Starting A Tractor Work Side Business with Ford 8N or 9N

[LD1]

My 2N is 70+ years old & it hasn't rolled over & killed anyone yet.
I have been working it on hilly ground for the last 20+ years and I never felt the need for a ROPS.
I wouldn't even guess at the number of tractors working every day without a ROPS .
If you use just the minimum of common sense operating a N tractor, it will serve you well safely.


I just love all these "cost of doing business" posts.
My 2N cost me about $1200 20+ years ago.
Thats around $.16/day or less then $.0075/Hr.
I haven't put $1k in repairs in it in all those years.
2 finish mowers, bush hog, & york rake = about $1k
Yes I have used some gas & oil over the years but we are still under $2/day cost of ownership for ALL OF IT.

Question to all these people with insurance that are NOT using their equipment to make a living, how many times have you used that insurance?

For what the OP wants to do, I see no problem.
*IF* he expands to a real business..... that is a whole different program.

I have auto insurance and never use it either. So that point is irrelevant.

And its hard to figure a yearly or daily cost of your personal equipment. Because it depends on how much you use it. Hence why I figure an hourly rate.

A personal use tractor that is lucky to see 50 hours a year is obviously gonna cost less per year in maintenance and repairs than one that gets used 500 hours per year. So its all relative. Your $2 cost per day of ownership is a bogus pipe dream for someone wanting to work their tractor commercially as much as they can

 

[the old grind]

My stuff doesn't cost much when it' sitting parked nor do I need to include time spent not using it in my detailed account of tractor expenses for instructional purposes and winning bets. Gas & oil costs seem to be proportional to operating hours and I'm not wearing out my tires, so I should be in the black.

My skid-steer hasn't cost me a penny in over three years. :thumbsup: I haven't driven it more that 300' or since then and hope to get it started this year. I like keeping o'all costs in line with money I'm not making and the time I'm saving too.

All that said, what I 'heard' in post #1 sounded like "I think it'd be fun to own and use a tractor. I like Ford's N series for why a lot of us do. Maybe I'll enjoy it so much that I'd do side/small jobs like a lot of us do. There may be bucks and friends to make saving them or neighbors a few of 'em. .."

I agree with those who 'sound like' ".. learn as you go and have fun..".

 

[MoMower]

I do it on the side, but as a licensed and insured business. I started in 2017 for friends/beer money/word of mouth. Legitimized in 18’.

In PA, luckily, gen liability is relatively cheep, and commercial insurance on the truck/trailer is only about $100 more than I would pay anyway.

I get $75 an hour for tractor work, $3 a loaded mile for material hauling. My normal is 1-2 jobs per month March-November. I do nothing thanksgiving-February. I estimate jobs by clock hours. I charge for my travel time to the site and until the machine is loaded and ready to go home. All of my advertising is bookface and craigslist. My goal is to pay all related expenses and and pocket about 60%. It works well for me. 2 hour minimum is due prior to machine being unloaded.

I’m using a Massey TLB SCUT and specialize in small half day-1 day jobs, mostly grading and parking pads, some trenching. I absolutely will not dig below 4’ and any job that needs anything deeper then 1’, I call 811 myself, never trust a homeowner to do so.

Biggest thing I found to keep the customers happy, is be upfront/honest and do what you say you will. I usually write my estimates a little high, and everyone is happy at the end when I tell them they owe me less. And be clear in potential problems that may arise. Permitting is on the customer.

I’m very picky in the jobs I take and turn down 1-2 a month and won’t overbook and am quick to say it’s outside my ability/equipment. Only hires I will make are my kids if I need a ground man.

All that to say, it can be done, successfully, part time, with the right mindset and tools.

And it pays for my toys, Er tools, that I need around our farmette.

Good luck in your ventures OP, it’s both nerve racking and enjoyable.

 

[Fallon]

I do it on the side, but as a licensed and insured business. I started in 2017 for friends/beer money/word of mouth. Legitimized in 18’.

In PA, luckily, gen liability is relatively cheep, and commercial insurance on the truck/trailer is only about $100 more than I would pay anyway.

I get $75 an hour for tractor work, $3 a loaded mile for material hauling. My normal is 1-2 jobs per month March-November. I do nothing thanksgiving-February. I estimate jobs by clock hours. I charge for my travel time to the site and until the machine is loaded and ready to go home. All of my advertising is bookface and craigslist. My goal is to pay all related expenses and and pocket about 60%. It works well for me. 2 hour minimum is due prior to machine being unloaded.

I’m using a Massey TLB SCUT and specialize in small half day-1 day jobs, mostly grading and parking pads, some trenching. I absolutely will not dig below 4’ and any job that needs anything deeper then 1’, I call 811 myself, never trust a homeowner to do so.

Biggest thing I found to keep the customers happy, is be upfront/honest and do what you say you will. I usually write my estimates a little high, and everyone is happy at the end when I tell them they owe me less. And be clear in potential problems that may arise. Permitting is on the customer.

I’m very picky in the jobs I take and turn down 1-2 a month and won’t overbook and am quick to say it’s outside my ability/equipment. Only hires I will make are my kids if I need a ground man.

All that to say, it can be done, successfully, part time, with the right mindset and tools.

And it pays for my toys, Er tools, that I need around our farmette.

Good luck in your ventures OP, it’s both nerve racking and enjoyable.

Very similar to me on most accounts. I do a bit more work in the summer.

I really only advertise on NextDoor as that targets nearby people. I just road the tractor to half my jobs rather than haul it. I really wont haul over 30, maybe 45 minutes. I target 2-20 hour jobs. Need bigger jobs to haul further & I dont want more hauling or bigger jobs. I generally have a $200 minimum job, although wave that for small stuff that I can drive the tractor to. Several arena maintnance jobs I get $150 for & am home within an hour. Plowing snow is cheaper per job as I can clump together multiple jobs in a single run.

I give firm quotes based on estimated hours of work. I dont count milage. I just start the clock from the time I roll out to the time I load up. Some jobs, especially manure mucking I only give my rates ($75/hr) & an estimate on the hours rather than a firm quote. To many unknowns on how deep crap is or what obstacles are under there.

Be really careful on anything involving digging. Unless its explicitly laid out as included in your policy it's not. If I want do do digging it goes from a $850 a year policy to a $10k a year one. They can be really technical & precise on what's covered or not. Maintaining an existing driveway or spreading non-dirt material is covered for me. Any kind of grading of dirt however is not. I dont see how post holes or trenches for sprinklers (covered) are less risky than smoothing or leveling a food of dirt for something, but that's what my insurance will & wont cover.

 

[MoMower]

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised, $300k in gen liability, $40 a month, can start and stop as I want to. It is a specific grading and excavating policy. It covers up to 8’ in depth, but still covers the grading as well. I still won’t take anything that my machine won’t do, so that limits me to about 5’, I further limit it to 4’. No septic tank installs are allowed, or lawn mowing, lol.

Just did one this morning, I quoted high, ended up being quick and she was very happy with the final bill at 1/3rd.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Problem where I live in the rural midwest area, everybody owns a tractor. Couple neighbors have 300+ hp units and combines. Couple have excavators. And this is within 1 mile of my house.

And the market is flooded with the guys with random scuts bush hogging for $35 an hour.

I'd have a hard time convincing someone to pay me to do work for them

Now if you live in or near a city there may be more of a market.

if I need a backhoe/excavator, i have no issue finding one for free to use in the area

 

[Big Barn]

Problem where I live in the rural midwest area, everybody owns a tractor. Couple neighbors have 300+ hp units and combines. Couple have excavators. And this is within 1 mile of my house.

My neighbor has over 100 excavators within 1000 FEET of my house.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Is your neighbor a mine?

All I was getting at with it's very area specific if you can make money with a tractor.

 

[ddbackhoe]

My skid-steer hasn't cost me a penny in over three years. :thumbsup: I haven't driven it more that 300' or since then and hope to get it started this year.

Want me to come haul that clutter away? Id hate for you to have to listen to any more grief about it.

 

[PILOON]

I did mostly home chalet renovations and a few new builds over the last 20 years.
That was my main income source, however I also own a CUT with FEL and rear blade.

Every so often I'd use my CUT on a reno job*, in fact added about 1000 hrs over that time frame.
Usually it was simply due to the fact that only a CUT could maneuver in the restricted spaces.

I'll add that I preferred hiring over DIY but ever so often only a CUT could cut it.

*like hauling materials, trash and backfilling (landscaping). For sure placing rolls of sod is nicer with a CUT than pushing a loaded wheelbarrow uphill.

In effect the CUT filled a gap that subcontractors often could not.
But today there is much more compact equipment in the hands of those trades.

(Today I only use it for my personal snow duties as has a blower, blade and heated cab.)

BUT I could never have earned enough to live off of it.