Cost for mowing for hay ?

[Jerry]

Yesterday I did a favour for a friend who could not get anyone to cut three fiends. Entailed a 30min drive there and back.

3 awkward fields and one concrete block and various lengths of plastic pipes hiding In The grass …. (though only two snapped blades thankfully)

about 16 acres in total

my diesel…

£13 per acre??

 

[JeepJeep]

Farmer mentality would see him saving money by supplying his festering Diesel over the Contractor burning his own....

Some Contractors would probably see it as free fuel.... Each to their own.

 

[JSmith]

What price would the collective put on a wrapped bale, hole job from start to finish, show the man the field an say go for it, mown, left out for a day, rowed up, baled, wrapped an hauled back to the yard and stacked, all by contractor?? Price per bale???

 

[Mur Huwcun]

What price would the collective put on a wrapped bale, hole job from start to finish, show the man the field an say go for it, mown, left out for a day, rowed up, baled, wrapped an hauled back to the yard and stacked, all by contractor?? Price per bale???

If the man has a calculator then more than you can actually buy them but ther must be a lemon somewhere that would do it for a tenner!!

 

[M-J-G]

No job involving a tractor and machine can be done for less than 100 quid, unless he's been mowing next door anyway, in which case normal rates would apply.
For mowing I charge £12/ac plus fuel.

 

[JSmith]

You can’t buy many for a tenner can you?? How many you got, I’ll have the lot!!

 

[Mur Huwcun]

You can’t buy many for a tenner can you?? How many you got, I’ll have the lot!!

That’s why I said someone will do it for a tenner! You could calculate it on roughly £12 an acre to mow, £5 to rake, £6ish for baling and wrapping (no wrap) then £35 an hour to cart and stack.

 

[neilo]

That’s why I said someone will do it for a tenner! You could calculate it on roughly £12 an acre to mow, £5 to rake, £6ish for baling and wrapping (no wrap) then £35 an hour to cart and stack.

If we assume a crop of decent quality stuff, at 6 bales/ac, that’s £2/bale for mowing, 90p for raking (90p for tedding too?), £8 for baling/chopping/wrapping, and £1 for carting/stacking? On that basis (assuming you don’t want to ted it?), that’s £11.90/bale.
That’s before the cost of replacing nutrient offtake which needs replacing, and which you’d be buying in if you played the lottery of buying in forage.

 

[glasshouse]

Yesterday I did a favour for a friend who could not get anyone to cut three fiends. Entailed a 30min drive there and back.

3 awkward fields and one concrete block and various lengths of plastic pipes hiding In The grass …. (though only two snapped blades thankfully)

about 16 acres in total

my diesel…

£13 per acre??

Twenty

 

[M-J-G]

Yesterday I did a favour for a friend who could not get anyone to cut three fiends. Entailed a 30min drive there and back.

3 awkward fields and one concrete block and various lengths of plastic pipes hiding In The grass …. (though only two snapped blades thankfully)

about 16 acres in total

my diesel…

£13 per acre??

That's a per hour job I'd say.

 

[borderterribles]

What price would the collective put on a wrapped bale, hole job from start to finish, show the man the field an say go for it, mown, left out for a day, rowed up, baled, wrapped an hauled back to the yard and stacked, all by contractor?? Price per bale???

If the man has a calculator then more than you can actually buy them but ther must be a lemon somewhere that would do it for a tenner!!

If we assume a crop of decent quality stuff, at 6 bales/ac, that’s £2/bale for mowing, 90p for raking (90p for tedding too?), £8 for baling/chopping/wrapping, and £1 for carting/stacking? On that basis (assuming you don’t want to ted it?), that’s £11.90/bale.
That’s before the cost of replacing nutrient offtake which needs replacing, and which you’d be buying in if you played the lottery of buying in forage.

Fully agree with all the above but conversely, I have an acquaintance who has his grass harvested by someone who does the whole job. The guy charges him £15/bale, but the owner moans for England, all Winter that he can't sell any surplus for what the contractor has charged him
I suggested that he prices up the kit to do the job himself.

 

[Skintagain]

Fully agree with all the above but conversely, I have an acquaintance who has his grass harvested by someone who does the whole job. The guy charges him £15/bale, but the owner moans for England, all Winter that he can't sell any surplus for what the contractor has charged him
I suggested that he prices up the kit to do the job himself.

You couldn’t pay me enough to be a contractor.

 

[David.]

I learned my lesson on having diesel from other farmers when I was a lad. One harvest time I was going home on my Power Major, just as it was going dark, when I was flagged down by a farmer's daughter, who I knew vaguely from School. Her car had broken down and she wanted towing home. I agreed, despite it being about ten miles in the opposite direction to my home. Needless to say the farmer was very happy that I'd rescued his daughter and suggested that he would diesel the tractor up for my trouble. All good, thinks I. Until the tractor ran out of fuel about a mile from home. Old b#$tard hadn't actually put any in it, just pretended to!

Did the daughter ensure you were adequately compensated?

 

[Mur Huwcun]

If we assume a crop of decent quality stuff, at 6 bales/ac, that’s £2/bale for mowing, 90p for raking (90p for tedding too?), £8 for baling/chopping/wrapping, and £1 for carting/stacking? On that basis (assuming you don’t want to ted it?), that’s £11.90/bale.
That’s before the cost of replacing nutrient offtake which needs replacing, and which you’d be buying in if you played the lottery of buying in forage.

Unless a very good customer, literally next door while passing or a good chunk of acerage it still won’t stack up will it. To cart and stack upto 40 bales an hour with one tractor, driver and trailer the stack literally needs to be in the same field

 

[David.]

Yesterday I did a favour for a friend who could not get anyone to cut three fiends. Entailed a 30min drive there and back.

3 awkward fields and one concrete block and various lengths of plastic pipes hiding In The grass …. (though only two snapped blades thankfully)
Hmm, wonder why?

about 16 acres in total

my diesel…

£13 per acre??

Hmm, wonder why....

 

[Crapfarmer]

Unless a very good customer, literally next door while passing or a good chunk of acerage it still won’t stack up will it. To cart and stack upto 40 bales an hour with one tractor, driver and trailer the stack literally needs to be in the same field

Was offered 28 acres of grass by a farmer with to much, he wanted 3 pound a bale for the grass. The fields are about 5 miles from me. I worked out cutting Tedding baling hauling then the 3pound made them 18 a bale. Turned it down.

 

[David.]

To be fair, surely £3/bale is barely enough for the grass though, if it is good stuff?

 

[Crapfarmer]

To be fair, surely £3/bale is barely enough for the grass though...

Your right, just high lighting the costs involved. I think there will be a lot of hay this year so to expensive for me.

 

[JSmith]

To be fair, surely £3/bale is barely enough for the grass though...

I gave £30 an acre for herbal lay ground 6mile from home last year, I paid one man to mow it row it, bale it an wrap it and then a friend £2-3 can’t remember which to haul it home and stack it because my machine broke down the wkend we were doing it!! Luckily had 9 bales to the acre, but if I’d had five bales to the acre it would of been an expensive lesson!!! Bought standing grass can’t be to dear or it’s just not economical!!

 

[Crapfarmer]

I gave £30 an acre for herbal lay ground 6mile from home last year, I paid one man to mow it row it, bale it an wrap it and then a friend £2-3 can’t remember which to haul it home and stack it because my machine broke down the wkend we were doing it!! Luckily had 9 bales to the acre, but if I’d had five bales to the acre it would of been an expensive lesson!!! Bought standing grass can’t be to dear or it’s just not economical!!

This was average meadow grass probably only 5 to the acre