Is $300 to much for mowing 20 acres?

[Gatorboy]

That job is worth $1000. here. Would we get it, who knows? I wouldn't take it for less than $800. very bottom price for us on mowing 20 acres of weeds!

Of course you wouldn't get it. Your lawn care business ZTR's or whatever you use are not the proper equipment to be bidding on this job.

You don't price a job based on the equipment you happen to have. I'm sure some guy with a 21-inch pushmower would be quoting even more than you are saying it's worth.

 

[scott_vt]

I'm sure some guy with a 21-inch pushmower would be quoting even more than you are saying it's worth.

Hi Dave,
Well my push mower is only 20", so I guess Ill have to add even more

 

[IslandTractor]

Can you suggest any good motels in your area? I'm loading up and heading that way. $1000 would get you 50 acres (or more) mowed here. Even in a high cost of living area, $1000 for less than a days work (and no medical degree) is incredable!

Sure we can get your a decent motel can but it would cost you about $150 bucks a night. A nice one would be $250. Dinner anywhere other than McD's would add $40-50 and if you wanted to live here you'd pay a minimum of $350,000 for a house way outside of town. My point is simply that some of the regional differences in mowing costs are not totally arbitrary. I just paid a plumber $250 to walk into the house, cut a 5x5 inch hole in the bathroom wall, diagnose a broken drain pipe and stop. 30 minutes in the house, maybe 10 minutes each way to his office. I am inclined to believe that in non farming communities in the northeast (like all of Eastern Mass), that the numbers Lawnking is quoting are actually in line with what other things cost.

 

[BillyP]

Sure we can get your a decent motel can but it would cost you about $150 bucks a night. A nice one would be $250. Dinner anywhere other than McD's would add $40-50 and if you wanted to live here you'd pay a minimum of $350,000 for a house way outside of town. My point is simply that some of the regional differences in mowing costs are not totally arbitrary. I just paid a plumber $250 to walk into the house, cut a 5x5 inch hole in the bathroom wall, diagnose a broken drain pipe and stop. 30 minutes in the house, maybe 10 minutes each way to his office. I am inclined to believe that in non farming communities in the northeast (like all of Eastern Mass), that the numbers Lawnking is quoting are actually in line with what other things cost.

Thanks for the info. I'll scratch that part of the US off my future vacation spots.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Sure we can get your a decent motel can but it would cost you about $150 bucks a night. A nice one would be $250. Dinner anywhere other than McD's would add $40-50 and if you wanted to live here you'd pay a minimum of $350,000 for a house way outside of town. My point is simply that some of the regional differences in mowing costs are not totally arbitrary. I just paid a plumber $250 to walk into the house, cut a 5x5 inch hole in the bathroom wall, diagnose a broken drain pipe and stop. 30 minutes in the house, maybe 10 minutes each way to his office. I am inclined to believe that in non farming communities in the northeast (like all of Eastern Mass), that the numbers Lawnking is quoting are actually in line with what other things cost.

I don't wanna LIVE THERE! Nor do I want to remodel anyones house. I just want to make excessive amounts of money for simple, low overhead work like mowing weeds. You're talking Haliburton rates up there!

 

[MikeD74T]

That cut is worth $1000.00 here in the nations highest cost of living area.

I agree, in eastern MA & southeastern NH a pickup pushing snow can make $100-$200 per hour doing small jobs close togeather. That's not to say everyone's making that or that there's enough snow to make a living at it. Just like you can't mow weeds every day. But I wouldn't work my $28K tractor & mower for any less than $100 per hour either. Minimun wage here is $5.15 which the legislature won't raise because cost of living is $19 per hour at basic standards and a raise to less than that is pointless. Anybody can work for free. MikeD74T

 

[rback33]

I think the real truth lies in the fact that a job or task is just like any tractor, or car, jewelry.. whatever... it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it... I still think you should charge a min. of $500.

 

[Gatorboy]

But I wouldn't work my $28K tractor & mower for any less than $100 per hour either. Minimun wage here is $5.15 which the legislature won't raise because cost of living is $19 per hour at basic standards and a raise to less than that is pointless.

Bingo! 3 hours to mow 20 acres -- $300. I'd add another 1.5 hours for driving to/from the job. $450. No way is this a $1000 job -- I don't care where in the US you live.

... as for minimum wage. Those jobs are mostly being performed by teens getting their first jobs. Raising the minimum wage does nothing but cause all prices to increase or will cause employers to layoff workers. Do you think a 15-year old should be able to get a job at McDonald's and make $19/hour?

You show me an adult raising a family making minimum wage, and I'll show you one lazy individual.

 

[RonR]

I go round and round in my mind on every job I bid. And I think hard about every bid, including the latest one I gave. I have a lot of factors:

I need to charge around $50/hr, is where I start. (Your price might vary).
I try to figure how many hours it will take me, and lately I'm looking closer at "all Days" or "half day" as a basis for my bids. Then I look at the estimated cost and try to put a "have them accept it sanity check on it".

As my bids start to come down, I remember that my upcoming dental visit is gonna cost me $850! Helps me keep sanity in my bidding!

One recent bid, as I walked in his yard, I noticed a handicapped sticker on his car tag................... Influenced my bid down a little.

Last bid, homeowner was teathered to an O2 tank and 50ft of hose as he showed me the tasks. Influenced my bid down a little.

My jobs tend to be a little this, a little that. Most recent was move a small dirt pile, move a big compost pile, dismantle the compost bin, dig out a clothes line, and roto-till................... On a job like this, I finally just came up with my half day rate............

Ron

 

[patrick_g]

GatorBoy, I hadn't realized you were such a charitable sort. You can't possibly break even if you consider all the costs, even at $300. Consider what your tractor is worth with x hours on the clock and again with x+y hours and be sure to add in an allowance for depreciation. You are using a prorata amount of your tires and your hydraulics and a fraction of an oil change and major service. I think you should make more than flipping burgers to drive a tractor. The work of hitching, unhitching, loading, unloading, andn on and on. To be fair to yourself (not gouging anyone just getting fair compensation for all facets of the job) you'd have to charge considerably more than $300.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On the other side of the coin, it is not so unlikely that he will, in fact, find another "low bidder" (AKA SUCKER) as there are lots of people who have no clue how to calculate the actual cost of operating equipment and get into "BUSINESS" for a little while and then go out of business when they find they are spinning their wheels or going backwards or worse yet just run out of funds. You can't take a little loss on every hour of operation and somehow hope to make it up in VOLUME. If you feel compelled to give your services away in order to have the illusion that you are a commercial enterprise in tractor services, why not do it for more deserving recipients like charities, the poor, orphans and widows, or whatever instead of a sharp operator who is takiing advantage of peoples ignorance to save a buck.-----------------------------------Pat