What is a fair price for disking 15 acres?

[FatSlob]

since your going to have to haul your tractor to the farm id say $200 is a fair price todo the discing.

Wow. I'd say don't go into business haha. Just to rent a machine that size would be at least 400 bucks a day. To deliver it 85 miles would be an additional 400 bucks round trip. Now include the operator. Easily over a thousand bucks total. If I was doing a favor and in your shoes, I would charge 1000 bucks because of the distance. That would be a favor. He's better off finding someone local to him to do it and have it done much cheaper

 

[houstonscott]

http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/2011TxCustomRates042211_2.pdf


This may help.

HS

 

[J F]

Stay outta debt kid. :thumbsup:

 

[RickB]

http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/2011TxCustomRates042211_2.pdf


This may help.

HS

When I was doing custom farming I multiplied published land grant university info like that by no less than 1.5 X and more often by 2X and never ran out of work.

Truck and tractor fuel for this job will be well north of $100 and the real time investment will be no less than 11 hours.

 

[paulharvey]

I would say that at $600 your making money for the day. I don't for a minute think you can get $50 per hour and $2 per mile, driving a pickup. I do think that you and the rancher would both be better off to find a local to do it. 3 hours each way is a long drive. If you can get $0.85 per mile and maybe $25/hr for your time and still get $400 for the machine, fuel, your time you will be around brake even. For machine time, I think $25+$1/HP ($25+$75 in your case) is a profit making price, with money for repairs, and replacement.

Politely inform him that he would be best served with a local guy but that you can make the trip, if he can't get a local, for $400 plus fuel and drive.

Edit: sorry, I don't know where I got 3 hrs each way..., but I stand by my other numbers, $0.85 per mile +$25 per hour driving, and hp+$25 per hour operating,

 

[tmc_31]

Thanks guys,

I think that $200.00 for this job might be a little light. I told the customer that I would charge him $75/hr and $1/mi haul rate (each way). I expect this job will take 6 to 7 hours so the total should be around $695.00. That seems to be in line with what most of have suggested. I am in business with all it's attendant costs (insurance, accounting, taxes etc.) however I cannot afford to turn down jobs that will make me money. The $75 rate for the tractor includes the cost of the machine, interest, depreciation, maintenance, fuel, insurance, labor and profit. The $1/mi haul rate is really a little light but it is what I told him so I will stick with it. The next one will be $1.20/mi each way.

houstonscott, thanks for the link to the tamu pdf. I have seen those before though not one with as current data as that one. I noticed that the mowing rates seemed pretty cheap at $15/acre. I offer tractor shredding as part of my services and have sliding scale based on acreage as a starting point to price a mowing job. If I am doing 200 acres or so with a 150 hp tractor and a 15' batwing I can get down in the $15-$18/acre range, but most of my mowing jobs are 5-25 acres.

Tim

 

[jenkinsph]

Tim,
Just be careful with the transport costs as it can eat up your profits and take up a lot of your time. I find I can transport a tractor or backhoe a short distance and burn way more fuel in the truck than the tractor will use to perform the work.

 

[FatSlob]

Thanks guys,

I think that $200.00 for this job might be a little light. I told the customer that I would charge him $75/hr and $1/mi haul rate (each way). I expect this job will take 6 to 7 hours so the total should be around $695.00. That seems to be in line with what most of have suggested. I am in business with all it's attendant costs (insurance, accounting, taxes etc.) however I cannot afford to turn down jobs that will make me money. The $75 rate for the tractor includes the cost of the machine, interest, depreciation, maintenance, fuel, insurance, labor and profit. The $1/mi haul rate is really a little light but it is what I told him so I will stick with it. The next one will be $1.20/mi each way.

houstonscott, thanks for the link to the tamu pdf. I have seen those before though not one with as current data as that one. I noticed that the mowing rates seemed pretty cheap at $15/acre. I offer tractor shredding as part of my services and have sliding scale based on acreage as a starting point to price a mowing job. If I am doing 200 acres or so with a 150 hp tractor and a 15' batwing I can get down in the $15-$18/acre range, but most of my mowing jobs are 5-25 acres.

Tim

695.00 your still cheating yourself. big time. That's actually unusually ridiculously cheap. When you factor in machine costs delivery fuel on machine and transport, wear and tear. That's actually beyond ridiculous. I just did a job for a neighbor up the street where it took me 8 hours to complete the job digging a Long drainage swail. He got estimates for 5000 dollars and 6000 dollars. All it was was machine time, operator and all the hidden costs like fuel and insurance and delivery. I saved him a ton of money doing the neighborly thing. I actually do site development and improvement for a living. I did it for 1000 dollars and he was very greatful and even bought me a bottle of vodka along with a 500 dollar tip. all it cost me was fuel and my time being since it was a half mile down the road

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

$695 is too cheap for all that time and work, start at $1000 at least

 

[wolftree]

Definetly purge his hydraulic cylinder(s) on his disk or you have contaminated your hydraulic fluid and have to dump all of your fluid when you plug up.

My ex-FIL plugged my system. I had to completely drain my system, clean it out and replace filter, BIG BUCKS.