Charging ploughing per hour

[Mur Huwcun]

Ploughing as things are does not pay! Unfortunately it’s a job that needs doing if you want the cultivating and seeding work which fair out much better. Ideally you can get the muck spreading and the spraying work aswell.....

 

[hoff135]

I normally do the leveling and sowing after which does pay. But a rubbish field can ruin the whole job.

Suppose i could charge £18 to20/acre excluding fuel then fill the tractor when leaving the job. That would go someways towards paying for fields that you are crawling round

 

[deere 6600]

I normally do the leveling and sowing after which does pay. But a rubbish field can ruin the whole job.

Suppose i could charge £18 to20/acre excluding fuel then fill the tractor when leaving the job. That would go someways towards paying for fields that you are crawling round

I'm the same only do a small amount every year ploughing doesn't pay but the rest of the reseeding jobs ie working levelling and seeding do plus I really like ploughing sad but still no excuse for doing it for nowt !!!

 

[ollie989898]

I agree, there isn't much a good go with a powerharrow can't sort.. lol.

 

[z.man]

6km/hr?
Who ploughs that slow?
9k more like

The man with proper heavy land ploughs not much faster than 6k may manage 8k or he makes a right mess and old grass will slow you down more ime

 

[Munkul]

I would be absolutely raging if I had to plough that rotten old grass in. It could do with being sprayed off first and ideally flail mowed!

Your current price maybe suits "ideal" land but you need to reflect the conditions. Tell the farmer/owner that it's rotten work and either he accepts the higher prices, or someone else can wreck their gear on his land...

Also you should deffo get diesel thrown in wherever possible.

 

[glasshouse]

The man with proper heavy land ploughs not much faster than 6k may manage 8k or he makes a right mess and old grass will slow you down more ime

Heavy land= £40 acre
Ploughing grass is different

 

[hoff135]

Theres the odd time theres something decent and it is enjoyable and will at least cover the cost. I think its basically get someone else if they are not happy.

Ive also lost 4 or 5 discs with hubs over the years. Ploughed them in. Broken off with stones. Tried the plough without them but the skims were tearing the surface and dragging. Now run discs but only an inch deep

 

[Shep]

When I was ploughing 20 odd years ago, it was £25 per acre. I could average 2 acres per hour, so £50 per hour. I always said that was the bare minimum, if a job couldn't pay at least £50 per hour it wasn't worth doing.
I used to love getting out with the wagon, I could make up to £200 per hour with it and never less than £100, when charging by the acre, yet no one would pay by the hour as they thought it was too dear.

 

[Steevo]

Im burning 18l an hour. Anything under an acre an hour is pointless. Best i ever did was just under 2. Never plough stubble its always grass, normally old, acidic, and full of stones.

I know many wont like being quoted per hour but im going to have to do something

How's that for a view....!

 

[glasshouse]

A business doesn't run on love. The thing you see here is that the guys who charge a decent rate get decent jobs and last, expand, pay their bills on time.

The problem is when you get these eejits who do it for about cost, sub their R&M across to the farm or somewhere, because the slightest hiccup or breakdown they hurt. Like @Gerbert said, if they want cheap they can have cheap.

Currently I'm sitting in the smoko room on £22/hr drinking the boss' coffee, and it cost me maybe £1 to get to work, I can only laugh at someone running their own machine and wearing metal at £25/hr.

Nz is different, farmers hate owning machinery, so contractors clean up.
Tractors and kit are also far more expensive in nz.
Cost of getting it there doesnt help, but the dealers cartel at farm sales is something to see, farmers dont get a look in.

 

[glasshouse]

Theres the odd time theres something decent and it is enjoyable and will at least cover the cost. I think its basically get someone else if they are not happy.

Ive also lost 4 or 5 discs with hubs over the years. Ploughed them in. Broken off with stones. Tried the plough without them but the skims were tearing the surface and dragging. Now run discs but only an inch deep

Those discs are expensive!!!
I just replaced the full set on that plough
Second hand!!!
They all got lost over the years, there was only two left, and they needed bearings etc

 

[Farmer_Joe]

Jesus i would not even consider taking my 15 year old mf and plough out for the figures quoted in that farmers guardian thing, if people are doing it cheaper than them i think i will sell my plough its not worth having one if some fool will do it for nothing

i understand it leads on to other work but you need to charge more

 

[A1an]

I pay our chipper guy £50/hr travelling time!

 

[Munkul]

Ploughing isn't really work when everything is going well, though

 

[glasshouse]

Jesus i would not even consider taking my 15 year old mf and plough out for the figures quoted in that farmers guardian thing, if people are doing it cheaper than them i think i will sell my plough its not worth having one if some fool will do it for nothing

i understand it leads on to other work but you need to charge more

Sometimes you have to lose before you win.
Dont cut your nose off to spite your face

 

[holywell farmer]

Contractor costing charges listed in today farmers weekly suggest cost to plough has risen to 25.00 pound per acre for heavy land.

 

[holywell farmer]

Contractor costing charges listed in today farmers weekly suggest cost to plough has risen to 25.00 pound per acre for heavy land.

Sorry my mistake price is 27.06 for heavy land,

 

[Cvx1170]

Get rid of the KV, hopeless things

 

[ollie989898]

I pay our chipper guy £50/hr travelling time!

That job is a bit specialist though?