How does contracting work?

[DanL99]

In the future I would love to work for a contractor, but how does it all work? If someone phones up wanting a job doing? But your already busy doing a job etc? Is there some sort of waiting list? Who supplies the fuel? If yourself how do you get your fuel there if your working away? Also, if for example your combining then get rained off, what happens? Leave all kit there and go home? But if somewhere else isn't raining, do you travel over there? If your doing a big job that will take over a day, do you leave all the equipment at the farm or take it back?It all seems like a confusing process, especially when using combines and foragers etc

 

[Hesston4860s]

You've missed the most important question, how do you make it pay ?.

 

[DanL99]

You've missed the most important question, how do you make it pay ?.

There must be a way because all the contractors I see are all rolling around in brand new fendts

 

[Blod]

There must be a way because all the contractors I see are all rolling around in brand new fendts

I think if you did a cash flow forecast and reviewed their financial liabilities you might be shocked.

 

[Grassman]

I think if you did a cash flow forecast and reviewed their financial liabilities you might be shocked.

I did costings for my farming and that doesn't pay either!

 

[Kevtherev]

Hi risk business with high value equipment on hp.

 

[ARW]

There must be a way because all the contractors I see are all rolling around in brand new fendts

That doesn't mean there rich, it most probably means they don't have the capital to lay out on a machine and hire them in which works out cheaper over big hours per annum

 

[Timo@hattonfarms]

I the words of Bruce Forsyth, fendt's mean finance!

 

[Grassman]

There must be a way because all the contractors I see are all rolling around in brand new fendts

A new Fendt isn't a lot different in price to a similar spec John Deere or Valtra etc. Just go another year on the finance and bit more per month and your there.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

A good contractor looks after his most loyal customers, our baling man will be here today he knew in advance I had cut and have talked to him everyday since been using him for over 10 years, the one I had before would run for a new customer and let me down

 

[cvx175]

In the future I would love to work for a contractor, but how does it all work? If someone phones up wanting a job doing? But your already busy doing a job etc? Is there some sort of waiting list? Who supplies the fuel? If yourself how do you get your fuel there if your working away? Also, if for example your combining then get rained off, what happens? Leave all kit there and go home? But if somewhere else isn't raining, do you travel over there? If your doing a big job that will take over a day, do you leave all the equipment at the farm or take it back?It all seems like a confusing process, especially when using combines and foragers etc

Waiting list is pretty much whoever rings first you go to first. Fuel is paid for by the customer some farmers provide some don't up to you whether you want to take fuel from them either way they are paying for it. In the case of getting rained off would say if it's likely to dry up reasonably soon just have to wait it out if not move on but as soon as it is dry stop at the next job and return to finish it off

 

[Derky]

Prior planning prevents pee poor performance..................... so you need to have a plan and attempt to stick to it. So for combining a running order that only gets amended if for example you get rained off but no rain 2 miles up road. Some supply fuel some don't depends on whats been negotiated, we run an old ex Transco workshop van that has compressors and tools in it that tows a bowser. Prior planning and you can generally work vehicles to where you want them.

 

[Kevtherev]

A good contractor looks after his most loyal customers, our baling man will be here today he knew in advance I had cut and have talked to him everyday since been using him for over 10 years, the one I had before would run for a new customer and let me down

Also the best customers pay their contractors on time so it works both ways.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I won't be paying for the mowing as you did not forfill the contract

 

[DRC]

Also the best customers pay their contractors on time so it works both ways.

If they'd get the bills out. I get fed up of asking one contractor for one, then months later when it's gone out of your mind it turns up.

 

[DRC]

Combining in a catchy harvest can be a stressful job, as not everyone has a drier.
I use a contractor and get annoyed if other customers are making him wait until after dinner when he could've made a start at say 17% and put first few loads in the drier.

 

[RobFZS]

put those that pay the quickest at the top of the priority list, probably why we get our silage cut within 30 mins of ringing up

 

[Henarar]

Just go another year on the finance and bit more per month and your there.

In there pocket from what I hear

 

[Hilly]

If they'd get the bills out. I get fed up of asking one contractor for one, then months later when it's gone out of your mind it turns up.

I Have stopped using business that do that ! it dose my head in they use you as a savings account, its bad business and bad manners, id rather they invoiced me on the way out the gate.

 

[KMA]

Choose the kind of work/machines you do carefully and try to have 'wet weather jobs' other than drinking coffee in the workshop. regular, prompt paying customers get priority, the area we cover ranges from just off the beach/cliffs to high hills so the climate and plant growth stages vary and livestock from dairy to hill ewes.

There's some jobs that every man and his dog are doing and rates are pathetic and the cost of machinery to do the job is eye-watering, which we avoid, some where the big boys see it as an afterthought they don't really want to be bothered with and others where we have no competition.

As to whether we leave kit at a place, it depends on the place.

Some customers supply diesel, others don't and are billed accordingly. There's one or two places you definitely wouldn't want to put fuel from their tanks into your machines