Custom Brushhogging

Duckhunter966 · Oct 23, 2016

I've been doing some Brushhogging for 2 or 3 people during the summer when I'm out of school. I graduate next spring and thinking of going into a custom Brushhogging "business" per say. We have a 10 foot bush hog and are in process are getting new 100 hp case IH. I'm thinking of trying to trade in and get a 15 ft batwing. Was wondering how much to charge. I was charging $40 an hour with the 10 footer with a 70 hp tractor. Also, what would be some other things I could do around custom Brushhogging as custom work for people? Thanks!
-Caleb

Mac AR · Oct 23, 2016

$85 an hour and not a penny less. You have to recoup your fuel and time, and need to put some back for when, not if, you have a breakdown. I did some custom work some years ago, and after the first job and subsequent gearbox replacement, realised that $25 an hour didn't get the fuel (450 Farmall gas & 10' mower) and repairs, let alone anything else. I went to $55 and still wasn't satisfied. That was the 90's, too. I wouldn't do it now for a $100. Too many "oh yea, this a really clean field" and 30 minutes in you've broke 3 shearbolts and hung the mower on 2 stumps and a big rock in good high grass, and then "oh by the way, I think there's an old car frame around the pond". Having said that, best of luck to you lad. Its good to see someone still has a work ethic.
Mac

Goose · Oct 23, 2016

I think at least $100 per hour would be fair enough. I charged $50 per several years ago with a D19 AC and a 6' unit.

Janicholson · Oct 23, 2016

Your $/hr method works if you have found it to be making money above expanses. It does not work with the proposed new equipment. Use some math the determine how many average acres are being processed with the existing equipment per hour. Use this to set an acre per hour figure that you have been working. Now add some additional fuel costs, and charge per acre. Use some mapping/gps techniques to assure you are not being told a 23 acre field is 16. I would create a contract that expressed your rate, the cutting height, the land owners risk of paying for repairs from hitting objects that are not marked within the area to be cut, and the expected time of completion. Include a disclaimer that holds you harmless from damage you might cause their property or equipment hidden in tall vegetation or unmarked. Clear wording looked at by a lawyer is to keep all parties honest and happy. Jim --- Good luck,

flying belgian · Oct 23, 2016

At least a $100/hr. from the time you leave your shop till the time you return. 100 horse tractor and 15 ft. batwing you can get some serious work done. On that same note maybe you can get in to lawn-mowing or lawn seeding. All the lawn service guys around here seem to be driving new pickups all the time. Must be making money.

mattwillson · Oct 23, 2016

Our rate is $60.00/hr or $10.00/ft. No sense working for free.

37chief · Oct 23, 2016

Others have said 100.00. I think that's about right. Then it depends on who else is doing it. If you are the only one in your area go for 100.00 If you have insurance there is another expense. I have a lot of people ask if I have insurance, which I have. Stan

Eldon (WA) · Oct 23, 2016

(quoted from post at 19:00:55 10/23/16) I've been doing some Brushhogging for 2 or 3 people during the summer when I'm out of school. I graduate next spring and thinking of going into a custom Brushhogging "business" per say. We have a 10 foot bush hog and are in process are getting new 100 hp case IH. I'm thinking of trying to trade in and get a 15 ft batwing. Was wondering how much to charge. I was charging $40 an hour with the 10 footer with a 70 hp tractor. Also, what would be some other things I could do around custom Brushhogging as custom work for people? Thanks!
-Caleb

My experience is you will get more work with a smaller mower. I run an 8' Bush Hog and 75hp tractor which I can easily haul around with my truck and trailer. I run about a 50 mile radius and keep plenty busy with word of mouth and cl ads. With a big mower you will be forced to only take jobs you can drive the tractor to, and won't get many big jobs anyway because those people are probably going to have their own equipment.

Bruce from Can. · Oct 24, 2016

Lawn guys near me lease their trucks , and push snow in the winter .

showcrop · Oct 24, 2016

I get $67.00 per hour with my 5 footer. Your idea of providing more services for the same people that you are already doing business with is a very good way to grow a business, provided you are really making money doing it. Insurance is a very big piece of overhead in today's world. You may not have health insurance yet, but at some point you will need to, so your rates should be covering it. Figure in for depreciation as well. Many one man trucking operations think that they are making money, but often they would not be in business if their wives didn't have jobs that included health insurance. They are often living on their depreciation, so that when they need to replace the truck they have to sign for a five year note instead of three, then seven instead of five. Then they can't get a note and have to go drive for someone else, and still pay for their last used up truck.

Texasmark1 · Oct 24, 2016

Advertised going rate around here is $40/acre, with some having minimum acreage specified. No specifics mentioned as to travel time or such. Since priced by the acre, TT not priced one would assume.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 24, 2016

You only have business because you're charging $40/hr. As soon as you raise the price to $100/hr, your business will dry up because there will be some other naive young fellow to come along and do the job at a loss.

People get angry about the subject of handouts, but they always seem to expect one, and never refuse one when it comes their way.

DGinVT · Oct 24, 2016

Sit down and write out a list of all expenses, fuel, oil, liability and health insurance , value of tractor and bush hog (and its associated expenses- including monthly payments on equipment), trucking and trailer expense. With all expenses listed you can then figure out your hourly rate. It would be worth while to get advice from a account and attorney. Your fixed expenses go on year around when equipment is not working. Good Luck

Mike M · Oct 24, 2016

Lawn guys in Ohio do snow plowing too. Except last year there wasn't much of that.

paul · Oct 24, 2016

Bigger bush hog, new tractor, new customers, drive faster.

You will find the washout gullies, the bricks, the fenders off the old Ford, and so forth and wreck stuff. Lot of dollars in your rig that you are borrowing, costs a lot to fix up.

You need insurance when you are working for strangers, put a rock through a window, or worse, could be much worse. What does insurance cost you?

The. You will be at $100 an hour, and you will be up against some kid that doesn't know better and only charges $40 an hour and won't have any customers.........

And the cycle repeats.

Paul

Ted in NE-OH · Oct 24, 2016

If you are using Dad's equipment be sure to pay him a fair price for its use. If it is your own equipment be sure to set aside money for for repairs,new tires, blades for brush hog. Do you have back-up equipment?

Duckhunter966 · Oct 24, 2016

We have a 10 ft one right now but because it's a
solid deck it limits what size gates I can get into. I
try to make sure they are at least 12 ft for some
extra spacePlus we cut about 40 acres of our own
as well. Just figuring batwing would be easier to
haul down road since I drive tractor on roads, and I
could get into 10' gates or narrow roads easier

Duckhunter966 · Oct 24, 2016

Thanks. I'll probably sit down with pa in the next couple nights and try to get something figured out for liability. I figured the best way would be posting on Craigslist and word of mouth. Right now I have just a couple people I do for sp I figured I'd raise rates some for them but not as high as I would for other just since I've already been dealing with them and they are near home

GordoSD · Oct 24, 2016

You can start spraying, 30 foot beam, 200 gal tank for about $600 used .

Traditional Farmer · Oct 25, 2016

How much you have in your equipment would depend on how much an hr you need to get for the most part.I could make good $$$ brush hogging for $40 hr with my 10ft $500 hog and
Oliver 1465 that I have 1000$ in after trading.At $5 hr for fuel and $15 hr for equipment,thats getting the equipment paid for in 100 hrs and $20/hr for me more than I make baling hay or other farm work.Also have a liability rider for custom work on my Farm Policy doesn't cost much and I'm already covering that with hay baling.Probably would charge 50$ hr and still have about everyone else beat and the good part is if you're charging less than everyone else you can pick the best jobs.

Eldon (WA) · Oct 25, 2016

(quoted from post at 05:30:49 10/25/16) How much you have in your equipment would depend on how much an hr you need to get for the most part.I could make good $$$ brush hogging for $40 hr with my 10ft $500 hog and
Oliver 1465 that I have 1000$ in after trading.At $5 hr for fuel and $15 hr for equipment,thats getting the equipment paid for in 100 hrs and $20/hr for me more than I make baling hay or other farm work.Also have a liability rider for custom work on my Farm Policy doesn't cost much and I'm already covering that with hay baling.Probably would charge 50$ hr and still have about everyone else beat and the good part is if you're charging less than everyone else you can pick the best jobs.

That is the way to make money...good older equipment that is paid for! I have always been able to outbid jobs that I wanted because of this. I net over $60 an hour with this rig.

ericlb · Oct 25, 2016

like others have said the stuff you hit in a "clean" field will break you, last time i did a strange field i had 11 flats, the owner forgot they cut down a whole bunch of Russian olive trees several years before and just left them, now i limit myself to land i have either been on before, or i walk strange land in winter if large area use a 4 wheeler, and note objects and their locations so i can watch for them when i cut. dont borrow a tractor, gaurentee you will have to repair it, if you break your owned equipment your down until you fix it, if you have to save up for the repair the hardship is still on you, if you break somebody elses equipment, you have put them down too and that makes friends into enemys

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