22 Acres Disked How Much

[espartolawncare]

Not sure what to charge this would be a big job for me, i would need to rent a tractor. Thanks Matt

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Hi Matt, This sounds like a large job. While there is nothing wrong with that, why are you shooting for such a large property? Why not smaller properties now? As far as this size property goes, what kind of equipment are you thinking you would need to mow it? how long would it take you to mow? How much would it cost you to get this equipment?

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[espartolawncare]

This was a email from a add I had out, it’s not in my area so I have backed out

[Steve]

I don't know your current situation but many times it's easier to scale up as you go instead of jumping into larger projects where you just dont have the equipment to service it properly.

I think you handled it great and its good to see your ads are attracting attention!

Keep us posted as you go.

[Totally Green]

I can only tell you what I charge for bushhogging. I have a JD 790 with a 5' bushhog. It takes me about 15 hours to mow 10 acres in rough/hilly terrain. I charge $750.00 for this job which works out to about $50 per hour. My normal charge is $75 per hour but this was one of the first jobs I picked up and was unsure what to charge. In your case, it's going to depend on the tractor size, width of the disk, the vegetation in the area, hour hard or soft the ground is. I think you were wise to drop this one till you get some experience under your belt.

Gary

[Steve]

Gary,

How much would he have to spend on equipment to perform this job? Could this be something he could rent or would the renting fee negate the profit?

[Totally Green]

I really don't know what a tractor rental would be. However, a 40' man lift in my area is $250 per day. I think a decent size tractor and disk would be significantly more. Then your going to spend $50 to $100 on diesel. Then throw in the potential of an equipment breakdown or some other problem. I think it would be tough to come out on this deal. There's no way I would bushhog if I didn't own my own equipment.

Gary

[Steve]

Oh interesting!

Now is this a service you find that you like to market or would you rather have smaller properties?

[Totally Green]

I like the smaller properties. When I do the big ones, I hire an operator for $10 an hour. It cuts into profit, but I don't care be on a tractor for 15 hours. The small ones, I do myself. The money is pretty good (until a breakdown wipes out a months profit) and there's a good demand for it.

Gary

[Steve]

If someone wanted to get into this large property mowing, how much should they be looking to spend on equipment and what kind of equipment would you recommend?