Bush hogging cost per hour and cost per acre are two ways to quote the same job, and the right choice depends on the ground. Use a per acre quote on open pasture where time per acre stays steady, and use a per hour quote on rough ground where hidden hazards can change the time.
Bush Hogging Cost Per Hour in Plain Terms
Bush hogging cost per hour is the price for one hour of cutting, and cost per acre is the price for one acre of cutting. Both quotes can give the same job price when the time is known. The difference is who carries the risk when the time turns out longer than planned.
Under a per hour quote, the customer pays for the time the work takes. Under a per acre quote, the operator carries the time risk, so a slow field eats into the operator margin. Use the Bush Hogging Cost Calculator to work either quote from the same inputs, and use the live per acre guide for the general per acre method. The companion walkthrough, Blog 01, covers the calculator steps in full.
The One Formula That Ties Both Quotes Together
Cost per acre equals hourly rate divided by acres per hour. Job price equals hours times hourly rate. Job price also equals acres times cost per acre, worked from unrounded rates.
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. Efficiency is the share of cutting time spent on fresh ground at full width. Small or irregular fields use 55 to 65 percent. Average fields use 70 to 75 percent. Large rectangular fields use 80 to 85 percent. Ideal fields with GPS guidance use 85 to 90 percent. The ideal band is 85 to 90 percent, never 88 to 90 percent. Use unrounded rates for every second calculation and round only the final value. For the rate behind the price, use the rotary cutter productivity guide.
Worked Both Ways at the Page Example Rate
The field is a 20 acre pasture, with a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph in average conditions at 75 percent, at an example rate of $85 per hour. The $85 rate is an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate. 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 hours times $85 equals $779.45, shown as $779. Quote $779 as shown, and never quote $782, because $782 comes from multiplying the rounded 9.2 hours. Fourth, $779 divided by 20 equals $38.95, shown as about $39 per acre.
Now convert the other way. Take the unrounded per acre figure, $38.96 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate, and multiply it by 2.181818 acres per hour. The result is $85 per hour, the example rate you started with. If you start from the rounded $39 per acre instead, the result is about $85.09 per hour, and that small gap is why unrounded figures matter.
| Item | Value at the page example rate |
|---|---|
| Acres per hour | 2.18 |
| Hours for 20 acres | 9.2 |
| Job price | $779 |
| Cost per acre | About $39 |
A second check uses a different rate. 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. When the hours are right, both quoting bases agree.
Open Pasture Quote Per Acre
Quote open pasture per acre, because time per acre is steady there. The ground is even, the growth is even, and the cutter can hold its speed across the field, so the hours for each acre stay close to the same figure from the first acre to the last.
A per acre quote is easy for the customer to check, because the job price is a simple multiplication. With a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph, open ground at 80 percent gives $37 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate, average ground at 75 percent gives $39 per acre, and rough ground at 65 percent gives $45 per acre.
Set your own rate before you quote. For help with setting your own rate, use the contractor pricing guide. The companion charging guide in this cluster, Blog 06, covers how much to charge for bush hogging per acre in full, and the question of cost to bush hog per acre follows from the ground.
Rough Ground Quote Per Hour
Quote rough ground per hour, because time per acre is not steady there. Hidden stumps, wire and rocks are the biggest risk to time and equipment. Walk the field first, because a hazard found on foot can be priced, while a hazard found with the cutter stops the work.
When growth is unknown, an hourly rate protects you. If the time doubles, the job price under a per hour quote doubles with it, because job price equals hours times hourly rate. Under a per acre quote, the same doubling comes out of the operator margin. Heavy brush may need 2 mph or less, which doubles the time. A 6 ft cutter that takes about 28 minutes per acre at 4 mph in average pasture takes about 56 minutes per acre at 2 mph. For time detail on overgrown fields, use the guide to working out bush hog time for an overgrown field.
Price a Mixed Field in Parts
Most real fields are not all open or all rough, and the mixed field rule is to price the field in parts. Walk the field, mark the open part and the rough part, and work each part with its own efficiency and its own quoting basis. Do not average the efficiency across the whole field.
Price the open part per acre, using the open band at 80 percent, and price the rough part per hour, using the rough band at 65 percent. Add the two parts to get the job price, and show the customer the split. The same 6 ft cutter gives $37 per acre on open ground and $45 per acre on rough ground, both as example figures at the page example rate.
How Cutter Width Moves Both Quotes
Cutter width moves both quotes at once, because width changes acres per hour in direct proportion. A wider cutter covers more acres per hour, so the hours, the job price and the cost per acre all fall at the same hourly rate. The table below shows the full price table from the live page, at the $85 example rate and 4 mph, with Open at 80 percent, Average at 75 percent and Rough at 65 percent. Every figure in the table is an example figure at the page example rate.
| Cutter | Open 80 percent | Average 75 percent | Rough 65 percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | $44 | $47 | $54 |
| 6 ft | $37 | $39 | $45 |
| 7 ft | $31 | $33 | $39 |
| 10 ft | $22 | $23 | $27 |
| 15 ft | $15 | $16 | $18 |
Read the table across a row to see terrain, and down a column to see width. Across a row, rough ground always costs more per acre than open ground for the same cutter. Down a column, a wider cutter always costs less per acre than a narrow cutter on the same ground. The width effect is larger than the terrain effect. A 15 ft cutter on rough ground at $18 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate still costs less than half a 5 ft cutter on open ground at $44 per acre. Tractor matching figures are Unavailable here. For the rate behind the price by cutter size, use the guide to the acres per hour tool for bush hogs.
Minutes Per Acre and Why Time Decides the Quote
Minutes per acre is the clearest way to see why time decides the quoting basis. Minutes per acre equals 60 divided by acres per hour. The table below gives minutes per acre at 4 mph, with Open at 80 percent, Average at 75 percent and Rough at 65 percent.
| Cutter | Open 80 percent | Average 75 percent | Rough 65 percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft | 31 | 33 | 38 |
| 6 ft | 26 | 28 | 32 |
| 7 ft | 22 | 24 | 27 |
| 10 ft | 15 | 16 | 19 |
| 15 ft | 10 | 11 | 13 |
On open pasture with a 6 ft cutter, the time is 26 minutes per acre, and that figure stays steady enough to quote per acre. On rough ground with the same cutter, the time is 32 minutes per acre, and it can rise fast if the speed drops. If the minutes per acre could double, quote per hour. If the minutes per acre stay within a narrow range, quote per acre.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is bush hogging cost per hour?
A: Bush hogging cost per hour is the price for one hour of cutting, and the job price equals hours times hourly rate. At the page example rate, the rate is $85 per hour as an example figure, explicitly not a market rate.
Q: How do I convert bush hogging cost per hour to cost per acre?
A: Cost per acre equals hourly rate divided by acres per hour. At the page example rate, $85 per hour divided by 2.181818 acres per hour equals $38.96 per acre as an example figure, shown as about $39 per acre.
Q: When should I quote bush hogging per acre instead of per hour?
A: Quote per acre on open pasture where time per acre stays steady. Quote per hour on rough ground where hidden hazards and thick growth can change the time.
Q: Why does the same field cost more per acre on rough ground?
A: Because rough ground lowers efficiency, so the cutter covers fewer acres per hour. With a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph, the price is $37 per acre on open ground, $39 per acre on average ground and $45 per acre on rough ground, all as example figures at the page example rate.
Q: How do I price a field that is part open and part rough?
A: Price the field in parts. Work the open part per acre and the rough part per hour, then add the two parts to get the job price. Do not average the efficiency across the whole field.
Q: What should I check before I choose a quoting basis?
A: Walk the field first and look for hidden stumps, wire and rocks, check the growth and the speed the ground will allow, and work the minutes per acre for your cutter. If the time could double, quote per hour. Check local custom rate surveys, using the custom farming rates page as a starting point.
Choose the Quote That Fits the Field
Bush hogging cost per hour and cost per acre are the same price seen from two sides, and the formula lets you move between them without guessing. Work the acres per hour, divide your hourly rate by that rate, and multiply hours by hourly rate. Use unrounded rates, round only at the end, and quote $779 for the page worked example, never $782. Open pasture takes a per acre quote, rough ground takes a per hour quote, and a mixed field takes a price in parts. The fastest check is a walk of the field.
