# What to charge for brush mowing ?



## Brushwacker

Small tractor, 15 to 30 hp and a 5 to 6' brush chopper what would be the going rate per hour or how do most charge ?


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## Topbuilder

I have a 26 hp with a 5" mower. The mowing jobs I have done were grass only. I would not get into any brush with just because it's hard on the equipment. I generally charge 40-50 an hour. Works out to about an acre per hour. I enjoy mowing as long as its not 100 degrees out. One of the few times I get paid to smoke a cigar!


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## old_soul

try 30 to 50 horsepower for brush. 15 horse you're gonna be wishing you were doing something else.

Even tall grass gets thick and hard to see whats in there.....tears up the small mowers quick

anyways 50-100 per hour around here but that's with a 50 hp tractor and 6 foot brush hog, don't have to go over any thing twice....


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## Brushwacker

Thanks guys.
I have an Farmall B with a twin bladed belly brush mower and it hasn't disappointed me . The tractor motor was wore out when I got it but I used it a couple + years as is ( doubled as a skeeter fogger ) I have used a case 930 and brush hog in the past that wasn;t mine, then went to using a B and C farmall with Woods finishing mowers which were a pain mowing heavy brush then found the brush hog type mower I am now using but in the process of fixing up a good running B to put it under. Recently I bought a Ford 600 series I aim to find another Brush Hog for. I have a lot of roads through woods to mow that I got behind on last year and expect I will find a few jobs on the side.


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## Frank Boyer

Brush always has larger rocks and other tramp garbage. That stuff tears up equipment. 25 hp isn't enough to power a 5' mower is heavy grass and/or brush.


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## SS Sniper

I got $100 a day to mow about 7+ acres of field. Took me 4 days+weedwacking cause I got a 46' Farmall A with a 4' sickle bar and I didn't know the field too well. There's so many rocks around here so I had to go slow. I made out well for a 15 year old. $38.79 for fuel isn't bad for a 1946 isn't it?


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## Sagetown

Rough lay of land with big rocks, trees and thick brush runs about $50-$60 per hour. A small level lot, just grass and weeds would be negotiable. This is with a 42hp tractor and 6' brush hog.


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## stihlfanboy

I mow a few old hay feilds for family and I charge 40$ an acur and there happy with that. use my father inlaws ford 1700 with a 5' brush hog most the time but if its not to high I take my chommers with the 60 inch woods out and it cuts real nice. Easy money really


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## 2treeornot2tree

I just mowed a 3 acre field with a brush cat and my cat 236 skid loader and I charged $1200


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## bfdast

My boss cuts with a t300 bobcat with a brush at mower and it's 800-1000 an acre here easy!


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## SS Sniper

bfdast said:


> My boss cuts with a t300 bobcat with a brush at mower and it's 800-1000 an acre here easy!


damn...


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## Guido Salvage

Was out riding my bike yesterday and saw a nice house for sale. Wheeled in and asked the guy in the driveway for some info. Turns out he was looking at it, but he mentioned that the owner is paying $50 an acre to have the 10 acres of grass cut twice a month.

It was priced at $1,300,000 so I won't be moving.


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## Sagetown

bfdast said:


> My boss cuts with a t300 bobcat with a brush at mower and it's 800-1000 an acre here easy!


 Must be nice to have rich folks for customers.


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## bfdast

It's all brush overgrowth, once a month but that's average here. You can find cheaper, he works with property maint companies


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## bfdast

Average lawn account is 70 to 100. Nicest parish on this side of the state. Most are drs lawyers and such


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## bfdast

Sorry at firehouse today, also all he cuts are retention ponds in subdivisions


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## Goose IBEW

Some of you guys are really cheap. I get $50/hr for my 30" Gravely walk behind.


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## CUCV

Guido Salvage said:


> Was out riding my bike yesterday and saw a nice house for sale. Wheeled in and asked the guy in the driveway for some info. Turns out he was looking at it, but he mentioned that the owner is paying $50 an acre to have the 10 acres of grass cut twice a month.
> 
> It was priced at $1,300,000 so I won't be moving.


 I was just helping a friend crunch the number on a new lawn account. Single home residence $1500 per WEEK for lawn mowing! The customer wants him to put all 4 crews on the account at once, they are tired or the current contractor taking most of the week every week all summer.

Back on subject $65/hr tractor with brush hog. $100+/hr bobcat with brushhog


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## catbuster

30 HP isn't enough tractor to do brush. I would be looking at 50 to spin a 6' mower. I run a 75 HP New Holland TDN75 or 85 PTO HP JD 6400 with a Bush Hog 2715 and charge $100/hour. My T300 with a Fecon mulcher is the same.

Remember, if you have a tractor that makes 50 HP at the flywheel, it takes power to drive the tractor itself, run hydraulics, alternators, power steering... The whole schabang. You'll only get 40, and 80% PTO HP is a safe bet in smaller tractors. With a 15 HP tractor you'll really only get a little more than 10 HP, and my JD finish mower had nearly twice that to run a 60" deck in nicely kept grass.


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## fordf150

New Holland tc40 with a 6 foot brush hog. $45 an hour for hay fields and light brush mowing. $75 an hour for heavy brush. If mowing a field that I was told didn't have anything in it and I hit something the rate went up to $75. Going to do much brush mowing buy a heavy mower. That's the rates I was charging 5 years ago. My brush hog has a 100hp gear box and came with a 10 year warranty on the gear box. Never broke it but I carry a pocket full of shear bolts. Under powered tractor is a plus when you don't know the fields. Keeps you going slower and when you do find the unexpected cinder block or tree stump the tractor stalls or bogs before things get really ugly


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## Guido Salvage

Off topic, but the $1,300,000 house I mentioned above now has a sold sign on it. Maybe I should talk to the new owner about cutting his grass...


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## Topbuilder

fordf150 said:


> New Holland tc40 with a 6 foot brush hog. $45 an hour for hay fields and light brush mowing. $75 an hour for heavy brush. If mowing a field that I was told didn't have anything in it and I hit something the rate went up to $75. Going to do much brush mowing buy a heavy mower. That's the rates I was charging 5 years ago. My brush hog has a 100hp gear box and came with a 10 year warranty on the gear box. Never broke it but I carry a pocket full of shear bolts. Under powered tractor is a plus when you don't know the fields. Keeps you going slower and when you do find the unexpected cinder block or tree stump the tractor stalls or bogs before things get really ugly


 
I installed a slip clutch on my mower. It was kind of expensive but worth it since I do not ever have to deal with shear bolts. If you are mowing in fire ant country, I think it is almost a must.


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## fordf150

Topbuilder said:


> I installed a slip clutch on my mower. It was kind of expensive but worth it since I do not ever have to deal with shear bolts. If you are mowing in fire ant country, I think it is almost a must.


I was to cheap to spring for the slipper clutch. It was like $500 more over the shear bolt and added the problem of when a slipper clutch is left out in the weather for an extended amount of time they rust in place. Then when you get it out to use it either it basically has no clutch since it is rusted tight or you loosen all the bolts to let the clutch slip and shine up the surfaces.


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## Topbuilder

fordf150 said:


> I was to cheap to spring for the slipper clutch. It was like $500 more over the shear bolt and added the problem of when a slipper clutch is left out in the weather for an extended amount of time they rust in place. Then when you get it out to use it either it basically has no clutch since it is rusted tight or you loosen all the bolts to let the clutch slip and shine up the surfaces.


 
Yeah, I was working for a dealership way back when, so I got the parts at cost and I installed them. I have never had an issue with the clutch sticking. I'm in high humidity but keep the equipment under the back of the barn out of the rain 90% of the time. Coming up on 20 years of service now.


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