How much to charge/

[walterc]

That's just enough information to turn the job down. I think I'll pass and recommend he find someone with swather and baler.

Thanks guys.

 

[mikehaugen]

For the smaller stuff that I usually get, I get in the range of $75-100 per acre. That includes travel and all so the bigger the lot the less per acre. Even if you were to drop to $40 per acre which is extremely cheap, that would be $4000. It may be worth spending a week out there on the tractor- I know I would do it. I would even burn a week of vacation to get it done. That's just me though, and I doubt the guy would be willing to pay that. He would be better off finding someone with a 20ft batwing and a 150hp tractor that could do it in a day.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Any way, there's a guy in the area that needs 100 acres of weeds mowed down. He initially asked to rent my tractor and mower, but I don't do that.

Yup. Agree 100%. Also, an inexperienced operator might just roll the whole **** thing down a hill.

Any way, I told him I could mow it for him, but I'm not sure how long to estimate for it, and how much to charge. I have a 27 HP Kubota and a Deere 5' brush mower. I was thinking I could get it done over a weekend, but I'm not sure since I've never mowed that much land.

I have a 25 hp Bobcat and a 5' brush mower, so I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I do about an acre an hour. I can go a little faster if the property is reasonably flat and has been hogged somewhat recently, but that is hardly ever the case for jobs like this. Usually, it's very overgrown. Because of that, you have to go much slower than a "mowing calculator" would suggest, because you're looking for debris in the weeds, finding boulders and rocks that you have to mow around, and so forth. Also, if the property is not dead flat, you are going to find spots that are steep enough that you may not be able to make the ideal approach--e.g. you have to drive up and down instead of across, or something--and that is going to further slow you down.

At 8 hours a day, that is about a 12-13 day job. I estimate that I burn about a gallon of diesel an hour (a little less, but it keeps the math simple). I also estimate about a dollar an hour towards my next 400-hour service. So that's maybe $4.50 an hour in cost just to keep the tractor running--bare minimum. Add in the potential for you to damage your tractor or mower, and I just round up to $10 an hour in equipment costs. Add on top of that what you think your time is worth, multiply by 100 hours, and away you go.

There are some on here who would say that the 1 acre per hour estimate is too conservative. IMO, it very much depends on the nature of the job. If it is head-high weeds, there is no way you can go at full speed, even if your tractor and your mower are big enough to handle the volume of material, because you are not going to want to charge blindly ahead. You may run into a ditch or a big chunk of cement or who knows what? If you had a very WIDE mower, then things might go faster, because you could still go at a safe speed, and cover more ground. I have only been bush-hogging for a little while, but one thing I have learned is that you seldom get asked to mow somebody's field that's been regularly maintained. Usually, it's some field that nobody has touched in six months, a year, or maybe more. The brush is 3'+ and you can barely see where you're going, and I just look at the mowing calculator that says I can do 3 acres an hour and laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

 

[joshuabardwell]

He would be better off finding someone with a 20ft batwing and a 150hp tractor that could do it in a day.

Yup. I charge $50 an hour, and I guarantee at least 1 acre per hour. At that rate, the job would be $5000. I'd probably cut the guy a discount for volume, and knock it down to maybe $3k, which isn't bad money for a couple weeks of work. That's extremely cheap for this kind of work, but still way out of most people's league.

Thing is, the guy with the 20ft batwing, if he's smart, he's still going to charge in the same ballpark, because he knows who his competition is. And of course, he's got to cover maintenance on a much bigger piece of equipment.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Have a written contract saying there is nothing in the field. Ever run over a horse drawn plow with a bush hog? I have, if I had not had it written out I would have had to pay for a set of blades and a cut in the deck about three feet long. All in a "clean" pasture.:duh:

 

[Leejohn]

I'm thinking why in the world would he ask you do it with that small of rig. He needs to get some one with a 50hp+ tractor and at least a 10ft bush hog. That would get the job done and be cheaper in the long haul.

 

[Rock knocker]

Have a written contract saying there is nothing in the field. Ever run over a horse drawn plow with a bush hog? I have, if I had not had it written out I would have had to pay for a set of blades and a cut in the deck about three feet long. All in a "clean" pasture.:duh:

The problem with a written contract is that you can be held to it. For instance, say your tractor breaks down. You could be liable for renting a new rig, or hiring someone else.

There are ways to lessen your exposure due to mechanical failure and what not, but you need to remember that a knife can cut both ways.

That said, I am in favor of properly written contracts, insurance, and walking away from jobs that you can't make money on. I searched a number of threads on this forum where pricing for pasture and meadow mowing were discussed. I was appalled by the number of people mowing for as little as $15.00/acre or $25.00/hr. As a business, it isn't worth bidding against those people, because they are operating on a deficit, whether they know it or not

 

[sixdogs]

I'd guess this is a situation to walk away from. He won't want to pay what it's worth for your time plus wear and tear and even if he does, these this wind up with unhappy endings. Either he will find some reason to be unhappy or you will wind barb wire around the PTO shaft and snap a gear or some other crazy thing worth $2,500. Plus you have no insurance, he'll claim his payment to you as a deduction, you won't claim it as income and it goes downhill from there.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Rock knocker It depends on the contract. In mine it just said he guaranteed the field was clear of things that would damage my tractor\ bush hog and agreed to pay damages.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I'm thinking why in the world would he ask you do it with that small of rig. He needs to get some one with a 50hp+ tractor and at least a 10ft bush hog. That would get the job done and be cheaper in the long haul.

He probably just doesn't realize how big a job it is. One other thought: are you sure his 100 acre estimate is right? I always check against Google Earth if I can.