What do Y'all charge ?

[crashz]

I charge $65 an hour (held my price for years) for my old customers, but am moving on to quoting per job for new folks. Hay Dude is right, rarely does hourly work well for everyone. It worked Ok at first, but as I got more proficient at each property, it took much less time and therefore less money per job.

 

[shooterdon]

Years ago I helped a couple of neighbors with plowing over several years. It got totally out of hand with more people asking for help, and becoming almost demanding. I was forced to start charging a seasonal rate.

No good deed goes unpunished

 

[Paystar]

Wow, seeing some of these rates makes me believe I live in the wrong country for sure. I could barley make $70 per hour with a $220,000 dump truck, LOL

To my surprise though, I have made $60/hour a couple times rebuilding water front retaining walls for locals with my little Kubota. I didn't ask that, but they insisted because they liked the fact I could get in over their manicured lawns without making a mess.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I don't do ANY off property work with my tractor or any of my equipment. I'm RETIRED - don't want the hassle - don't want the extra insurance. Besides - as we all know - implement costs are just out of sight.

Couple years ago - plowed snow off my neighbors driveway - for free. He complained - didn't like the way I did it. I hope he likes paying $300 to $400 for getting it plowed by a commercial fellow now.

I would have offered to put it back.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I've been doing side jobs for several years and even added another tractor recently. I do carry insurance for my tractor side work, but was just curious how others charge for your area. I know some charge by the job or acre, but even that is based on an hourly rate. Being in the Ft. Worth area, I'm at $75/hr. from the time I get to the job site 'till I load up. If you do side jobs with your tractor, what's the going rate for your area?

I was at $80 an acre for mowing pastures, corrals and road ditches with my 6' rotary mower. I did have a $100 minimum, in case a guy just had a vacant lot that needed weeds knocked down. Held that price for a couple years. I also had a 50 mile maximum travel distance that I would take. Last year I was out of commission for the entire mowing season (medical, not mechanical reasons) and I thought I would have to raise my price to $100 an acre last year. I was dragging my feet about raising prices, but I think this year I'll have to do it.

However, when I quote a job to a customer, I give them the flat rate price of the job. I don't say the words ..."X dollars per acre" to the customer. But if he tells me he has a 10 acre pasture I would just tell him that would be $800.

This year I think I'll be at $100 per acre, and I'll probably set my minimum per job at $150.

 

[rockinbbar]

I would have offered to put it back.

Let a neighbor go fishing in my private pond for catfish. He probably took home 30 pounds of catfish.

Saw him a few weeks later and asked him how the catfish were... He went into how horrible they tasted because they didn't taste fishy enough for him, and the meat was so tender it would fall off the bone.

Reckon because I fed the fish very high dollar fish farm food, and kept the pond circulated and fresh?

Next time he can go catch his fish in the local sewer for all I care.

 

[RjCorazza]

We have a neighbor who allows the neighborhood to fish his pond on a "kiss and release" basis. My daughter has caught some nice sized largemouth bass there over the years.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

We have a neighbor who allows the neighborhood to fish his pond on a "kiss and release" basis. My daughter has caught some nice sized largemouth bass there over the years.

Do you have to kiss the fish, or kiss the neighbor?

Send pics of neighbor...

 

[Williy]

I don't do side jobs but I helped my neighbor move some gravel
and he gave me $280 for a little over an hour. I just stay at home
and do my own work like today neighbor went to town for breakfast
then I came home and did the laundry. I have enough things to do
at home sure don't need extra work to do for fussy people

willy

 

[RadarTech]

A few years ago a neighbor told me about how a local contractor wanted $2200 for gravel and grading.. I told them I’d help..leveled with the tractor.. maybe 1 hr from leaving the shop to back in the shop.. took 4 loads on the dump trailer… about 14 TONS.. and spread it and smoothed it with the tractor.. another hour..
gravel at that time cost me $13.50 a ton for crush and run.. 19 for 3/4 minus fines(not wash stone just double screened) cost of materials and fuel was less than $350..
quarry is only 5 miles away.. so a round trip is like 30 min or so. Total time 4-5 hours.. I handed them my weight tickets. And they handed me $800

I have been told said contractor has since closed his doors.. he had a tandem axle truck.. so it would have been a single trip.. he had a tractor for small things I think it was a 50-60HP kubota. I remember seeing him driving the tandem pulling the tractor on a trailer.

I could not understand that pricing.
Even if he used 18 tons of 3/4 minus.. and charged $150 delivery…so $500…
Spend no more than 4 hours dropping tractor, grading, going to get gravel,and then loading and leaving could not see more than $900 for gravel and then $100 an hour for tractor work.

So back to your question.. look around and see what the market will bear around you… and compare your costs to the market.. make sure you have some profit but don’t gouge. You will be fine..

My example contractor didn’t understand and that’s likely why he is no longer in business…

I actually bought some equipment to do stuff myself because of people like that guy…
Latest purchase was a new 59hp cabbed tractor.

 

[Hay Dude]

Since I stopped thinking “hourly” mentality many years ago, and switched to “job” mentality for estimating, I have made much more money.
And I have been working for the same people for decades. None seemed to notice or care.

Its really the same thing, you are calculating how long it will take you to do, adding expenses, overhead, profit, whatever and coming up with a number.
It’s really nobody’s business what you make per hour.

I might still charge by the hour for very simple things, like weed whacking for example, but I still try to charge by the job with that, too.

 

[spruce Deere]

Old topic, Many discussions, So many variables.

Me, Usually price by job. Have not done much commercial/custom tractor work for a while now. Looking at things currently, $80/hour and north looks ALMOST right for a 40hp and under.... Almost.

Use to be a couple of posters years ago, farmwithjunk and Lonecowboy. One more cranky than the other and I believe that one left tbn under there own persuasion... But they both did commercial work with larger tractors and had lots of points few consider. Like commercial insurance for transport of equipment or self employment stuff, inspections on equipment for being weed and seed free.

Working your tractor for real profit requires more than most realize.

 

[paulsharvey]

Quick dirty approach is pay the machine something like $50-75/hour (really should look at the true cost, including fuel, depreciation, reserves for replacement, transport costs, ect) and then your wage on top of that, keeping in mind you need 33% more than you think to support your Uncle. Also, you don't want to be paying yourself just a normal wage that an employer wourtipld pay you, you need to be compensated for your risk as the business owner. It wouldn't be unreasonable at all to pay the tractor $50/hr and yourself $50/hr; for a $100/hr fee. I prefer a 3 hr/min charge to cover transport rather than doing door to door charge at hourly rate.

 

[paulsharvey]

Wow, seeing some of these rates makes me believe I live in the wrong country for sure. I could barley make $70 per hour with a $220,000 dump truck, LOL

To my surprise though, I have made $60/hour a couple times rebuilding water front retaining walls for locals with my little Kubota. I didn't ask that, but they insisted because they liked the fact I could get in over their manicured lawns without making a mess.

For years, the lease truck dump trucks, with a driver, and all the liability, was far cheaper then running company owned dump trucks. Get done, sign the truck and driver out; he has a break down, sign him out, ect. The biggest reason to run a couple company trucks/drivers is to be able to have them available.

 

[paulsharvey]

Most small contractors, with employees, are gonna target $1000/day over and above employee labor, material. ect. You don't open a business to make $250/day; and your not actively making money every day of the week; got to have maintenance time, weather days, go backs, ect.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Tractor work/bushhogging is dog eat dog around my area, there will be a dozen new ones every year that will be out of business by next year because they want work so bad that they under bid everybody else to the point that they aren't really making any money, all seems to go well until they tear up something and it takes far more than what they made to fix it and then by next year they are out of business , usually no business license, no liability insurance , etc so they work basically for beer money but it doesn't last long.

 

[paulsharvey]

Tractor work/bushhogging is dog eat dog around my area, there will be a dozen new ones every year that will be out of business by next year because they want work so bad that they under bid everybody else to the point that they aren't really making any money, all seems to go well until they tear up something and it takes far more than what they made to fix it and then by next year they are out of business , usually no business license, no liability insurance , etc so they work basically for beer money but it doesn't last long.

I've seen guys advertising as low as $35/hour for bushhogging....

So, let's say a quality operator, nowadays, probably $30/hr, plus labor burden, plus profit; you really need to charge $50/hr for the butt in the seat, whether that's your butt or not; and then; let's say $600 payment on the machine, operator, operating 28 hrs/month; we need $21.50/hr to pay the machine; now we need fuel; at around $8.50/hr; and 1% of the purchase price of the equipment, in repairs/maintenance per month, or another $600/month or $21.50/hr.

So, our total, Before profit, for a $60k machine, operating 28 hrs/month; we need $101.50/hr. Sure, those prices drop somewhat if we are running 54 hours/month; But only down to $80.0/hr. If we run this machine for 120 hours/month; we are at $68.50/hour; before transport or profit.

Where we can change the numbers are
A: decreased operator cost; ie cheap labor;
B: operate a lot of hours
C: improve fuel efficiency
D: decrease purchase/financing costs; without decreasing life span below 5-6 years


That 1% of purchase price per month in maintenance seems like a reasonable number, but it surely fluctuates based on work type

So; if you are the operator, figure your wages in there; $0.80/mile to transport to and from job; you got to be in the $68-110/hr range to be making money with a new machine. If your OK making $15/hr, and have a 1972 Ford 4000; maybe your doing OK at $40/hr, but I wouldn't....

Edit: When I say making money, I'm taking about clearing at least $30/hour profit/pay for yourself.

 

[Hay Dude]

If you own a typical one man construction, property maintenance company, with several machines & trucks, you better be making over $1,000 per day, or you are losing money. $1,500 is what I shoot for.
You might not know it, but you are probably losing money working for under $1,000/day.

On edit: I wouldn’t have been saying this 10 years ago. Its just that input prices, like fuel, parts and insurance have gone up so much, it can’t be helped.

 

[Hay Dude]

I actually have a higher success rate bidding work when I am on the higher end. Many customers think a contractor doesn’t know what he’s talking about when the bid is really low. They’re afraid he’s forgotten something and won’t be able to complete the job.

 

[paulsharvey]

Oh, I forgot to throw out there; contractor A might be $120/hr and Conteactor B might be $90/hr. Doesn't mean A is more money than B. If A is running 8 ft bushhog and B is running 6 foot.

Lump Sum bid (or per acre or whatever); you still should have a $/hr rate, and transport rate figured up; then you can look at a job, and say; 12 acres of mowing, 18 miles each way; 5.2 hrs mowing; then you can do a quick visit; quote $490 for the job. That doesn't mean you share the info with customer or competitors. You very well might look at it, as I need $885/day; and then break it down to a half day is $442.50 and a full day is $885; and if you finish in 6, good on you.

Another big factor that affects everything; is this what keeps you feed/housed? Are you going personally bankrupt if you do not bring in $5k/month in Profit; or is this a side hustle, and a couple days at $885 is bonus money?

Also, as Hay Dude pointed out, sitting equipment isn't free; so, when you start running this as a business, with 2 or 3 machines, a transport vehicle, ect; your needing to kinda price things a bit different.