How much to charge for bush hogging per acre depends on your hourly rate and how fast you cut. Set a rate that covers your costs plus a margin, then divide it by your acres per hour. At the example rate of $85 per hour, a 6 ft cutter in average ground works out to about $39 per acre.
Start From Your Own Costs, Not From a Market Price
A per acre price copied from another operator will not fit your costs. The live guide on contractor pricing with productivity rates gives the general method, and this post applies it to bush hogging only. Use the Bush Hogging Cost Calculator to turn your hourly rate into a per acre price, and use the live guide on bush hogging cost per acre for the general estimation method.
There is no market rate in this post, because none was verified for it. The $85 rate in the page examples is an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate. A figure for what local companies charge on average is Unavailable here.
Add Up Your Costs Line by Line
Start with fuel. Write down what a full day of cutting costs in fuel, then divide it by the hours you cut that day, so you have a fuel cost per hour. A field that forces you to slow down uses more fuel per acre, because you spend more time on each acre. Next add blades and maintenance, based on what you have actually spent over a season, since blades and belts wear and a cutter that hits a hidden stump can need real repair work.
Then add equipment payments. If you pay a monthly sum for the tractor or the cutter, divide it by the hours you expect to cut in a month. If the equipment is paid off, do not treat that cost as zero, because the machine still needs to be replaced one day, so put a replacement sum in the rate instead. Then add insurance, vehicle and trailer costs.
Pay Yourself First, Then Add a Margin
Include your labor as a cost, not as the profit. Your time on the tractor, your time driving to the field, and your time walking the field before you quote are all work, and they all need to be paid. Decide what an hour of your time is worth and put that figure in the rate as a cost, separate from profit.
Then add a margin on top of your costs. Profit on top lets the business grow and replace equipment, and it gives you room to handle a slow week or a repair. A rate that only covers costs will keep the tractor running and nothing else.
Check the Market Without Copying It
Once your own rate is worked out, check the market last. Look at what local companies charge and position your price for your service level.
The live page says to check local custom rate surveys, and many university extension services publish typical rates for comparison. Use those surveys as a check on your own rate, never as a price to copy, and use the live guide on custom farming rates where extension survey rates are the question. No survey figure is quoted here, so any survey figure for bush hogging rates is Unavailable.
Turn Your Hourly Rate Into a Per Acre Price
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. A wide cutter covers more ground per hour, so it gives a lower price per acre. For the rate behind the price, use the guide on bush hog rotary cutter productivity.
The page worked example is 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, the rate is 6 times 4 times 0.75, which equals 18, and 18 divided by 8.25 equals 2.181818, shown on the page as 2.18 acres per hour. Second, the hours are 20 divided by 2.181818, which equals 9.166667 hours, shown on the page 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 on the page as about $39 per acre as an example figure at the page example rate.
Now use the same steps with your own rate. Enter your own rate, your cutter width, your speed and the ground in the cost calculator, then read the total hours, the job price and the cost per acre. Use unrounded rates and round only the final value.
What the Price Table Shows at the Page Example Rate
The page price table shows the per acre price by cutter width and ground, all at the page example rate of $85 per hour and 4 mph. All prices below are example figures at the page example rate, explicitly not market prices. Read your own cutter row first, then read across to the ground. Width moves the price far more than ground does. A 15 ft cutter on rough ground at $18 per acre still costs less than half a 5 ft cutter on open ground at $44 per acre.
| 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 |
How Much to Charge for Bush Hogging Per Acre on Different Ground
Ground changes the price because it changes efficiency, the part of cutting time that cuts 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. See the guide on understanding field efficiency for more on these bands. The cost table uses Open 80 percent, Average 75 percent and Rough 65 percent.
A 20 acre job in average ground shows how width moves the price. All totals below are example figures at the page example rate. A 5 ft cutter takes 11.00 hours and totals $935.00. A 7 ft cutter takes 7.86 hours and totals $667.86. A 10 ft cutter takes 5.50 hours and totals $467.50. A 15 ft cutter takes 3.67 hours and totals $311.67. The 6 ft cutter in the page worked example totals $779 as shown, at about $39 per acre.
Price a mixed field in parts, not at the average. Quote each part at its own ground band, because the rough half will take far longer per acre than the open half.
When to Quote Per Hour Instead
Quote rough ground per hour. When growth is unknown, an hourly rate protects you, because you are paid for the time the job actually takes rather than for a per acre price that assumed easier ground. Hidden stumps, wire and rocks are the biggest risk to time and equipment, so walk the field first.
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, so at the same hourly rate the per acre price doubles too.
Quote open pasture per acre, where the time per acre is steady. Quote per hour where the ground is rough, unknown or obstructed. The guide on bush hogging cost per hour or per acre in this cluster covers that choice in full.
Minimums, Travel and Small Jobs
Add travel and minimums. Small jobs far away need a travel fee or minimum charge, because the drive can cost more than the cutting itself. Enter the travel fee in the calculator as a flat figure for the visit, added after hours times rate, so it matters most on small and far jobs. No travel fee figure is given here, so any standard travel fee figure is Unavailable.
Set a minimum charge as the lowest price you will accept for a visit. When the time based price plus travel falls below the minimum, the minimum takes over as the job price.
Keep Records That Make the Next Quote Easier
Write down every job, even the small ones. Record the acres, the cutter width, the speed, the ground, the hours, the fuel used and the total price. After a few jobs, your records will show your real acres per hour on each kind of ground, and your next quote will rest on your own figures rather than on a guess.
Check your records at the end of each season. Add up your costs, compare the total with what you earned, and if the margin is thin, raise the rate or the minimum before the next season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I work out how much to charge for bush hogging per acre?
A: Add up your costs, set an hourly rate that covers them plus a margin, then divide that rate by your acres per hour.
Q: What hourly rate should I use in the calculator?
A: Enter your own rate, worked from your fuel, blades and maintenance, equipment payments, insurance, vehicle and trailer costs, your labor and a margin on top. The $85 rate in the page examples is an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate, so any average market rate figure is Unavailable.
Q: How does cutter width change the per acre price?
A: A wider cutter covers more acres per hour, so it gives a lower price per acre at the same hourly rate. At the page example rate, a 5 ft cutter is $47 per acre, a 6 ft cutter is $39 per acre and a 15 ft cutter is $16 per acre in average ground at 4 mph.
Q: When should I quote per hour instead of per acre?
A: Quote per hour when the ground is rough, unknown or obstructed, or when you cannot walk the field first. Quote per acre for open pasture where the time per acre is steady.
Q: Should I charge a minimum or a travel fee?
A: Yes, for small jobs and far away jobs. Add the travel fee after hours times rate, and set a minimum that takes over when the time based price plus travel falls below it. No figure for either one is given here, so any standard figure is Unavailable.
Q: How do I check my rate against local rates?
A: Check local custom rate surveys. Use any survey figure only as a check on your own rate, never as a price to copy. No survey figure is quoted in this post, so any survey figure is Unavailable here.
Set Your Rate, Then Let the Calculator Price the Job
How much to charge for bush hogging per acre starts with your own costs. Add up your costs, pay yourself as a cost, add a margin, check the market last, then enter your own rate in this calculator and let it turn that rate into a per acre price. Quote open pasture per acre and rough, unknown or obstructed ground per hour.
