Bush hog cost per acre falls as cutter width rises, from $47 per acre with a 5 foot cutter to $16 per acre with a 15 foot cutter at average terrain, both as example figures at the page example rate. The same 20 acre job costs $935 with the narrow cutter and $311.67 with the wide cutter.
What Cutter Size Changes
Cutter size changes how much ground you cover in an hour, and that change flows straight into the price. A wider cutter covers more ground on every pass, so the same field takes fewer hours, and fewer hours at the same hourly rate means a lower job total.
The general method lives in the live guide on bush hogging cost per acre, and this post stays with the cutter size question only. Every dollar figure in this post is an example figure worked at the page example rate of $85 per hour, explicitly not a market price.
How the Price Is Worked Out
Cost per acre equals hourly rate divided by acres per hour. Acres per hour equals cutter width in feet times speed in miles per hour times efficiency divided by 8.25. The figure 8.25 equals 43560 divided by 5280. Use the unrounded acres per hour figure and round only the final value.
The page worked example, run in the Bush Hogging Cost Calculator, is a 20 acre pasture, a 6 foot cutter at 4 miles per hour in average conditions at 75 percent, at an example rate of $85 per hour. First, 6 times 4 times 0.75 equals 18, and 18 divided by 8.25 equals 2.181818, shown as 2.18 acres per hour. Second, 20 divided by 2.181818 equals 9.166667 hours, shown as 9.2 hours. Third, 9.17 times $85 equals $779.45, shown as $779. Quote $779, never $782, because $782 comes from the rounded 9.2 hours. Fourth, $779 divided by 20 equals $38.95, shown as about $39 per acre. That example shows the whole chain. For the rate behind the price, see the rotary cutter productivity guide.
Bush Hog Cost Per Acre by Cutter Size at the Page Example Rate
The table below is the page table, quoted exactly, at the $85 example rate and 4 miles per hour. All prices are example figures at the page example rate, explicitly not market prices. Read across a row for terrain and down a column for width. The down column move is the larger one.
| Cutter | Open 80 percent | Average 75 percent | Rough 65 percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | $44 per acre | $47 per acre | $54 per acre |
| 6 ft | $37 per acre | $39 per acre | $45 per acre |
| 7 ft | $31 per acre | $33 per acre | $39 per acre |
| 10 ft | $22 per acre | $23 per acre | $27 per acre |
| 15 ft | $15 per acre | $16 per acre | $18 per acre |
At average terrain, the prices are $47, $39, $33, $23 and $16 per acre for the 5, 6, 7, 10 and 15 foot cutters in order, all as example figures at the page example rate. These bush hog prices per acre all come from the same formula at the same example rate.
Job Totals for 5, 10 and 20 Acres
A per acre price only becomes a quote when it is multiplied by the acres in the job. The table below gives the job total for 5, 10 and 20 acres at average terrain, 75 percent, at 4 miles per hour and the $85 example rate, all as example figures at the page example rate. The 6 foot row for 20 acres is $779.17 by exact math, and the page worked example shows $779, so quote $779 for that one job.
| Cutter | Per acre | Total for 5 acres | Total for 10 acres | Total for 20 acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | $46.75 | $233.75 | $467.50 | $935.00 |
| 6 ft | $38.96 | $194.79 | $389.58 | $779.17 |
| 7 ft | $33.39 | $166.96 | $333.93 | $667.86 |
| 10 ft | $23.38 | $116.88 | $233.75 | $467.50 |
| 15 ft | $15.58 | $77.92 | $155.83 | $311.67 |
The 10 acre totals are $467.50, $389.58, $333.93, $233.75 and $155.83 for the 5, 6, 7, 10 and 15 foot cutters in order, all as example figures at the page example rate. The gap between the narrowest and the widest cutter is $311.67 on 10 acres and $623.33 on 20 acres, from $935.00 down to $311.67.
How Many Hours Each Cutter Takes
Hours are the reason the totals move. At average terrain, 75 percent, and 4 miles per hour, the acres per hour figures are 1.82, 2.18, 2.55, 3.64 and 5.45 for the 5, 6, 7, 10 and 15 foot cutters in order, all from the site formula with unrounded working.
For 20 acres, the hours are 11.00, 9.17, 7.86, 5.50 and 3.67 for the 5, 6, 7, 10 and 15 foot cutters in order. The wide cutter finishes in about one third of the time, which is why its job total is about one third as large. For 10 acres, the hours are 5.50, 4.58, 3.93, 2.75 and 1.83 in the same cutter order.
For the rate behind each price, see how many acres a 6 foot bush hog can cut per hour, how many acres a 10 foot bush hog can cut per hour, and the 15 foot bush hog acres per hour guide.
Why Width Moves the Price More Than Terrain
Terrain matters, but width matters more. A 15 foot cutter on rough ground at 65 percent costs $18 per acre, while a 5 foot cutter on open ground at 80 percent costs $44 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate. The widest cutter on the worst ground still costs less than half the narrowest cutter on the best ground.
Inside one row, the 6 foot cutter costs $37 per acre on open ground, $39 on average ground and $45 on rough ground, so the move from open to rough is $8 per acre. The width move at average terrain, from $47 to $16, is $31 per acre, almost four times as large. Width changes the acres per hour figure in direct proportion, while terrain only changes the efficiency part of the same formula.
Reading the Table for Your Own Cutter
Start with the cutter you own or the cutter on the quote, then find its row. A 6 foot cutter is $37 on open ground, $39 on average ground and $45 on rough ground, all as example figures at the page example rate. A 7 foot cutter is $31, $33 and $39 in the same order. Use the terrain column that matches the field.
Next, multiply the per acre figure by your acres, then check it against the job totals table above. If your acreage sits between those sizes, work it out in the calculator with your own acres entered. Small fields can run at lower efficiency, because turns and short passes take a larger share of the time. The site bands are 55 to 65 percent for small or irregular fields, 70 to 75 percent for average fields, 80 to 85 percent for large rectangular fields, and 85 to 90 percent for ideal fields with GPS guidance. The ideal band is 85 to 90 percent, never 88 to 90 percent.
When a Wide Cutter Does Not Help
A wide cutter only helps when the tractor and the field can both take it. A cutter wider than the tractor can handle does not cut faster, so check the matching guidance before you price a job with a wide cutter. The guide on bush hog width and tractor power matching covers that question. Tractor power figures for each cutter size are Unavailable in the verified facts for this post.
Small or awkward fields are a second limit. A wide cutter loses more time on turns and short passes, and it may not fit through a gate. On a small field the efficiency band drops toward 55 to 65 percent, which narrows the advantage of width. Rough ground is a third limit, because hidden stumps, wire and rocks are the biggest risk to time and equipment, and the page advice is to walk the field first.
How Speed Moves the Same Table
Speed is the second lever on the same table. The companion post Rotary Cutter Cost Per Acre Width and Speed works through speed as a separate lever, so this post keeps speed at 4 miles per hour throughout. Heavy brush may need 2 miles per hour or less, which doubles the time. A 6 foot cutter takes about 28 minutes per acre at 4 miles per hour in average pasture and about 56 minutes per acre at 2 miles per hour.
How to Check a Cutter Size Quote With the Calculator
Check a quote in three steps. First, find the cutter size, the acres and the terrain behind the quote, and enter them in the calculator with the hourly rate from the quote. Second, read the total hours, job price and bush hogging cost per acre from the outputs, and compare the per acre output with the table row for that cutter. Third, if the result sits far from the table row, check the entries in this order: cutter width, acres, terrain, speed, then hourly rate. A wrong width moves the result the most, so check it first.
As a sense check, a 20 acre field at 2.45 acres per hour takes about 8.2 hours, never 8.1 hours, because 20 divided by 2.45 equals 8.163265, which rounds to 8.2 hours. You can also check a job total a second way with the Cost Per Acre Calculator, by entering the same per acre figure and acres.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the bush hog cost per acre for a 5 foot cutter?
A: At average terrain and the $85 example rate, a 5 foot cutter costs $47 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate, $44 on open ground and $54 on rough ground.
Q: What is the bush hog cost per acre for a 15 foot cutter?
A: At average terrain and the $85 example rate, a 15 foot cutter costs $16 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate, $15 on open ground and $18 on rough ground.
Q: How much does it cost to bush hog 20 acres with a 6 foot cutter?
A: A 20 acre job with a 6 foot cutter at average terrain and the $85 example rate takes 9.17 hours, and the page worked example shows $779 total, about $39 per acre. Quote $779, never $782.
Q: Why does a wider cutter cost less per acre?
A: Because cost per acre equals hourly rate divided by acres per hour. A 15 foot cutter covers 5.45 acres per hour at average terrain and 4 miles per hour, while a 5 foot cutter covers 1.82.
Q: Does rough ground ever cost more than a wider cutter saves?
A: No. A 15 foot cutter on rough ground costs $18 per acre and a 5 foot cutter on open ground costs $44 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate. Terrain moves the price by a few dollars per acre, width by tens.
Q: What should I enter in the calculator for my own job?
A: Enter your acres, cutter width, realistic speed, terrain and your own hourly rate, then press Calculate. Use the $85 rate only as the page example rate, never as a market rate.
Plan Your Quote Around the Cutter
Bush hog cost per acre is a cutter size question first and a terrain question second. At the page example rate, the price runs from $47 per acre with a 5 foot cutter to $16 per acre with a 15 foot cutter at average terrain, and the 20 acre totals run from $935.00 to $311.67.
