Pricing for mulching?

[Landwise]

Tell me how most of you are pricing for mulching, and what kind of production are you getting (Be specific about machines, heads and density please).

I think there must be a lot of diversity in how this is done.

I started off running $125 per hour for my ASV's with Loftness carbides.
Then, after some number crunching, I started pricing by the job. I try to get between $500 and $1200 per acre, depending on density. The goal is to get $1000 per day minimum per machine. Any thoughts here?

I know guys with Hydro-Axes that charge $150 per hour that can get 5-10 acres per day, and I know guys with Gyro tracs that get $1200 per acre with no hourly rate, and a fee to move.

If I have to price a job by the hour, I have gone to $135 per hour, what with the cost of fuel, but people don't want to hear that.

Also, In my area, an ASV with a Fecon or loftness is only going to do 1 to 1.5 per day. With a Cimaf or Tomax, 1.5 to 2.5 seems to be the norm. Mostly Long Leaf Pine, Gum, White Oak, bay bush....

I just added a Davco High Flow mower to my inventory, trying to give another option to my customers.

Things sure have gotten slow all of a sudden....... Where I was two to three weeks out, now I am happy to move to your place today.

 

[Terra Firma Scott]

Anyone wanta chime in? The economy sucks right now...

I try to get 1000 to 1400 per day....depending on the density ..With my small machine and timberax...My capacity is 1/2 to a full acre a day depending on that density...and i look for the smaller jobs since i only operate weekends..I bid by the job not the hour..

How do you like the DAVCO? I was told that was the only type of mower/cutter i could run on my machine...Seems alot of folk want pasture or bush hog style mowing done nearby...Does it leave a mess?? Rough cut?

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

When I quite mulching we were at 150.00 per hour for both the ASV and excavator. You are better of by the job but that requires alot of time to really look over the entire job site. Most of my customer prefered by the hour. If the machine was running so was the clock. We started out at 125.00 hour but that didn't leave much in the bank.
Alot of larger mulching contractors are doing well around here. Alot of who you know. Also with land owners wanting to unload large tracks of land they are willing to spend some money to make it look better than the guy next door.

 

[Landwise]

The Davco reminds me of a hydro-axe cut. It is pretty rough, but it is fast. Great for survey lines, or the budget weary customer. You can make the finished product look prety good, if you take the time and back up over the product with the front tilted down. You should also be able to run the new ambusher and the usmower.

 

[cbturf]

I price every job different, it all depends on material size, species, and density; is the terrain steep, soft or rocky; and finally accessability, is the project right on a good road or is it a billy goat trail and can I park and unload easily. The last thing that I will consider is how long will the job take, if is more than a few days you can get a lot done before you have to load up and move again. I price by the acre whenever possible the price will range from $400-$3500. If I am cutting small brush and blackberries my machine will do well over an acre per hour. If I am grinding big hardwoods I am lucky to grind an acre a day. Short story long I don't know what I will charge until I see it.

 

[Tri-Cut]

My rates are 125.00 per hour if I have to quote the whole job I try to figure it hourly. How is the buisness in your area? It has slowed down quite a bit up here.

 

[Landwise]

Tri-Cut-

Things have come to a screeching hault here, just when I took delivery of my Supertracks machine. I have all but quit charging by the hour, unless I have too. With our new machine and the modifications we made to the head, we can now do 2- 2 1/2 acres per day, where before we were only getting 1 or so. I have tried to stay in that $750-$1200 per acre range. Doubling my production per day (When things pick up again) should help me get out of this hole.

 

[Tri-Cut]

How did you modify the head? That was a big increase in production!!!

 

[Landwise]

I put a Timber axe rotor in a G1 loftness carbide cutter frame, making the timber axe spin the same direction as a carbide cutter. WOW.

 

[Gamma]

I put a Timber axe rotor in a G1 loftness carbide cutter frame, making the timber axe spin the same direction as a carbide cutter. WOW.

Does it cut any better than when it is spinning in it's normal direction?

Or does it perform even better when spinning it's normal direction?