Need some advice

[whfan74 2,015]

I am sure there are some of you out there that could help me with this.

I am going to be doing some tilling for the first time this year with my horse. I have been asked by others if I would till their gardens for them as well.

My question is how much do you charge for your work?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Might as well make some of the money back on the tiller and help with maintenance costs.

[bitten 133]

I would charge by the job. The price would very depending on the size. Just make sure you make it worth your time and extra for equipment.

On new gardens I would plow it first then till it. I plow in the fall then till it in the spring. That might not work for you and charging people but that is how I do it. You have to till it in the spring anyways.

Im sure there is ways other people do it, just my 2 pennys on how I do it.

Good luck.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

hey Scott...my dad was in the business and he would charge around $25 to 30, also depending on the size. That was in the 1970's 1980's..If I was going to do that now...I would charge $25 or $30 an hour and get a feel for how long it takes. Then charge by the job. People sometimes don't like to pay by the hour...they want a set price, even though by the hour is usually cheaper. Just remember...there is not always nice black dirt under that grass.

good luck, hope that helps. :scratchead:

[CasualObserver 3,406]

Around me up here in MN, an average size tilling job currently runs in the $40-50 range. But with the economy, there are a lot more vendors out there willing to do the work... I imagine that price might come down a little bit this fall as people cut prices to get the jobs. If you're talking about doing it for friends and acquaintances... personally I'd weigh whether to do it as a favor to be returned in the future or maybe $20-25 to cover a little bit of time and maintenance cost. I dethatch and aerate a couple neighbors yards when I do mine... one just to be nice, and the other because he's a body shop guy who helps me out with little things now and then. Sometimes it's not about the money... it's about being neighborly... and well... who among us would turn down the seat time?!

Just remember...there is not always nice black dirt under that grass.

You're not kidding Steve... Definitely make sure that any job you think about has had a locator service out to mark utilities!!

[whfan74 2,015]

All great points you guys and it also gave me some more to think about.

The neighbor that asked was going to be for a favor and I agree the seat time is always nice.

I was thinking of throwing the idea out there to the staff I work with here at the school. Of course that would include me hauling the horse and doing the work.

I was thinking around the $25-$30 range per garden and of course I would take in to consideration the size of the garden as well.

This gives me another excuse to play around on the tractor and recoup some money for gas, oil, and normal maintenance.

If anyone else has suggestions or what they charge please chime in. I am interested in hearing your experiences.