Hedge cutting rates

[Ali_Maxxum]

fair old accusation that

What?! You even replied to him when he said it.... Page 3, 2nd from bottom comment.

 

[tr250]

Am I right in thinking that the tractors get a bit knocked about with things coming off the rotors - wire, bits of wood etc. We pay £25/hr he runs a case mx 135 with a McConnel hedgecutter. Only thing I would change is his tyres as they aren’t modern low profile tyres and in the wet can cut in a bit. Probably 16.9x38 rears.

Perfect tool for trimming I would say put a set of mich xm108 650s on and it would take some beating

 

[Henarar]

What?! You even replied to him when he said it.... Page 3, 2nd from bottom comment.

I know I did

 

[Case290]

Any happy Bomford customers or the McConnell better ??

 

[Barleymow]

I trimmed a local ladies front hedge this week worked out about £200 an hour and a mug of tea

 

[tr250]

I trimmed a local ladies front hedge this week worked out about £200 an hour and a mug of tea

I wouldn't word it Like that to your wife

 

[kiwi pom]

How about charging 'per job' instead of by the hour? Especially on repeat jobs where you know pretty much how fast you can do it.
The cheap guys taking hours with worn out crap might look expensive then. I think my neighbour did that years ago.
A mate that cuts a lot of hedges in England says if you do the same hedges every time you cant charge more if one time it takes longer because the farmer will question the time.

 

[Steevo]

How about charging 'per job' instead of by the hour? Especially on repeat jobs where you know pretty much how fast you can do it.
The cheap guys taking hours with worn out crap might look expensive then. I think my neighbour did that years ago.
A mate that cuts a lot of hedges in England says if you do the same hedges every time you cant charge more if one time it takes longer because the farmer will question the time.

The trouble is that encourages them to build in some leeway...a bit like a builders quote. Fine if trust is there though.

 

[v8willy]

How about charging 'per job' instead of by the hour? Especially on repeat jobs where you know pretty much how fast you can do it.
The cheap guys taking hours with worn out crap might look expensive then. I think my neighbour did that years ago.
A mate that cuts a lot of hedges in England says if you do the same hedges every time you cant charge more if one time it takes longer because the farmer will question the time.

Growth varies every year tho.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Any happy Bomford customers or the McConnell better ??

Yes, very happy with our latest one, been a cracking machine. Very much a McConnell dominated area but there are a good few Bomfords about but one or 2 Shelbournes being bought by ex McConnel owners....

We won't change ours until it starts becoming unreliable. Have seen the newer versions of ours and there's even more metal in them for some reason, no idea why it needs to be any heavier than what ours is now.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

How about charging 'per job' instead of by the hour? Especially on repeat jobs where you know pretty much how fast you can do it.
The cheap guys taking hours with worn out crap might look expensive then. I think my neighbour did that years ago.
A mate that cuts a lot of hedges in England says if you do the same hedges every time you cant charge more if one time it takes longer because the farmer will question the time.

This works ok with the smaller ones, but even they can vary a bit some times. Farm hedges can vary quite a lot though, had to explain to one farmer why his bill was 3 times more once, 2 fields had been planted up with kale, one was far too wet to get in, so less than half of what should have been done, was.

The following year the 2 fields were back to grass and it was dry enough to get in the other field and another 10 acres he had bought down the road with 4yr growth needed some attention.... wasn't an issue, but that fact I had to explain all that was a bit beyond belief.....

 

[Superted820]

I wouldn't word it Like that to your wife

I was just thinking the same!!!!!
Must have gotten well out of control. I hope you used suitable protection....?!

 

[kiwi pom]

This works ok with the smaller ones, but even they can vary a bit some times. Farm hedges can vary quite a lot though, had to explain to one farmer why his bill was 3 times more once, 2 fields had been planted up with kale, one was far too wet to get in, so less than half of what should have been done, was.

The following year the 2 fields were back to grass and it was dry enough to get in the other field and another 10 acres he had bought down the road with 4yr growth needed some attention.... wasn't an issue, but that fact I had to explain all that was a bit beyond belief.....

Yep, hear what you're saying, the trick I think is to price somewhere in the middle. Some years you do it a bit quicker, some you lose out a bit.
Of course it only works if you get the job every year but that's the same with all things contracting.
Silage chopper guys often charge by the acre but conditions and grass growth are never the same, baling by the bale but hourly totals will always vary. Employee on a salary will work different hours each year for the same money etc.
Lets face it if you're hedgecutting on the hour and works a bit slow you're going to rush a job are you?

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Yep, hear what you're saying, the trick I think is to price somewhere in the middle. Some years you do it a bit quicker, some you lose out a bit.
Of course it only works if you get the job every year but that's the same with all things contracting.
Silage chopper guys often charge by the acre but conditions and grass growth are never the same, baling by the bale but hourly totals will always vary. Employee on a salary will work different hours each year for the same money etc.
Lets face it if you're hedgecutting on the hour and works a bit slow you're going to rush a job are you?

Well I guess we're quite lucky, we have a very loyal base of customers, a good few we've worked for decades now.... they keep coming back for the good service and a good few become friends as well as customers.

If baling doesn't work out by the bale (which sometimes it doesn't in the little patches) we then switch over to an hourly rate, no way am I losing out for someone else, I've got expenses that need paying every month.

We're always busy and never have a slack time, I never ever try and string a job out because there's always multiple on the go at once. Hedge trimming I always try and do quicker than the year before, especially the smaller ones as I still charge the same, there's nothing wrong or unfair about that.

 

[Laminated]

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.

You say that. I run a 6900 with 14,000 hours and my pa93 cost £3000 so I can charge £30 an hour happily

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

You say that. I run a 6900 with 14,000 hours and my pa93 cost £3000 so I can charge £30 an hour happily

Yeah? That's fine, I don't know what your situation is i.e. what else you do with the tractor or how much you do but it still doesn't escape the fact it's a pathetic hourly rate when you compare it to how much everything else has gone up in the last decade.

 

[ARW]

Yeah? That's fine, I don't know what your situation is i.e. what else you do with the tractor or how much you do but it still doesn't escape the fact it's a pathetic hourly rate when you compare it to how much everything else has gone up in the last decade.

Local plumber is £45 an hour and has an old berlingo van and a few tools! You turn up with 40k’s worth if kit for half the price!

 

[JeepJeep]

It's a case of Monkey see Monkey Do.

Tractors sat there anyway... so the mentality is to work it for cheap. The whole bubble could pop at anytime but they probably haven't a clue what it costs per hour to run or even thought about replacing worn out kit... Customers happy as its a cheap job... Monkey keeps doing.

The Plumber hopefully will know his onions and therefore can easily command his rate.
The Man down the road with with a van and tools and who doesn't know his arse from his elbow wouldn't last long charging that rate.

 

[Andrew]

“I run old kit, I can afford to charge less.”

Surely you still need to put money aside for replacement costs, unless you intend to be running the same kit in 20yrs time?

There is a chap near here, charges £35/hr for man and tractor all summer.
Come September he puts a hedgecutter on the back and drops the price to £30/hr.

 

[Henarar]

Local plumber is £45 an hour and has an old berlingo van and a few tools! You turn up with 40k’s worth if kit for half the price!

go plumbing then
the trouble is and always has been is that driving tractors is a job that people want to do
a mate of mine use to re-line sewers this was twenty odd years ago and he was on what would still be good money now, it must be an absolute fortune for anyone doing it now, all you have to do is put a wetsuit on and get down an 18 inch pipe, lovely job