Side jobs with your tractor

[Aquamoose]

I’m thinking of starting a side business with my tractor, tree puller, grapple, back hoe, and PTO chipper. I do have a truck & trailer. Has anybody done anything like this and any tips/suggestions?

 

[woody]

Yes I have and still do some, get your mind right and remember didn't anybody give you your equipment and you have to pay for the repairs. that being said I do help my neighbors without charging and some of them insist on covering my fuel or trade services you know the way friends and neighbors do.

 

[mikester]

If you plan on working above board get a quote on commercial insurance and licensing if you want some deterrents. Woody has excellent advice.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I help my friends and neighbors for free anytime they ask me. They return the favor also.

That being said, if I was going to do it for hire, I would NOT give my time away. Also if I was going to do it for hire, and advertise, put up signs, etc, I would make sure I was fully legit, insurance, license, etc. All it takes is one accident, or "unhappy" customer to report you and it all comes to a stop, fines, etc.

 

[Budweiser John]

I help my friends and neighbors for free anytime they ask me. They return the favor also.

That being said, if I was going to do it for hire, I would NOT give my time away. Also if I was going to do it for hire, and advertise, put up signs, etc, I would make sure I was fully legit, insurance, license, etc. All it takes is one accident, or "unhappy" customer to report you and it all comes to a stop, fines, etc.

You are absolutely spot on. The days of “just doing a few side jobs” for a little cash is like playing Russian Roulette.

 

[EddieWalker]

I did some bush hogging for realtors for awhile, but it was always last minute type jobs that I really didn't care to do, and it seemed that they always wanted more then they where willing to pay for. Then it was weeks until I would get paid because it was all done through the realtors trying to sell the property. The pay was good, but you can only work so many hours in a day, and I decided that if I wanted to work 12 hour days, I would be better off putting them into my day to day job.

 

[Molalla1]

I did some bush hogging for realtors for awhile, but it was always last minute type jobs that I really didn't care to do, and it seemed that they always wanted more then they where willing to pay for. Then it was weeks until I would get paid because it was all done through the realtors trying to sell the property. The pay was good, but you can only work so many hours in a day, and I decided that if I wanted to work 12 hour days, I would be better off putting them into my day to day job.

How true Eddie, do what you do best . . .the day of a side gig is over with all the sue happy people, and most want more than what it is worth.

 

[nyone]

Set a hourly price and a minimum right off the bat. No point in traveling 1hr each way for 1hrs work.

I have a mini excavator and thats how i do it. Hourly price and a minimum. The further away the hourly price raises. This is how i get away from traveling 1hr just to do a quote. I have them send me pictures. Also gets me out of digging a hole for someones mail box.

 

[Fallon]

Landscaper insurance here in Colorado for me is around $900 a year these days. Anything involving digging is over $8,000 a year. Be careful as to what they define as digging too. I'm fine for post holes & fencing or putting in sprinkler systems, but not grading or trenching for anything else.

 

[oosik]

A friend got into the side job business with his new tractor, truck, trailer, implements etc, etc. It lasted a year - he found this to be true - - he was always bone tired - after a year his equipment looked to be five years old - he had worked his hinney off and had very little to show for it. Folks seem to always expected him to do more than they wanted to pay for. He got tired of arguing over price.

His happiest day was when he told his wife - "I've had enough of this stuff - I quit".

 

[nyone]

Thats why you work hourly. No one can predict whats under the ground so working by the job can kill you or you have to add a hefty amount to the quote.

 

[shooterdon]

Like many here, I will help a neighbor. I expect no cash.

I am in a very rural and remote area. Neighbors help each other and most have little or no money. We do not “keep score” but I know everyone here would help in a split second if I had need for it. And they have!

Bear in mind that most people who will hire you have no idea of the investment you have in your equipment. That is where the problems will arise....and if you screw up...and you will...it can get ugly. Get insurance.

 

[prof fate]

as soon as you start charging money you're a pro in the mind of the customer - and the expectations go up. As to how you perform, the mess you make, ruts, etc.

Insurance is a must IMO.

If you're not legal (licensing if needed) be prepared for ANYTHING - you never know who make turn you in or who your next customer may be - a township person, an IRS agent (had one as a customer), etc.

here the township workers report ALL folks they see to the code enforement officer...no permit to work? Expect a visit and the consequences of it.

 

[/pine]

Where you live and how far you are willing to travel makes a difference...
If a man has a capable tractor and a tiller...it can be quick dollars tilling garden plots once you build up a client list...many gardeners would want it done twice a year...

Food plots are another line...additional equipment may be required

 

[wundudnee]

Years ago my Dad graded and seeded lawns for new construction. People would ask him for a job contract price and he would refuse. He would tell them he only worked by the hour and that they would be satisfied quicker that way. He would give them a total hour estimate to complete the job. He never advertised and was continually busy.

He did have a few contractors that he would do their yards for a fixed price. There would be times that he would have 20-30 yards waiting in the spring. The good thing there would be they were often 6-10 in a row on the same block.


On small jobs like bush hogging or plowing gardens it was a two hour minimum.

 

[MossRoad]

When my father was in business for himself he charged by the hour with X hours minimum. The tricky part is giving accurate estimates of the total time it takes to do a job, figuring in the unexpected, and contingency plans should your equipment fail, especially if you promise a deadline. And as others have said, insurance and proper permitting are a must.

Several years ago, heck, it may have been 10-15 years ago, several of our local governments started requiring contractors to be licensed with them. So there's several cities, towns, the county, state, etc... that you may have to get licenses/permits with before you can do work inside their boundaries.

 

[adventure bob]

Having said all that... Doing tractor work for money is actually good work if you manage it correctly. You have the ability to say no to any job regardless of reason. It has no more liability than any other site work (landscaping, fence work, etc...). Licensure for things will cost you up front. For example in the state of Colorado, I have a private applicators license. Cheap, but I cant spray for profit. I can spray for cost (fuel, chemicals ect) but cant make profit. To spray for profit I have to pay the commercial fees. There are a lot of folks making a good living doing commercial tractor work. Most here are excavators though. That appears to be where the money is and most of us don't have the equipment for that type of work. I would say try it and see where you get to after a year. I would write up a contract with your clients that clearly states they're responsible for surveys ect and damage form un marked obstacles. There's a couple of decent contracts to start from on the internet. I would suggest things that dont involve digging first. Mowing, snow clearing ect... Less risk, less technical involvement for lawsuit later. Also, this is going to put some wear and tear on your tractor. Have you ever looked at a tractor used for commercial mowing? They get pretty beat up, pretty fast. The only other caution I would have is on your warranty. Most of us didn't buy our tractors on commercial accounts through our dealers and the warranties are different. If you start racking up the hours they may question coverage if anything goes wrong.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't remember where I read it. Probably here on TBN, or in a conversation with my insurance man, perhaps.

If you dig deeper than X inches into the ground, you're liability insurance rates will go up quite a bit VS someone that does, say, garden tilling. Also depends on purpose. Planting a tree VS digging a trench for utilities.

Any of you contractor types out there that confirm this or shed some light on it?

 

[Diggin It]

here the township workers report ALL folks they see to the code enforement officer...no permit to work? Expect a visit and the consequences of it.

Several years ago, heck, it may have been 10-15 years ago, several of our local governments started requiring contractors to be licensed with them. So there's several cities, towns, the county, state, etc... that you may have to get licenses/permits with before you can do work inside their boundaries.

You know why that is, right?

 

[MossRoad]

You know why that is, right?

Yes.
- You dig a trench and dig up a utility, you die, your employee dies, someone else dies.
- You dig a trench and cut off utilities to someone on life support and they die.
- You or your employee gets in a trench and it collapsed and someone dies.
- You dig to far and end up in China, a war starts, and people die.

Stuff like that?