Residential Landscaping Pricing

[Bird]

Reading this thread makes me jealous, I guess. I live in poor folks' country, where most of the farmers around here who need tractor work done have their own tractors. I do just a little bit of tractor work for other people for hire, but I'll do most anything I can do on my tractor for $20-$25 an hour (of course I like to play on it, and my principle income is from another source). I don't understand some of the thread about the backfilling. Most homes in this area are built on a slab foundation, but my two brothers used to be home builders in Alaska, and when one of them decided to build a home here, with a 4 foot crawl space under it, I did the backfilling with the B7100, front end loader, and 4 foot box blade that I had at that time; took awhile, but no big deal. When we were pouring the footers, I did get a kick out of the fact that the cement truck driver, who was delivering the ready mix, asked where we were from, because he said it was obvious we weren't from around here.

Bird

 

[MChalkley]

Yeah, I know what you mean. There's not much work like what I was talking about earlier around here, either. It's only the larger construction companies and they require at least $250k in liability insurance, workman's compensation insurance (even for 1-man-shows), etc. So, you lose about $50 a job to insurance, if you do 2 a week, and that knocks out all the "fly-by-night" competition. So, they have to pay more for their work. Of course, they're more demanding in other ways, too. If they call with a job and you don't get to it in a couple days, you don't get called again. Plus, they want it done a certain way and nothing else will do. They're very particular about run-off locations and slope amounts, etc. It's not like grading somebody's driveway, unfortunately. That would be sweet, if the money were the same.

The houses I'm talking about backfilling for are all masonry foundations with crawlspaces. But as I said, when they use the term 'backfilling' they mean more than just pushing dirt up to the foundation - they're also talking about establishing the complete drainage pattern within 20-25 feet of the house, all around.

Mark

 

[gordon]

Here is a good one. I'm hooking the box on the three point and the darn thing just won't line up correctly. I'm naming it if you know what I mean. About that time my wife walks into the equipment shed and asks what the heck is going on so I proceed to tell her. She busts out laughing and says if you don't have the hang of hooking those things up after a few thousand times then just give it up and walks out. well needless to say I had the darn thing hooked up within thirty seconds after that. Some women don't understand that if you name a piece of equipment sometimes it goes right on /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

By the way do you have a link for that freedom Hitch How comptable are they and lastly about how much is the list price or going price of these ???

Rule number one never feel guilty about taking that mans money because if he didn't have it he wouldn't have hired you to begin with. Jobs like that are sweet and make up for the ones that you run over on sad but true.

 

[MChalkley]

Try http://www.freedomhitch.com. I think they're about $150 a pop. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif The only thing I know of that they aren't compatible with (without a lot of work) is a posthole digger.

Don't get me wrong - I didn't mind taking the money. But it did surprise me that I got it done so quickly. Maybe he suckered me and is planning on making it up on the next one.

Mark

 

[gordon]

Anyone who leaves his or her own property with their tractor and does't have the proper insurance is crazy in this day and age. The world we live in today is a sue happy world so you best have all your bases covered, everyone out there has worked hard for what they have and it would be a shame for some smuck to take it all away in one fail swoop because of no insurance. I hate to pay all that money out but without it I couldn't exist and because I do some logging also it makes it even worse but my insurance agent loves me---yea right loves my money I should say---
What is great is when they send out some lady to inspect my equipment for safty who has no idea of what is what--That makes for a long morning. But thats the world we live in everybody has to cover their butts, even the insurance company.

 

[MChalkley]

I haven't heard anything about the safety inspection yet. What a prospect. Words I find myself saying too often these days: "Deliver me from the idiots."

 

[gordon]

Thanks for the link a searched for it the other night and nothing came up but a bunch of junk links. Looks like a nice setup does the long latch lever ever get in your way?

Thanks again for the great link Gordon

 

[gordon]

The fun never stops they want to make sure that you play with your toys very very safe thats all and it can help to lower your rate on the percentage basis. I couldn't have put that better myself /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JimBinMI]

Bird,

Here in Michigan full basements are the rule, slabs and crawl spaces are the exception. I believe all new homes built today with a basement have to have egress windows, which allow a second exit in case of fire. A house without a basement isn't near as appealing. My basement is the same size as my main floor (ranch style).

The run-off away from the house that Mark mentions is very important here to keep water out of your basement since a lot of people have living space down there. Need somewhere to go when there's a tornado warning you know!

JimBinMI

 

[MChalkley]

My, what good eyes you have, Gordon! Yes, it does get in the way on the smaller tractors. It's necessary, I think for the largest Cat 1 tractors, so they give you enough, figuring it's a 2 minute job with a hacksaw to shorten it, but not every farm has a pipe stretcher. I've shortened mine considerably and am seriously considering bending it up/back about 15 degrees.

Mark