Cost of bush hogging per acre rises as ground gets rougher, because rough ground cuts efficiency and adds time, and time is what the price is built from. At the page example rate, a 6 ft cutter costs $37 per acre on open ground, $39 on average ground and $45 on rough ground.
What the Three Terrain Bands Mean
The calculator sorts ground into three bands. Open ground uses 80 percent efficiency. Average ground uses 75 percent efficiency. Rough ground uses 65 percent efficiency. Efficiency is the part of cutting time that cuts fresh ground at full width, once turns, overlap and stops are taken out. Rough ground loses the most time to thick growth, hidden obstacles and the slower pace that rough ground forces.
Those bands sit inside the wider bands used on this site. 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, never 88 to 90 percent. Walk the field first. Hidden stumps, wire and rocks are the biggest risk to time and equipment. Pick the band that matches the ground you actually have.
How Terrain Moves Cost of Bush Hogging Per Acre
Cost of bush hogging per acre follows one formula. 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 number 8.25 equals 43,560 divided by 5,280. Terrain enters through efficiency alone. Cutter width, speed and hourly rate stay the same in the table below. Only efficiency changes, from 80 percent to 75 percent to 65 percent.
Lower efficiency means fewer acres per hour, so the same hourly rate is spread over fewer acres. A 6 ft cutter at 4 mph cuts 2.33 acres per hour on open ground, 2.18 on average ground and 1.89 on rough ground. Use unrounded rates for second calculations, and round only at the end.
Cost of Bush Hogging Per Acre by Terrain
The table below is the full price table from the live calculator page, at the page example rate of $85 per hour and 4 mph. Every dollar figure here is an example figure at the page example rate, explicitly not a market price. Enter your own rate in the Bush Hogging Cost Calculator to price your own field.
| 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 |
Read the table across a row to see what terrain does to one cutter, and down a column to see what width does on one kind of ground.
What a 6 Foot Cutter Costs on Each Kind of Ground
A 6 ft cutter shows the terrain move most clearly, because it is the cutter in the page worked example. On open ground it costs $37 per acre, on average ground $39 per acre, and on rough ground $45 per acre, all as example figures at the page example rate. The move from open to average is $2 per acre. The move from average to rough is $6 per acre. The move from open to rough is $8 per acre.
That pattern holds for every cutter, because the step from 80 percent to 75 percent is small and the step from 75 percent to 65 percent is larger.
As a job total, a 20 acre field with a 6 ft cutter at the page example rate costs $730.47 on open ground, $779 on average ground as shown on the page, and $899.04 on rough ground, all as example figures worked at the page example rate. The same 20 acres take 8.59, 9.17 and 10.58 hours across the three bands. For the full method, use the live guide on bush hogging cost per acre.
Why a Wide Cutter on Rough Ground Still Beats a Narrow Cutter on Open Ground
Terrain moves the price, but cutter width moves it more. A 15 ft cutter on rough ground costs $18 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate. A 5 ft cutter on open ground costs $44 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate. The wide cutter on the worst ground still costs less than half the narrow cutter on the best ground.
A 15 ft cutter cuts three times the width of a 5 ft cutter on every pass. Rough ground takes away about one fifth of its efficiency, from 80 percent down to 65 percent. The width gain is far larger than the efficiency loss, so the wide cutter still wins. A 10 ft cutter on rough ground costs $27 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate, while a 5 ft cutter on average ground costs $47 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate.
Terrain still decides the price for the cutter you actually own. If you own a 6 ft cutter, the move from $37 to $45 per acre is the move you must price. Width matters most when you are choosing a cutter or hiring a contractor with a wider cutter. For the time side, read the guide on bush hogging rough pasture vs light grass.
The Page Worked Example on Average Ground
The page worked example gives one field in full. A 20 acre pasture, a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph 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, the price uses 9.17 times $85, which equals $779.45, shown as $779. Quote $779 as shown, and never $782 from the rounded 9.2 hours. Fourth, $779 divided by 20 equals $38.95, shown as about $39 per acre. Every figure here is an example figure at the page example rate.
That example sits in the middle band. If your field is mostly open, expect a figure nearer $37 per acre with a 6 ft cutter as an example figure at the page example rate. If it is mostly rough, expect a figure nearer $45 per acre. If it is a mix, do not settle on $39 per acre for the whole field.
How to Price a Mixed Field in Parts
Most real fields are mixed. One end is open pasture that cuts fast. The other end is rough ground that slows every pass. A single terrain band cannot describe that field. Price a mixed field in parts, not at the average. Split the acres by ground, price each part at its own band, then add the parts together.
Take a 20 acre field with 10 acres of open ground and 10 acres of rough ground, with a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph and the page example rate. The open part costs $365.23 and the rough part costs $449.52, both as example figures worked at the page example rate from unrounded rates. The true total is $814.75, or $40.74 per acre, not $39 per acre. Priced at the average band you would quote $779, and you would underprice this mixed field by about $36. The error grows as the rough share grows. If you cannot walk the field, quote rough ground per hour, because when growth is unknown an hourly rate protects you.
How to Use the Calculator for Your Own Field
Run your own field and your own rate through the cost calculator. Enter the acreage first, then the cutter width and a realistic speed, then the terrain and growth, choosing Open, Average or Rough. Enter your hourly rate and any travel fee last, then press Calculate. The calculator gives total hours, job price and bush hogging cost per acre.
Enter your own rate, because the $85 rate used in this post is an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate. Add up your costs when you set your own rate: fuel, blades and maintenance, equipment payments, insurance, vehicle and trailer costs. Include your labor as a cost, not as the profit, and add a margin on top. Check local custom rate surveys as a check on your own rate, not a price to copy. For a second check on a job total, use the Cost Per Acre Calculator.
Check your result against the table before you quote it. If you entered a 6 ft cutter at 4 mph on average ground at the page example rate, your result should sit near $39 per acre and $779 for 20 acres as example figures at the page example rate. If your result sits far from those figures, check the terrain band first, then the cutter width, then the speed, then the hourly rate. Add travel and minimums after the cutting price. To understand the bands, read the guide on understanding field efficiency. For safe speed on thick ground, read the guide on how fast to bush hog thick brush.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the cost of bush hogging per acre on open, average and rough ground?
A: At the page example rate, a 6 ft cutter costs $37 per acre on open ground, $39 on average ground and $45 on rough ground.
Q: Why does rough ground cost more per acre than open ground?
A: Rough ground uses 65 percent efficiency while open ground uses 80 percent efficiency. Lower efficiency means fewer acres per hour, so the same hourly rate is spread over fewer acres.
Q: How do I work out cost of bush hogging per acre for my own cutter and rate?
A: Enter your acreage, cutter width, speed, terrain band and hourly rate in the Bush Hogging Cost Calculator. Enter your own rate, because the $85 rate here is an example rate only.
Q: Is the $85 rate in this post a market rate for bush hogging?
A: No. The $85 rate is an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate. Every dollar figure from that rate is labelled as an example figure at the page example rate.
Q: How should I price a field that is part open and part rough?
A: Price it in parts, not at the average. A 20 acre field with 10 open acres and 10 rough acres costs $814.75 with a 6 ft cutter at the page example rate, not $779.
Q: Does terrain decide the price more than cutter width?
A: No, width still wins. A 15 ft cutter on rough ground costs $18 per acre, while a 5 ft cutter on open ground costs $44 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate.
Price the Ground You Actually Have
Cost of bush hogging per acre is a terrain question before it is a price question, because terrain sets efficiency and efficiency sets acres per hour. A 6 ft cutter moves from $37 to $39 to $45 per acre across the three bands as example figures at the page example rate. Walk the field, pick the band that matches the ground, and price a mixed field in parts.
