Mowing Large acreage mowing

[goatman64]

I live and farm in Northern Colorado around the Fort Collins area. 60 acres of horse quality brome small squares is what keeps me busy in the summer. I was recently approached about another 35 acres for rough cut field mowing. I've read several posts across multiple boards discussing pricing approaches etc. In this day and age of inflation where simple bearings are stupid expense and ever increasing fuel charges ... How are folks bidding large acreage mowing jobs? I'm thinking hourly north of $100/hr. I have a 95hp tractor with a 8' rough cut mower. The acreage is flat.

Haying charges are well defined and boxed in ,, hay cutting, raking, baling and stacking.

Thanks for any input

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m at $150/hour+ on a CX-15 and a 135HP tractor on a 10 acre minimum. I’d be a little higher on a smaller job. My competitors are similar. I increased prices last summer -was at about $140.
I will probably drop another price increase soon since fuel doubled in price in 2 years.

If the field is particularly nasty with 3” Bradford pear, heavy Russian olive, I will add a little more

 

[jaxs]

You are right,we have gone to "Whatever the market will bear" prices. First thing that crosses my mind when asked to mow a field is "I wonder what I'll hit" . The longer since field was mowed,the more likly trash has been dumped and weeds are hiding it. Add the price of a new rear tire to what it's worth and refund it if all go's well. How about adding a little for extra fuel to what it's worth to swath same size field?

 

[MESSMAKER]

I’m at $150/hour+ on a CX-15 and a 135HP tractor on a 10 acre minimum. I’d be a little higher on a smaller job. My competitors are similar. I increased prices last summer -was at about $140.
I will probably drop another price increase soon since fuel doubled in price in 2 years.

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If the field is particularly nasty with 3” Bradford pear, heavy Russian olive, I will add a little more

I think that is about where it goes for around here. I think a 4 hour min. is pretty common. I think you are looking at somewhere around $900.

 

[ssgp2]

Just for reference: In the Ft. Worth area, I charge $65/hr. with a 6' brush cutter and run at 3 mph generally and leave a very nice cut. That is just shy of 2 acres/hr. on level, un-obstructed fields. However, 95% of what I do is NOT level, un-obstructed and the material is generally over 4' tall, so my speed is cut to 1-2 mph with the fel almost on the ground (for protection). My rate will likely go up this year due to the cost of oil and fuel though.
I consider the cost (mileage/fuel) to get to and from the job, the cost to run my tractor per hr. and lastly my hourly wage. Some ongoing jobs, are simply hourly. When bidding a job, I try not to get into the hourly rate with the customer, especially if I have never mowed that area before.
Depending on material, thickness and cleanliness of cut desired, you should be able to accomplish this job in 3.5 to 8.5 hours
I offer this info with the presumption that you don't typically do mowing jobs on a regular basis, but for info only.
For future reference: Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

 

[mikester]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

It’s cheaper in the long run to keep a field cut then to let it get overgrown and weedy. Not only do you have to mow briars and small trees but the grass will thin and require a lot of seed and fertilizer to put right again.

 

[Liquidsilver]

With a 15-footer, you can get a lot of mowing done for $150 an hour... especially if it's flat ground and you've mowed it before.

I don't know what ELSE you'd do with 35 acres if you wanted it to stay nice. ??

 

[Hay Dude]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

I have tried talking some of those very customers into hay, but when you show them the up front cost to spray everything with Banvel, then no till drill in new orchard grass, they balk at it.
I even have a customer paying $3,000 for mowing their meadows and they already have acceptable grass hay in most areas!
I could cut their bill down to about $1,000 and hay the good stuff.

Have another with same situation, all they need to do is cut in an access road to the field to bring out bales. Might cost $5,000, but it’ll pay itself back in greatly reduced mowing costs.

 

[jaxs]

With a 15-footer, you can get a lot of mowing done for $150 an hour... especially if it's flat ground and you've mowed it before.

I don't know what ELSE you'd do with 35 acres if you wanted it to stay nice. ??

Pushing 80 I can't stay in the saddle enough hours to earn much. Starting at 73 while recovering from shoulder surgery I began transitioning to consultant and GC to help pay bills. To answer your question,spray to surpress trees,bushes,vines and broad leaf weeds. A property owner can do the same on his land but there's compications. Getting permission to buy and/or apply herbicides is hardly worthwhile for less than several hundred acres in many states. Getting license that alow's doing it for hire is even more difficult. Some jurisdictions alow an end-around bartering with other farmers if you have permission to buy and apply to your land,no license required. My equipment is small and suited to small lots so I rarly work for another farmer other than in and around corrals,drives,ditches and such. I even hire 90% of my pasture and hay fields to a company with commercial rigs. Why not,I earn more from a 20 acre sub-divison to be than it cost's me to hire a 100 acre pasture sprayed.