Cost to small bale hay. Whole job

[nick channer]

As above.. Someone has approached us to do around 15000 bales hay.. Whole job from mowing through to stacking in barn, which is in same field.
We will be using bale baron to pack bales so will charge extra..
Don't really no what to charge..
Last hay we did under contract was late 90's and was £1.45 then with flat 8 system..

Just wondered what others were charging...

 

[Tim W]

I paid a contractor @ £1.65/bale in 2011. That was 3000 bales stacked in a barn (I helped stack it) ---he mowed, spread the swath , rowed it up and baled it---hauled 1/2 mile to a dutch barn

I think it was a good deal for me

 

[sleepy]

I paid a contractor @ £1.65/bale in 2011. That was 3000 bales stacked in a barn (I helped stack it) ---he mowed, spread the swath , rowed it up and baled it---hauled 1/2 mile to a dutch barn

I think it was a good deal for me

If its a decent block the contractor will have done alright too

Assuming 30 acres

30 x £12 mowing

30 x £5 x 3 tedding

30 x £5 raking

3000 x £0.45 baling

30? x £30 hauling / collecting

£3160

Leaving a tidy profit.

 

[John 1594]

anything under 100 bales, ie poxy equestrian paddocks, £2 a bale. 100-500 bales, £1.80 a bale. 500+ £1.60. As far as work is concerened, the moment the bales exit the flat 8 sledge is the last il have to do with them, customer moves and stacks them.

 

[sleepy]

anything under 100 bales, ie poxy equestrian paddocks, £2 a bale. 100-500 bales, £1.80 a bale. 500+ £1.60. As far as work is concerened, the moment the bales exit the flat 8 sledge is the last il have to do with them, customer moves and stacks them.

Agree, except for you will never make any money doing 100 bales if you have to mow it and turn it, minimum of 500.

Better to just let a local farmer cut and turn it, then go and bale it for them at 60p a bale. Or offer to top their grass and sell them your own hay

 

[John 1594]

Agree, except for you will never make any money doing 100 bales if you have to mow it and turn it, minimum of 500.

Better to just let a local farmer cut and turn it, then go and bale it for them at 60p a bale. Or offer to top their grass and sell them your own hay

very true, but the equestrian set is a very close knit, connected community, its worth messing about for a few small fields if it gets you bigger fields from their friends

I put very little effort into the hay, twin drum mower to cut it, on a good year once through with the haybob to row it up, then through again a few hours before baler. On a bad year maybe 3 or 4 times through with haybob, nothing more

 

[nick channer]

It's a field we were already renting and making small bale hay on ourselves..
I was thinking £2 bale..
There is one field 60 acres which we had just over 6000 bales off last yr.
although was cut late so 5000 prob better av.
Grass needs spraying which will cost them £20 acre
Fert another £15 acre... So that's 40p bale before they start.
Then there's the £50 acre they gonna loose in rent... Another 60p bale..
So with the £2 to do work its gonna total £3..
We would sell them the hay out barn at £3 bale, no risk of bad bales or ruined acres due to weather..
They are selling it to race horse stables in Newmarket so got to leave them a margin.
They have their own lorrys for transport.
I'm guessing they won't bother with spray and fert which we would do as there was lot ragwort in it last yr..

 

[Thomas]

I did some baling for a neighbour and i had 60% of the bales for doing the whole job so at £3 bale it would have cost him £1.80 bale if he had paid me instead. Normally i charge per acre for mowing, tedding and raking then per bale and it generally works out somewhere between £1 to £1.50 bale.

 

[Mark C]

It's a field we were already renting and making small bale hay on ourselves..
I was thinking £2 bale..
There is one field 60 acres which we had just over 6000 bales off last yr.
although was cut late so 5000 prob better av.
Grass needs spraying which will cost them £20 acre
Fert another £15 acre... So that's 40p bale before they start.
Then there's the £50 acre they gonna loose in rent... Another 60p bale..
So with the £2 to do work its gonna total £3..
We would sell them the hay out barn at £3 bale, no risk of bad bales or ruined acres due to weather..
They are selling it to race horse stables in Newmarket so got to leave them a margin.
They have their own lorrys for transport.
I'm guessing they won't bother with spray and fert which we would do as there was lot ragwort in it last yr..

I don't think you are far out with £2, I would charge the same to do it with a bandit. Makes stubble to stubble at £100/acre that some big contractors charge around here look very very cheap and 15k bales is a very nice little earner, you just need some sunshine!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just been offerd good hay for £2 in the evil packs though, better to buy it than make it

 

[nick channer]

I don't think you are far out with £2, I would charge the same to do it with a bandit. Makes stubble to stubble at £100/acre that some big contractors charge around here look very very cheap and 15k bales is a very nice little earner, you just need some sunshine!

Yeah customers happy with £2 bale...
Hopefully with 2 bale barons and balers it'll be cleared in 2 days.. 60 acres at time...
She was bit shocked at fact it was gonna cost her £3 bale with spray and fert..
Think she thought we earnt fortune from her fields

 

[sleepy]

Yeah customers happy with £2 bale...
Hopefully with 2 bale barons and balers it'll be cleared in 2 days.. 60 acres at time...
She was bit shocked at fact it was gonna cost her £3 bale with spray and fert..
Think she thought we earnt fortune from her fields

I would keep stum about it, or you willl have everyone out buying bale barons thinking they can clear £100/acre in 2 days work!

What do you do if the weather is crap?

 

[nick channer]

I would keep stum about it, or you willl have everyone out buying bale barons thinking they can clear £100/acre in 2 days work!

What do you do if the weather is crap?

Hence reason bought another bale baron and baler.. So can clear 60 acres a day...
In last 10 yrs... Even last yr been pretty lucky with timing for the weather... Had 40 acres ruined last yr mainly cos we were baling poxy haylage instead of tedding grass which woulda baled that afternoon if been turnt once more at lunch time..