How much to charge bush hogging per acre

[LD1]

I do alot of custom mowing jobs. Ranging from 15+ acres to under an acre. For starters, if you are serious, get insurance. Commercial general liability policies for landscape/mowing work are typically $500 of less per year.

Now on to pricing. Coming up with a price per acre is the wrong way to price a job. Not every acre is created equal. There are alot of variables that go into pricing.

1. How much travel time to get to and from
2. How many acres total
3. Small broken up lots? or large open space
4. Obsticals to mow around
5. What are you mowing? Weeds? Pasture grass? or brush/land clearing. Believe it or not, mowing thick 3' high pasture grass is gonna be slower than a 5' high field of weeds
6. How often is it gonna get done?

All of these variables change how long it takes to do a job. And at the end of the day, how long it takes vs how much you charge is really all that matters. My ads used to read something to the effect of "prices typically $40 to $50 per acre" and you would be surprised at the number of calls I took where someone wanted 1 acre of lawn mowed around a vacant house that hasnt been touched in 3 years and 45 minute drive away and expected me to charge something around $50. Uh, no thanks. Increased liability around a house, and lots of things like septic, wells, etc.

So, when a customer calls, I ask questions to get answers to those 6 variables I mentioned. Start with an address and use findlotsize.com to check acreage and see how much travel is involved. Then ask things like "when was the last time it was mowed"? and "is it just weeds and grass or overgrown with briars and tree saplings?"

After I have those answers, I can figure pretty close how long its gonna take me. My target is $60/hr from the time I leave my drive till the time I return to my drive. And then I round to the nearest $50. So if someone tells me its 5 acres and was mowed last year and wide open pasture, I know thats gonna take ~2 hours. If the job is 30 minutes away, I will have 1 hour travel. So 3 x $60=$180. I would quote the job an even $200.

There is no need in the customer knowing your hourly target rate either. And dont charge by the hour. IF you tell a customer $60 per hour, one of 2 things is gonna happen, either they are gonna think that is way too high (because they dont understand the cost of running equip), or they are gonna ask "how long do you think it will take". And if you cannot give then an estimated time, they are likely not gonna use you. And if you do give then an estimated time, even though its just an estimate, they will probably not be happy if you go over.

So from a customers perspective, using the above example, how much to mow 5 acres. A flat $200 sounds a whole lot better than $60/hr for a yet unknown number of hours.

The hardest part starting out is gonna be getting good at guessing how long its gonna take to do a job. I have mowed in conditions where you were lucky to do 1 acre an hour. And other times 3+ acres per hour is easy to achieve. Kinda hard to set a per-acre price when conditions can be vastly different.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I think one main point is the size of your equipment. I think too many guys out there want too much for using dinky equipment. And I know, the man has to get paid, but it can be a bad deal for the customer.

I can show up at a customers as a technician with a suitcase full of tools and charge fifty bucks an hour. Show up with a hundred grand worth of equipment and I can't charge much more then fifty bucks an hour!

 

[LD1]

I think one main point is the size of your equipment. I think too many guys out there want too much for using dinky equipment. And I know, the man has to get paid, but it can be a bad deal for the customer.

I can show up at a customers as a technician with a suitcase full of tools and charge fifty bucks an hour. Show up with a hundred grand worth of equipment and I can't charge much more then fifty bucks an hour!

Thats why I dont like to charge by the hour, or by the acre. It levels the playing field.

If a guy has 10 acres that need mowed, he dont care if you have $100,000 worth of tractor and 15' mower, or a 1950's tractor and 5' cutter, as long as it gets mowed.

The guy with the 8n and 5' bushhog may take 8 hours to do the job and charge ~$30/hour for a total of $250.

The guy with the 100+HP and 15' batwing may only take 2 hours and charge $125/hr

Whats the difference to the customer?

 

[Sprinklerman]

I think one main point is the size of your equipment. I think too many guys out there want too much for using dinky equipment. And I know, the man has to get paid, but it can be a bad deal for the customer.

I can show up at a customers as a technician with a suitcase full of tools and charge fifty bucks an hour. Show up with a hundred grand worth of equipment and I can't charge much more then fifty bucks an hour!

I use dinky equipment , but I am working on small 1/2 to 1 acre at most that are over grown, I use a bx 24 with a 4 ft cutter and average around $ 200+ an hour . It may sound high but I am in a Maryland suburb , very few tractors . When I get a call its because zoning has given a citation to the owner and it must be done and soon . Cost of living is high here . Plus I can get it .

 

[STx]

I charge $1.75 per mile one way from my shop to their location plus $75/hr with a 2 hour minimum. I tell people I can do 2 - 3 acres per hour if there are no obstructions and it's being maintained regularly but the first time will take longer because I need to learn the terrain and make sure there are no obstructions. I end up cutting 95% of the jobs that call to inquire.

 

[namesray]

Costs me approx $12.00 per hour to run tractor/implement. This includes buy up, depreation, fuel, maintenance, repairs, insurance. It also costs me about $.65 cents per mile for truck and trailer. I charge a "drop gate fee" to show up on job, which covers my transportation costs plus most fuel of tractor.

I can make money with dgf charging:

$100 minimum

$25-$35 dollars per acre depends on terrain,obstacles, and such.

A negotiated per hour price if the customer would rather be charged per hour and some do. Usually ranges from $40 to $60 per hour depending.

I have a 1990's one ton dump truck, with newer 14k 20ft trailer, new kubota 52hp 4x4 mx5200 tractor with loader, and 6ft woods rc6 bush hog.

I can pocket $41 per hour charging $25 per acre on most plots. They have to be somewhat flat, and with few/simple obstacles. Usually average 2.5 acres per hour give take on conditions. I get good cut and have repeat customers.

This is for my area. Most people would laugh here at $50+ per acre unless it was commercial. Like I say I can make money at my rates with very decent equipment. Equipment prices are simular through out. Other areas people are more accustom to $50+per acre and will accept that. Take it if you can get it. Being in business for yourself is a big hassle. Especially doing it right and not for "beer money", but to each their own. Its all how YOUwant to operate and feel happy with, but personally I would never do it with out insurance. Good luck with your venture.

 

[Fawken]

I think one main point is the size of your equipment. I think too many guys out there want too much for using dinky equipment. And I know, the man has to get paid, but it can be a bad deal for the customer.

I can show up at a customers as a technician with a suitcase full of tools and charge fifty bucks an hour. Show up with a hundred grand worth of equipment and I can't charge much more then fifty bucks an hour!

I was doing contract mowing for the city of Dallas. Cutters bigger than 5' or tractors too large to maneuver through narrow alleys and easements need not apply. Generally, a 30 hp machine would have been too big. It was decent money and it helped but was not my main gig.

 

[Blaneypark]

I have a Johm Deere 3520 with a five foot brush hog. I charge a buck a minute from the time I leave the shop till I get back. Funny though if you say $60.00 an hour most don"t get excited. Say a $1.00 a minute and all **** breaks loose.

 

[fieldman12]

Around here no one calls you unless it has not been mowed in a year or so. They also fail to tell you about the hidden obstacles. Even when you ask they say oh nothing is out there. If a guy charged by the acre here he would go broke and most people don't like the charge by hour rate also that has already been mentioned. In my opinion commercial bush hogging is the only jobs to go after if you want to get into bush hogging. Most home owners simple do not want to pay what its really worth. Believe me there are jobs out there you can tear your equipment up on that even a thousand bucks an hour would not be enough including commercial jobs.lol

 

[LD1]

I can pocket $41 per hour charging $25 per acre on most plots. They have to be somewhat flat, and with few/simple obstacles. Usually average 2.5 acres per hour give take on conditions. I get good cut and have repeat customers.

Are you typically doing larger jobs? 10+ acres? And how do you factor in your travel time?

Job I just did 2 nights ago was 3.2 acres. Located 35 miles (45 minutes away). Took 1.5 hours from the time I pulled in til the time I rolled out.



IF I charged $25/acre That would have been $80. No way to make money on that. I charge $200 for that job, and have done it twice a year for the last 3 years. So thats over $60/acre

Now I have done some 10-15 acre jobs in the past that werent too overgrown (get cut a few times a year) and closer to home That I get down close to $30/acre. But I think my average job size is around 3 acres. And my minimum for loading equipment is $175. Which the minimum covers most 3 acre and smaller jobs that are a reasonable driving distance away