Tractor and driver for hire

[Speedstar]

Some questions,
Are you a farmer with a big assett (land) to borrow against at very low APR)
Do you love driving tractors?
Do you have no mortgage or rent?
If the answer is yes to all three. Buy one, hire yourself at £30 an hour inc tractor.
If the answer to any of those are no.
Dont bother, buy a van, by some electric gardening kit (mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters) (( not my idea, but veryy good)) then go charge yoursefl out at £60 per hour.

if he picks the right jobs to do he should get a good rate , we have few jobs were our 939 tractor & man on the farmers fuel gets more than £60 per hour

 

[Muddyroads]

I hear a lot of people say, go and by some tools and charge big money for gardening but I don't hear many say, yes I'm doing that and making a fortune.
So who does it?

I used to make better money landscaping than I do farming.

 

[d williams]

if he picks the right jobs to do he should get a good rate , we have few jobs were our 939 tractor & man on the farmers fuel gets more than £60 per hour

I would like to think that should be the minimum charge for a outfit like that

 

[Fendt516profi]

I hear a lot of people say, go and by some tools and charge big money for gardening but I don't hear many say, yes I'm doing that and making a fortune.
So who does it?

No one on here cos it’s shite work

@Lincs Lass

 

[Chae1]

if he picks the right jobs to do he should get a good rate , we have few jobs were our 939 tractor & man on the farmers fuel gets more than £60 per hour

What jobs?

 

[puppet]

The machine makes the money not the tractor. I have seen this situation before when someone buys kit then tries to get work for it rather than the other way round.
Anyone who has machinery needing 200hp will probably have a 200hp tractor already. Leasing a tractor and a driver other than yourself will be expensive. Lots of the work will often be the hardest on tractor and tyres -road haulage at full revs

 

[Muddyroads]

Might pick up a bit of short term maize haulage for AD but he’ll need stabilisers fitted to the trailer.

 

[Lincs Lass]

@Lincs Lass

First time in all my life that I can honestly say I am financially secure ,,I don't have to flog my guts out to pay the bank ,,everything I own is mine ,bought and payed for ,,It's a good fealing .
Buying a tractor for 80k + will never earn a penny ,,it will all vanish in fuel,repairs,loan payments and medication for the operator because you will end up a basket case with stress

 

[deleted user 436632456]

If you want to buy a tractor then go buy the tractor.. everybody goes through that stage at some point in their agri life... sometimes you just have to get it out of your system (I know I did)

£80k tractor=
@£35 per hour = 2,285 hrs required per year to turn the price of her.. achievable?

I know ppl don't like this mentality but if you can try to turn over the price of equipment.. you will survive.

Money in the bank is still money in the bank when it comes to contracting, scoffing and turning down someone offering you a lower per hour rate for a weeks work to only sit at home and wait for the better money offer to arrive doesn't pay the HP, sometimes you have to take the rough with the smooth.
You can't sell from an empty shop window so get the tractor out there and push your services.

 

[EddieB]

I would say £50 / hour is a break even point.

 

[hoff135]

If you trust the farmers fuel tank then let them supply the diesel, makes your bill seem smaller.

Its all very jolly this running around doing lots of work on the cheap until something breaks. Then you go to the dealers and you are on £100 an hour plus eye wattering part prices.

I no longer look for work from farmers on an hourly rate with a tractor as I know no one will want to pay. Even with and older 160hp tractor worth 25k you still need as much as the guy with the 80k tractor as you have more repairs.

My policy now is if its not going to pay its not going to move. Better off doing NOTHING for the day

 

[EddieB]

The best model for this is to lease a tractor with full warranty, servicing and tyres included.
Customer pays for fuel. Only then insurance, the drivers wages, NI, pension, holiday and sick pay to factor in.

 

[Norfolk Olly]

Also factor in that the tractor won’t be working 52 weeks of the year but the finance people will still want their payment.
Personally I wouldn’t bother, you can earn nothing sitting at home, why go out and work for it

 

[fiat 9090]

if he picks the right jobs to do he should get a good rate , we have few jobs were our 939 tractor & man on the farmers fuel gets more than £60 per hour

Yes but your an established contractor with a good customer base he is only starting

 

[holywell farmer]

Hi there, I’m looking into buying a tractor to hire into the uk with a driver for the busy planting and harvest season.

Looking at buying something along the lines of a Massey Ferguson 7720/case puma 175. Is there many people hiring tractors in for the harvest/planting season?

What sort of hourly rate would seem reasonable for a tractor and driver?

Whatever anyone says good luck in your business venture

 

[Muddyroads]

A couple of suggestions for the OP.
The best money I used to make per hour was for peace work jobs, particularly bale wrapping. All the young boys used to want the glamour of baling but I made far more wrapping.
The other way to maximise income was none Ag work. For example, percolation tests for builders, local authority work etc.

 

[kiwi pom]

If you got a tractor could you get site work for it.
Chap I helped out occasionally had tractors on mostly road jobs. He pulled water tankers, had a big fuel bowser for refuelling everything and had a trailer with a crane on it that could deliver materials from the compound to where it was needed.
Always busy, work all year but not that flash from a drivers point of view even though they made good money.

 

[JeepJeep]

Every man and his dog made money on roadbuilding and construction in the year 198x or 19XX. It's 2021 now. Wake up.

Everyman and his dog still want the work and Most men and their dog can't add up

Does anyone else remember the A55 being built and all the AP Cabbed Hawkins 7610s?

 

[warksfarmer]

Hi there, I’m looking into buying a tractor to hire into the uk with a driver for the busy planting and harvest season.

Looking at buying something along the lines of a Massey Ferguson 7720/case puma 175. Is there many people hiring tractors in for the harvest/planting season?

What sort of hourly rate would seem reasonable for a tractor and driver?

Can get man and tractor for £19/hour and we fuel it. If I was you I wouldn’t bother even entertaining your idea. Put the money in a zero interest account and you’ll earn more.

 

[ollie989898]

I don't understand the determined fascination with tractor driving sometimes, your neck and back gets beaten up all day, you can sit in a seat and do the exact same thing basically in construction and the like and still get your neck and back beaten up?

If you like driving machinery then surely get paid by someone in hard cash to do it, why even bother buying your own??