LoneCowboy
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,212
I very seldom can do 5mph. 4mph is about all I can do, and mow it good. Grass was pretty heavy, fields are not very smooth, the few jobs i do are guys only want it done when it pretty high and thick. i just did about 13 acres and it took a little under 11 hours. Bill at $45 an hour plus travel time. And i do pay attention, and not waste any time when turning. This was one big field. Keep in mind, I have to go by what the landowner says it is for acres, but it did look about right.
So, let do the math.
You billed 11 hours. $495
It took you 11 hours.
That's 300 dollars worth of maint/fuel/repairs/etc on the tractor (maybe not right now, but it will come)
there's some fuel/truck/car insurance, but let's assume that your travel time fees (1 hour? $45?) equal out your travel costs. So you billed the guy $550 (m/l).
Before liability insurance, registration, equipment maintenance (bush hogs break down, blades, welding, skid shoes, etc)), workman's comp, taxes, bank fees, business fees, etc, etc, etc.
You made about $195 for working 12 hours. About $16/hour
In a short season (you're from Maine, right?),for a field that is probably only going to need to be mowed once. That's not much money to get you thru the winter.
The guy above who does 3 acres an hour.
It would take him 4 hours to do it
AT A LOWER PRICE ($500). ($100/hour he said above) and he makes more money.
4x $30 = $120, travel time balances out, he nets $280 for 5 hours of work. $56/hour, plus he can go do another job that day.
13 acres takes my crew about 2 hours.
I don't bill hourly, I bill by the job.
but my prices are in the same range but certainly lower than yours.
but look at my costs.
$60 (2 hours of tractor time, travel time balances out) and I can do 2 or 3 more jobs in the same day.
And that's why I (or others) can do it for less and make more money.
I (or Atgreene) aren't low-balling even though our prices to the customer are lower than yours, you are. you don't understand your costs. This is not at you in particular (although it works) but many of you with small tractors who don't understand your costs. This is just a good example that you put up.
If you do a 1 acre job, you spent 2 hours on it (travel), and made $15. (that's $7/hour). (1 hour of mowing at $45, 1 hour of travel, $30 worth of tractor costs)
BTW, grass/weeds are always heavy, there's always stuff out there waiting to be discovered the hard way (concrete, fencing, etc) and people wait til it's real tall, that's the business.
Last edited: