Price for garden tilling?

[Haywire]

Since I have a plow and tiller for my 2660 now, I was thinking of offering a garden tilling service next spring.

What do you think I should charge for the average backyard vegetable garden?

Ian

 

[bp fick]

Since I have a plow and tiller for my 2660 now, I was thinking of offering a garden tilling service next spring.

What do you think I should charge for the average backyard vegetable garden?

Ian

Given transportation costs, horrendous fuel costs, and the risk of hitting something in the ground or tearing up your equipment..... everything the local market can bear. That is $50 for reasonably small plots around here. Of course, I think anything under a 100x300 is a "small" plot. So, don't take my word for it. :laughing:

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Given transportation costs, horrendous fuel costs, and the risk of hitting something in the ground or tearing up your equipment..... everything the local market can bear. That is $50 for reasonably small plots around here. Of course, I think anything under a 100x300 is a "small" plot. So, don't take my word for it. :laughing:

$50 for maybe a 10x30 but not a 100x300:thumbdown:
My brother rented a tiller a couple of years ago for $65 a day, day minimum price. He has a 20x30 garden and after picking up, returning, unloading, loading and being jerked around by a tiller for a couple of hours he volunteers to gladly pay me $50. I wouldn't charge him anything but he insists to help me cover tractor, fuel and tiller cost. He lives next door and I never charge him for backhoe digging or any other tractor services.

 

[herd]

I agree, $50.00 is a fair price for a fairly small plot; paying to rent a tiller is only a small part of the torture, running is the bigger part.

I'm thinking about doing this myself next spring, trick is, at least I think so, is to get anumber of garden plots in a near by areas, thereby making the most of your mobilizing costs.

 

[magicheater]

Since I have a plow and tiller for my 2660 now, I was thinking of offering a garden tilling service next spring.

What do you think I should charge for the average backyard vegetable garden?

Ian

I get a delivery charge + $1 a minute with no minimum to encourage gardening. I have a 5.5' tiller.

 

[5030]

I just borrow my neighbor's Frontier (JD) 84" rear mount tiller. He says it will roto till asphalt but I've never tried it.......

 

[2458n]

You will have the opp to till asphalt. Ater you beat the tines off the tiller the home owner will volunter to tell you that the garden is now where the old barn or smoke house was. Fall is a great time to offer plowing altough a weedeater and a tiller can hide alot of neglect from this years weed patch. Once you get started word of mouth is your best advertizement. With all the dry weather peoples gardens were not very succesful this year. In the spring it is all forgotten and gardening will again seem like the thing to do. When opening up new ground do not forget to locate the under ground utitilies. One phone call and they come out free of charge. Tearing up phone lines and cable can be very costly.

 

[taborekle]

If it were me, I'd bump up the price a little for a first time customer. I found that the first couple of times that I tilled my in-laws guarden (which had never been tillered before) that I was constantly breaking my shear-bolts on their rocks. I've since upgraded my sheer-bolt to a slip-clutch. The 2nd or 3rd season that I tillered it went much faster, as I had cleared so many of the rocks.

If it's an old plot that has been under seed before, then there is no need to call a utility company to mark the land. Tillers only go down about 4 or 5 inches, and if it's been under seed before it probably was plowed (which is much deeper).

If it's never been under seed, then I'd be concerned about tearing up my equipment on that forgotten underground foundation.

Don't be afraid to turn down a tillering job, depending on the answers to your questions and the lay of the land (and the lay of the person hiring you).

Larry

 

[PapaPerk]

How does one handle liability? Everyone nowadays is "sue happy".

 

[5030]

How does one handle liability? Everyone nowadays is "sue happy".

Maybe in your state, not mine.

 

[Don87]

How does one handle liability? Everyone nowadays is "sue happy".

Best thing to do is carry insurance 'just in case'. But that can get costly.

I almost always run a plow, or a middlebuster through ground that has never been tilled before.

I tilled 2 gardens other than mine this past spring, the one guy gave me a couple beers, the other one I tilled, and even gave them plants for their garden, did get a thank you.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

Indeed. Go get a cheap middlebuster at the least. It'll help you find all the water lines, telephone lines, and buried electrical before you run your tiller into it. :laughing:

I've only mined for white pvc water line, thus far. *knocks on wood*

 

[Haywire]

I'll just add the line "established gardens only" to my craigslist ad. That way I'm reasonably sure that there's no hidden objects.

Ian

 

[OrangeRidge]

You had better get Public Liability insurance , or your butt could be
ash . Accidents CAN and DO happen ! Check here for info/examples ;
http://www.lawnsite.com/

Since you're doing this for "gain ", a Court will see it as a business liability
if there's a problem . Do not bury your head in the sand on this one !
Many folk will inform IRS on you too . This happened to a cousin
and his TV repairs sideline

 

[TexKubota]

I tilled my parents garden the other day and boy was it dusty(my first job with the new tiller)..

 

[krackerjack9]

I use a L4400 with a 6ft tiller, and tiller paid for itself in the spring tilling times. Now getting calls for fall tilling. If the ground has never been touched via, tiller, disc ect. I take my frontend loader and tear up a a section as I go forward then till it. If the ground is to wet your wasting your time it will just turn to dirt balls. 40x40 charge $50.00 anything with in 5 miles of home. I have gotten request as far as 80 miles away and they didnt care on the cost and best part is that I picked up 3 more people in the same area so it turns out to be a very very good Saturday. :licking:

 

[crazyal]

You had better get Public Liability insurance , or your butt could be
ash . Accidents CAN and DO happen ! Check here for info/examples ;
http://www.lawnsite.com/

Since you're doing this for "gain ", a Court will see it as a business liability
if there's a problem . Do not bury your head in the sand on this one !
Many folk will inform IRS on you too . This happened to a cousin
and his TV repairs sideline

If anything the IRS is your friend. If you are doing this as a business then everything is deductible from your income taxes. The cost of insurance, the cost of fuel, and any supplies needed for the tractor. The tractor and tiller can be deducted over a period of 5 years (talk to an accountant though as there are rules about using equipment for work vs personal use, his fee is also deductible). You usually can get away with not making a profit for 5 years.

 

[Don87]

If anything the IRS is your friend. If you are doing this as a business then everything is deductible from your income taxes. The cost of insurance, the cost of fuel, and any supplies needed for the tractor. The tractor and tiller can be deducted over a period of 5 years (talk to an accountant though as there are rules about using equipment for work vs personal use, his fee is also deductible). You usually can get away with not making a profit for 5 years.

That all depends on the 'tax bracket' you are in. And then when running your own business, you must pay all the social security and such yourself(The part that your employer pays 50% of if you work for him/her). Only accept cash, or beer (like me) if your old enough.

 

[Haywire]

And if they don't think you've put enough effort into your business, they disallow it and call it a hobby. I looked into it when I was selling firewood on the side a few years ago.

Ian

 

[Duffster]

Maybe in your state, not mine.

That's humorous.