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WHat to charge for bush hogging

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Todd Wilson
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2001-03-26          25932

I am starting a lot and field mowing business here in Kansas and was wondering what this type of service goes for in other states? Is it an hourly basis or a per job basis? I am thinking 40$ an hour is a good price to charge. Am I way off?I will be brush hogging nad finish mowing depending on the job.Todd

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Paul Fox
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2001-03-27          25947

That would be about right for Maine. I mowed commercially for 4-5 years. One word of caution: Get liability insurance. One unseen rock is all it takes. ....

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steve arnold
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2001-03-27          25952

I mowed for about 5 years, haven't had any overtime at day job,
thinking about getting back into it. I started at $35/hour with
a 6 foot unit stopped at $60. I also had a min. charge of $75
I am north of Detroit, Heard of one place charging $75 with a 5'.
Get the insurance and safety features. If you show up with
nice equipment (truck,tractor,trailer...) no matter where, I think
you should get <$50, drive an 8n two miles to get to the job, >$40 ....

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gws
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2001-03-28          25996

If your charging by the hour you better show up at my place with top notch hardware. I have had a local guy take care of a 3 acre pasture. He gets $50 for the job. He uses an old farmall and beat up old bushhog. ....

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Dubber
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2001-04-15          26731

Yes you are way off! My neighbor charges $25/hour with a 60hp tractor. If you're using a compact I would say $20. Someday my neighbor will retire (he's 73) and He'll introduce me to his customers. That will help me justify a new tractor the size I want. I would only want to do it within 2-3 miles from here to avoid trailering, but that leaves a lot of ground. If you could get big jobs you might hire someone to operate the tractor and you could personally deliver and pick up the equipment (before/after work). The problem is finding someone you can trust at the right price. ....

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Mark E. Lamprey
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2001-04-15          26732

Tod, I personally don't think your that far out of the right price range. I just bought a 1988 JD 950 T/L/B and I wouldn't think of charging less than $35 an hour with operator here in New Hampshire. A lot of it depends on what the market in your area will bear. How much is your time worth without the machine ?
That machine costs a lot of money, plus insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs. It is only my opinion, but I feel that the price you charge for the machine with operator should at the least, cover the costs and expenses of the machine, any less than that and it will cost you money, to mow somebody elses field. I would take all the Monthly costs of owning and operating the machine divided by how many hours a month you feel you can honestly and safely work it. That should give you a good idea of what you need to charge per hour so that you are not working for nothing. I don't know about you, but I am in business to make money,"Fairly & Honestly" Not do favors ! Good Luck ! Mark ....

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Ken Butner
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2001-04-18          26842

I charge $40 per hour for mowing/bush hogging and I think that is a VERY fair price. For loader or backhoe work I charge around $50 per hour. I never tell a customer a price per hour. I keep the hourly rate in my head to help me price the job. The customer gets a total price for the work. I never price anything until I look/walk over the job site.

No matter how small the job, I have a min price of $80 "IF" I have to trailer my equipment. I am not hooking the trailer to the truck, load the tractor, drive to the job, unload the tractor, do the work, load the tractor, drive back home, and unload everything again for anything less than $80. I'd just rather stay home and piddle in the shop!!

My time is valuable and if I can not turn a profit to help me buy more toys then why WORK for free? My exceptions are for friends and goodwill!

BTW, why should a compact tractor get less per hour? Compacts are VERY expensive machines to purchase per horsepower! There are jobs that are for utility tractors and there are jobs that are for compacts. There are areas that overlap and in those cases both machines are just as efficient. I only take on work that is compatible and competitive with the epuipment that I own. -Ken ....

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John Miller, III
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2001-04-18          26846

First, I wouldn't randomly "pull a figure out of thin air"...I agree with Mark and Ken, calculate exactly what does the tractor and implements cost YOU. If the guy down the road is doing it for $7.50 Hr and you have to just undercut him to get the business & charge $5.hr....then you find out it's costing YOU say $35. Hr... Well guess what...You just lost $30.hr! X so many hours {Sounds like the way some Dot.Com's are being run-another subject} After you know exactly what it costs, then figure in a fair profit and charge accordingly. Also consider what the local "Rental Agency" gets per day to rent the tractor, to rent the implement, to bring them to the job site, to pick them up.,cost of fuel, cost of operator etc. etc. Check local competition rates...Bottom line, there is "no magic formula"...but you should as least know what it COSTS YOU and go from there... ....

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gws
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2001-04-18          26848

How much you pay for your equipment has no bearing on how much I am going to pay you to do the job. It may determine your price, but not what I am willing to pay. Should I pay someone more money because they spend more on hardware? I think not. Arround here people are getting about $10-20/acre for small <10acre fields. How long does it take you to bushhog an acre? ....

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Mark E. Lamprey
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2001-04-18          26868

I think the cost of a piece of equipment and it's operating expenses, plays a major role in arriving at a price for the differant services that, that piece of equipment can perform. The days of doing work, for little or no money are long gone. "No disrespect intended" But the guy who' mowing 3 acres for $50.00 with an old Farmall and a beat up brush hog probably owes no money on the equipment and may not be carring any Liability insurance, and is not doing it as a proper business or for the money. Otherwise he would "Have" to charge more $$ just to cover his time and expenses. 9 times out of 10, the person who say's, "Thats Outrageous, I'm not paying that much", is usually the first one to Sue you because you ran over their wifes rose bed. Without Insurance coverage me or my machine does not set a foot or a tire on another persons property ! That insurance and all those other expenses, adds to the cost of doing business. If any person is not willing to pay a fair, honest rate, within the market range, they are more than welcome to take a day out of there valuable time, go to the local rental yard, lay out $200 for a day's rental (even if you only want it for a couple of hours, you pay for the whole day)and go do the job themselves. My local rental yard gets $200 a day, flat rate for a small 2 wheel drive loader / backhoe, that you could almost fit in the back of a full size pick up. It is the very reason I went out and bought a machine. I have several jobs this year that would have required renting a small machine. The cost of the rental would have had to be included into the cost of the job. My clients understand and except that fact. I figured if my clients have to pay it anyway to get there work done, that $200 might as well go into my pocket rather than the rental yards. As I said before. "I am in business to make money, Not do favors" I treat my clients fairly and honestly and they provide me with all the work I can handle, year after year. 90% of the public understand the many cost's of doing business, it's the 10% that want it done for little or nothing and then say, Oh were leaving for the Carribian. Can we pay you when we get back. Well, I certainly have vented and rattled on long enough. I know there are some of you who will disagree with my thinking, you have that right and I will respect that right. This is just one persons opinion, it is also what makes the CTB so great. Mark ....

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gws
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2001-04-18          26871

I dont disagree that what you use to do the job will affect your price, I am saying that it doesnt change what I am willing to pay for a job to be done. Its worth $50 to get my field cut. If you have all bright shinny hardware or a ratty old tractor the price I am willing to pay $50.

I know some jobs are hard to guage how long it would take, backhoe work with all the hidden things, but bush hog work should not be that hard to guage. ....

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Mark E. Lamprey
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2001-04-18          26876

gws, In that respect, I can not argue with you. I can and will honestly say that I have never done any brush hog work and therefore have no idea how long it might take to mow say, 3 acres. I have also only owned my tractor for two months and loving every minute of it. If the man who does your mowing is content with what your willing to pay and you are happy with him, then that is all that truly matters. The worst case scenario some day may be. when he can't or won't do it for that price then you will be faced with the decision of either paying present market rates, renting a machine and mowing your own field, which could be a lot of fun or leaving the field unmowed. But that is one of those bridges you can cross when you come to it. Mark ....

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JeffM
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2001-04-18          26897

GWS, Mark beat me to the punch on this one. Free market economy at it again. You may not be willing to pay my price which reflects my cost of doing business, especially if I have competition available to you that either has lower operating costs/prices or that essentially does the work as a hobby, not a business. If there is sufficient local competition like this, my business will not be viable because I am above the prevailing market rate. If, however, this competition is artificial/unique and then disappears, you will be forced to re-evaluate the value of having someone do this work at market rates. I think what Mark is basically saying is don't decide your pricing ONLY by your competition's price, you may drive yourself out of business faster than if you did nothing at all. ....

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harvey
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2001-04-19          26908

What an interseting topic. I'm surprised Murf has not logged in. There is a difference in machinery. More power, faster cutting, requires more money per hour/job. I learned the hard way, BY THE HOUR ONLY. Too often I heard what about that and what about this, oh yea would you mind... But no where have I heard anyone mention the condition of the work to be done. Is it mowed once a year? 2-3 times? I can knock down a acre of maintained pasture a lot quicker than a neglected field once a year in July. But this topic could be about a bunch of sailors, just in port, squabbling about the price of hookers. Fair market value, condition of equipment, etc... :-). Just my $.02 worth. ....

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Rick Seymour
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2001-04-19          26911

"bunch of sailors, just in port, squabbling about ..."

Hmmmmm, Harv, do we need to start a new thread????
....

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TomG
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2001-04-19          26913

I had a sideline sound and lighting company for about ten years. I have no commercial experience in tractoring, but I imagine the business lessons are much the same. I first started informally, mostly helping out community groups that my X was a member of. The equipment as well as my skills were a little shaky, and there was no insurance. I also spent most of my time and profit renting equipment I needed. My accountant told me that most new business owners are at the mercy of their customers for the first two years. You're so eager for business that you'll virtually work for free. Basically, you're subsidizing your customers. After several years, I realized that I had good skills and a lot of equipment. I also realized that I was no longer set up do serve many of my early customers. From a business point of view, I couldn’t afford to pass up big budget jobs to go set up small systems for panel discussion groups. Too much equipment was left setting around. I might, and did, do some small jobs as a hobby, but it was no longer business. My investment and acquired skills changed the type of jobs I could take and justify as a business activity. I agonized some, but then realized that I had some customers that I no longer wanted. I tried to nudge them towards other people I knew who were just starting in the business. I figure that my early work was a fair trade. I developed my skills and built up equipment working for groups that had no money. I got my skill developed, and the groups accepted some quality and reliability risks along with the low price. They also had much better shows than they could do on their own. Eventually, I moved along, and so did they. There's always an economic niche for businesses and customers alike. There's always a new business starting up that will subsidize their customers for awhile or someone who wants a hobby. There also are always businesses that find that there's a niche that can be filled by staying small. Their prices usually go up a bit as insurance, taxes, maintenance and premises are worked into the overhead, but they're still equipped to do small jobs. The quality to the customer also goes up. In the economy, it's up to a business to define its niche and appeal to enough customers to stay in business. It's also up to customers to find a business that’s right for them. However, sometimes the match between business and customer isn't great. Customers have to get rid of businesses or businesses have to get rid of customers. If I ever take up the tractoring business, these are lessons I won't have to learn again. The most important one: Know when you're subsidizing your customers and why. ....

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Mark E. Lamprey
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2001-04-19          26915

TomG, Well Said !! Mark ....

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JWY
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2002-03-16          36400

I live 30 miles east of Dallas. Brush hogging cost $35/acre to $75/acre. Most hourly rates I hear quoted are $35/hour on up to "ridiculous" prices. I have done tractor work around here for several years. I stay as busy as I want to. I usually quote my job at a job price (not per hour; I plan to make $35-$40 per hour, some time more on small jobs). I have a $35 minimum. If a person forces me to quote a per acre price, I will quote it at $30/acre. I will drive a reasonable distance to a job for a half-acre mowing job, but I get $35. On a real easy mowing job and close to home, I may mow 2 acres in a hour in which case I would charge $60 for the job.
BTW, I have slightly over $20,000 invested in my tractor, equipment, and trailer. If I had a $500 Farmall tractor, I would still charge the same prices.
....

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Greg H
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2002-03-20          36537

gws,
You have no idea obviously what is required if a sensible person goes thru to properly look at a job and the liabilities involved. Many factors control how much it should cost. Some want an almost front yard quality cut which requires more time. Also how rough the terrain is and what hazards lie on that property.
You cannot sensibly bush hog as fast on unfamiliar property where brush is thick and hides hazards as you can on regulary maintained property. I would not and could not afford to bush hog for less than 30. 00 and hour. For less it would be absurb. If you want something for nothing good luck.
Greg H ....

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Sams Hoggn
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2002-03-21          36571

I charge $35.00 an hour for most tractor work, brush hoggn, box blade, site clean up etc. I also charge a minimum of $105.00 that comes out to a 3 hour minimum. I stay as busy as I want to.If you do good work & have nice equipment your name will travel. ....

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gws
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2002-03-22          36606

Greg,
You missed both points of my message. First what you use to do the bush hogging should not affect what I pay for a job. If you show up with a new shinny tractor and a 8ft bush hog or you show up with an old Ford 8n and a 4ft bush hog the job is to bush hog my land. If it takes you 2hr with the new tractor or 5hr with the little Ford, why should I pay more for the job because it took longer.

The second point you missed was value of the job. I assign a value and its worth that much to me. Regardless of what it cost you to actually do the job has no bearing on what value I assign to it. The buyer always sets the price of an item. Now granted I might not get you to do the job because you cant afford to do the job for my value, but that also doesnt change the value of the job to me.

As I noted in my earlier post, In my area the going rate is $10-20/acre for small lots. Why would I want to even consider your $30/hr rate.
....

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worker
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2002-03-23          36652

gws its people like you that give consumers a bad name luckally I have only ran across a couple of people like you that are wanting a professional job, on a cheepscate price like your speical or something.What do ypu do gws? Do you lower prices of your stuff? no it sounds like you have a lack of inicative to be anything but a cheepskate. ....

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Mark Lamprey
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2002-03-23          36654

Wow, It seems that this thread has turned rude and insulting. Although everybody is entitled to their own opinion, I personally don't think we should lower ourselves to name calling.
If gws has in his mind a price that he feels his job is worth and if he has a person who is willing to perform that work for the money that gws is willing to pay, than Kuddos for gws. I don't see how that makes him a cheapskate. There may come a day when this person no longer wants to perform the work for whatever his reason may be. At this time gws will have to either find another person who is willing to work for the $$ offered or gws is going to have increase what he is will to pay or do the work himself. That is his business and a bridge he will have to cross when he comes to it.
It has been quite some time since I posted on this board but this one I could not ignore. It seems to me that this thread in particular has lost what is best about these discussion boards and that is the ability of a member to express his opinion without being slammed with childish name calling because somebody disagrees with him.
If gws doesn't want to pay what you guys need to charge, that is his right. And if you guys don't want to work for what gws is willing to pay, Don't work for him, that is your right.
But let's please keep this thread and all others on level that show a little respect for our fellow members, even if we disagree with their opinions. ....

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Bird Senter
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2002-03-23          36655

Very good response, Mark; I agree wholeheartedly. ....

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Mark Lamprey
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2002-03-23          36656

Bird,
I wish you the best of luck with all your future plans and hope to see your name on these boards for many years to come. ....

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gws
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2002-03-23          36658

Worker,
Take a deep breath, put your panties back on read my last post again. Professional job?
Were talking about bush hogging. Your just cutting down a bunch of high weeds. I am not looking for
a baseball field when your done, just whack off some weeds. I fail to see where I am a cheapskate because I am not willing to pay the higest rate around for something.Your $30/hr rate is just plain HIGH!!! for my area. I can get the work done a lot cheaper. I fail to see how that makes me a cheapsake. For those of you with nice shinny trucks and color cordinated trailers and signs that say landscapping on the side maybe $30 is a good rate. I dont need landscaping work done, I call the old farmer with the 42 massey and he comes over. NO need for a truck, he just drives the tractor over and whacks the weeds in my pasture.

Sellers of service often forget, You never set the selling price. The buyer always does that. A seller can set an asking price, but in the end the buyer always determines the price.
....

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JLK
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2002-03-23          36663

I am one of those landscapers that bushogs fields here in Maine about one per week. I charge 30 an hour. One of my competitors charge 25 an hour. Ive gotten quite a few of his fields. We both use a 5ft cutter on the average he charges 25% more for the final job. He is real content to slow that tractor down and crawl. I also look a small job over, and am not going to load the quipment if im not going to get that 30 an hour from cradle to grave. I guess the Buyer can always go to the rental shop and pay the 200.00 for the equipment for 8 hours.

Here in Maine we get to mow alot of rocks, thats real good for the blades that need sharpening/changing on a routine basis and I do like my dealer he only charges 42.00 an hour to repair components If I choose to have him repair them. How about the hair dresser that charges 12 an hour to cut hair, and Im not in the chair for five minutes. How about the boiler man who gets 75 to clean the furnace. The day of bushhogging in the summer is nice on one field for the whole day. On the other hand, the days im on my walker mower I can rake in more cash on any given day But im in and out of the truck, on and off the trailer. But the lawns get done every week. Love that grass. ....

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gws
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2002-03-24          36675

jlk,
This is why I like the fixed rate or per acre rate I pay. . I dont have to care what
kind of hardware anyone is going to show up, how fast they are. Its a job that I need
done, take your time I know the final price its going to be the same regardless what
you do. Hey it might take my guy two days to get things done, but again its just
a bunch of weeds that need cut down. ....

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Greg H
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2002-03-24          36679

gws, YOU missed my point. Some people care what the job looks like. The more finished it looks the more time it takes. If you can find some poor fool to wear his equipment out for nothing, and not value his time, I feel for him. Peope who only want the weeds knocked down and don't care about how the jobs look should find someone as you have. Hope he wakes up!
Greg H ....

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Mark Lamprey
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2002-03-24          36680

I am at a total loss, as to understand why some of you, and I will not mention your names for you know who you are. Why you feel the need to bash the arrangement that gws has with the gentlemen that is doing his mowing. If gws is happy with the arrangment and the mane doing the mowing is happy with the arrangement, thats GREAT !!! One of the great freedoms we still have in this country is the Freedom to Choose !! and that is exactly what these two men have done. It does not make gws a cheapskate nor does it mean that the man doing the mowing needs to wake up. Maybe the man doing the mowing is not in the business of commercial mowing and therefore does not have the overhead that some of you do. Maybe his equipment was paid for years ago and he is doing the work because he likes it, have you ever heard of "just plain seat time" Some of you seem to think that because this man is doing the kind of work that you do, that he has to think like you and charge like you. Guess What! this is still a free country and these two gentlemen have an arrangement that works for them. That Is All That Matters !
It certainly doesn't make either one of them wrong in there thinking or there actions! ....

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Todd Wilson
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2002-03-24          36681

Wow! Didnt think my original post of a year ago would spark much interest now. My first summer of bush hog business was a success in my opinion. Last summer I made about 25% of my tractor cost back. It was a very hot and dry summer (hoping for lots of rain this year!) and I originally started charging 40$ an hour. I went to 50$ the first hour and 40$ an hour after that. You roughly have 15 minutes time in loading and unloading the tractor. I was getting small 1 hour jobs and decided the 50$ was better for the small jobs.
On a nice smooth flat field I could get about 1 acre an hour. My JD950 uses about 1 gallon an hour when working. And at 80cents a gallon for diesel thats a rather good chunk of cash in my pocket. But we wont go into the flat tires I had last summer. The fuel for the truck. Its maintaince and trailer maintainance. Insurance costs....my wage for sitting on a tractor in the middle of july on my day off to make extra money! Thats important!

I did miss some jobs. Some thought it wasnt worth it to have it mowed after I gave them a price. Others said when can you do it and reached into their pocket no questions asked.

I also missed some good jobs because I wasnt bonded for many millions of dollars. After checking on that decided I didnt need those few good commercial jobs just yet as that type of protection is expensive.

Maybe my price is high and maybe low but after you average out the costs of everything That $ I charge really gets ate down. Add in any MAJOR repair and it could spell the end of things.I am hoping over the course of several years things will average out and I think bush hogging will be a good paying part time job for me.

Mowing is like any job out there I work at a print shop part time and for the longest time they ran printing jobs at a price to be competitive. What it did for them was make payroll for the employee's involved and no profit. It also put countless miles onto a machine. All they were doing was wearing out their equipment and paying expenses. Not extra "profit" for repairs,upgrades,maintainane and of course just making some money too! They finally realized smaller jobs could pay better. The machine did not have to be running 24 hours a day to MAKE MONEY! "Seat time" isnt always a good thing.

Now in the case of the farmer with the old massey driving over for 20$ or what ever the price was is a good thing for the customer. Probably not a bad thing for the farmer as he has the tractor justified for other reasons (IE FARM) and this is just some spending money in his pocket. Works for both partys involved but if that farmer had to load up on a trailer and drive. Drive to jobs to look them over and give an estimate. His 20$ price wont go very far. God forbid he has a flat tire. Theres 40$-60$ right there IF YOU can take the tire off and get it somewhere for a repair. More if they have to come out and fix it. That 20$ an hour is now at -40$ Couple gallons of gas -3.00.................At my rate I get to have the sun beat down on me and the hot radiator air blast me for 7$ an hour!

Todd

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gws
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2002-03-24          36686

Greg,
If you bush hogging then your just knocking down weeds. If your really care what it looks
like afterwords then your finish mowing with the wrong mower. My guy is more than aware
of waht he is doing and knows that there are several other that can do it at the same price.
There are lots of small famrers that bush hog in the evenings.

Todds, talking about making %25 of his tractor back. The guy I use had his tractor paid off
60 year ago. As I noted there is no loading and unloading time and a few minutes of drive
time from his farm. Are for tires going flat, there hasnt been air in the tires for years anyway,
it al calcium. As for repairs, well if the 42 farmall doesnt work today he brings out the
44 farmall. You can keep lots of tractors when they are only $1200/each. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
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2002-03-25          36704

I've stayed out of this one, although I could wish for more temperate language. Figure I've already spun enough words on the subject previously.

It is the nature of free market systems that both producers and consumers make free choices--nobody is forced to be either a producer or consumer. There's no cause to aggravation ether for deals offered or accepted. There always are other producers or consumers that are more suited to particular needs--at least in theory.

It is true that side-line business producers, such as I was in the sound and lighting buz, often don't use sophisticated cost accounting methods and without knowing it operate at losses. Marginal production may be gained through artificially low over-heads and use of thoroughly depreciated capital equipment. That understandably can be a cause for aggravation among 'full-timers,' who have to use sales revenues to purchase current equipment, but that too is part of the free market system. It does hold down the price to consumers.

I'm certainly not a defender of unbridled free market behaviour, but it is the system we have and it's easiest if we see our roles in it without a lot of angst.
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Greg
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2002-03-27          36763

gws, once more I must take exception to one of your statements but at the same time MUST apologize for not looking at my pre tractor owning days and remembering how I did things. I too had the same mindset. So there! I feel better now. But all jokes aside with the proper setup and ground speed you might be surprised just how well a field can be made to look even using a regular bush hog. Not finish quality but from a distance one would think it looks quite nice.
Sorry for the past diatribe.
Greg H ....

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gws
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2002-03-27          36783

Greg,
Since I would only want my pasture bush hogged a couple times a year. Its never gong to look nice. It going to look like a field that was just bush hogged. Piles of cut grass everywhere. As I noted, It shouldnt matter how it looks. Its a field and your cutting down the weeds. ....

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Charton
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2002-05-06          38205

Todd you have mentioned, several times, the cost of flat tires. Is there something BHing that is hard on tires ....

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Todd Wilson
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2002-05-06          38211

I dont know what the weed is called. But its a wood like substance. Usually dry and dead and its really about like a drinking straw thats dark brown and almost like wood. Splinters pretty bad. I keep my tractor at my friends place outside of town. His place was abandoned a few years back before he moved it. Anyways the place was 10 foot tall in weeds. Over the course of the last few years we have cleaned things up but the bush hog would mow over everything and leave these straw like remains about 2-3 inches out of the ground. Those would actually puncture through the rear tires. I had to patch a rear tire 2 times and the 3rd time had to buy a new tube. My buddy was walking about one day in his tennis shoes and one went right through the bottom of his shoe as he took a step. We had to go to the ER and have them pull it out of his foot. I never got a flat tire anywhere else last summer while mowing for my business. Just his place so I dont know if it was his weeds that had over grown from previous years causing problems or what. Heck of it was most of the 2 inch stems would fold right over as you walked along or drove but everyonce in a while there would be a stiff one that would go through the tire. Also pieces of bailing wire are not real good on tires either.


Todd
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Ed
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2002-05-29          39154

I have been in business now for 4 years and based on the growth I have seen, I must be doing something right. For hoggin a 'clean field' i.e. one without cinder blocks, bottles or juvenile trees, I get $20 an hour with my cub 7275 and 5' hog, and can do about 1.5 acres per hour. The going rates for a lot of farmers that do it is $25 an acre. Neglected fields I get $22-$25 per hour - neglected as in hawthornes grown up, smaller trees, brush 5-6ft tall.

I did not arrive at this number loosely. I know what I paid for the equipment, I know how long the motor SHOULD last, I know that it costs a $1 per hour for just plain flat out fluid maint. (engine oils plus hydraulics) With expected breakage and flats (old nails and hawthorns kill tires) I need to see $8-10 per hour for the tractor, the rest is for my time and tow vehicle gas.

If the job is larger, say 10hrs or more, I often lop off a little of the hourly rate as I recoup also the gas and wear to haul the machine to the site.

For finish mowing, I use the same tractor and a 6ft king FM72. I get $20-$25 per depending on size and can do just about 2acres per hour. This is a steal as ANY landscaper who cuts larger lawns (golf, clubs, parks etc) *starts* at $40 an hour and up.

Now my tractor also burns .75-.8 gph at pto speed, but with red diesel running over $1.10 locally, Im not above adding a fuel surcharge (often waived on bigger jobs)

If I have to bring out the 52hp massey 65D that burns over 3 gph, I charge more, but then again, I can swing a 10-12ft right-of-way mower with it.

Basically, you will have to find out what the market can bear, and use judgement. When I use the backhoe, breakage can get severe and the potential for damage is greater so I go $35 an hour for hoeing.

As for the equipment, the tractor and some of my mowers are nice and shiny. However, my fav mower is an old Bush Hog SQ60R4 with about 100lbs rotating mass....its welded all over the body and is painted chevy engine orange, but its good to have when the field is laced with cinder blocks and trash.

Some jobs, as the case may go, end up not paying, i.e if you break too much, but at least you didnt leave revenue on the table. Repairs are deductible. I also have my own shop so can do an inframe rebuild if I have to - that alone gives me a leg up on the competition.

Also, keep something in mind, the proof meter is the easiest way to get an engine hour, but that means 1 Engine hour = 1 clock hour at 540pto speed. at lower rpms, needed for say hoeing (most pumps reach max pressure and flow about 500rpm below pto) or spreading dirt, an hour could be 70 minutes of your time. An important distinction if you are paying someone to drive your equipment.

The biggest thing to remember, is to always show up. Always give a price. I have one customer who has a field I can now cut at lawn height....3 acres I cut for $20. He is a 1 minute drive up the road on the machine and gets it done mebbe 5-6 times a year. I do this one thing for him that keeps the machine in oil and link pins and he calls me for just about any tractoring job over and over. Thats what you want, to become the name on the tips of customers tongues. Eventually the smaller jobs turn into larger ones. ....

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