Garden Tilling

[KB9UDE]

Just wondering what is the average rate for garden tilling?? Do you charge more for a new garden than an existing one?? Hourly rate or bid??

I will be using the JD 3320 ehydro with JD 665 tiller // R4 tires.

Location is small town in central Illinois.

I have liability insurance.

Thanks

John

 

[deere755]

I always just gave a bid of $30 per hour with a one hour minumim. It has worked well for me. I don't live very far from you if that helps. A customer told me that to rent a Troy built was $60 dollars per day. I can till a large area in 2 hours for $60. I use a Deere 755 and a caroni 56 inch tiller. It may seem high until you figure how much your equipment costs and fuel.

 

[KB9UDE]

That is very close to the prices that I have gathered elsewhere. Thanks for the input.

BTW what do you think of this crazy weather we are having???
I am getting ready to go back to work in Decatur.

Thanks

John

 

[JiminGa]

Here's a basic idea of how I charge:
figure out the life expectancy of the equipment, then divde the price of that equipment by that number i.e. tractor cost $20000 expected service 2000 hours. $10 per hour. tiller cost $2500, expected life 500 hours. $5 per hour, then add your hourly rate for labor of $15 or what ever you feel your time is worth. then estimate the hours for the job and add it all up. may add over head costs in too if needed.

 

[JiminGa]

Here's a basic idea of how I charge:
figure out the life expectancy of the equipment, then divde the price of that equipment by that number i.e. tractor cost $20000 expected service 2000 hours. $10 per hour. tiller cost $2500, expected life 500 hours. $5 per hour, then add your hourly rate for labor of $15 or what ever you feel your time is worth. then estimate the hours for the job and add it all up. may add over head costs in too if needed.

 

[drtydeed]

Wow, do you guys want to sub for me? My equipment won't even start for twice that. What happens when a large rock takes out the tiller or PTO? Was the $30 worth it?

I can understand it if your doing something for a friend or neighbor... but gees.

 

[ustobefarmer]

I have a TC 40 with 6 ft tiller and I wouldn't even unload my tractor and tiller for less than $50 per hour. And this year with the price of fuel at $3.59 per gallon I'll probably raise my rate some. For some of my neighbors I charge less just to be neighborly. Some people will try bargen with you, but I never had one that wouldn't pay.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[hemiguy]

I don't charge by the hour, I charge by the sq ft. 0 to 3000 sq ft is $40. This takes me about an hour to do 2 passes. Over 3000 sq ft is $1 per each 100 sq ft. This is for previously tilled/cultivated ground and I use a Farmtrac 4ft tiller, usually on my JD455.

I charge 1.5x for untilled ground. For this I'll usually use the same tiller on my JD2520, but will box-blade with scarifiers down first. I've pulled up concrete blocks, huge rocks, car parts, 2x4's, you name it. A lot of suburban lots here filled with construction rubble

My tilling rates are cheap for here in western NY state. Walk behind 16" tillers here rent for $75/day or $50/4 hrs. For backhoe/loader work I'll charge a $125/2hr minimum and $50/hr each additional this year. My tractors sip fuel, but my truck's a real gas hog plus I do have liability insurance. If this was more than just evening/weekend side business, all my rates might be higher.

 

[KB9UDE]

Thanks for the info guys.

John

 

[LoneCowboy]

Wow, do you guys want to sub for me? My equipment won't even start for twice that. What happens when a large rock takes out the tiller or PTO? Was the $30 worth it?

I can understand it if your doing something for a friend or neighbor... but gees.

+1
Seriously, you are losing money, you aren't even paying for the equipment, much less making some money.

I can rip 1 acre an hour, and I never just till virgin soil, it gets ripped first. Much too hard on the tiller (existing gardens or loose soil don't need to be ripped).
I can till 1 acre every 2 hours.

multiply times your hourly rate.

 

[davitk]

Wow, do you guys want to sub for me? My equipment won't even start for twice that. What happens when a large rock takes out the tiller or PTO? Was the $30 worth it?

I can understand it if your doing something for a friend or neighbor... but gees.

I won't even show up with a pick up truck full of carpentry tools for less than $45/hr and a 2 hour minumum. Add in a $25K piece of equipment that costs $500 - $1500 for a "minor" fix.....

I wonder how many $30/hr jobs it takes just to pay for fuel and insurance

 

[rdbrumfield]

You have to figure your time from beginning of trip to the end. You might cut some slack if some of thier neighbors have you do they'res at the same time. 30 bucks hardly covers the truck and trailer anymore. I look at it this way, my regular job pays 36 and hour, 6$ for retirement and health on top of that. Running a piece of equipment with a skilled operator, liability, fuel, and time to and fro, if you are making a living at it, make it's worth your while.

 

[deere755]

That is very close to the prices that I have gathered elsewhere. Thanks for the input.

BTW what do you think of this crazy weather we are having???
I am getting ready to go back to work in Decatur.

Thanks

John

I am enjoying the weather a lot more this weekend, I have not needed a winter coat at least. I just wish it would dry up a little now, but I will take the warmer weather over snow anyday.

As for your question about what to charge for tilling, I asked the boss (wife) what she thought about my rates for tilling and she agrees with the rest of guys on here that I work to cheap. I am not in it to make a living as much as I am getting more tractor time and a little extra spending money. I do think that I will charge more with fuel prices being what they are this year. I think it depends a lot on the area you are in also. But I will probably look at the $50 an hour range this spring and see what happens.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Ok, so you wanna be in business
well
a. you need commercial liability insurance. (go price that)
b. you need commercial coverage on your truck and trailer (if you are trailering it around). (go price that, it's about double normal homeowners)
c. You probably need a DBA (although not gauranteed), some states it's easy, some states it's not.

It takes about a gallon an hour to run a compact tractor, so let's say for a one hour job, that's $4
Plus probably 10 miles one way, 10 miles back, call it two more gallons for the truck: That's $8
most compact tractors need a 300 hour service, mine runs about $500 every 300 hours. So, 1/300th of $500 is $1.67
Plus you're putting wear and tear on your tractor. Figure a 25,000 tractor should last about 4000 hours. Every hour costs $6.25 in capital (you have to replace the tractor)
Insurance runs me about $10/day (all the associated insurances, yours may be more or less, but it's a fair number)
a tiller doesn't last very long. Figure a $2000 tiller lasts maybe 1000 hours, so that's another $2.


so far, we're up to $32 in costs for a one hour job. Plus three hours of your time (1/2 hour to get there, hour to do it, 1/2 hour to get back. plus the 1/2 hour at the beginning to load the tractor, fuel it, etc, plus the 1/2 hour at the end to unload it, unhook it. Wow, at $50/hour, you are making ALMOST $6 an hour. I dunno about there, but minimum wage is more than that here.
Plus your time to grease the tractor, maintain the tractor, get parts for the tractor, etc.
We haven't even added in advertising, taxes, wear and tear on the truck, tags and plates, licenses, something actually breaking on the tractor, etc, etc, etc.


Either charge a reasonable price, or get out of the business and do it for your neighbors for free.

 

[davitk]

I agree. The folks you've worked for at the 30/hr rate have been given a highly unrealistic expectation as to what service work costs. You are doing legitimate contractors a disservice by working so cheaply, so do it for free or double your price.

 

[mpegg]

What kind of insurance are you referring about? I also have a small tlb and have used it to due small jobs but it is limited to friends and neighbors. I don't charge anything but if they give me a couple of bucks or beer thats fine with me. I have been concerned that if something would go wrong, what happens. I know to call the one dig and stuff like that but thats about it. I also dint mean to high jack this forum, but I feel this fits in and needs to be covered in the cost. I have no intention in making a living or just to make money, but to help people that help me out

 

[LoneCowboy]

liability insurance

doing any excavation? Need excavator's coverage. (it's not cheap)
mowing fields? need liability for that.
spraying chemicals? that's a whole ball of worms.

if you are moving your tractor with your truck while doing business, it's now a commercial vehicle and needs that insurance. (your regular homeowner's won't cover it)

if you aren't getting paid (helping out neighbors, beer, etc), then you're not needing it, because you should be covered under their homeowners. But if you are charging money for it, you need coverage. Because if you hit something, break something, hurt/kill someone accidentally, it doesn't matter that you were only doing it for $50/hour, you are liable and you better have coverage.

Heck, I haven't even included workman's comp. If you get injured doing something for money, your regular health insurance won't cover it.