Mowing How many acres per hour mowing and discing

[HarleyBob]

I need to bid a large job (it is on my own farm but contracting
to someone who is leasing). I have a 30hp tractor, a five foot bushhog and
a five foot disc set.

I normally charge by the hour when working elsewhere, but this bid needs to
be per acre.

I will be mowing level ground twice a year. Discing same terrain, low vegetation.

How many acres per hour can you mow grass with that setup, no brush?
How many acres per hour can you disc, one pass?

Is there a rough, general, rule of thumb?

 

[trook]

Ground speed x width of implement x .1

For example 4mph x 5ft bush hog = 2.0 acres/hour. However, a 5 ft bush hog will probably be closer to 4mph x 4ft (actual cutting width) = 1.6 acres/hour. Keep in mind that this includes perfect conditions and does not take into consideration things such as turning, backing, etc.

 

[Verticaltrx]

The formula for estimating field capacity, acres per hour, of an implement is: {width (ft) x speed (mph) x efficiency (%)} divided by 8.25. So, if your using your 5' bush hog at 3mph, with about 85% efficiency, it would be (5x3x.85) / 8.25 which would be about 1.55ac/hr.

The efficiency accounts for overlap, turning on the corners, etc. It may be higher or lower than 85%, that's something you just estimate. I personally find it to equal out to about an acre an hour with a 5' bush hog when I do custom work.

 

[HarleyBob]

Thanks for all that technical help.
I tend to run on the fast side so 1.5 acres/ hour is probably a good estimate.
Now I need to get a reasonable bid for the work. I will be doing
about 14 acres of mowing and 14 acres of discing.
I am doing this in long strips (1000 to 1200 feet) as part of a research trial.

I am normally $65/hour for residential brush clearing, leveling etc but
actual large farm fieldwork is not billed at as high a rate.

I will probably be billing at $35-$45 per acre. Low for mower, higher for disc.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I agree the the larger the job the less one can charge. If it is next door it cost less to do the job. I would guess $50 for cost for equipment and labor per acre. It is the $2000 repair jobs we forget to factor in often.