time.

 

[Pete6114]

I live in rural Ontario and all my neighbors have there own tractors, so no money making opportunities here. But i must say, that if i was in a position to plow driveways, $35 bucks just wouldn't do it for me.
I suppose i could trailer it into a city 30 miles away and try to make a go of doing driveways there, but it's such a cut-throat business, that that too is not worth it to me.
Considering fuel, wear and tear on my expensive equipment, taken away from $35, just would not leave enough for me.

Just my 2cents

 

[Tractordawg]

We use to do contracts up in Western NY. The contact also insured you would be plowed the day of the storm. There were many occasions when we were just to busy to plow anyone without a contract and many people waited 3-4 days until they could get out of their driveway.