Tiller Rototilling rates, how much to charge?

[georgia jeff]

I just purcased a 5ft rototiller to pull behind my Kubota L2800. I have decided to do some tilling to help pay for the tiller. I have had a few people contact me about doing garden plots and some people who wanted quotes on tilling their yards for planting grass seed. I'm not trying to do this for a living, just on the side to help pay for the tiller and maybe the darn braces my son if about to get! Ugghh!

I came up with a pricing scheme that ranges from $.05 a sq. ft for small jobs under 1000 sq. ft (1000ft = $50) and as low as $.01 a sq. ft for jobs 1 acre (1 acre = $437) and up. This price includes transporting it to the job site unless it is more than 10 miles away, more than that and I charge $5 for every additional 10 miles.

What do you guys charge? Do you charge per sq. ft, by the hour, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DAY]

$50/hr, plus $1/mile, one way.

 

[sixdogs]

You try to line them up on the same day with similar locations and you can pocket a little extra because of your efficiencies of operation.
Guys I know also charge on a slight curve---a little less for the elderly or struggling and a little more for those who don't mind.

 

[ashdump]

I did a garden last week for a guy. He said another fella was gonna charge him $100 but couldn't get to it as soon as he wanted. He said it was mine if I wanted it. Made $100, took about 2 hrs from leaving home to returning home.

At any rate, I've talked with a couple of landscapers in the area about what they charge. For a tractor and operator, the average seems to be about $75/hr, whether it's tilling, backhoe work, grading, etc. Most charge a 1 hr/minimum with some charging as much as a $150/minimum. I figure if I'm gonna haul it there and back, pay fuel for tractor and tow vehicle, wear & tear, etc, it's worth no less than $75/hr for me also. I think I will charge a min. of $75

 

[digger2]

Something else to consider......

A job that was previously a garden is alot easier than a job that was never a garden.I have a small list of regular customers and i can blow through a garden that has been done before in no time.It also means i dont have to worry about picking up a buried crankshaft from an old Packard thats been left
there from a previous owner.Believe me....I know.

"NEW" gardens should be charged at least a little more than an old
"used every year" site.And visa versa.People have to understand,or they can get somebody else.I also agree with the senior citizen
discount thing or somebody you know is having a hard time of things.(just tell them to keep it a secret).I also try to do what Sixdogs said about trying to line jobs up for efficiency.Sometimes thats hard though.

Digger2

 

[spruce Deere]

To do it legit as in for a real or any PROFIT, the transporting, or any property damage commited is NOT covered by your home owners or general vehicle insurance. Answer for that= Commercial insurance.

I can tell ya, $60/hr is cheap... Figgr'n couple flats, replacing and maintenance items of the tow rig, trailer, tractor, implement plus you are trying to make a wage right?

Those landscapers know the price of legal operation with an operator.

Minimum charge is a good Idea, such as established garden spots they are a breeze. New, expanding gardens, do not use your tiller first.

 

[sixdogs]

To do it legit as in for a real or any PROFIT, the transporting, or any property damage commited is
NOT covered by your home owners or general vehicle insurance. Answer for that= Commercial insurance..........

...........

Commercial insurance=wise advice.

A $50 job can turn into a $50,000 problem and people that were sweet as
pie one moment become a wounded Jackal with a lawyer the next.
No insurance means you lose.

 

[grsthegreat]

$75/hr is a fair rate. There are nuts out my way that charge 25-35 per hour ...there nuts. They never sit to calculate the actual cost of the equipment, insurance, fuel, repairs,etc.

I guess they figure "heck, im only making $9/hr at mcdonalds...35 is nice".

My rototiller cost me $2,200.00 when i bought it. Ive done quite a few gardens over the years. Bet its never paid itself off yet. Ive had to replace a half dozen tines, and had to cut some rebar and other crap out of it. People dont keep their years very clean do they.

I happen to have commercial insurance that covers the tractor. I need it for my real job. I personally wouldn't set foot on a neighbors property without it.

 

[allen in texas]

Ok,
you asked a question having to do with not using your equipment to make a living, just a bit to help out.

I do the same thing.

I have insurance but this is more of a hobby than anything else and I enjoy working my equipment for other people. I could never justify the equipment just for my uses otherwise.
All that being said, regardless of what I do, (tilling, plowing, shredding) I charge $50 per hour with a two hour minimum and that includes my travel time to and from the job. I've never had anybody squawk about what I charge. Maybe I don't charge enough but what ever...I get to work a bit and earn a bit of cash.

Now on the odd side of this, I've had people pay me more than I was going to charge.
These pictures are of a job I did this weekend and the guy paid me more than I charged and now I have a continuing job for this site.

(qualifier) I do cut certain folks some slack on what I charge. Little old ladies, single mothers, friends who can return a favor, you know, stuff like that. But I get nothing other than the satisfaction of knowing that I helped someone who could not have gotten the work done otherwise. That means a lot to me.

PS,
If you're going to till an acre with a 5 footer, you're gonna be there awhile.

 

[Ford tractor]

Commercial insurance=wise advice.

A $50 job can turn into a $50,000 problem and people that were sweet as
pie one moment become a wounded Jackal with a lawyer the next.
No insurance means you lose.

Till up a fiber optic line and that $50 pocket change can cost a lot. Don't forget diggers hotline (or equivalent) is still needed to protect your assets.