What does your Tractor cost you per hour of operation.

[bmaverick]

I’m a dude that has a 39 acre homestead with pastures and woods. Question is, could I do better, “cost per hour”, either renting a tractor or hiring it out? Probly. . . But with renting, I can’t get the implements I need, and the tractors are mid-level compacts. That leaves hiring it out. The biggest issue with renting or hiring it out is, when I have work to get done, I am tied to their schedule. By owning the equipment, I can do it at my convenience and a little or a lot at a time.

For me, the convenience and flexibility of having the tractor and proper implements readily available makes that “dollar per hour” amount go WAY down. I LOVE knowing that tractor is out in its shed ready to go whenever I need or want it.

And the more seat time you get, the lower the operating costs becomes. Just treat the machine with TLC.

 

[bmaverick]

I'll tell where I'm starting calculation from. Please note it's different country.
Here is the rate, which you may not exceed, because competitors do the same. And the customer knows that. Therefore he won't pay you more, than to another company or the guy with well equipped tractor. This rate is €35/h. While dividing it by 2 you have approximately €17,5 for machinery cost and €17,5 for labor.
Only then you start to think about whether it pays to work or not.

Love you link on the 3PT dump buckets. In the USA, from the 1980s till mid 2000s, these were popular and also imported. Cost was a mere $700USD for a manual dump version and $950USD for a top-link hydraulic controlled version.

Only 2 companies now manufacture them and it's almost $2,000USD for a 3PT dump bucket system. Additionally it's hard to find them used because people know the usefulness of them.

 

[airbiscuit]

$759 at Fleet Farm

 

[ArtMech]

Love you link on the 3PT dump buckets. In the USA, from the 1980s till mid 2000s, these were popular and also imported. Cost was a mere $700USD for a manual dump version and $950USD for a top-link hydraulic controlled version.

Only 2 companies now manufacture them and it's almost $2,000USD for a 3PT dump bucket system. Additionally it's hard to find them used because people know the usefulness of them.

View attachment 727092

Wow... I didn't think this attachment might be popular in the U.S. I thought all tractor owners prefer FEL only.

And yours looks good! Please post a link of video if available to see how it works.

On a hydraulic version I consciously avoided top-link controlled design, because it not always works with any brand tractor.

And very big thanks for watching a channel.

 

[hornett22]

I'll tell where I'm starting calculation from. Please note it's different country.
Here is the rate, which you may not exceed, because competitors do the same. And the customer knows that. Therefore he won't pay you more, than to another company or the guy with well equipped tractor. This rate is €35/h. While dividing it by 2 you have approximately €17,5 for machinery cost and €17,5 for labor.
Only then you start to think about whether it pays to work or not.

Where I live, I'm the only one that answers the phone, returns calls, shows up, does the work, does a good job. I'm not worried about the competition.

 

[bmaverick]

$759 at Fleet Farm

Not at all the same thing. it's close, but still not the same scoop wide nor the ability to curl.

Here's the manual version, but does have a hydraulic top-ink version too.

And here is the VIDEO in action.

 

[bmaverick]

Where I live, I'm the only one that answers the phone, returns calls, shows up, does the work, does a good job. I'm not worried about the competition.

AWESOME.

Next, just in your location or just the region area in your avatar to the left.

That's how I found a person nearby who has a tractor and stump grinder to hire.

 

[bmaverick]

Wow... I didn't think this attachment might be popular in the U.S. I thought all tractor owners prefer FEL only.

And yours looks good! Please post a link of video if available to see how it works.

On a hydraulic version I consciously avoided top-link controlled design, because it not always works with any brand tractor.

And very big thanks for watching a channel.

The simple control.

 

[orezok]

Cost per hour?

Don’t know

Don’t care

 

[Cycledude]

My LS seems to use approximately 1.5 gallons of diesel per hour so at $3 per gallon that’s nearly $5 per hour just for fuel alone.