Bush Hogging 8 acres - pricing?

[Skramps]

SKramps - how much do you want to make an hour ? Unskilled labor around here is $25 an hour and pushing for $30 I think you've got to get no less than $45 an hour, and high end $60 an hour, including time to load and unload. Add the cost of the tractor and fuel. Not less than $15 an hour. Charge for the travel at $2.50 a mile. I think the $750 is right in line.

We're at about the same for skilled and unskilled labor. Fast food places are hiring at $18. Trades are upwards of $60. I'm figuring my hourly rate based on how I price the other parts of my business but with obviously different inputs. I'm happy that I'm not reaching too far away from what the norm seems to be. Thanks

 

[Skramps]

After 11,000 posts on T-B-N I find it baffling how few new members specify their location.

I find it difficult, sometimes impossible, to post solid information without knowing where the OP will operate the tractor.

Here are my reasons for wanting OP location.

ALTIITUDE - Tractors lose 3% of engine power output for every 1,000' altitude increase, over 1,500' Sometimes twenty posts will be made advising on tractor horsepower, then we find OP is a 6,500 feet altitude and is considering a low power, naturally aspirated tractor.

WEATHER - ESPECIALLY SNOW - Blowing snow and mowing are the two tasks that require considerable engine power. If we know an OP is in Buffalo, NY rather than Key West, FL snow needs are apparent.

WEATHER - Large swathes of the country have a continental climate, four seasons, with great temperature variations between winters and summers.
Areas near the coast have varying maritime climates.

PRICING - Tractor and implement pricing and dealer service pricing varies a great deal. Lowest prices are usually in the south. Prices along the west coast and in the northeast are usually highest.

Some states exempt agriculture and forestry equipment from state sales taxes. Florida is one example of liberal ag sales tax exemptions.

IMPLEMENTS - Availability of implements brands are regional, not national. ie: CountyLine, Rural King, etc.

SOIL AND GROWING SEASON - Whether game food plots or market crops, soil and length of growing season(s) in important. Soil type influences tire selection.

USED TRACTORS - When the OP posts a location, OP is often referred to good used tractors nearby or provided local tractor listings from Craig's List, eBay, TractorHouse, Machinery Peter or other sites.

Everyone on T-B-N has a screen name, as anonymous as they like. Any other profile information is contributed voluntarily, such as age and tractor brand/model. Relative to the massive data heists reported so often, with names, address, Social Security and credit card numbers stolen, this site is nearly anonymous.

Appreciate the information. I'm aware of the need for location when posting which is why I put my location in the body of my post. Never actually noticed the location near the screen name. Information added. Thank you

 

[Hay Dude]

Good points. I've become very competent in other areas of my business with pricing and am spot on. This is like I'm a new business owner again. It took a lot of nightmare jobs that were priced horribly for it to get tuned in. I think I'll fair a little better now but you're right.

What you will find is some guys mow by the acre and some by the hour. I sort of do a blend, but give more weight to the hour price.
If the grass is combined with some woody brush, extra thick, etc. I tend to go by the hour-knowing it’ll be in a lower gear (takes longer) and is harder on equipment.
A disadvantage of the smaller tractors & mowers is they are considerably slower, so what might take you 6 hours, takes me 2. A property owner would compare hourly prices and the bigger tractor & mower are usually going to win the bid and also take home more per hour. Downside for me is more expense to own bigger mowing equipment.

I started out with an 8‘ mower over 20 years ago and knew pretty quickly for anything over 5 acres, the 15’ mower was so much faster

Paid off my 15’ mower in 1.5 years. One of my best money makers.

 

[Skramps]

What you will find is some guys mow by the acre and some by the hour. I sort of do a blend, but give more weight to the hour price.
If the grass is combined with some woody brush, extra thick, etc. I tend to go by the hour-knowing it’ll be in a lower gear (takes longer) and is harder on equipment.
A disadvantage of the smaller tractors & mowers is they are considerably slower, so what might take you 6 hours, takes me 2. A property owner would compare hourly prices and the bigger tractor & mower are usually going to win the bid and also take home more per hour. Downside for me is more expense to own bigger mowing equipment.

I started out with an 8‘ mower over 20 years ago and knew pretty quickly for anything over 5 acres, the 15’ mower was so much faster

Paid off my 15’ mower in 1.5 years. One of my best money makers.

Understood. My goal is to upgrade to larger equipment in 3-4 years but I needed to get started without putting too much money into a new side of the business. Hopefully I can upgrade sooner.

 

[sea2summit]

I wouldn’t travel 40 miles for a tractor job. That’s two hours plus load/unload time, three-four hours. I’d need a $200 show up fee…and really should be more because that’s basically break even.

ETA beer math
7mpg towing at $5.50/gal is 11.5 gallons, ~$65
Oil change on the truck ever 5k at $150, $2
Driving, my time matters, two hrs at $10, $20
Tractor prep at $10/hr, $10
Loading $5
Insurance $115/month and this is a day of that, $5
That’s $110 and no consumables other than fuel.

 

[stuckmotor]

Whatever you charge, I recommend you consider an escape clause for yourself in the agreement so, if you have to quit part way through, you get paid for what you've done. I speak from a bad experience on this kind of thing.

 

[newbury]

The customer wants 8 acres of knee/waist high fields mowed. It looks like it has been regularly maintained but not recently so there aren't any debris piles, wooded areas, briars or anything like that. Mostly grasses and some small wooded material. Slightly inclined and rolling but not steep. No large obstacles except a few large trees that have enough clearance around them to cut around.

Have you walked the lot?
Lot's of "junk" is known to take refuge in fallow fields. Old fences, discarded tires, etc.

 

[Gee Ray]

I thought I wrote this post as I was reading it.

I just quoted 8 acres 20 miles from the house. It is located in the city and there would be trash to pick up from the vagrants. I included 2 million liability insurance for $1000 per cut every 6 weeks.

 

[Carl_NH]

Here on the NH coast, trades (masons, stone wall builders, basic wiring/plumbing) are charging out at $75/hr this year and with no equipment - just hand tools.

I think $75 each way load/unload and fuel expense is reasonable. With tractor $100-110/hour working is about right, and as stuckmotor stated if you get 50% done and hit a land mine of debris, or fencing etc. and need to repair your machine you might consider a buried debris clause for the first time mowing - like an hour or two variance in your estimate.

So an estimate of 6 hours would be $600-750 plus $150 travel, and if there are obstacles, you have an out. Then if this is a repeat mowing - every 6 months like summer and fall you can provide a better rate.

Finally what is their expectation of the finished mowing - do they want a "lawn" look or mowed field"? Meaning do you need to double cut both directions?

 

[Hay Dude]

I wouldn’t travel 40 miles for a tractor job. That’s two hours plus load/unload time, three-four hours. I’d need a $200 show up fee…and really should be more because that’s basically break even.

ETA beer math
7mpg towing at $5.50/gal is 11.5 gallons, ~$65
Oil change on the truck ever 5k at $150, $2
Driving, my time matters, two hrs at $10, $20
Tractor prep at $10/hr, $10
Loading $5
Insurance $115/month and this is a day of that, $5
That’s $110 and no consumables other than fuel.

I’d add $10 more for a 1/2 gallon of iced tea and a “sharing size” pack of Goldbergs Peanut Chews.
20 miles would be a roading tractor/mower for me.
I’ll probably go 30 before loading up the trailer.

To the OP: “city mowing” can be a BIG mess. I usually turn down those jobs. I walked a few before mowing and found piles of discarded concrete, rocks, trash, mattresses, etc.

Better add X$/Hour for clean-up. You could lose your shirt fast if you end up spending gobs of time cleaning up. Also, where’s the trash going? Is customer providing a dumpster?