Tiller Tiller is all most paid for

thegreatrandini · Apr 12, 2005

I would say that if the average home owner wants a garden he goes and rents walk behind tiller.. Price how much it cost to rent one of those and you can figure what someone would pay for your service.... I don't do hired work for folks because I don't have any liability insurance.... I do whatever I can for the neihbors for free because then I am only expected to perform like a reasonable person... If you take pay you are expected to act like a pro...... therefor your liability is very high.......

Indydirtfarmer · Apr 12, 2005

( I would say that if the average home owner wants a garden he goes and rents walk behind tiller.. Price how much it cost to rent one of those and you can figure what someone would pay for your service.... I don't do hired work for folks because I don't have any liability insurance.... I do whatever I can for the neihbors for free because then I am only expected to perform like a reasonable person... If you take pay you are expected to act like a pro...... therefor your liability is very high....... )

1.) I carry liability Insurance already. I do bush hogging and new lawn installs. I have to have the insurance for that venture.

2.) With-out a doubt in my mind, 90% of the people I do tilling for wouldn't rent one and do their own gardens for love, nor money. In fact, I do several each year for people who OWN a tiller already. They just don't want to do the entire garden at one shot.

3.) Even with your doing work for free, you take on a certain liability when you do perform work on someone elses land. Just hit a buried gas line or phone cable, or an electric line and see if you don't.... MAYBE the land-owner will absolve you, but the utility companies generally won't.

4.) I do a few gardens for free. (a couple neighbors, my sister, my mother-in-law....well... maybe THAT ONE'S not really FREE...) I approach anything else as a business. I own my equipment to MAKE ME MONEY. If they didn't they would be a liability and not an asset to me. If that was the case, I'D be paying someone to till MY garden.

I don't expect everyone else to think within the same "box" as I do, but please understand that this is a well thought out business venture, which has supported my family for close to 30 years now. I ENJOY doing what I do, but it's still WORKING FOR A LIVING!

KubotaSteve · Apr 12, 2005

I do the same thing as far as free work. Of course with fuel prices going through the roof, I may have to request they re-fuel my machine. A friend of mine wants his garden tilled and he has a dumptruck so we worked out a deal for him to haul me some stone and I would till his garden.
My neighbor was trying to plow his garden with a small tractor and was breaking more dirt with his spinning tires than the plow. I asked him if he wanted me to till it up for him. 20 minutes later it was finished and nice and smooth.

thegreatrandini · Apr 12, 2005

ok, why the hostillity? I was just explaining how to determine what an average person might be willing to pay. I also was just explaining that I don't do work for hire.... and yes I am extremely careful when doing favours.... Business law looks at favours and for profit differently and I prob did a poor job of explaining. I ment no offense..........Glad your business is good.....We seem to agree that liability insurance is a good idea if your working on anothers property......Good luck......... Also take note that I was not replying to you with my orig post....Please take note that this is a well thought out nonbusiness......

Indydirtfarmer · Apr 12, 2005

( ok, why the hostillity? Also take note that I was not replying to you with my orig post....Please take note that this is a well thought out nonbusiness...... )

First off, I didn't think there was ANY hostility.... Just explaining MY point of view, as a person who has been doing just what we've been discussing, for almost 30 years.

I full well understand YOUR opinion, and YOUR approach to YOUR way of doing things. I don't have a single problem with that either. Even if I DID, so what. You have the right to do what you want, without consulting me, or anyone else.

I saw who you were responding to... Same as the rest of us basically. I just thought I'd weigh in on a few of your comments on the subject. No disrespect intended.

thegreatrandini · Apr 12, 2005

Ok, no disrespect intended here either.... I thought u were hostile but I was prob wrong..... I hope u aint mad about it......

2nstonge · Apr 12, 2005

Thanks for the info, Indy. Detailed and concise as always.

My aim is to keep the pricing at a level that's affordable for the customer and also viable for me to generate a return on the equipment & my time.

As a side note, this is a business for me. I have a small home improvement/handyman business and this is one more offering for my current customers and another hook for new ones. I do have all the requisite insurances & permits (for tractor & trailers too). There are no, zero, none, zip, zilch equipment rental yards within 40 miles of my area...homeowner options are quite limited.

-Norm

cherymax · Apr 12, 2005

When you till a yard/garden, do you run the tractor both ways (north-south then go east-west) or do you just go across it in one direction?

Indydirtfarmer · Apr 12, 2005

( Ok, no disrespect intended here either.... I thought u were hostile but I was prob wrong..... I hope u aint mad about it......
)

I don't get mad at anyone, anymore. My ex-son-in-law took all my bad temper with him when he left town....