Table of Contents
This acres per hour chart by equipment gives typical productivity figures for common equipment, all calculated with the standard formula: width times speed times efficiency divided by 8.25. A push mower covers 0.37 acres per hour, a 6 ft rotary cutter covers 2.45, a 24 ft field cultivator covers 14.84, and a 120 ft sprayer covers 173.09. Use the chart to sense check a plan or compare machines, then plug your own numbers into the Acres Per Hour Calculator for a figure that matches your conditions.
How to Read This Acres Per Hour Chart by Equipment
Each row assumes an average working speed and a field efficiency suited to that kind of work. Mowing and cutting on properties with trees and fences get lower efficiencies, because turns and obstacles are frequent. Large field operations such as cultivating and spraying get higher efficiencies, because passes are long and straight. Planters and drills sit in the middle, because seed refills interrupt the work. Widths in inches use 99 as the divisor instead of 8.25, and the result is the same as converting the width to feet first. Read the how to calculate acres per hour guide for the full method, including the inches version.
Hectares per hour in the chart equals acres per hour times 0.4047. A rate of 12.27 acres per hour is 4.97 hectares per hour, because 12.27 times 0.4047 equals 4.97. Use the hectares column when the team plans in metric units, and read the hectares per hour metric guide for the full metric method. Do not read a row of this acres per hour chart by equipment as a promise for your field. It is a typical rate under the stated assumptions, and your field, your speed and your efficiency will move it up or down.
Reference Chart
| Equipment | Working width | Speed | Efficiency | Acres per hour | Hectares per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push mower | 21 in | 2.5 mph | 70 percent | 0.37 | 0.15 |
| Riding mower | 42 in | 4.5 mph | 75 percent | 1.43 | 0.58 |
| Riding mower | 54 in | 5 mph | 80 percent | 2.18 | 0.88 |
| Zero turn mower | 60 in | 7 mph | 85 percent | 3.61 | 1.46 |
| Zero turn mower | 72 in | 8 mph | 85 percent | 4.95 | 2.00 |
| Rotary cutter | 6 ft | 4.5 mph | 75 percent | 2.45 | 0.99 |
| Batwing cutter | 15 ft | 5 mph | 75 percent | 6.82 | 2.76 |
| Disc mower, hay | 9 ft | 7 mph | 80 percent | 6.11 | 2.47 |
| Tractor rotary tiller | 6 ft | 2.5 mph | 75 percent | 1.36 | 0.55 |
| Disc harrow | 14 ft | 5 mph | 80 percent | 6.79 | 2.75 |
| Chisel plow | 15 ft | 5 mph | 80 percent | 7.27 | 2.94 |
| Field cultivator | 24 ft | 6 mph | 85 percent | 14.84 | 6.01 |
| Grain drill | 15 ft | 5.5 mph | 75 percent | 7.50 | 3.04 |
| Row planter, 12 row 30 in | 30 ft | 5.5 mph | 75 percent | 15.00 | 6.07 |
| Row planter, 24 row 30 in | 60 ft | 6 mph | 75 percent | 32.73 | 13.25 |
| Pull type sprayer | 60 ft | 10 mph | 80 percent | 58.18 | 23.55 |
| Self propelled sprayer | 120 ft | 14 mph | 85 percent | 173.09 | 70.05 |
| Combine | 30 ft | 4.5 mph | 75 percent | 12.27 | 4.97 |
| Combine | 40 ft | 5 mph | 80 percent | 19.39 | 7.85 |
Check any row of the acres per hour chart by equipment by hand. A 54 in riding mower at 5 mph and 80 percent gives 54 times 5 times 0.8 divided by 99, which equals 2.18 acres per hour. A 24 ft field cultivator at 6 mph and 85 percent gives 24 times 6 times 0.85 divided by 8.25, which equals 14.84 acres per hour. A 60 ft pull type sprayer at 10 mph and 80 percent gives 60 times 10 times 0.8 divided by 8.25, which equals 58.18 acres per hour. If a row looks wrong for your machine, check the width, the speed and the efficiency first, because those three inputs decide the rate.
Why Your Numbers May Differ
Field size and shape is the first reason. Small or irregular fields mean more turning and lower efficiency, so a rate from the chart will overstate output on a small field. Read the field shape and productivity guide for how headlands and point rows change the rate. Conditions are the second reason. Wet soil, heavy crop, slopes and rocks force slower speeds, and a speed below the chart speed cuts the rate in direct proportion.
Logistics is the third reason. Nurse tanks, grain carts and seed tenders close to the field keep efficiency up, while long hauls and slow refills pull it down. Operator skill and guidance is the fourth reason. Experienced operators and guidance reduce overlap and wasted passes, and that gain applies on every acre. Read the understanding field efficiency guide for the full bands, from 55 to 65 percent on small or irregular fields up to 85 to 90 percent in ideal conditions. The acres per hour chart by equipment uses the band that fits each kind of work, but your field may sit in a different band.
Quick Comparisons
In this acres per hour chart by equipment, doubling the width doubles the rate, and so does doubling the speed. That is why a 120 ft sprayer can outwork a 6 ft cutter by more than fifty times. The table below puts four comparisons from the chart side by side, so the scale of the differences is easy to see.
| Comparison | Rates in acres per hour | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Self propelled sprayer versus rotary cutter | 173.09 versus 2.45 | 70.6 times |
| Zero turn 60 in versus push mower | 3.61 versus 0.37 | 9.8 times |
| Field cultivator versus rotary tiller | 14.84 versus 1.36 | 10.9 times |
| Combine 40 ft versus combine 30 ft | 19.39 versus 12.27 | 1.6 times |
When comparing two machines, the one with the higher width times speed times efficiency product wins, as long as it suits your fields and your tractor can pull it. A machine that is too wide for the field loses its advantage to turning time, and a machine that is too wide for the tractor loses its advantage to slower speeds. Read the tractor and implement matching guide before upsizing. At harvest, bushels per hour matters as much as acres per hour, so plan grain handling for the flow, not just the acres.
Using the Chart to Plan a Day
Start with the rate from the acres per hour chart by equipment, then adjust it for your field, then divide area by the adjusted rate to get hours. A 20 acre property with a 54 in riding mower at 2.18 acres per hour takes 20 divided by 2.18, which equals 9.2 hours of mowing time, before allowing for stops. A 100 acre field with a 15 ft chisel plow at 7.27 acres per hour takes 100 divided by 7.27, which equals 13.8 hours. A 500 acre block with a 60 ft pull type sprayer at 58.18 acres per hour takes 500 divided by 58.18, which equals 8.6 hours of spraying time, before allowing for refills.
Use the acres per hour chart by equipment the same way when a quote arrives from a contractor. Find the machine in the chart, read the rate behind it, and compare it with the hours in the quote. If the quote promises far more acres per day than the chart rate allows, ask which width, speed and efficiency the quote is based on before you accept it.
The chart rate is a spraying, cutting or tilling rate, not a day rate. Refills, unloading, turns and weather all cut into the day, so the real daily total is always lower than the chart rate times the hours available. Plan the day on the effective rate, which is the chart rate adjusted for your efficiency, and leave a buffer for weather. A plan that needs every hour to be a working hour is too tight, and it will fail on the first slow field.
Dedicated Calculators
For job specific extras, use the dedicated calculators on the site. The mowing, bush hog, tilling, spraying and harvesting calculators each add the details that matter for that job, such as acres per tank for sprayers or bushels per hour for combines. They use the same formula as the acres per hour chart by equipment, so a rate from a dedicated calculator should agree with the chart row for the same width, speed and efficiency. If the two disagree, check the inputs first, because a different width, speed or efficiency is the usual cause.
Common Mistakes When Using a Chart
The most common mistake is to use the rate from the acres per hour chart by equipment as the plan without adjusting for the field. The chart assumes an average field for that kind of work, and a small or awkward field will run slower. The second mistake is to compare machines only by width. Speed and efficiency matter just as much, and a narrower machine at a higher speed with better logistics can outwork a wider machine on the wrong field. The third mistake is to forget refills and unloading. A sprayer at 173.09 acres per hour will empty its tank in minutes, and a combine at 19.39 acres per hour will fill its grain tank just as fast. Plan the logistics for the rate, not just the machine.
Keep a log of real rates for each machine and each field, so the next plan starts from measured numbers instead of a chart row. The chart is a starting point and a sense check, not a substitute for your own records. A log of three fields is enough to show whether your rates sit above or below the chart, and by how much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I use the acres per hour chart?
A: Find your machine, read the width, speed and efficiency behind the rate, then adjust the rate for your field. Use the adjusted rate to work out hours by dividing area by rate.
Q: Why does the chart give a range of efficiencies?
A: Each kind of work suits a different band. Mowing on properties with trees gets a lower efficiency, while large field work such as spraying gets a higher one. Use the band that fits your field.
Q: What is the fastest machine on the chart?
A: The 120 ft self propelled sprayer at 14 mph and 85 percent, at 173.09 acres per hour. It is 70.6 times the 2.45 acres per hour of a 6 ft rotary cutter.
Q: How many acres per hour is a 54 in riding mower?
A: At 5 mph and 80 percent it covers 2.18 acres per hour, or 0.88 hectares per hour. A 20 acre property takes about 9.2 hours at that rate.
Q: How do I convert a chart rate to hectares per hour?
A: Multiply acres per hour by 0.4047. A rate of 14.84 acres per hour equals 6.01 hectares per hour.
Q: Why is my real rate lower than the chart rate?
A: The usual causes are a smaller or more awkward field, a slower speed than the chart speed, or a lower efficiency from turns, overlap, refills or logistics. Adjust the rate for your field and check it against a measured log.
This acres per hour chart by equipment is a map, not a promise. Use it to compare machines, check a plan and spot a rate that looks wrong, then work out your own rate from your width, your speed and your efficiency. A plan built that way finishes the acres it promises, on the machine you actually own.
