Lawn Care Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Tractor mowing / Brush Hog Jobs

Tags
brush hog brush mowing tractor mowing tractor work
1 reading
Jump to Latest
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
D

d182rs

· Registered
Joined
·
4 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello everyone,
I have a small tractor mowing business. I seem to be running into the same problem with customer's and there bids that I give. My question is why do people think its cost less to mow a field - pasture, etc than it does to mow a residential yard? Example... A customer with a little over an acre of yard just mowing, blowing, & weedeat for a price of $125 bi monthly no problem. Same customer wanting adjoining 10 Acres mowed thats thick with a steady 4' to 6' high weeds to be mowed with tractor and brush hog two to three times a year for $400 first service $350 thereafter. Yes I know this is cheap considering average prices but they will buck the higher price for the tractor work every time. Just dont make since to me considering the tractor and equipment cost not to mention size and what shape the land is in. I've come to the conclusion that trying to explain my expenses doesn't work and that I can't do the job for free. It can be frustrating. Would anyone have a better or proven way to get the customer to comprehend. I appreciate any help yall may have.
 
#3 · (Edited)
They have no idea how much longer it takes or the higher operating cost. Not to mention $100x3 over the course of a month hurts less than $300 all at once. Is your example numbers accurate? Your field mowing price is less per acre than the yard and I’d charge way more.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
The numbers are more example but not far off. The going rate for brush hogging around here is about an avarage at $40-$45 an hour but Im finding myself charging $35 an hour to actually get the job. One reason is the area Im in kinda rural area around here and tractors are more common than say in the city area. 100K population is the biggest closestcity to me. I do mostly real estate lots and smaller acreage job being that I only have one tractor with a 5 ft brush hog at the moment. Your absolutely right about customers having no idea about our operating cost. I dont know about you but I have a $300 month tractor note on a 19K John Deere on top of maintenance cost, liability insurance, etc not to mention the truck note to get the tractor where it needs to be. Customers dont seem to interested to hear this when they ask why the job cost so much. I love my tractor and what I do but work getting to far and in between. Might have to end up trading in for the cheaper than the tractor zero turn and going the landscape route once again. Only thing about that is there is lots of competition landscaping around here with all the illegals in the area. I dont mind a little competition but when I pay all the insurances to properly run a company and see the illegal doing the same with almost no overhead kinda pisses me off.
 
#5 ·
What if you mow 5 acres at a time?
Instead of mowing 10 acres three times, Mow 5 acres 6 times
$200 per service

That way they’re paying $200 a month for 6 months

Spread it out

Just a thought
It’s not like regular grass you have to hit every week
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Usally the jobs are coming in where they already haven't been mowed in a couple years. Both me and the customer seem to want to get it all done at once. Once I get the acarage job it usally becomes a repeat job averaging around three times a year mow. I have had jobs that the property was split and made smaller just to come back later to do the rest at customers request. They always end up as complete property mows before its over and said.
 
#7 ·
I understand your pain. I do some tractor work as well and seems like average price around me for a 50hp tractor with 6 ft bush hog is around 50 a hr. Which to me is cheap. I have a 5200 John Deere with a mx6 bush hog and I try my best to get 60 a hr but a lot of times they’ll knock me down to 50. It’s crazy that I can make more per hour with a zero turn than I can a tractor but we also farm too so I already have the equipment so whenever the chance come I just try to make some extra money with it. The tractor work isn’t my main income
 
#9 ·
I don’t presume to know your region / clientele / etc. however the barriers to entry are quite higher for tractor / mower work. That being said I’d also imagine those your bidding against are far less numbered than in the homeowner / yard side of things. For this reason possibly a meet up of local (tractor / brushhog) owners could start a monthly “coffee group” to discuss the difficulty’s of making a profit in your region (wink wink). I happen to live in an area where this coffee group would be quite small. If it’s a similar situation for you, possibly y’all could quit racing each other to the bottom and quadrant a smaller town. Only my .02. Good luck.
 
#10 ·
K c m said:
Very good question. I do not know the answer, but curious what tractor with 3 point hitch you have. I was thinking about getting involved with this type stuff with my 1023e at some point.
Click to expand...
That is a small machine to brush hog with. You will be limited to a 4' hog if you are cutting anything sizable and you machine size will limit terrain a bit. Would be good for small real estate lots/small home owner lot.

I run a 50hp with a 6' brush hog or a 6' commercial flail mower (Flail uses some extra HP), I also have a small tractor like yours (Kubota BX23) that I use for aerator work, mowing, garden tilling, backhoe work in yards, etc. I personally don't use it for brushhog. If I have a small area I run a walk behind BCS Flail mower as it works great and causes no rutting/damage and doesn't throw heavy projectiles like a brush hog.
 
#12 ·
Around here typically 75 to 100 dollars an hour is a good start with a 2 or 3 hour minimum. I can get that with my 20 hp kubota with 4 foot bushog and won't charge any less. Tractors and implements are expensive and I be sure to tell potential clients that. 35 or 40 bucks an hour won't even cover your time let alone if something breaks.
 
#14 ·
Garrett1234 said:
I don't presume to know your region / clientele / etc. however the barriers to entry are quite higher for tractor / mower work. That being said I'd also imagine those your bidding against are far less numbered than in the homeowner / yard side of things. For this reason possibly a meet up of local (tractor / brushhog) owners could start a monthly "coffee group" to discuss the difficulty's of making a profit in your region (wink wink). I happen to live in an area where this coffee group would be quite small. If it's a similar situation for you, possibly y'all could quit racing each other to the bottom and quadrant a smaller town. Only my .02. Good luck.
Click to expand...
That's a great idea!
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
About this Discussion
14 Replies
12 Participants
Last post:
Ready to Mow
Lawn Care Forum
posts
7.2M
members
230K
Since
1999
A forum community dedicated to lawn care and landscaping professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Lawn Mowing Pesticide & Herbicide Application 🔧 Mechanic and Repair Business Operations Lawn Mowing Equipment