As much fun as us men have playing with tractors and equipment as far as trying to actually make money one has to be a good manager and many of us know this if we grew up on a farm. But good video with straight up common sense thinking is the reality of real world money making. Work hard , love God, Country and family and don't forget the ham sandwich 🙏🤠🇺🇸💪
i will make this comment and it doesn’t go everyone bc everywhere is different i run a massey 6713 with a 15ft batwing bushwhacker for the highway department and the slopes are very steep sometimes for us and instead of using those weights you use we use the typical nose weights as i call em and spacers on the back tires to give the tractor a wider profile to combat over turning and they do slide down the slope but with it being wider it does help and another thing the counties around where i live do offer contracts to locals with tractors and bush hogs to mix the county roads for a nice big chunk of change
@@midwestbd7144 that’s because $50 an hour for a 25hp tractor brush hogging is kinda steep. Like really steep. I charge a little more than that an hour with a 4 hour minimum. With my 71 hp tractor, I can literally do 3-4 times more than u an hour. Not just because u have a tractor and mower can u charge what the bigger tractors charge. Size matters. Way more efficient p
When I figured my production cost, I'm going to stay local with no truck and trailer. Thank you for pointing out what to take in consideration for tractor work. I tried a few years ago with a 30 hp Kubota and only cleared about $27 per hour. That included turning it in on my income tax. Now I just don't charge anything if it is a neighbor a block away, but since I retired I seem to be getting more calls and I am rethinking this tractor business. . Thanks again for the video. All in all it's not a pretty picture for me to make any money in my small town .
I charge a flat rate of $250 per hour for forestry mulcher...dozer $175 per hour... excavation work $250 per hour...bush hogging $150 per hour. Sounds like a lot of money, but my equipment does a lot of work in one hour. I pay operators $45-55 per hour. In my area of Texas, I'm considered very reasonable price.
I have a field mowing business in California, it’s good business but to make it work especially the busy season you have to work seven days a week for about four months and if something breaks you have to stay up all night fixing it to get to the next job I have two tractors I run John Deere both cab tractors my units are from 66 hp to90 hp I use boom flail mower with hammer blades also 8 foot flail mower with Y blade and I have different rotary mower‘s which a lot of folks called bush hog in different sizes I have one specific that I rebuild every six months it gets beat up real bad but it’s very useful especially in fields I know I’m going to hit rocks even though we’re not supposed to hit rocks if they’re there I find them every time, your tractor looks like a good tractor I had Kubota it’s just my dealer I didn’t get along with them so I went to John Deere and I’m very happy with John Deere, My average day is about 14 hours if I’m not doing three or four small jobs in one day I’m doing large acreage I also run a 12 foot bat wing, the worst part of all of it most folks don’t realize how hard we work in our tractors all they see is us driving them, I probably do over 250 jobs a year and I can easily put 700 tractor hours per year. kudos to you and wish you the best with your business. Lots of caffeine gets me through those long days.
This just gives the general public a real eye opener on why contractors have to charge the rates that we do.Wait till you see the cost of keeping this rig on the road per year.
By the time you include time sharpening blades, costs to maintain equipment and equipment failures, and insurance, you're barely making wages. Well done video and break down sir. I wish your business much success.
Todd, this video was a huge blessing for me. I have done a little bush hogging here and there for quite some time. You helped me to realize I am way to low on pricing, which I wandered about for quite some time. Also, it was great to hear your discussion on business sense. Thank you and please keep the video's coming!
Isn't all relative to location, out in the country where many people have the equipment for themselves and wants to pick up spare cash can mean competition for enough jobs thus lower fees
Been watching your channel for a few months. Just getting started, bought a new LX3310 with a few attachments. Flailmower land bride stump grinder rototiller and high flow skid steer stump grinder. Can't afford the skid steer yet. Have 2 buddies who are retired and have them tho First time out I get 7 8 acres land clearing. Have to rent a Bobcat T770 forestry mulcher. 😆 Great channel
Very nice of you to advise and inform! God will keep blessing you and your family!!! I wish you all All of God’s Blessings Great Health, Happiness and Prosperity!
I have a 2016 M7060 and bush hog my property with a Woods 15’ batwing. This tractor is a beast and has no problem pulling up and down the hills of TN at about 5mph. Time is money.
this was great, I have a co-worker I have known 45 years, she wants me to start bush hogging her place once a month as soon as grass grows, 8 acres, she is clueless how long it took her EX to do it.
As long as you make enough to have enough, then you’ll be alright 😎love the vids my man...gotta get that hustle on. Gonna start a small side business for my high school son...you’ve helped a ton 🤘🤘💪
This was very helpful thanks started almost a year ago and got my llc 3months ago doing lawn & landscape but plan on changing to big work like bush hogging and land clearing
Awesome! plus grease, plus other maintenance, plus you cant bill 8 hours for the day, plus plus plus! By the way I'm just a home owner, I have a Grand L 6060 and that M7060 gives me tractor envy, but in a good way. Keep up the good fight, I learn from all your videos!
Many good points. always enjoy your videos. Of course by the time you pay your truck, trailer, tractor and mower, you personally make even much less than that. Granted some of what you pay for the equipment goes to paying off that equipment or to buy new equipment etc down the road, but it's still money that you can't buy groceries or pay bills with.
Nice video 👍🏼. It’s interesting seeing the price difference based on location. $70/hr after expenses is good money where I’m from. I have a side hustle with a 25hp John Deere and make a good profit charging $45-50/hr.
Thats exactly what I was thinking. A excavator is only 110$ a hr here. My dad worked for the road and bridge department of a small county and never made $20 a hr. He didn't retire until about 2004. I think a grador operator makes 24$ now.
Awesome tractor! My grandpa bought a Kubota M8540 4x4 open station and with loader for his farm/cabin up in Clinton county Pennsylvania. Which he bought used back in 2014 and but he wouldn't let anyone else run it even though I taught him how to run it. But he passed away back in February last year and now I wish he would have bought one with a factory cab like yours instead because the bugs and dust drive me nuts.
Exactly! Also, deprecation is almost never mentioned. That tractor probably cost $60-70,000; if you assume three thousand hours of completely trouble-free use, that’s $20-25/hr extra just for depreciation. And that’s a very conservative number.
I think something people dont think about is the cost of the equipment. Tractor, truck, trailer, attachments. You got quite a bit of money sunk into that. Equipment doesnt last forever so you can basically figure you will be replacing 1/5th of it every year. Sure some of it will last longer, but the longer it lasts the more you pay to fix it typically. On the flip side you will sell or trade most equipment eventually, but again you will not get anywhere near what you spent on it. You made after taxes and gas roughly $300 that day. If you do that 5 days week 50 weeks a year you will be making 75k. Sounds great until you consider you still have to pay out maintenance, insurance for both equipment and health, and either vehicle payments or put some back for buying the next piece of equipment. I will bet you dont get 250 working days a year either. My guess is you have long stretches where you are really busy, but you also have entire days that go by dealing with equipment issues, doing estimates on jobs, or simply being delayed due to weather. On the other hand if you get a job that takes multiple days you can turn those $300 days into $500 days. Enjoyed the video.
Thank you for the breakdown in costs. I know I’m late to this video but I’m new to your channel. I would love to see a future video of mowing across a steep grade with some details to help us newbies. I’m 57 years old but new to mowing on grade since buying land in Tennessee. I’ve only mowed on flat ground but I have ran some horrendous tractor accidents working in fire department and ambulance services.
I watched your video and found myself nodding as you went along. I did minor landscaping/lawn care as a second job for about 15 years, Eventually, the truck broke down, customers drifted away, and things weren't nearly as good at the end as they were at the beginning. But it was fun while it lasted. Got to know some really nice people. And best of all--never got caught by the government (who still hasn't processed my tax filing for this year!). I always dreamed of doing a business like you do, but I also always knew I had to avoid falling into that trap. Running a business isn't an everyman's job fer sure.
Thank you very much for your Video , Ive just bought a 4ft Topper -Flails , pulled by a Massey Furguson 135 , I did 6 acres of grass paddocks ,I made grand total after Diesel fill up , £18 ,00 , The tractor takes more than I did . .But I did it because I enjoyed driving tractors . Perhaps the best way to make money perhaps is "Dont Charge per hour " Charge for the job ? What dio you think ?
You sir are correct......it's a business. I run mine at 100 per hour......that's the rate. I don't do anything heavy, small Deere and 4ft on back. Most the jobs come off my landcare business.......and they complain about price. I'm nice and give them numbers of folks that will do it cheaper all the time. Most the jobs I do are really just tall grass and weeds. Yes I'm picky, but we also trim out fence post and ditch banks. I'm more of a weed hogged than brush hogged. Stack that cash brother, something gonna break!
Very informative video! And that’s a kickass tractor! I work for a Kubota dealer, and own a small, b2920, so I’m a little biased, but the M series is the bomb! Thanks for the great breakdown!
Everybody and their brother has a brush hogging business where I live, mostly as wildfire mitigation. I look at that small patch of grass and think hay. So I charge the same as brush hogging, but after the grass (hay) is down I ted it, rake it, and bale it and remove it from the property. Where I'm at there is a ton of hay there, $400. So now there is some money in it.
Can you give an idea on a startup cost for a business like this? I’m a Army veteran looking at starting a bush hog business. Also, could you share maintenance and all insurance costs? Thanks for a great video !
Investment depends on what you're willing to go into debt for, or what your start-up budget is. You can buy a decent Ford 8N tractor and a used bush hog for less than $1500. Buy a used trailer and a 1500 pickup to haul it. Maintenance is pretty cheap if you do it yourself. Or, buy a new $25k Korean tractor and $2k new bush hog, and have $400+ payments a month. My 85 year old neighbor tilled gardens and bush hogged for people with old tractors, and a beat up trailer for 40 years. He didn't have the prettiest looking equipment, but he always had work. Never advertised; just word of mouth and regular, yearly customers. He just packed it in this year because of his age. Decide what you want, and what you're willing to pay for it, then do honest work, would be my suggestion. My son has his own lawn service. He started four years ago with my zero turn Cub Cadet. Now he has a $14k John Deere mower, two trailers, and three pickup trucks that he paid for on his own. He bought used and pays his own insurance. He has made a good name for himself with honesty and hard work. He tried working for The Man at a couple jobs, but decided being his own boss was more satisfying. Good luck with your endeavor, and thank you for your service!!
Just found your videos and really liking them. Fantastic video! Have you ever put a list together of everything that needs to be figured into cost of a job for us wanting to start up a business? Fuel, ins, depreciation etc and how to calculate those expenses! If not, would you be willing to?
That's over triple what I make per hour as a police officer in NC working 12 hour shifts lol. Sounds like a better gig to me haha. Thanks for the transparency!
Bushhoggin in TN can be very profitable with the property equipment and proper clients I also speed up my bushhoggin time by mowing in a circle instead of rows. And my 1994 John Deere 5400 has the wheels spaced out so it handles hills just fine sideways or at at angle so it’s faster and uses less fuel than it would driving up and down the hill I also use a ventrac for specific mowing jobs amd charge a premium for that
Do you try to metal detect jobs ever? I'm looking to start just brush hogging with a 55 hp older diesel tractor with fel and 6 ft hog. Would you think maybe 100/ hr 6 hrs minimum for heavy brush amd 4 hrs minimum for just field jobs that's 50 an hour for me and 50 an hour for the machine will only do close by jobs I can road tractor to at first till I get a trailer. And then add a good box blade after that I'm in rural Oregon so lots of invasive briars and firs and streams you can't see also will all be without haul off will leave as mulch
Love the channel. I know the bush hog is versatile but if theirs no hazards like stumps, ets. Would a flail mower not leave a better finished result. I understand that hoggin a property once a year may be a reason why you use a brush hog. Just curious as to your thoughts on it. Keep up the awesome work. Love the content.
I get paid $53/hr to work for someone else and make them profit. I have to manage the people doing the work and find the work so the owners can make more money. I then have to take out taxes, insurance, etc with that money. College educated and work in a professional field. It’s not fun at all. Not the best money out there but I think I’d take brush hogging over what I deal with on a daily basis. Yeah I know there is more to it than that but as a gateway it doesn’t sound like a bad deal. Countdown has begun. Two to three months and my mini excavation business will kick off.
When factoring in the servicing on the tractor, the truck and trailer, say per month, in addition to your food throughout the day I'm sure your self insured medically. That drops your take home significantly. But at the end of it all, if you're happy doing what you do you're really not working, you are driving up and down the road enjoying your life.
Hey Buddy love the video please keep them coming I have a to Botha 6800 utility special what a 7' heavy duty Bush Hog brand cutter I Keep on my farmThat originally belonged to my great grandfather in Alabama
Cost (fuel, material, disposal) Insurance Maintenance and repairs Vehicle depreciation Registration annually Mortgage/ rent place to keep equipment Business expense (accounting, advertising, etc) What other expenses am i forgetting?
Mileage to and fro... Here in NYS its approx. 56cents per mile.. which over the course of a year you can max out 15K miles.. which is a great write off
Yea but thats most of the businesses anyways we all get fucked by the taxes no matter what business you got so in reality we dont make a whole lot more than a 9-5 after qll them damn expenses the thing is we have more freedom of doing what we want when we want
Hello great video thanks for the money break down. I’m running a lawn care business and was interested in brush hogging. What would be a good starter tractor and brush hog?
$550 is what the check is written for. If the job is "on the books" and you have to submit state sales tax against the ticket, you're also out that right off the top along with the fuel. Here in CT it's 6.35% (another $35.00)
Let’s not forget about the dangers involved as well.....Once you almost fly off a tractor because of an unseen hole or hit metal buried in the ground you’ll know what I mean. Not to mention possibilities of stobbing tires. You roll the dice every time you cut a new property. My 2 cents. Almost forgot excellent video btw👍👍
Or the back pain you get from chopping up rocks and concrete of 6 inch sycamore trees, god I love a sidewinder. But some times it's better to have a grinder on a skid steer.
And thats some good money be thankful brother that GOD lets you do what you do you cant make big bucks all the time like 1 job you said you made 1800 bucks a day ,you should be able to do small jobs, but love your videos and thank GOD for everything you have everyday if it wasnt for what JESUS did for us on the cross we wouldnt even be here keep them videos coming
Haha No wonder you like bush hogging, you have a cab tractor. I'm green with envy ! Dad was a military man with no use for creature comforts but he died in 2017. In steps my candy ass that wishes he had a AC, radio, cab. Mine is just a M6800 w/ 8' bush hog so it takes 5 days to mow the farm. If I got a big enough cab tractor and a 20' bush hog it would cost 100K. I'm not seeing that with this eye problem! Thanks for the videos
@@DigginLife21 All good down here mate. My daughter finally decided I could have my Yanmar back! She's done some good work at her place. Now I'm focussing on making my place easier to mow.
All taxation is theft. Especially taxing a man's labor that he uses to survive. America went to war for it. Keeping what's yours, doesn't equate to being dishonest, nor immoral. Quite the contrary.
Do you think someone can really have a tractor too large? I like the Kubota M5660, but not sure I need that size. I really like the shuttle shift option on it. I don't like hydrostatic. Thanks for your videos.
Hey you should check out the little mighty ventract tractor. They are a bit pricy but they are a hell of a machine. It really is hard to explain just what it can do cause it can do a hole lot. Just started whatching your videos and i absolutely love them. Keep it up!!
Hello Sir loved your video on how to start a bush hog business. I was interested in starting my own business. I’m retired and would like to make a little cash on the side. I live in Mississippi Desoto county. Any advise on what size tractor, trailer, and truck I should look into. I probably need start with used equipment. Any help in this direction would be much appreciated.
At least a 50 hp tractor with 6 foot mower. 1 ton truck and 20 foot trailer (I would go ahead and get a 10 ton trailer to allow for being able to rent and haul Skidsteer or excavator with mowers or mulchers
How steep is the hill you can mow across... NOT up and down but safely going across? There are phone apps that can show you the incline (clinometers). It would really help me choose a tractor to know that.
What part of western North Carolina are you in? I own a tractor business in GA and the wife and I want to end up in the banner elk sugar mountain area. It's so beautiful up there!
Hard to beat an M series Kubota, I like the cast centers. I would like to have had them but I added 3 sets of factory weights to mine it’s around 990lbs. Much like you with the steep ground the weight helps. Enjoyed the video!
I have a 85 hp tractor and a 15ft, bushog, some people who live near me with 10 or 15 acres have asked me to mow it , but I haven't found out what to charge them yet , prices are all over the place . I don't want to undercut anyone, or overcharge.
Im ok with this. I usually break down my expenses within a couple days of a new piece of equipment. Overall, i just need to cover the equipment bill in the end. I have other means for income
It's really easy, charge $250./hr. and put a distance charge on. Up to 50 miles * Free *. Get a timer, and when you arrive, press the button. Even if you're talking to the customer... keep the timer rolling. After you're done, sell them a 12 month service plan... $200. for 10% off, first 15 hours.
anyone else surprised when the mowing began at 8:02 and you realize how big the property is??!! I said at first 3.5 hours???? should go quicker than that . until i see the proportions of the tractor to the property
You are one of very few people on utube that is willing to discuss what they charge. Very informative, thank you 👍
I’m here for y’all. Thanks for watching
@@DigginLife21 im glad have good and the best credit at my stihl and my kubota dealer wich i have kubota and stihl credit account at the dealers
Pto driven turf tiger at 6 inches is our brush hog for that.
1😊@@charlesbourgeois9029
As much fun as us men have playing with tractors and equipment as far as trying to actually make money one has to be a good manager and many of us know this if we grew up on a farm. But good video with straight up common sense thinking is the reality of real world money making. Work hard , love God, Country and family and don't forget the ham sandwich 🙏🤠🇺🇸💪
Good analysis. This is the kind of thing they should show kids in high school to introduce them to how business works
Hi , thanks for the break down of costs to run your business . Everyone has to learn to manage costs. Keep the information videos coming.
MyOrchardVideos I’ll keep making vids as long as I feel like they help folks
i will make this comment and it doesn’t go everyone bc everywhere is different i run a massey 6713 with a 15ft batwing bushwhacker for the highway department and the slopes are very steep sometimes for us and instead of using those weights you use we use the typical nose weights as i call em and spacers on the back tires to give the tractor a wider profile to combat over turning and they do slide down the slope but with it being wider it does help and another thing the counties around where i live do offer contracts to locals with tractors and bush hogs to mix the county roads for a nice big chunk of change
I say it still beats working for someone else...
I just spent a weekend trying to find someone to bush hog my small less than 2 acres and your video explains why no one wants to do it.
kubota dealers accully can rent there kubota tractors and attachments out wich kubotas are only 1 branded dealers does it
They will do it,are you willing to pay the price?
@@northeasterndirtandpropert7974 i accully looked at a new kubota M6-131 with 131hp with loader and bucket and forks wich wasnt bad price for $68,900
I would brush hog all day with my 25hp tractor but no one wants to pay $50/hr.
@@midwestbd7144 that’s because $50 an hour for a 25hp tractor brush hogging is kinda steep. Like really steep. I charge a little more than that an hour with a 4 hour minimum. With my 71 hp tractor, I can literally do 3-4 times more than u an hour. Not just because u have a tractor and mower can u charge what the bigger tractors charge. Size matters. Way more efficient p
Your channel rocks!
So humble and honest, it really shows how work and life actually works out.
I appreciate how you talk in real numbers......
When I figured my production cost, I'm going to stay local with no truck and trailer. Thank you for pointing out what to take in consideration for tractor work. I tried a few years ago with a 30 hp Kubota and only cleared about $27 per hour. That included turning it in on my income tax. Now I just don't charge anything if it is a neighbor a block away, but since I retired I seem to be getting more calls and I am rethinking this tractor business. . Thanks again for the video. All in all it's not a pretty picture for me to make any money in my small town .
I charge a flat rate of $250 per hour for forestry mulcher...dozer $175 per hour... excavation work $250 per hour...bush hogging $150 per hour. Sounds like a lot of money, but my equipment does a lot of work in one hour. I pay operators $45-55 per hour. In my area of Texas, I'm considered very reasonable price.
I have a field mowing business in California, it’s good business but to make it work especially the busy season you have to work seven days a week for about four months and if something breaks you have to stay up all night fixing it to get to the next job I have two tractors I run John Deere both cab tractors my units are from 66 hp to90 hp I use boom flail mower with hammer blades also 8 foot flail mower with Y blade and I have different rotary mower‘s which a lot of folks called bush hog in different sizes I have one specific that I rebuild every six months it gets beat up real bad but it’s very useful especially in fields I know I’m going to hit rocks even though we’re not supposed to hit rocks if they’re there I find them every time, your tractor looks like a good tractor I had Kubota it’s just my dealer I didn’t get along with them so I went to John Deere and I’m very happy with John Deere, My average day is about 14 hours if I’m not doing three or four small jobs in one day I’m doing large acreage I also run a 12 foot bat wing, the worst part of all of it most folks don’t realize how hard we work in our tractors all they see is us driving them, I probably do over 250 jobs a year and I can easily put 700 tractor hours per year. kudos to you and wish you the best with your business. Lots of caffeine gets me through those long days.
Love how you break everything down for people thinking about getting into it!
Finally a video with actual numbers! Thank you so much!!
This just gives the general public a real eye opener on why contractors have to charge the rates that we do.Wait till you see the cost of keeping this rig on the road per year.
Coming from someone who raises their own beef cattle, it killed me watching you cut that nice green grass lol. Awesome video man 🇺🇸
Great job and thanks for all the business advice you give. It is appreciated my friend
Michael Hartzell it’s my pleasure
By the time you include time sharpening blades, costs to maintain equipment and equipment failures, and insurance, you're barely making wages. Well done video and break down sir. I wish your business much success.
Todd, this video was a huge blessing for me. I have done a little bush hogging here and there for quite some time. You helped me to realize I am way to low on pricing, which I wandered about for quite some time. Also, it was great to hear your discussion on business sense. Thank you and please keep the video's coming!
Jake Duffin I’m stoked to know these vids help people. I’m planning on really pressing vids that reveal costs of operation. Thanks for watching🙏🏻
@@DigginLife21 great to hear and your welcome!
Isn't all relative to location, out in the country where many people have the equipment for themselves and wants to pick up spare cash can mean competition for enough jobs thus lower fees
Been watching your channel for a few months. Just getting started, bought a new LX3310 with a few attachments. Flailmower land bride stump grinder rototiller and high flow skid steer stump grinder. Can't afford the skid steer yet. Have 2 buddies who are retired and have them tho
First time out I get 7 8 acres land clearing. Have to rent a Bobcat T770 forestry mulcher. 😆
Great channel
Love the transparency!
Very nice of you to advise and inform! God will keep blessing you and your family!!! I wish you all All of God’s Blessings Great Health, Happiness and Prosperity!
Thanks for honesty and transparency
Thank you for the breakdown. I just got a compact Kubota tractor and I was thinking of doing bush hogging for a side hustle. This gave me some ideas.
Congrats Hugo!!!! Tractor work is a lot of fun
So glad I found you channel It has made me much more knowledgable and efficient. Thank you Todd.
Welcome!
Very thorough. Well worth my time to watch this analysis and break down.
I have a 2016 M7060 and bush hog my property with a Woods 15’ batwing. This tractor is a beast and has no problem pulling up and down the hills of TN at about 5mph. Time is money.
Keep it going my friend!!! Kubota is where it’s at
Awesome advice!! Thanks for be as honest as you can and great details in your videos!
My pleasure!
good job. apreciate your honesty and common sense. thanks be safe.
Thank you for your honesty.
this was great, I have a co-worker I have known 45 years, she wants me to start bush hogging her place once a month as soon as grass grows, 8 acres, she is clueless how long it took her EX to do it.
As long as you make enough to have enough, then you’ll be alright 😎love the vids my man...gotta get that hustle on. Gonna start a small side business for my high school son...you’ve helped a ton 🤘🤘💪
This was very helpful thanks started almost a year ago and got my llc 3months ago doing lawn & landscape but plan on changing to big work like bush hogging and land clearing
Awesome! plus grease, plus other maintenance, plus you cant bill 8 hours for the day, plus plus plus! By the way I'm just a home owner, I have a Grand L 6060 and that M7060 gives me tractor envy, but in a good way. Keep up the good fight, I learn from all your videos!
Thanks Pete 🙏🏻
Thank you greatly for these videos. Props for kinda showing us your books too ! Few will do that.
I appreciate you sharing the $$ in and $$ out. This has been very informative and helpful for me.
Many good points. always enjoy your videos. Of course by the time you pay your truck, trailer, tractor and mower, you personally make even much less than that. Granted some of what you pay for the equipment goes to paying off that equipment or to buy new equipment etc down the road, but it's still money that you can't buy groceries or pay bills with.
True story!!! Thanks for commenting🙏🏻
Great video Todd. I appreciate your insight and honesty.
Good video bud. Way to keep it real. Liked the time lapse
Also if you do this as a business you can have write offs, fuel, parts, insurance, etc etc but you have to do it legally
Nice video 👍🏼. It’s interesting seeing the price difference based on location. $70/hr after expenses is good money where I’m from. I have a side hustle with a 25hp John Deere and make a good profit charging $45-50/hr.
Thats exactly what I was thinking. A excavator is only 110$ a hr here.
My dad worked for the road and bridge department of a small county and never made $20 a hr. He didn't retire until about 2004.
I think a grador operator makes 24$ now.
Awesome tractor! My grandpa bought a Kubota M8540 4x4 open station and with loader for his farm/cabin up in Clinton county Pennsylvania. Which he bought used back in 2014 and but he wouldn't let anyone else run it even though I taught him how to run it. But he passed away back in February last year and now I wish he would have bought one with a factory cab like yours instead because the bugs and dust drive me nuts.
Nice video! Also don't forget the hourly cost for wear and maintenance on the mower.
Exactly! Also, deprecation is almost never mentioned. That tractor probably cost $60-70,000; if you assume three thousand hours of completely trouble-free use, that’s $20-25/hr extra just for depreciation. And that’s a very conservative number.
Been tearing through your videos bud. Thanks a lot. You’re a good dude.
Much appreciated honesty in a world of dis honsest business
I think something people dont think about is the cost of the equipment. Tractor, truck, trailer, attachments. You got quite a bit of money sunk into that. Equipment doesnt last forever so you can basically figure you will be replacing 1/5th of it every year. Sure some of it will last longer, but the longer it lasts the more you pay to fix it typically. On the flip side you will sell or trade most equipment eventually, but again you will not get anywhere near what you spent on it.
You made after taxes and gas roughly $300 that day. If you do that 5 days week 50 weeks a year you will be making 75k. Sounds great until you consider you still have to pay out maintenance, insurance for both equipment and health, and either vehicle payments or put some back for buying the next piece of equipment. I will bet you dont get 250 working days a year either. My guess is you have long stretches where you are really busy, but you also have entire days that go by dealing with equipment issues, doing estimates on jobs, or simply being delayed due to weather. On the other hand if you get a job that takes multiple days you can turn those $300 days into $500 days.
Enjoyed the video.
Thank you for the breakdown in costs. I know I’m late to this video but I’m new to your channel. I would love to see a future video of mowing across a steep grade with some details to help us newbies. I’m 57 years old but new to mowing on grade since buying land in Tennessee. I’ve only mowed on flat ground but I have ran some horrendous tractor accidents working in fire department and ambulance services.
What kind of accidents?
Awesome video, problem in west ,TX my area people charging $60 an acre ,I'm like WHAT, not even insurance let alone fuel,
I watched your video and found myself nodding as you went along. I did minor landscaping/lawn care as a second job for about 15 years, Eventually, the truck broke down,
customers drifted away, and things weren't nearly as good at the end as they were at the beginning. But it was fun while it lasted. Got to know some really nice
people. And best of all--never got caught by the government (who still hasn't processed my tax filing for this year!). I always dreamed of doing a business like you do,
but I also always knew I had to avoid falling into that trap. Running a business isn't an everyman's job fer sure.
Excellent breakdown of hidden costs, thank you! Great Videos!
Thanks Tad
Thank you very much for your Video , Ive just bought a 4ft Topper -Flails , pulled by a Massey Furguson 135 , I did 6 acres of grass paddocks ,I made grand total after Diesel fill up , £18 ,00 , The tractor takes more than I did . .But I did it because I enjoyed driving tractors . Perhaps the best way to make money perhaps is "Dont Charge per hour " Charge for the job ? What dio you think ?
Not many people talking about this stuff. Great video
You sir are correct......it's a business. I run mine at 100 per hour......that's the rate. I don't do anything heavy, small Deere and 4ft on back.
Most the jobs come off my landcare business.......and they complain about price. I'm nice and give them numbers of folks that will do it cheaper all the time. Most the jobs I do are really just tall grass and weeds. Yes I'm picky, but we also trim out fence post and ditch banks. I'm more of a weed hogged than brush hogged. Stack that cash brother, something gonna break!
Keep at it my brother!!!! Too many good paying customers out there to settle
Very informative video! And that’s a kickass tractor! I work for a Kubota dealer, and own a small, b2920, so I’m a little biased, but the M series is the bomb!
Thanks for the great breakdown!
Everybody and their brother has a brush hogging business where I live, mostly as wildfire mitigation. I look at that small patch of grass and think hay. So I charge the same as brush hogging, but after the grass (hay) is down I ted it, rake it, and bale it and remove it from the property. Where I'm at there is a ton of hay there, $400. So now there is some money in it.
Can you give an idea on a startup cost for a business like this? I’m a Army veteran looking at starting a bush hog business. Also, could you share maintenance and all insurance costs? Thanks for a great video !
Investment depends on what you're willing to go into debt for, or what your start-up budget is.
You can buy a decent Ford 8N tractor and a used bush hog for less than $1500. Buy a used trailer and a 1500 pickup to haul it. Maintenance is pretty cheap if you do it yourself.
Or, buy a new $25k Korean tractor and $2k new bush hog, and have $400+ payments a month. My 85 year old neighbor tilled gardens and bush hogged for people with old tractors, and a beat up trailer for 40 years. He didn't have the prettiest looking equipment, but he always had work. Never advertised; just word of mouth and regular, yearly customers. He just packed it in this year because of his age.
Decide what you want, and what you're willing to pay for it, then do honest work, would be my suggestion. My son has his own lawn service. He started four years ago with my zero turn Cub Cadet. Now he has a $14k John Deere mower, two trailers, and three pickup trucks that he paid for on his own. He bought used and pays his own insurance. He has made a good name for himself with honesty and hard work. He tried working for The Man at a couple jobs, but decided being his own boss was more satisfying.
Good luck with your endeavor, and thank you for your service!!
Just found your videos and really liking them. Fantastic video! Have you ever put a list together of everything that needs to be figured into cost of a job for us wanting to start up a business? Fuel, ins, depreciation etc and how to calculate those expenses! If not, would you be willing to?
I have cut back on doing those kinds of videos since I started doing private consultations to earn more income to provide for my family.
We appreciate you Todd. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed watching the time lapse. Wish you all the best.
Thanks Perry🙏🏻
That's over triple what I make per hour as a police officer in NC working 12 hour shifts lol. Sounds like a better gig to me haha. Thanks for the transparency!
really appreciate your break downs of expenses, good job on all videos
Very good information!!! Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure!
Bushhoggin in TN can be very profitable with the property equipment and proper clients
I also speed up my bushhoggin time by mowing in a circle instead of rows. And my 1994 John Deere 5400 has the wheels spaced out so it handles hills just fine sideways or at at angle so it’s faster and uses less fuel than it would driving up and down the hill
I also use a ventrac for specific mowing jobs amd charge a premium for that
Do you try to metal detect jobs ever? I'm looking to start just brush hogging with a 55 hp older diesel tractor with fel and 6 ft hog. Would you think maybe 100/ hr 6 hrs minimum for heavy brush amd 4 hrs minimum for just field jobs that's 50 an hour for me and 50 an hour for the machine will only do close by jobs I can road tractor to at first till I get a trailer. And then add a good box blade after that I'm in rural Oregon so lots of invasive briars and firs and streams you can't see also will all be without haul off will leave as mulch
Thanks for showing us that side of your buisness. You gained a subscriber.
Thanks James!!! Great to have you here
Love the channel. I know the bush hog is versatile but if theirs no hazards like stumps, ets. Would a flail mower not leave a better finished result. I understand that hoggin a property once a year may be a reason why you use a brush hog. Just curious as to your thoughts on it. Keep up the awesome work. Love the content.
I get paid $53/hr to work for someone else and make them profit. I have to manage the people doing the work and find the work so the owners can make more money. I then have to take out taxes, insurance, etc with that money. College educated and work in a professional field. It’s not fun at all.
Not the best money out there but I think I’d take brush hogging over what I deal with on a daily basis. Yeah I know there is more to it than that but as a gateway it doesn’t sound like a bad deal. Countdown has begun. Two to three months and my mini excavation business will kick off.
Thank you for your insight, great details.
Good video would like to see more of these out here. Thanks for sharing!
When factoring in the servicing on the tractor, the truck and trailer, say per month, in addition to your food throughout the day I'm sure your self insured medically. That drops your take home significantly. But at the end of it all, if you're happy doing what you do you're really not working, you are driving up and down the road enjoying your life.
That’s a fact
Hey Buddy love the video please keep them coming I have a to Botha 6800 utility special what a 7' heavy duty Bush Hog brand cutter I Keep on my farmThat originally belonged to my great grandfather in Alabama
Cost (fuel, material, disposal)
Insurance
Maintenance and repairs
Vehicle depreciation
Registration annually
Mortgage/ rent place to keep equipment
Business expense (accounting, advertising, etc)
What other expenses am i forgetting?
You got the biggest ones
Mileage to and fro... Here in NYS its approx. 56cents per mile.. which over the course of a year you can max out 15K miles.. which is a great write off
Yea but thats most of the businesses anyways we all get fucked by the taxes no matter what business you got so in reality we dont make a whole lot more than a 9-5 after qll them damn expenses the thing is we have more freedom of doing what we want when we want
Thank you! You have the best videos! I appreciate you .
You are the man .... Thank you so much for your honesty , this helps me out tremendously .
My pleasure Dale
Your videos are awesome. You need to have a show.
Great video ! Liked the break down and you being up front and personal about it.
Great video. So I’m assuming you did this person a favor to make a point video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hello great video thanks for the money break down. I’m running a lawn care business and was interested in brush hogging. What would be a good starter tractor and brush hog?
$550 is what the check is written for. If the job is "on the books" and you have to submit state sales tax against the ticket, you're also out that right off the top along with the fuel. Here in CT it's 6.35% (another $35.00)
Not sure about that in my state, this is a service, not a product 🤔
Indiana everything (service or product) is taxed...
Let’s not forget about the dangers involved as well.....Once you almost fly off a tractor because of an unseen hole or hit metal buried in the ground you’ll know what I mean.
Not to mention possibilities of stobbing tires.
You roll the dice every time you cut a new property. My 2 cents.
Almost forgot excellent video btw👍👍
Or the back pain you get from chopping up rocks and concrete of 6 inch sycamore trees, god I love a sidewinder.
But some times it's better to have a grinder on a skid steer.
And thats some good money be thankful brother that GOD lets you do what you do you cant make big bucks all the time like 1 job you said you made 1800 bucks a day ,you should be able to do small jobs, but love your videos and thank GOD for everything you have everyday if it wasnt for what JESUS did for us on the cross we wouldnt even be here keep them videos coming
Be interesting in seeing this same video remade using expenses as of August. 2022.
Haha No wonder you like bush hogging, you have a cab tractor. I'm green with envy ! Dad was a military man with no use for creature comforts but he died in 2017. In steps my candy ass that wishes he had a AC, radio, cab. Mine is just a M6800 w/ 8' bush hog so it takes 5 days to mow the farm. If I got a big enough cab tractor and a 20' bush hog it would cost 100K. I'm not seeing that with this eye problem! Thanks for the videos
Thanks for the breakdown.
You bet
Very Helpful thanks a lot man!
Awesome video sir!!
Very helpful. Thanks Todd.
David Shields Great to see ya David. Haven’t seen you in the comments lately. I hope you all are well is Australia
@@DigginLife21 All good down here mate. My daughter finally decided I could have my Yanmar back! She's done some good work at her place.
Now I'm focussing on making my place easier to mow.
that's why you do under the table work, no taxes to report. been doing under the table for years now.
Good job Todd. I believe it is important to be honest and report your earnings. It is the right, ethical and morally correct thing to do.
All taxation is theft. Especially taxing a man's labor that he uses to survive. America went to war for it. Keeping what's yours, doesn't equate to being dishonest, nor immoral. Quite the contrary.
Do you think someone can really have a tractor too large? I like the Kubota M5660, but not sure I need that size. I really like the shuttle shift option on it. I don't like hydrostatic. Thanks for your videos.
Hey you should check out the little mighty ventract tractor. They are a bit pricy but they are a hell of a machine. It really is hard to explain just what it can do cause it can do a hole lot. Just started whatching your videos and i absolutely love them. Keep it up!!
Hello Sir loved your video on how to start a bush hog business. I was interested in starting my own business. I’m retired and would like to make a little cash on the side. I live in Mississippi Desoto county. Any advise on what size tractor, trailer, and truck I should look into. I probably need start with used equipment. Any help in this direction would be much appreciated.
At least a 50 hp tractor with 6 foot mower. 1 ton truck and 20 foot trailer (I would go ahead and get a 10 ton trailer to allow for being able to rent and haul Skidsteer or excavator with mowers or mulchers
How steep is the hill you can mow across... NOT up and down but safely going across? There are phone apps that can show you the incline (clinometers). It would really help me choose a tractor to know that.
What part of western North Carolina are you in? I own a tractor business in GA and the wife and I want to end up in the banner elk sugar mountain area. It's so beautiful up there!
Black mountain
Hard to beat an M series Kubota, I like the cast centers. I would like to have had them but I added 3 sets of factory weights to mine it’s around 990lbs. Much like you with the steep ground the weight helps. Enjoyed the video!
Weight is definitely key when it comes to our tractors. Thanks for watching🙏🏻
I have a 85 hp tractor and a 15ft, bushog, some people who live near me with 10 or 15 acres have asked me to mow it , but I haven't found out what to charge them yet , prices are all over the place . I don't want to undercut anyone, or overcharge.
$10 per foot of the cutter per hour. Charge 150 an hour.
Im ok with this. I usually break down my expenses within a couple days of a new piece of equipment. Overall, i just need to cover the equipment bill in the end. I have other means for income
It's really easy, charge $250./hr. and put a distance charge on. Up to 50 miles * Free *. Get a timer, and when you arrive, press the button. Even if you're talking to the customer... keep the timer rolling. After you're done, sell them a 12 month service plan... $200. for 10% off, first 15 hours.
What do you think is better to start a business with, a track loader or a tractor?
Not to mention the truck cost 100k to replace and has a service life
anyone else surprised when the mowing began at 8:02 and you realize how big the property is??!! I said at first 3.5 hours???? should go quicker than that . until i see the proportions of the tractor to the property
Great Video, what hydraulic top link do you have
Have same tractor & looking to get top link.
Thanks