Finding tractor work

[bustter4]

Hey y'all just wondering how many of y'all do tractor work on the side? I have a Massey Ferguson 135 and I was thinking about doing some work on the side. I have a plow a disk and a bush hog. Was wondering how much work I could get with those implements. Any advice or experiences would be useful
Thanks

 

[Shaneard]

Put an ad on your local craigslist in the farm & garden section stating what you have and your rates. You may get surprised different seasons of the year!

 

[bustter4]

Generally what do y'all charge

 

[Shaneard]

I usually charge $60 an hour.

 

[bustter4]

Do you stay busy enough to make it with while?

 

[Shaneard]

I try not to do any side work when I get off work, I'd rather spend time with my family but when I do I charge $60 an hour. You can't get the time back spent with family. A man once told me "when your kids are small your to busy to spend time with them and when their grown, their to busy to spend time with you." <---That is the truth and I'd rather spend time with them and the wife.

 

[motownbrowne]

There's lots of threads on here on this subject. One common piece of advice: get insurance. $H!T happens. It's easy to make a few hundred bucks bush hogging. If you accidentally back through a fence, plow through a phone line, run over someone's dog, that few hundred bucks will be gone, and lots more of your money too.

$60/hr sounds pretty appealing, but don't forget your costs insurance, fuel, travel time, maintenance on the machine and implements all add up quickly.

 

[Thomas]

Put small flyers up at your local general store etc.,fair price and word of the mouth you maybe turning jobs away before you know it.

 

[bustter4]

You think you could make enough to make a living at it?

 

[Citydude]

You think you could make enough to make a living at it?

It's a roll of the dice. Depends on your perception of what a living is.

 

[roadhunter]

I doubt you could "make a living" with a simple tractor. Most people I have seen doing tractor work were older retired guys who did it for fun and to make a little extra money doing work like brush hogging small fields. In many cases there just aren't a lot of things a tractor can do aside from farming that will pay much. Many tasks a skid steer will run circles around a tractor and they are usually getting $75-$100 per hour around here.

However there are some tasks that I think a tractor woudl do pretty well at. I suspect having a 3 point chipper, 3 point stump grinder, and a grapple for the FEL would work pretty well doing tree cleanup. Pull the whole thing in a dump trailer to move chips and logs and you might be able to keep busy.

I think it essentially boils down to the attachments you have and how specialized they are . Installing silt fence can be another specialized task that is necessary on many construction projects but a skid steer is probably better at doing that as well. Brush Hogs are a dime a dozen so there will be lots of competition doing that kind of work.

 

[aarolar]

I try not to do any side work when I get off work, I'd rather spend time with my family but when I do I charge $60 an hour. You can't get the time back spent with family. A man once told me "when your kids are small your to busy to spend time with them and when their grown, their to busy to spend time with you." <---That is the truth and I'd rather spend time with them and the wife.

Amen to that.