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Ask ten operators what they charge for bush hogging and you will hear ten answers. That is because the work itself varies so much. A clean, flat pasture and a steep, overgrown field may cover the same acreage but take very different amounts of time. Bush hogging cost per acre is really a time question in disguise, and this guide shows you how to work it out. If you are new to the job, the what is bush hogging guide explains the machine and the work first.
The Formula
Bush hogging 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 two formulas fit together. The first turns time into money, and the second turns width, speed and efficiency into time.
Work out acres per hour first, then divide your hourly rate by it. A fast rate means a low bush hogging cost per acre, because each acre takes less time. Use the bush hogging cost calculator to run the same maths with your own width, speed, terrain and hourly rate.
Worked Example
Take a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph in average pasture at 75 percent efficiency. 6 times 4 times 0.75 divided by 8.25 equals 2.18 acres per hour. At an example rate of 85 dollars per hour, the cost is 85 divided by 2.18, which is 39 dollars per acre. The 85 dollar figure is an example rate only, taken from the live cost calculator page, and it is not a market rate. Enter your own hourly rate when you price a real job.
In rough, brushy ground at 65 percent efficiency, the same cutter covers 6 times 4 times 0.65 divided by 8.25, which is 1.89 acres per hour. At the same example rate of 85 dollars per hour, the cost is 85 divided by 1.89, which is 45 dollars per acre. The ground alone moved the price by 6 dollars per acre, with no change in machine, speed or hourly rate. That is why two quotes for the same acreage can differ so much. The cheaper field is not the cheaper operator. It is the faster field.
Now scale the example up to a full job. A 20 acre pasture at 2.18 acres per hour takes 20 divided by 2.18, which is about 9.2 hours of cutting time. At the example rate of 85 dollars per hour, the unrounded time of 9.167 hours comes to about 779 dollars. That total is cutting time only. Travel and time spent clearing debris sit outside it, so add them separately when you quote. The cost per acre calculator gives the same job total from area, rate and cost per acre.
Bush Hogging Cost Per Acre by Cutter Width and Ground
The table below shows bush hogging cost per acre at the example rate of 85 dollars per hour and a speed of 4 mph, for five cutter widths and three ground conditions. Every figure was worked out from the formula. Open ground uses 80 percent efficiency, average pasture uses 75 percent, and rough ground uses 65 percent.
| Cutter width | Open ground, 80 percent | Average pasture, 75 percent | Rough ground, 65 percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | 44 dollars | 47 dollars | 54 dollars |
| 6 ft | 37 dollars | 39 dollars | 45 dollars |
| 7 ft | 31 dollars | 33 dollars | 39 dollars |
| 10 ft | 22 dollars | 23 dollars | 27 dollars |
| 15 ft | 15 dollars | 16 dollars | 18 dollars |
Read the table across a row to see what ground does, and down a column to see what width does. Ground moves the price by a few dollars per acre. Width moves it by far more. A 15 ft cutter on rough ground costs 18 dollars per acre at the example rate, while a 5 ft cutter on open ground costs 44 dollars per acre. The wide cutter costs less than half as much per acre even on the harder ground, because it covers so much more land in the same hour.
That does not mean a wider cutter is always the right choice. A wide cutter needs a bigger tractor, is harder to move through gates and round trees, and cannot work a small or awkward field at all. On a large open field, width pays.
How Long Does It Take to Bush Hog an Acre
The table below shows minutes per acre at 4 mph for the same five cutter widths and three ground conditions. Every figure was worked out from the formula as 60 divided by acres per hour.
| Cutter | Open, 80 percent | Average, 75 percent | Rough, 65 percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | 31 min | 33 min | 38 min |
| 6 ft | 26 min | 28 min | 32 min |
| 7 ft | 22 min | 24 min | 27 min |
| 10 ft | 15 min | 16 min | 19 min |
| 15 ft | 10 min | 11 min | 13 min |
Times assume 4 mph. Heavy brush may need 2 mph or less, which doubles the time, because halving the speed halves the acres per hour and doubles the minutes per acre. A 6 ft cutter that takes 28 minutes per acre at 4 mph in average pasture takes about 56 minutes per acre at 2 mph. That is the single biggest swing in bush hogging time. Speed is set by the ground, not by the operator, and thick brush sets it low.
Use the minutes table to sanity check a quote. If a job is 10 acres and the table says 28 minutes per acre, the cutting time is about 280 minutes, or about 4.7 hours. If a quote implies half that time, ask what width, speed and efficiency it assumes. The bush hog acres per hour calculator lets you repeat this check for your own cutter width and terrain.
What Affects Bush Hogging Prices
Vegetation sets the pace. Tall grass is quick to cut, because the blades can hold full speed through it. Saplings and thick brush are slow and hard on equipment, because the blades have more material to chop and the machine must slow down to stay safe.
Terrain matters as much as growth. Slopes, ditches and rocks force slower, more careful work, and wet ground can rut under the tractor wheels.
Obstacles reduce efficiency. Trees, fences and debris force the operator to slow down or steer round the hazard. Small, irregular fields mean more turning, and turning takes a large share of the time on a small field.
Cutter size changes the rate directly. A wider cutter covers more ground per hour, which lowers the bush hogging cost per acre when the field suits it. Travel is the last factor. Distant, small jobs need a travel fee or a minimum charge, because the time on the road can exceed the time in the field. The bush hog rotary cutter productivity guide explains how width, speed and efficiency combine into a rate for each type of ground.
Quoting Tips
Walk the property before quoting and note hazards. Mark stumps, rocks, holes and wire hidden in tall grass, and check that the cutter can pass through gates and turn inside the field.
Quote open pasture per acre, and overgrown land per hour. Open pasture is predictable, so a per acre price is fair to both sides. Overgrown land is not predictable, because hidden hazards and thick growth can double the time. An hourly price shares that risk fairly, and it keeps you from losing money on a field that turns out worse than it looked.
Put the terms in writing, including what happens if hidden debris damages equipment. A short written quote that names the area, the price basis, the travel charge and the damage terms protects both sides. Compare with local custom rate surveys from your extension service, and use them as a check on your own rate, not as a price to copy blindly. Local surveys show what others charge in your area, and they help you see whether your rate is in line. The contractor pricing guide shows how to build a quote from a productivity rate.
Set a minimum charge for small jobs. A one acre job an hour away can cost more in travel than in cutting, and a minimum charge covers that. Tell the customer the minimum before you start, so there is no surprise at the end. Keep a record of every job: the area, the width, the speed, the efficiency you assumed, the time it took and the price.
When Per Acre Pricing Fails
Per acre pricing works when the ground is even and the time per acre is steady. It fails when the field is mixed, because the easy acres subsidise the hard acres and the average hides the truth. Pricing a mixed field as one average hides the work that will take the longest.
In that case, price the field in parts. Walk it, split it into open ground and rough ground, work out the time for each part from the minutes table, and add the two times together. Tell the customer how you split it.
Overgrown land, land with hidden debris, land with steep slopes and land you have not walked should all be priced per hour. The risk in those jobs belongs to the unknown, and an hourly price is the honest way to carry it. Once you have worked a field and know it, you can quote it per acre next time with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a good price for bush hogging per acre?
A: There is no single good price for bush hogging per acre, because ground, width and travel change the time per acre. Use the formula on this page with your own width, speed, efficiency and rate to work out a price for that field.
Q: How is bush hogging cost per acre worked out?
A: Work out acres per hour first, from cutter width, speed and efficiency, then divide the hourly rate by that figure. A faster field needs less time per acre, so it costs less per acre.
Q: How long does it take to bush hog an acre?
A: A 6 ft cutter at 4 mph in average pasture takes about 28 minutes per acre. Heavy brush may need 2 mph or less, which doubles the time to about 56 minutes per acre.
Q: Does a wider cutter always cost less per acre?
A: A wider cutter covers more ground per hour, so on a large open field it costs less per acre. On a small, awkward field it may not fit at all, and a smaller cutter will be the cheaper choice.
Q: What does bush hogging cost for 10 acres?
A: A 10 acre pasture at 2.18 acres per hour takes about 4.6 hours of cutting time. At the example rate of 85 dollars per hour, that is about 390 dollars for cutting time only, before travel, debris and trimming. Use your own rate and acres per hour to work out your own number.
Q: Should I quote bush hogging per acre or per hour?
A: Quote open pasture per acre, because the time per acre is steady and predictable. Quote overgrown land per hour, because hidden hazards and thick growth can double the time.
Bush hogging cost per acre is a time calculation with a price on top. Work out the acres per hour honestly, divide your rate by it, and the cost per acre will look after itself. Walk the field, price the ground you see, and put the terms in writing.
