Hedge cutting rates

[raiderz]

Garden hedges £1 per minute minimum of £20 as long as I'm working within a mile of their property.

 

[Superted820]

The trouble is farmers havent seen an increase in there prices so why should you? The fact is most jobs could be done with cheaper kit. The farmer shouldnt have to pay more just because his contractor likes new expensive toys. Our trimming was done perfectly for yrs by an old boy with his 2wd david brown ,now its done with 120k's worth of kit but still the same job

That is such a non argument against Contractors prices going up. Ultimately you are getting a tradesman in to do a job. Whether it’s an agricultural contractor, a plumber, electrician whatever. The fact farm gate prices haven’t risen is not anyone else’s fault. Everyone else has rising costs so just because the farmer isn’t paid any more for his product doesn’t mean that no one else should be able to put their prices up. It sounds a harsh line I know but unfortunately it is fact.

 

[holywell farmer]

Still farting about at £30/hr. Does my f*#king swede in. When are rates EVER going to go UP! They've sat idle for what, 10yrs?

Contracting rates are pathetic, going out with 100k+ of kit and getting 30-35/hr at best. Local plumbers/sparks on up to £200/day.

Thank god deep down I love the job because some days it makes you want to scream.

Some trimming verges for 15 pound an hour in north wales !

 

[nick...]

Its just the same runnering a digger,unfortuantly.minimum of 8 hours for me plus transport.
Nick...

 

[Werzle]

That is such a non argument against Contractors prices going up. Ultimately you are getting a tradesman in to do a job. Whether it’s an agricultural contractor, a plumber, electrician whatever. The fact farm gate prices haven’t risen is not anyone else’s fault. Everyone else has rising costs so just because the farmer isn’t paid any more for his product doesn’t mean that no one else should be able to put their prices up. It sounds a harsh line I know but unfortunately it is fact.

Its also a fact that the farmer can choose who his contractor is and what prices he's willing to pay. Not much point putting your prices up to be sat waiting for the phone to ring while a cheaper chap takes all your work.

 

[ARW]

I was told once I don’t need to charge so much for hedgecutting because it’s easy work for the tractor!
Man £12
Tractor per clock hour £13
Hedger £5
Diesel £5
£35 an hour
10% profit
£38.50 an hour

If you don’t like it pull your hedges out or buy your own machine

 

[vantage]

In the local Agri mag

 

[7610 super q]

Well, the blokes got an awesome tractor.

 

[Steevo]

Does he travel?!

 

[7610 super q]

Interesting point though....... do you employ a contractor for £15 / hour, with £15k's worth of gear ( tractor £10k,+ cutter £5k ), or £30 / hour for the bloke with a £75k tractor + £20k cutter.
The hedges will look the same after cutting. I know which I'd prefer.

 

[Grouse]

£15 an hour - the mans got no common sense. Take off repairs, maintenance, fuel, tyres, insurance and he is not even taking minimum wage.

 

[7610 super q]

Well, here in Pembs, we supply the fuel. Don't know what happens next door in Carmarthenshire, though.

 

[Steevo]

Interesting point though....... do you employ a contractor for £15 / hour, with £15k's worth of gear ( tractor £10k,+ cutter £5k ), or £30 / hour for the bloke with a £75k tractor + £20k cutter.
The hedges will look the same after cutting. I know which I'd prefer.

£15 an hour - the mans got no common sense. Take off repairs, maintenance, fuel, tyres, insurance and he is not even taking minimum wage.

When you put it that way, it could almost be argued the £30/hr guy has even less sense.... 6x the outlay for only double the money.

 

[betweenthelines]

There's no trimmer on the tractor in the picture.

£15/hr for a man and paring hook ain't cheap

 

[Sackofnuts]

We’ve been undercut by these kind of guys and that’s fine, the farmer can get who he likes but the following year when the guy undercutting everyone has jacked in because he has worked for nothing the farmer rings but gets mad and can’t understand why he is now at the back of the que.

 

[Kevtherev]

I was told once I don’t need to charge so much for hedgecutting because it’s easy work for the tractor!
Man £12
Tractor per clock hour £13
Hedger £5
Diesel £5
£35 an hour
10% profit
£38.50 an hour

If you don’t like it pull your hedges out or buy your own machine

Insurance out of that too

 

[Nearly]

I was told once I don’t need to charge so much for hedgecutting because it’s easy work for the tractor!
Man £12
Tractor per clock hour £13
Hedger £5
Diesel £5
£35 an hour
10% profit
£38.50 an hour

If you don’t like it pull your hedges out or buy your own machine

I've had 2 local contractors offering to do my roadsides for free as they both travel on the road daily and see my efforts.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

The farmers price not going up isn't my fault. Farming is the only industry where it just bends over and takes what it's told it's being given. Banks, fuel supplies, shops, every other industry's costs rise so there end price goes up accordingly.

It's all very well saying it can be done with an old 2wd and a 5m hedge trimmer, but that's not going to make you very useful for the rest of the year.... Plenty of people are happy stuck in the past pottering along but that's not the way the world is going, keep up or be left behind.

We only cut one farm now that's actually paid for by the farmer. I'm glad I'm not in a position where I'm chasing farm work, all that out lay in kit, fuel etc, to spend god knows how many hours doing the job then waiting a year to be paid....

One went with someone a couple of quid an hour cheaper than us, half the job was done compared to when we do it, crap all left around the poles and stay wires, crap all over the road, just nowhere near the finish, and we don't hang about doing multiple passes either. Said 'competiton' then does a bit of round baling and maybe some post bumping. Probably bought the full outfit for as much as we pay for a hedge trimmer alone.

Spends the rest of their time sat at home living with their parents, so they probably don't have to worry too much about making a decent return. And before anyone starts yes I still live at home, but I'm a firm believer in if you provide a quality, reliable, bending over backwards for some people service, it should be worth good money!

If these numpties had mortgages/loans, family, house hold bills, council tax, etc to pay as well as their diesel they wouldn't survive very long at 20 odd an hour....

I won't be told what someone is willing to pay me, I will tell you how much it is and you can take it or leave it, no way am I going out subsidising someone else. Get someone else in and see how long it lasts, they usually come running back.

 

[ARW]

When wheat hits £200 a tonne farmers don’t offer to pay more!

 

[lloyd]

Best value hedgetrimmer is a 360 with a saw blade.
Not much to trim the next year!