Mowing Large acreage mowing

[goatman64]

I live and farm in Northern Colorado around the Fort Collins area. 60 acres of horse quality brome small squares is what keeps me busy in the summer. I was recently approached about another 35 acres for rough cut field mowing. I've read several posts across multiple boards discussing pricing approaches etc. In this day and age of inflation where simple bearings are stupid expense and ever increasing fuel charges ... How are folks bidding large acreage mowing jobs? I'm thinking hourly north of $100/hr. I have a 95hp tractor with a 8' rough cut mower. The acreage is flat.

Haying charges are well defined and boxed in ,, hay cutting, raking, baling and stacking.

Thanks for any input

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m at $150/hour+ on a CX-15 and a 135HP tractor on a 10 acre minimum. I’d be a little higher on a smaller job. My competitors are similar. I increased prices last summer -was at about $140.
I will probably drop another price increase soon since fuel doubled in price in 2 years.

If the field is particularly nasty with 3” Bradford pear, heavy Russian olive, I will add a little more

 

[jaxs]

You are right,we have gone to "Whatever the market will bear" prices. First thing that crosses my mind when asked to mow a field is "I wonder what I'll hit" . The longer since field was mowed,the more likly trash has been dumped and weeds are hiding it. Add the price of a new rear tire to what it's worth and refund it if all go's well. How about adding a little for extra fuel to what it's worth to swath same size field?

 

[MESSMAKER]

I’m at $150/hour+ on a CX-15 and a 135HP tractor on a 10 acre minimum. I’d be a little higher on a smaller job. My competitors are similar. I increased prices last summer -was at about $140.
I will probably drop another price increase soon since fuel doubled in price in 2 years.

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If the field is particularly nasty with 3” Bradford pear, heavy Russian olive, I will add a little more

I think that is about where it goes for around here. I think a 4 hour min. is pretty common. I think you are looking at somewhere around $900.

 

[ssgp2]

Just for reference: In the Ft. Worth area, I charge $65/hr. with a 6' brush cutter and run at 3 mph generally and leave a very nice cut. That is just shy of 2 acres/hr. on level, un-obstructed fields. However, 95% of what I do is NOT level, un-obstructed and the material is generally over 4' tall, so my speed is cut to 1-2 mph with the fel almost on the ground (for protection). My rate will likely go up this year due to the cost of oil and fuel though.
I consider the cost (mileage/fuel) to get to and from the job, the cost to run my tractor per hr. and lastly my hourly wage. Some ongoing jobs, are simply hourly. When bidding a job, I try not to get into the hourly rate with the customer, especially if I have never mowed that area before.
Depending on material, thickness and cleanliness of cut desired, you should be able to accomplish this job in 3.5 to 8.5 hours
I offer this info with the presumption that you don't typically do mowing jobs on a regular basis, but for info only.
For future reference: Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

 

[mikester]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

It’s cheaper in the long run to keep a field cut then to let it get overgrown and weedy. Not only do you have to mow briars and small trees but the grass will thin and require a lot of seed and fertilizer to put right again.

 

[Liquidsilver]

With a 15-footer, you can get a lot of mowing done for $150 an hour... especially if it's flat ground and you've mowed it before.

I don't know what ELSE you'd do with 35 acres if you wanted it to stay nice. ??

 

[Hay Dude]

You need to charge at least $400/hour.

Anybody wanting to regularly mow 35 acres has too much money and not enough sense. Don't forget to add a carbon tax.

I have tried talking some of those very customers into hay, but when you show them the up front cost to spray everything with Banvel, then no till drill in new orchard grass, they balk at it.
I even have a customer paying $3,000 for mowing their meadows and they already have acceptable grass hay in most areas!
I could cut their bill down to about $1,000 and hay the good stuff.

Have another with same situation, all they need to do is cut in an access road to the field to bring out bales. Might cost $5,000, but it’ll pay itself back in greatly reduced mowing costs.

 

[jaxs]

With a 15-footer, you can get a lot of mowing done for $150 an hour... especially if it's flat ground and you've mowed it before.

I don't know what ELSE you'd do with 35 acres if you wanted it to stay nice. ??

Pushing 80 I can't stay in the saddle enough hours to earn much. Starting at 73 while recovering from shoulder surgery I began transitioning to consultant and GC to help pay bills. To answer your question,spray to surpress trees,bushes,vines and broad leaf weeds. A property owner can do the same on his land but there's compications. Getting permission to buy and/or apply herbicides is hardly worthwhile for less than several hundred acres in many states. Getting license that alow's doing it for hire is even more difficult. Some jurisdictions alow an end-around bartering with other farmers if you have permission to buy and apply to your land,no license required. My equipment is small and suited to small lots so I rarly work for another farmer other than in and around corrals,drives,ditches and such. I even hire 90% of my pasture and hay fields to a company with commercial rigs. Why not,I earn more from a 20 acre sub-divison to be than it cost's me to hire a 100 acre pasture sprayed.

 

[Snobdds]

I don't get charged by the hour, I get charged by the acre. $25/acre.

 

[Doughknob]

I don't get charged by the hour, I get charged by the acre. $25/acre.

this makes much more sense, for the payer at least.

 

[Hay Dude]

I also frequently bid by the job, if its uneven, lots of trees and lots of junk.

 

[Snobdds]

this makes much more sense, for the payer at least.

Absolutely...why would anyone pay by the hour for mowing?

 

[Hay Dude]

Absolutely...why would anyone pay by the hour for mowing?

First time, I would agree, but once the mowing time has been established, an hourly rate should suffice for a return customer.
I actually BID by the hour, not charge by the hour on my invoices.
So if I bid a field that I think will take 10 hours, I will BID $1500.

The reason I wouldnt charge $25 per acre is because its much easier on equipment to cut grass for $25/hour than it is to cut brush for $25/hour.

 

[Snobdds]

First time, I would agree, but once the mowing time has been established, an hourly rate should suffice for a return customer.
I actually BID by the hour, not charge by the hour on my invoices.
So if I bid a field that I think will take 10 hours, I will BID $1500.

Cool...but as a paying customer, I just want to know what the $/acre charge is.

Lawyers bill by the hour, but they also break an hour into 4 equal parts. I don't mind getting a bill for 1.25 hours of billable time by them as I know I just didn't pay double time for their martini lunch break.

Do you only bill in full hours?

 

[jaxs]

I have tried talking some of those very customers into hay, but when you show them the up front cost to spray everything with Banvel, then no till drill in new orchard grass, they balk at it.
I even have a customer paying $3,000 for mowing their meadows and they already have acceptable grass hay in most areas!
I could cut their bill down to about $1,000 and hay the good stuff.

Have another with same situation, all they need to do is cut in an access road to the field to bring out bales. Might cost $5,000, but it’ll pay itself back in greatly reduced mowing costs.

It make's you wonder how they did well enough over the years to own property. Likly by crook & rook if truth was known. A developer bought land adjoining some I owned. In the psat I had maintained the land year around free in exchange for taking hay off it. When I called new owner to introduce myself and inquire,he wanted to know what I did with the hay then implied I was trying to take advantge of him then insisted I pay him so I just said thanks and good luck. He hired a landscaper to mow it. Some things i knew that he didn't or knew but didn't want to reveal right then was (A) less than 20% of land could accomendate homes without massive dirt work or diverting drainage onto my property (B) To make massive dirt work worthwhile a bridge would be needed accross dry creek to replace existing concreted low water crossing. Bridges serving more than one family is required to be engineered to support any fire apperatuse which might be dispatched to that location. If that wasn't bad enough,it must be wide enough for apperatus entering without backing or repositioning. (C) Said dry creek turn's to go beneath bridge on public road within a few yards after entering my property. (D) It will cost this self-professed brillient businessman 20x market value to buy 3 acres off corner of my property and avoid the more expensive bridge. (E) The option of diverting runoff onto my property as mentioned in A above would dramaticly reduce amount of dirt work and negate need for bridge both. After exhusting scare tactics and lawyer threats,he bought the intire property at a shamfully inflated price. The money made robing him on the sale gave me pleasure but the cherry on top came a few months later when I told him how much better things could have gone had he not attempted lording over me starting with mowing and ongoing right through circus acts performed by lawyers.
I usually think of this and chuckle when I hear the phrase "too many dollars and not enough sense".

 

[jaxs]

Cool...but as a paying customer, I just want to know what the $/acre charge is.

Lawyers bill by the hour, but they also break an hour into 4 equal parts. I don't mind getting a bill for 1.25 hours of billable time by them as I know I just didn't pay double time for their martini lunch break.

Do you only bill in full hours?

That's funny. You just answered your own question. How would you feel if you observed Dude visiting the ice chest beneath the shade when he's charging by the hour? That's retorical,we know you wouldn't like that either.

 

[Hay Dude]

Cool...but as a paying customer, I just want to know what the $/acre charge is.

Lawyers bill by the hour, but they also break an hour into 4 equal parts. I don't mind getting a bill for 1.25 hours of billable time by them as I know I just didn't pay double time for their martini lunch break.

Do you only bill in full hours?

Thats cool, customer would take my total and divide by the # of acres.
Anyone I give an estimate to has the right to refuse me if they think I charge too much per acre.
I bid by the hour so I can tweak the hours up or down according to difficulty I see when I inspect.
I have a hunch that your area may be more consistent large pasture area?
In my area, there could be pasture clipping one day (easy) and then clearing 25 acres of Bradford pear or autumn olive (hard).

Yes, only bill in full hours. Rarely have eaten lunch in the past 20 years.

 

[Citydude]

Just for reference: In the Ft. Worth area, I charge $65/hr. with a 6' brush cutter and run at 3 mph generally and leave a very nice cut. That is just shy of 2 acres/hr. on level, un-obstructed fields. However, 95% of what I do is NOT level, un-obstructed and the material is generally over 4' tall, so my speed is cut to 1-2 mph with the fel almost on the ground (for protection). My rate will likely go up this year due to the cost of oil and fuel though.
I consider the cost (mileage/fuel) to get to and from the job, the cost to run my tractor per hr. and lastly my hourly wage. Some ongoing jobs, are simply hourly. When bidding a job, I try not to get into the hourly rate with the customer, especially if I have never mowed that area before.
Depending on material, thickness and cleanliness of cut desired, you should be able to accomplish this job in 3.5 to 8.5 hours
I offer this info with the presumption that you don't typically do mowing jobs on a regular basis, but for info only.
For future reference: Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

I contracted for the town I live in for $120.00 an acre in 2013. This was with a 6ft brush cutter.