Starting a Business with my L3901

[K3901]

Looking for some help from all the knowledgeable people here. I currently work as a Liftboat captain in the GOM and work is getting slow at best. people getting laid off all the time and pay getting cut. i need something to make up for some of the lost money! i purchased a 2015 Kubota L3901 earlier this year with FEL, 5' land pride brush hog and 5' box blade. Im looking at starting a business working this tractor some to help make up some of the lost money here at my full time job.

now to my questions. how do i figure out how much to charge for a particular job? say from brush hogging fields, box blade work, doing food plots. really anything i can do with the tractor. i know how to do the work just no idea on how much to charge. i dont want to go to high and lose business or screw customers but i dont want to go so low that i lose money at the end either. i know its probably all area based and ill learn more as i go along, really just need a starting point. also would love to hear any pointers from anyone currently doing this type of work! im located in the FL panhandle (Pace/Milton Area). also i will be a legit company (licensed and Insured)

Thanks!!!

 

[nybirdman]

Tractor+implements+fuel+operator and maybe truck/trailer to haul with=I would charge by the hour and at least $60.00 per and a 2 hour minimum for that sized tractor.
You can really get burned if you charge by the job.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Remember to cover yourself. I had a 74 hp Massey with a bush hog that I did some custom work with. This was just some of the fun I had.
1 Horse drawn plow laying in field that was clean with nothing I could hit, I hit it.
2 Locust log in clean field, bent blade and cut 3 ft grove in deck of bush hog.
3 Board with nails pointing up, found it with rear tire.
4 pitch fork with tines bent to a 90 deg angle, found with rear tire.

I could go on and on but you get the idea, my way was to say if you say the field is clean and I hit it you pay, If you say it is there and I hit it I pay. If you say I don't know, You will be paying me to walk the field too see what is there and the job will go slow.
Charge by the hr. and get things on paper so they can't say I won't pay. Ed

 

[roadhunter]

Make sure to contact your insurance agent and get commercial coverage.

What kind of license does Florida require for doing tractor work?

My guess is that something like that is work around $60-75 an hour. Make sure to account for your mobilization time. Might also find a trucker to work with for things like putting gravel on driveways.

 

[K3901]

Thanks for all the replies so far! i have already got a quote for general liability (1m/2m) and for commercial insurance for my truck/trailer so im good to go there. i like the idea about you pay/i pay for damages of items hit in a field. for the simple items i am talking about doing i just have to get a business license for landscaping/yard mowing. so far that has been a pretty simple process. I did a recycled concrete driveway for my mom that turned out GREAT. so might get into trying to do those also.

 

[reeltime]

Look at it this way to rent a machine at a rental is between 350.00 to 400.00 not counting delivery charges fuel 60.00 an hour for machine operator delivery fuel plus insured that is cheap money good luck.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[bigtiller]

What I have found out with garden tilling is people don't call me very often if the job is easy and their stuff won't get damaged if they do the job.
I've had them point out the work to be done and then disappear into the house to watch out the window as i banged my way through their mine field.

 

[muddstopper]

Tried to mow a field for someone once. The field was way overgrown, but i was assured that there wasnt anything hid in the weeds. Well on first pass I found a large walnut tree that had been sawed down and sawed into rounds. Hit it with the front tire so i didnt get into it with bushhog. Went on around the edge of field and drove right into a swamp and got stuck. Went to get a buddy and his tractor to pull me out and by the time we got back the tractor had shunk up to its belly just settng there. Took a couple of hours snatching an jerking to get it out. I left after that and dont know if they ever got that field mowed.

 

[K3901]

thats something good to think about and goes back to what Ed of all trades said. if they are sure its clean then they agree to pay for any damage, if they dont then they pay me to walk the field and be sure.

Thanks to everyone for all of the helpful info. please keep it coming!!!

 

[Hiltz]

This subject has been brought up here many times in the past. You might do some searches here for a lot of information. My 2 cents from experience is you better charge a lot more than what has been posted.
Just say for instance you have 2 acre field to cut 20 minutes away. You already have your bush hog mounted so it takes you say 20 minutes to hook up your trailer and tie your tractor down. Then your 20 minute drive to the job, 1 hour to cut the field and 20 minutes back home. That's 2 hours of your time that you charged 1 hour for. If you had to change implements on your tractor its even more time spent your not getting paid for. Its one of those things the customer dosent see but somebody has to pay for.
I always figured a minimum price of $200.00 before I did any work and I still broke even.