Neighbor and best friend asked me to mow some hay for him. He is behind because of rain and some tractor breakdowns. Wants to pay by the hour for me, my tractor and disc mower. Don't want to charge excessive. I was thinking about asking for my fuel and 15-$20 per hour. Need some opinions from others have never done this before. I have a 2012 Mahindra 70 hp tractor and a Vermeer 8ft disc mower to cut with. Has about 300 acres ready to cut and he has a new JD Moco and a JD 6430 he will be cutting with.
- Thread starter MAX-KY
- Start date
Brendon Warren
Well-known Member
I wish you wer my neighbor, seems rather low to me. Someone who could run my equipment without wrecking stuff would be worth 10 to 15 an hour let alone come with their own machinery. But he is your freind and neighbor. But you must have a chunk of change tied up in equipment and who pays if something gets broke?
This is a question I was gonna ask myself soon- My brother tilled a garden for a hmong man, who's tractor is down with engine troubles. I guess he's got a 10 acre field he needs cut (and I can imagine baled as well) and my brother mentioned he would ask me. Our crop comes first, but I'm definately willing to do it. Sounds like a clean field that's cut every year, just his own tractor is down right now. Only 5 miles or so away, so no big deal to get there either.
I know we can rent a 100 HP tractor for $20/hour, so to pay for me, the tractor (either 70 HP gasser or 80 HP diesel, depends on which one I feel like using), and the 9' haybine, would probably add up to around $40/hour or so. Need to call the local dealer for what they rent haybines out for. Always a good starting point, and most use them as a reference.
Donovan from Wisconsin
I know we can rent a 100 HP tractor for $20/hour, so to pay for me, the tractor (either 70 HP gasser or 80 HP diesel, depends on which one I feel like using), and the 9' haybine, would probably add up to around $40/hour or so. Need to call the local dealer for what they rent haybines out for. Always a good starting point, and most use them as a reference.
Donovan from Wisconsin
Google it. I am from Il. but Mo. University has a lot of custom rates. I get $60 a hour to bushhog with a 50 hp and a 6 ft mower. My neighbor gets the same amount to mow yards with a 23 hp 54 in John Deere. I think he does better! I mow hay with 8ft and 125 hp. Need 75 a hr. or 15.00 a acre. It is remarkable how much maintenance and upkeep a hay mower needs. We have over $500 of spare parts to be sure ours runs when it needs to.
I"d charge fuel and call it an IOU. I don"t charge neighbors, particularly friends, any hourly rate for incidental jobs. They always return the favor some way or another. I"ve never had a problem with a mech breakdown that was caused by a neighbor, so I have never demanded payment for a breakdown that occurred on their property. When the occasional breakdown does occur because of regular use, the neighbor is there to help out whether it occurred on his property or mine.
$1.00 per h.p. hour for the tractor and $20.00 for the mower for a 11 foot discbine. I'd probably half that number for an 8 foot regular mower. I certainly understand people doing things for friends, for trade, whatever. That's all well and good but custom work is part of the package for me to make a living.
Way back when I used to do machine work for others the rule of thumb was $1/hour for each $1K the machinery cost new. Don't know if that formula still works, but it should put you in the ball park? It being for your friend and neighbor might cause you to adjust that figure some - maybe up, maybe down, lol...
randallinMo
Member
Whether you choose to help your neighbor/friend for free/exchange for services later......is totally up to you. Custom rates for mowing per acre are $13-$15. You know how many acres you can mow per hour, so simply multiply that by whatever rate per acre you want and that is your per hour charge. I mow with a 100hp tractor and a 12ft hydra-swing disc/mower conditioner and get $90.00 per hour. I can mow 7-12 acres an hour. Totally depends upon the field. Small, irregular shaped fields are a pain. The mower is in the air turning more than it is on the ground.
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy