Hiring Your Tractor Out $

[skyharborcowboy]

In an other topic someone mentioned "hiring your tractor out". That brings up a good question.

How much do you guys charge to either do work for neighbors (not quite friends but people you know) if you and your tractor do the work. Or to people you can trust to do the work themselves and "Rent" the tractor from you?

It would be interesting to have you guys list your tractors and whatever implements you used along with a description of the type of work you did while "Renting" out your tractors.

Joe

PS. I have a 656 Diesel.

 

[phillip d]

Dealers here charge $20-30 a tachomoter hour for late model 4wd,cab,may or may not have a loader and around 130 hp.

 

[fixerupper]

My 1086 runs the neighbor's 13"X71' auger in the fall for $18 per hour. Jim

 

[John M]

I know its not excatly what you want but I let my neighbor "borrow" my M to cut the field for hay. The tractor gets a workout, and he gets the hay. He puts the gas in it. He uses his to rake and bale. Hed pay for repairs if the M tore up, but in 5 years, it hasnt missed a lick.

 

[karl f]

i wouldn't let others operate it at all. 656 diesel is a good example of why not. likely they will kill the batteries trying to start it. they might shrapnel your engine using ether to start it after they figure out it has glow plugs while jumpstarting after draining the batteries--pretty much any stupid stunt. also they will misuse the TA...

what you charge for your work should cover your fuel, time, maintenace, and leave a little for profit. say you have a bush hog or similar:
one rock will cost you a set of blades or more. an unseen t post could be a rear tractor tire, etc. before quoting a price, survey where they want your services. i would charge an upfront fee to cover the risks plus an hour rate (you can hide the method and just come up with a total). it sounds ridiculous but it's business.

for friends and neighbors, just agree to whatever price you want, and maybe that if you break a blade, they go half.


karl f

 

[greygoat]

I knew of a farmer whose entire transmission
deferential, and, thus, reservior for the
hydraulic system, was full of water. thus, so
were the lift cylinders on all of his implements.
The oil looked like milk, from so much water.
when his tractor transmission failed he borrowed
his neighbors tractor, to pull the same implements
and the neighbors tractor got contaminated from
water in the oil, and metallic particles from
the failed transmission.
It's the same as getting VD from a mate who fooled
around.

 

[ArleninOr]

Most times $75.00 per hour some is just a flat bid.Developers I charge $100.00 per hour just in case I wreck something. No complaints yet.

 

[kyhayman]

Tractor and me come for $60.00 per hour. Machine is extra. (me, tractor, and round baler 95.00 per hour, with batwing 100.00-125.00 depending on what Im mowing).

As to renting my tractor out, I follow my dads advice to me some 20 years ago. He said you were better off loaning or renting your wife than your tractor and or equipment, that they would do way less damage.

 

[Anonymous-0]

For basic brush hogging I charge $50 per hour with $200 Minimum. you have to figure how far you have to travel to get the to the job and back and figure that in to the overall cost and of course repairs and maintainence fuel and drinks for yourself if its hot. With the high cost of fuel these days it doesn't hurt to add a little premium to cover it. That's with a 30 HP Kubota that is real miserly on fuel with my Case LA I have to start at $65 ans add $15 for fuel it burns 5 GPH.

Walt

 

[farmallman]

My dad's a farmer and he will lend out his tractor to a few people. Most of them have a business where the phrase "I'll scratch your back, if you scratch mine" applies. You can use my tractor if you do work for me. Plus a few drinks . It works out pretty well

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

Around here a rule of thumb is $1 an hour per $1000 of replacement cost on your equipment. For example if it would cost $50000 to replace your tractor with a new one then charge $50 an hour, Any equipment that you use would be priced the same way.

 

[37 chief]

I would never let anyone use my tractors. I don't like working for friends. When I mow I charge 90.00 an hour with a 6 ft woods mower. If I use my crawler for discing I charge 110.00 hr. with a 8 ft disc. By the time you figure fuel taxes insurance, repairs there isn't a lot left. The jobs I like are the ones I bid by the field, and not by the hr. always come out ahead on these jobs. Stan

 

[Steven f/AZ]

I wouldn't trust my best friend to run my tractor... or anyone else, for that matter.

I help the neighbors out for whatever fuel the tractor burns while I'm there - I come with a full tank and leave with a full tank. In return they help us out, or sometimes add cash.

Never wanted the liability of doing custom work - no matter what someone will be upset when doing custom work... at least that's what I've seen of it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Dont loan out my equipment anymore, or do the neighborly free work anymore. Had enough of covering the cost of the equipment, fuel, oil, cleaning, and repairs to my equipment after "friends" got done using it.

Also had enough of spending entire days helping out with chores, and then if asked them to do a quick 5 min weld on a piece of equipment, would get a bill.

I will be friendly, help out in emergency, always offer a soda or coffee. But not doing anyone's chores anymore.

Gets to be too expensive.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Who in the world is paying you $110 dollars per hour for using an 8 foot disk? Or$90 per hour for a 6 foot brushog? Are you trying to make your car, house, land, food , heat, and all your other bills with the money? If your tractor uses a gallon or two per hour that leaves you with $85 per hour profit! Disking you could make over $100 profit per hour? I guess I am in the wrong part of the country. I have a 175 hp 4wd tractor that pulls a 25 foot disk and does 9 acres per hour. It burns 6 gallons of fuel per hour for a total of about $18 dollars an hour to run. To do 36 acres in 4 hours. You would take 12 hours to get over the same field and charge $1320 dollars?? It would cost my tractor $72 dollars worth of fuel to run over that acreage. At your rate my time would pay me $312 per hour. Do any of the people you work for know how to do math? I would imagine you would come out ahead on these jobs. At your rate most farmers should be billionares.

 

[Randy-IA]

I guess I'm just a overly nice guy . I'll let my neighbors use my tractors for free . They all farm and have much larger tractors than I do and I trust them to take care of it . They provide the fuel in any case but I've never asked it of them . I'll disc or plow a neighbors field for free . I don't have enough tillable acres myself to do anything but make a 1000 or so bales of hay a year and I like doing the work so I ask everyone if there's anything I can do for them - haul wagons , run a shredder or disc their stubble . I won't do precision type work like seeding or time sensitive work like hay since I have a off the farm job . It works my 1755D and keeps me from drinking to much . Not much call for a Farmall M anymore though .

 

[37 chief]

I guess I live in the high rent district. Look up la Costa, or Rancho Santa fe calif. The economy is nuts out here in calif If you can find good 1/2 acre lots in my area you are looking at 600,000 big ones. The fire dept demands the property owners keep their land clean to prevent fires. (sometimes it doesn't work) When all the contractors charge about the same price for weed work what can I say. I am on the cheap side also. I had a plumber at my house to find and repair a leaking copper water pipe under my cement foundation. When the dust cleared his charge worked out to over 400.00 hr. for four hrs. Now that is high. Stan

 

[mmguy23119]

If all you want is fuel cost, you can come work for me any time. What about all the major costs?
I think they know their math, or they would just go out and buy their own equipment.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Ok, sounds like a good deal. I will go buy a new 60 Hp Agco or Kubota with a cab and a brand new 8 foot disk for about $35,000 dollars. Now I will come and work for you at $110 dollars per hour 8 hours a day or $880 per day or $4400 per week. I will work for you for 52 weeks per year and you will pay me $228,800 per year to run my 8 foot disk all day. Your going to pay me virtually the same wages the president of the United States gets to run my 8 foot disk at your place. Maybe I will get the brushog for my brother and he can come along and make $90 per hour or $720 per day or $3600 per year or $187,200 per year. When do you want us to be there? My mom and dad would be so proud of us! Come on down to the real world where the rest of us live. These are not inflated prices. These are exactly the prices that were quoted in the above thread.