Contracting charges plus fuel, or contractor charges including fuel

I contract as well as farm. To date I have fairly accurate figures on the cost/op. However with fuel prices nowadays and the elasticity in its price I want to move across to charging for the job, plus fuel and near cost on top.

This way it takes a lot of guess work out of budgeting, as its anyone's guess what fuel prices will be like next week or month when it comes to replacing that fuel.

Or alternatively, I could arrive with a full tank and leave with a full tank - only problem with that is some farmer's tanks are at best a bit suspect. Getting dodgy fuel will cost £2k at least if it damages an injection pump etc.

If someone was to carry out contract work to you, how would you feel paying separately for the fuel? Would it be palatable? Or would you prefer it

An example being...

Plough + man + tractor + profit /ha = £65
Fuel on top, say 22ltr/ha @ £1.25 = £27.50

How does that sound?
 
I contract as well as farm. To date I have fairly accurate figures on the cost/op. However with fuel prices nowadays and the elasticity in its price I want to move across to charging for the job, plus fuel and near cost on top.

This way it takes a lot of guess work out of budgeting, as its anyone's guess what fuel prices will be like next week or month when it comes to replacing that fuel.

Or alternatively, I could arrive with a full tank and leave with a full tank - only problem with that is some farmer's tanks are at best a bit suspect. Getting dodgy fuel will cost £2k at least if it damages an injection pump etc.

If someone was to carry out contract work to you, how would you feel paying separately for the fuel? Would it be palatable? Or would you prefer it

An example being...

Plough + man + tractor + profit /ha = £65
Fuel on top, say 22ltr/ha @ £1.25 = £27.50

How does that sound?
If your worried about suspect diesel tanks get yourself a large mr funnel and filter the derv through that into your tractor
It stops water and particles down to 9 micron I think

Edit just looked 70 micron
 
Last edited:

Farmer_Joe

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
The North
I think it’s perfectly reasonable, I was asking local contractor how he gets on and he’s having to put prices up stating it literally just the fuel.
I would certainly have no issue with it if you were billing me like that 👍🏻
 

Ben B

Member
Mixed Farmer
What would be someone's objection to have the fuel and wear as two different items on an invoice? Thats how I would do it so the blighters understood how much fuel is used and its cost especially for jobs where you do a lot of pottering around on the road for.
 

icanshootwell

Member
Location
Ross-on-wye
It's a total mine field at present, take baling and wrapping, I will have to put prices up 1.50 per bale to cover extra expenses, wrap up£20 per roll, net up also, then derv at larger prices, it's a total joke, makes the job unaffordable for some.
 

balerman

Member
Location
N Devon
I know plenty do,but i wouldnt want fuel out of a lot of farmers tanks.We have 2 machines here bought secondhand that need very regular fuel filter changes,had to take the tank off one and flush it out,unbelievable how much crap can get in if you arent careful.The others bought new hardly ever need filters,having only ever had fuel from our tank.Perhaps just bad luck,but the cost in time,filters and hassle soon adds up.I would be charging fuel at £1.50/litre if you want it as an add on.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
A lot I know would come totally unstuck if they didn’t get diesel from farms, you know it’s bad when their refilling half way through days on silage and tanking slurry 😬 Puma 160’s at 240hp running triple mowers arn’t good on fuel either 🤦🏻‍♂️

Obviously the days of turning the screws on the TM fuel pump are over with the new electronic systems but christ tractors could drink when they were putting out 40% more than they should have been.
 
I think having fuel as a separate entity is the only way forward, thinking about it there isnt that much difference between the farmer supplying his fertiliser and him supplying diesel. Fuel costs, that way are both fair and transparent

How many of you have put your costs up substantially recently, after probably a hiatus of doing so? The trouble I see, there are always some that can do it for far less, or think they can until it comes time to change their machinery, or pay for a big repair. Its usually a farmer with a bit of spare capacity in his machine that thinks that his costs are minimal doing an extra bit of work for someone else. He forgets depreciation/wear and tear is linked closely to use and the sooner it wears out he will have to replace that machine for his own farm at a massive cost compared to when he bought his present machine say 15yrs ago. Forward thinking when costing out machinery has to be the key here
 
I've always included it as part of an invoice and charge 20% on everthing at the bottom. Guess that's the safe way and it shouldnt make any difference as all the farmers I deal with are vat registered
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
I don't like the idea of filling up at farms (from both the farmer and contractors points of view) but at the same time how do you put in an accurate value for the amount of fuel you used on a job, unless you tow a bowser round and fill before you leave, recording litres used?
Doing the job, then adding what you think its used could cause issues.

Its a tricky one because some will eat the extra cost and use it as a way to undercut for work, while others might raise rates when fuels high and not want to lower them when it drops.
 
Location
Devon
I contract as well as farm. To date I have fairly accurate figures on the cost/op. However with fuel prices nowadays and the elasticity in its price I want to move across to charging for the job, plus fuel and near cost on top.

This way it takes a lot of guess work out of budgeting, as its anyone's guess what fuel prices will be like next week or month when it comes to replacing that fuel.

Or alternatively, I could arrive with a full tank and leave with a full tank - only problem with that is some farmer's tanks are at best a bit suspect. Getting dodgy fuel will cost £2k at least if it damages an injection pump etc.

If someone was to carry out contract work to you, how would you feel paying separately for the fuel? Would it be palatable? Or would you prefer it

An example being...

Plough + man + tractor + profit /ha = £65
Fuel on top, say 22ltr/ha @ £1.25 = £27.50

How does that sound?
Hell is ploughing now £37.50 acre??

But on the fuel, just work out the extra costs of the fuel v last year on for jobs and increase your rate pro rata + other increased costs as well of course.

I was chatting to a chap the other day, his grandson is working for a large veg grower, 6 tractors on bed work etc and burning over 3k of fuel per day between them and they will have 6+ weeks of that fuel rate!
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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