How much to install field tile

[Little Red Tractor]

I'm not into any commercial operations, but a friend once told me that his rate was roughly 1 dollar per hour for every thousand dollars of new purchase price for the machine (or comparable machine).
That would make a $40,000 machine $40/hour. If you're running two machines, you would add the two together for the total cost.
Note that the conversation mentioned here was about 15 years back, so there may be some need to adjust for inflation, fuel cost, etc.

 

[Gary Fowler]

That estimate is likely pretty close. I have had some 580 Case backhoe and 450 dozer work done and they charged 60 an hour for the backhoe and 80 for the dozer. Last dozer work I got a 120 HP much larger one for the same price because the owner had the larger one with Cab and AC and the smaller one was open station. It was over 100F so he brought the big one for same price as he didnt have any work for it at the time. We used it for about a week when the operator got off work from his day job he would come by and work for about 3 hours. Funny how jobs just keep popping up when you have the equipment there and no minimum time. The contractor made out pretty well on the dozer work by just leaving it parked at my house for the 2 hours work for me turned into about 12 hours total dozer plus some dump truck and gravel delivery and some ditches, land leveling, etc. He got a couple thousand off me and my brother in law before it was over.

 

[Dr Dave]

Dont forget to get a utility locate! A local contractor hit a 24" gas line, while installing drainage tile. Did not have a locate, lucky to be alive! Damage is in the millions, they will have to replace at least 1 mile of pipe and X-ray, many more. The explosion was heard and seen 20 miles away.

 

[David Wayne]

My internet had been down a couple days so here is an update. We finished up the first 1000' Tue. evening. Got a downpour of 2 1/2" that night. Wed. morning it looked like a 15 foot wide river. Thursday morning, no water. I had left the area where the new tile tied into the old tile uncovered and that hole was dry. So I pulled the tile back enough to look in and it was running 1/2 full and moving fast. I put some dye in it that I got from the healthdept and 10 minutes later found the outlet 20 feet from where I thought it was. So the tile is working, no need to replace the other 1000 at this time. They are happy & have more for me to do when I can get to it. Thanks again for your input.
David

 

[Fossil Farm]

Good deal. Be sure there is an animal guard on the outlet pipe.

 

[MHarryE]

It must be nice to work for people that have cash money. Last year I dug in 200 feet of water line and got half of a hog. Year before that I installed 3 culverts for the same person and got 1/4 of a beef steer. That same year I took care of a neighbor's cattle while he was recovering from hip replacement surgery and I got another 1/4 beef. If you add up the value I work really cheap but I eat well.

 

[horsinaround]

You really should be sure the outlet is open and functional before spending alot of time and money on the other sections. If the tile was installed properly the first time, blowouts usually occur from blockages in the tile or surface water forcing the tile to become pressurized. I presume the existing tile is clay. If the clay sections are in good shape and not cracked or broken, it would be best to be sure you have a good outlet. There used to be several tile contractors in central Ohio, I'm sure you could give one of them a call just to get an idea of their pricing to put your mind at ease a bit. Bumpy Rhoades did alot of work in Delaware County. Of course that was 30 years ago. Not sure who is left anymore in that area.

I have a similar issue... I have blowouts through my field. There are two neighbors downstream from me. What is the best fix if they are unwilling to fix their plugged/broken sections?

 

[Fossil Farm]

I have a similar issue... I have blowouts through my field. There are two neighbors downstream from me. What is the best fix if they are unwilling to fix their plugged/broken sections?

That is a tough situation. In some parts of Ohio, many of the larger mains are under the county engineer and he can help in repairing, replacing those mains if there was a maintenance agreement setup years ago. The county records would have to be searched to find out. There is also an obscure Ohio drainage law that if the tile has existed more than 21 years, the affected owner can repair the tile downstream at their own cost. I believe it is called a "prescriptive easement." Of course that gets into legal issues, and you would need more guidance on what options are available in your area than what I can provide. Good luck.

 

[LD1]

I have a similar issue... I have blowouts through my field. There are two neighbors downstream from me. What is the best fix if they are unwilling to fix their plugged/broken sections?

I think the first thing you need to do is talk to the neighbors.

How many neighbors does this "main" cross over, and do you know where the outlet is? and do the neighbors have any blowouts on thier land?

Maybe the neighbors will be reasonable and you guys can tackle this as a "joint" venture with shared cost and help eachother out:thumbsup:

 

[horsinaround]

I think the first thing you need to do is talk to the neighbors.

How many neighbors does this "main" cross over, and do you know where the outlet is? and do the neighbors have any blowouts on thier land?

Maybe the neighbors will be reasonable and you guys can tackle this as a "joint" venture with shared cost and help eachother out:thumbsup:

There are four other properties between me and the ditch/creek and it is about a 4000 foot run. The tile was installed over 50 years ago. They too have blowouts.