Hedge cutting rates

[kiwi pom]

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.

Unfortunately rates aren't going to go up because there will always be someone that will do it cheap. There's a huge supply of people wanting to do it but not really much demand from farmers. If every contractor put rates up farms would just get their own kit (and contract it out)
Many 'one man band' jobs such as baling or hedge cutting are done by farmers with existing kit either to spread the cost of the machine or because the farm isn't big enough to make a living or support another family member coming into the business. The machine's 'subsidised' by the farm (sorry for the s word)
Lets face it its not a bad job sitting in and air conditioned cab with the radio on.
You don't see people offering foot trimming, hedge laying or indeed plumbing at a loss, just to get the work and in turn the customer is unlikely to do the job themselves because it either requires a skill or is just a sh*t job they don't want to do.

 

[jon9000]

Insurance out of that too

What about dead time maintenance, admin, poor payers,

 

[Kevtherev]

What about dead time maintenance, admin, poor payers,

That as well

 

[Henarar]

fortunately rates aren't going to go up because there will always be someone that will do it cheap.

yep with you there
can see both sides of the coin
its a bit like those on here that make fodder for sale saying 4 foot rounds should be 40 quid, maybe but WTF is anyone going to feed that to and make anything apart from the nig nags
and its ok contractors saying its not their problem that there is not much profit in farming, it will be their problem if subs suddenly go because that is what a lot use to pay their contractor
if you think you can charge what you like best go do contract work of non farmers cos it isn't going to get better any time soon, in fact if things don't pan out to well its going to get a feck sight worse

 

[holywell farmer]

What about dead time maintenance, admin, poor payers,

Simple if someone doesn't pay don't do any contracting for them

 

[Werzle]

Simple if someone doesn't pay don't do any contracting for them

Thats what i have always told contractors who have moaned to me about so and so being a bad payer but they still go back, frightened that another contractor takes the work and does get paid.

 

[Lofty1984]

Thats what i have always told contractors who have moaned to me about so and so being a bad payer but they still go back, frightened that another contractor takes the work and does get paid.

Think it’s more like if you tell them you aren’t going back your less likely to get paid vicious circle it is

 

[Superted820]

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.

I completely agree. But it’s hardly realistic to say that because I’m not being paid any more you can’t put your prices up. What does any farmer buy that has got cheaper or stayed the same price for the last x number of years?

 

[Case290]

£24 per hour I asked my local guy as my hedge cutter broke. Thought it may be better to get him to finish off rather than buying another hedge cutter.

 

[BobGreen]

Thats what i have always told contractors who have moaned to me about so and so being a bad payer but they still go back, frightened that another contractor takes the work and does get paid.

Did hear a story last year about a local contractor who had not been paid for the previous years silage work
When farmer rang up he sent 3 mowers and dropped it all then parked them all up in silage clamp. Told farmer we’ll be back to pick grass up when you pay last years and this years bill

 

[ARW]

£24 per hour I asked my local guy as my hedge cutter broke. Thought it may be better to get him to finish off rather than buying another hedge cutter.

What does he run? 2 stoke stihl and a step ladder

 

[nick...]

I see in the farm contractor magazine operating costs supplement which came yesterday,the rate for hedge cutting is £41.
Nick...

 

[manhill]

You had best buy a Davy Brown and cut your own hedges then!!!

Some day you will have to replace said Davy Brown.....

Probably long after the 120k is dead and buried!

 

[Henarar]

everyone quoting prices but there is a lot of difference between outfits and operators

size of the cutting head will make a difference, since having a trimmer with a 1.5m head I can do most sides in one pass and still have a good height hedge thus saving one trip round the field it also helps on the tops so it saves time so how much is that worth ?

also some operators can simply drive faster/work faster and still do a good job, when doing the top of the hedge very often you have to go quite slow but siding its possible to drive on quite fast and still make a good job so saving time so how much is that worth ?

the newness of the tractor and machine make very little difference to the worth of the job done, seen folk out on brand new kit and I wouldn't want to pay them 10 quid an hour let alone 40

So the chap charging 40 quid an hour may be cheaper than the chap charging 20 quid but then the chap charging 20 quid may be far less than half the money for the same job done

 

[Steevo]

everyone quoting prices but there is a lot of difference between outfits and operators

size of the cutting head will make a difference, since having a trimmer with a 1.5m head I can do most sides in one pass and still have a good height hedge thus saving one trip round the field it also helps on the tops so it saves time so how much is that worth ?

also some operators can simply drive faster/work faster and still do a good job, when doing the top of the hedge very often you have to go quite slow but siding its possible to drive on quite fast and still make a good job so saving time so how much is that worth ?

the newness of the tractor and machine make very little difference to the worth of the job done, seen folk out on brand new kit and I wouldn't want to pay them 10 quid an hour let alone 40

So the chap charging 40 quid an hour may be cheaper than the chap charging 20 quid but then the chap charging 20 quid may be far less than half the money for the same job done

The skill is knowing which is which.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

That's just it, I've seen some real drongos farting about for hours upon hours on single year growth and be doing bits that would take me probably half the time. People that don't go round and round fields and actually do them in sections and do all that reversing nonsense!

Bits missed round the poles and stay wires which then grow into trees, no blower, so crap all over the road, wont reach any higher than what they can see at eye level, actually brushing under branches or other bits of hedge to cut part of the hedge?! Gateways not touched, no floor pass or brambles done where there are lambs, etc. Some wont get in the corners, drives me mad.

We've got a VTB (Variable Track Bracket) or 'Orbitor' for the McConnell guys, for doing down mega narrow lanes, so I can cut the sides of lanes with my 6m telescopic and someone with an old standard 5m on a 2wd can't.

There's hedge trimming and there's doing a good, well thought job. Some may think, oh well done you, pipe down or whatever.... but I just give a monkeys about doing a good job, but efficiently/quickly and doing the bits a lot of people don't think about. So if someone's more expensive I don't think it's necessarily because they've got more expensive tackle, chances are because they've invested that much in the hedge cutting kit they're probably going to do a good job, not saying that someone with older stuff doesn't, but chances are you do get what you pay for.

 

[Henarar]

I can cut behind the wheel with my 2wd and 5m trimmer

 

[Campbell]

Simply market forces at work. In a few miles of lanes round here there can be up to six different hedge cutters operating. Had some roofers here on £200/day, and they go home a 3pm on a Friday, happily just the one Friday....

 

[ARW]

everyone quoting prices but there is a lot of difference between outfits and operators

size of the cutting head will make a difference, since having a trimmer with a 1.5m head I can do most sides in one pass and still have a good height hedge thus saving one trip round the field it also helps on the tops so it saves time so how much is that worth ?

also some operators can simply drive faster/work faster and still do a good job, when doing the top of the hedge very often you have to go quite slow but siding its possible to drive on quite fast and still make a good job so saving time so how much is that worth ?

the newness of the tractor and machine make very little difference to the worth of the job done, seen folk out on brand new kit and I wouldn't want to pay them 10 quid an hour let alone 40

So the chap charging 40 quid an hour may be cheaper than the chap charging 20 quid but then the chap charging 20 quid may be far less than half the money for the same job done

Cheap lads are probably billing for more hours to make up for the cheap price

 

[John boy]

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

Who would do it for £15 hr?