Want part-time tractor work, eastern Pa - brush hog or rototilling?

[Robert_in_NY]

Just remember, with brush chopping you will find a lot of hidden items that will cause your headaches. My friend wanted me to mow one of his parcels but I did not have the time and neither did he. Eventually he sent his hired man out with his Ford 7700 and blew a front tire on the first couple passes and the tractor sat there for a week until he made the time to fix the tire. That wasn't too bad but it is an expense that is easy to happen multiple times a year with brush chopping. Make sure you chopper has a slip clutch as that will help protect your tractor and gearbox. If you have a loader on your tractor keep it low to the ground to help locate any hidden gems before they cause any major damage. Rear tires are not cheap to buy or repair. It cost me $250 to have the tire truck come out and replace the rear tube on the 7710 a couple days ago. One steel stake in a field will turn a decent profit into a loss in a hurry.

I don't know if you can figure accident coverage into a bid or maybe have the customer sign an agreement stating there are no damage causing items hidden in the field and if one "happens" to appear the customer would be responsible for the repair. I do not have a large brush chopper but I constantly get people asking to hire me to use my discbine to cut their fields. I politely tell them why I won't use a discbine as a brush cutter and tell them to look elsewhere.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Just remember, with brush chopping you will find a lot of hidden items that will cause your headaches. My friend wanted me to mow one of his parcels but I did not have the time and neither did he. Eventually he sent his hired man out with his Ford 7700 and blew a front tire on the first couple passes and the tractor sat there for a week until he made the time to fix the tire. That wasn't too bad but it is an expense that is easy to happen multiple times a year with brush chopping. Make sure you chopper has a slip clutch as that will help protect your tractor and gearbox. If you have a loader on your tractor keep it low to the ground to help locate any hidden gems before they cause any major damage. Rear tires are not cheap to buy or repair. It cost me $250 to have the tire truck come out and replace the rear tube on the 7710 a couple days ago. One steel stake in a field will turn a decent profit into a loss in a hurry.

I don't know if you can figure accident coverage into a bid or maybe have the customer sign an agreement stating there are no damage causing items hidden in the field and if one "happens" to appear the customer would be responsible for the repair. I do not have a large brush chopper but I constantly get people asking to hire me to use my discbine to cut their fields. I politely tell them why I won't use a discbine as a brush cutter and tell them to look elsewhere.

It's a given that you'll puncture a few tires, beat up a few blades, and bend a little sheet metal if you bush hog enough. The repair cost needs to be factored in to your everyday job rate. The more you mow, the better "average" you can establish for just what repair expenses you'll encounter. It's no different than a retail store loosing money to shoplifters, or a restaraunt having a customer walk out without paying. The high cost of doing business. It goes along with the territory.

Flats not only cost to repair, there's the down-time while it's being repaired. Spare tire/wheels and tire repair tools on the truck are a way to lessen the impact, but a ruined rear tire is nothing short of painful.

Our county road dept uses a NH disc mower to cut roadsides. I sure wouldn't want to cut my alfalfa with it after a few days on the job.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I understand that it needed to be accounted for and was hoping to let the original poster understand some of the cost involved also.

I carry one decent size tool box with me all summer long while I am haying as well as a chain, blocking, a jack and two spare tires (different rim patterns ), extra blades for the discbine, belts for the baler, twine for the baler, roller chain, roller chain links, grease gun kit and Kroil. This way I can repair almost any issue in the field with very little down time. The only time I have problems is with rear tires as I do not want to play around with one of them in the field unless I have no other choice. Tires are one thing I am glad to pay others to fix.

I still want to buy a nice 90-120 horse FWA cab tractor that I can build into a heavy duty brush chopping rig. Skid plates, brush guards, window protectors and anything else I can think of to allow me to take that tractor thru heavy brush.

 

[plowking]

My wife does small jobs with our GC2310, she gets 50.00 a hour. I'm looking at a used york rake and grading blade with quick hitch right now. I have friends in my business who are more experienced and get 75.00-125.00 an hour for their machines, especially if it is an emergency. A landscaper will rent you a backhoe and operator for 300.00 a day. The GC is only 48 inches wide, which enables it to get thru gates, between trees into back yards and it weighs 2600 lbs, so with turf tires, lawn damage is minimal. She will go three hours on five gallons of diesel but longer when using the backhoe. My insurance agent said my business liability would cover the backhoe for working on customers yards. I do have the insurance from Agco, for the actual machine itself. plowking