What's a fair price for some bushhog work?

[ArmyDoc]

What's a fair price for some bushhog work? I have a friend who is willing to to bring out his tractor and bushog to knock down some brush thats growing up along our roads. He says he'll take "what ever you feel is fair".

Unfortunately, I have no idea what is reasonable. Any thoughts?

[Calfkeeper]

I am certainly no expert on this issue, but keep in mind the amount of gas it'll take him to get his tractor there and get everything mowed, plus some for his time and effort.

Just to give you an idea here's a recent story. We just got a new neighbor who's from the city. He and his wife bought the 12 acres next to us and are just using it for weekend retreats until she retires. He had our other neighbor come over and bushhog it. Some of it is wooded, but most is just open pasture and a few outbuildings and two small ponds. The house burned down 4 yrs ago.

Our neighbor, K for short, charged him $50 an hour to bushhog it. He drove about 1 mile an hour while he was doing the mowing. My husband went over there after the first 2 hours and told the new guy to tell K that was long enough. But he didn't say anthing, just let him keep putt-putting along and after it was all over; TWO days worth, he ended up paying $700 dollars! Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that was crazy. K only lives less than half mile from the place.

Please, don't let yourself be taken advantage of like that. Set a dollar amount BEFORE he starts and don't let him go over it. Just my thoughts.

[rambler]

The problem with brush hogging someone else's place, is you don't know what's there. Cinder blocks, car rims, rocks, holes, take a real toll on some expensive machinery. One needs to charge for that.

Fuel is not cheap, and one runs a tractor at slow gear, high RPM, which takes a lot of fuel and adds a lot of wear to the tractor.

After the first hour, driving a tractor slowly on unknown property avoiding hazards at high rpm's starts to get old, and one realizes one could be making $10 an hour at most jobs with less stress & noise.......

Then there is liability. Sure, we do favors for friends, but if the hog operator chops off a telephone drop, or an electrical drop, etc etc, they can be on the hook for some serious dollars with the utility company, they come after the tractor owner. It happens. Relative was snow blowing for a mobile home park, told no obstructions, when he pushed into a natural gas line, was $2300.......

So, $50 an hour is not too bad a deal for 'real' bush hogging.

One time deal between friends, yea whatever.

Something that could become a regular job/obligation 2-3 times a year between aquantesances, that $50 an hour sounds about right.

--->Paul

[copperkid3]

If so, give them a call and ask if they have a handle on the going rates for brush hog work per
hour or per acre. The last time I checked around here, the going rate was between $35-50/hr.,
but that was several years ago.....prices may have gone up since then.

[ace admirer]

$50 hour. landowner pays for damaged tires or equipment.

I drove into a hole about 4 ft deep once. Didn't even see it, the brush was so thick. I had to go home and get another tractor to get that tractor out with. For a few seconds there, I was pretty sure the tractor was going to turn over. The only way I'd cut an unknown place would be at about 1 MPH. Or with the landowner walking in front of me.

[Lazy J]

$100/hour. They provide the driver, equipment, and fuel.

[Sawmill Jim]

Originally Posted by zong

I drove into a hole about 4 ft deep once. Didn't even see it, the brush was so thick. I had to go home and get another tractor to get that tractor out with. For a few seconds there, I was pretty sure the tractor was going to turn over. The only way I'd cut an unknown place would be at about 1 MPH. Or with the landowner walking in front of me.

What about a change of

Man, I was clenched so tight, you couldn't had pulled a needle out of my butt with a John Deere.

[Bearfootfarm]

$50 an hour to bushhog it

That sounds about right to me.

I paid $60 an hour last year, but they used a "ditch cutter" that could reach up about 20 ft and trim tree limbs too

[mrpink]

last I saw in the market bulletin was around $45 an hour normally at least two hours.

[Ed Norman]

I normally charge $5 and hour and they provide the fuel.

Of course, I haven't done it since 1975, but I doubt the rates have risen too much.

[Sawmill Jim]

Originally Posted by Ed Norman

I normally charge $5 and hour and they provide the fuel.

Of course, I haven't done it since 1975, but I doubt the rates have risen too much.

Kind of like a fellow i know he pays top wage thing is he thinks it is 1945

[Happy-7-farm]

I paid $30 an hour this past summer and it took him 4 hrs.

[salmonslayer]

I charge $30.00 an hour or a contract rate by size. I have a job this week on a neighbors property that is mostly open pasture that is weed and bramble covered (7 Acres) and have contracted at $250.00 (I can drive my tractor through our adjoining gate and pay for the fuel). I have done this piece before so I am familiar with its issues but Rambler is exactly on...you never know what you will hit and you have to go slow.

[oz in SC V2.0]

Dang!!!.
Wish I still had a tractor,I like bushhogging and could do with the money.

When we asked about having our place done,no-one would give a firm price,it was by the hour...thing was,sometimes it seemed to take an awful long time to do what didn't seem like a lot to us.

I think a lot of people who do this for a living have to justify the cost of their new tractor and equipment.

[ArmyDoc]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I guess I should have been more specific. It's not bushogging an overgrown field. The Bush hogging would only be on the road ways - You can see the dirt where the wheels go, most of it is just high grass, with some small brush coming up the center of it. It kind of scrapes on the bottom of the car, but I can drive over it no problem.

Two of the roads are a bit worse, with some saplings/brush maybe ~1/2 inch thick at the base and about 2-3 feet tall, but I can still see dirt on either side where the tires would go if we were driving on it enough to keep the grass and brush down.

He said it would take him most of a day to do it - his tractor's not large, and the the bush-hog is ~ 4ft wide. I had been planning on $30 an hour, but maybe this is to low?

[am1too]

Originally Posted by ArmyDoc

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I guess I should have been more specific. It's not bushogging an overgrown field. The Bush hogging would only be on the road ways - You can see the dirt where the wheels go, most of it is just high grass, with some small brush coming up the center of it. It kind of scrapes on the bottom of the car, but I can drive over it no problem.

Two of the roads are a bit worse, with some saplings/brush maybe ~1/2 inch thick at the base and about 2-3 feet tall, but I can still see dirt on either side where the tires would go if we were driving on it enough to keep the grass and brush down.

He said it would take him most of a day to do it - his tractor's not large, and the the bush-hog is ~ 4ft wide. I had been planning on $30 an hour, but maybe this is to low?

Cost is $40 an hour. And at that rate labor is free. There was a guy doing it for $25 an hour. But that won't cover labor. Rent a hog for the day is 160 minimum which includes all travel time to and from the rental. You buy the fuel, provide the trailer and vehicle to tow. Doesn't cover any damage. So if he was renting the tractor/hog it is a day and a half at least. That is 240 plus 50 for fuel with no insurance. He shouldn't work for less then add labor even at minimum wages is what bout a 100 more.

[Ozarks Tom]

A neighbor had a guy come out to cut his land (about 6 acres), he hit a rock while turning and busted everything loose. Said he was charging $45 per hour, but said he wouldn't come back for less than $85. The area OP described wouldn't have that problem, but cutting on unknown ground can be costly on equipment.

[elevenpoint]

About $30 an hour here....and I would'nt pay more than that for a 4' bushog.