I was the one that said $6500. However I would have dumped the loads in a landfill paying dump fees. I wouldn’t have dumped on my land. So that’s around $1000 in my area. Yeah I could have dumped it on my land but later on I would have to do something about it at some point. Spending a day in just hauling is what I was figuring. Plus at a minimum $500 per day for skid steer. So now where at $2000 just for that alone. Then add for grading work ok maybe $1000. So now that’s $3000 plus you got to figure fuel,insurance, maintenance plus the cost of using all the implements. Power rake alone is around $11000 just for the implement so using it for a day maybe $400. Using the grapple, $400 for the work. So now we’re about $3800 for the equipment. Now still haven’t made any profit yet. So the hours spent getting equipment loaded and hauled over there then back to the house using two different trailers. Yeah I would have planned for at least two days then that’s $2000 for labor. But it’s looks like it’s gonna be 3 days to allow for the dirt to dry out for the Harley rake to work. So 6500 on high side the 5500 low side but hey it’s just my opinion. I love the channel Brock you do make great content and do a great job on explaining why and what you do. What you charge is your building not mine or anyone else’s. Just glad you share with us what you do and how you do it. Not many people will share there life and business for the world to see. Take care I can’t wait to see it finished.
Thank you for commenting , And especially for commenting in a levelheaded manner. I was not trying to put you on blast or anything like that. One reason I’m sharing pricing is to gain perspective from other people so I can find an intersection between what I need to be profitable and what the market will bear. I also did not have the grading part in my bid that I was discussing in the video. I was probably only charging half of what I should have and you were probably in a higher market than I am. I also felt like I had a use for the mulch even though that will cost me time. I should charge them as if I were disposing of it Thanks for watching and it is difficult to start this type of business and share everything I’m doing on TH-cam as I do it. It’s impossible not to look like an idiot at least a little bit I’m not only new to bidding jobs are also new to running the equipment so my main focus is on making sure I do a good job for the customer
Another thought is that if you are able to charge a premium price and people pay it part of that is probably based on a reputation that you have built for doing quality work So well done on that front
@@RockhillfarmYT another way to look at it is for example. Say you didn’t own any of the equipment and you have to rent all of it ok. Then figure the profit portion. So renting a skid steer with bucket,power rake, grapple. Plus the hauling fees. Both to job site then return to shop where it came from. Plus the fuel to fill it back up. Now figure a truck rental and dump trailer rental. Plus those expense’s. Or even a dump truck rather sub it out or renting one. Then figure dump fees because your not always gonna dump trash or someone else’s stuff on your land so there’s fees for that too. That’s I think is a fair way to bid jobs. Plus as the more experience you get the faster and better you get working the machines. Now after saying that since you own that equipment don’t forget you also own the 2038r which I think you probably used it with the pallet forks to load the grapple on the trailer on day 2. So now you got to figure the cost of using that as well. Otherwise that grapple wouldn’t have been loaded on the trailer without using the skid steer being hauled back and forth. So if you back up and read all my comments on last two videos maybe it will make sense of what I am trying to explain. It’s just hard to explain using text on TH-cam chat lol. I think your on the right track but of course it’s just my opinion and my opinion alone. Just trying to give you feedback on pricing is all and trying to help. But the $850 bid ouch I think your paying the landowner to play in the dirt. That guy got a heck of a deal and he knows it. That’s like hitting the lottery lol. A wise person told me before “ you never learn till you pay for it”.
There is a long learning curve, or at least there has been for me. Two years ago when I got my tractor and decided to do work for people I didn’t even know what I didn’t know. I didn’t understand the additional cost that can come in and I basically work for free at first. I don’t regret that because I also didn’t know what I was doing and wasn’t sure I could do a great job I feel like the better my skills get the more I can always charge the going rate in my area I don’t know what attachments you’ve got but things like tilling a garden are an easy way to get started and get in a routine with safely hauling the machine and that sort of thing TH-cam is a great teacher. Not just from the videos but from the really intelligent comments that sometimes come in. I make daily equipment videos and I’ve learned a lot from my audience
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I wouldn't be too hard on yourself Brock. Running new equipment & bidding new type of work takes time and experience to get the revenue you desire. Consider it a learning experience and hopefully word of mouth recommendation from this customer in the future. Great job and content!
You'll have never make er like that Brock. That was a real deal for the customer. But, it'll pay off in other ways. As the ole baker used to say "if we can't make a whole loaf, we'll settle for half a loaf ". You did a great job.
In the northern tier of the country this kind of work is seasonal. While equipment is idle during 'off' months, personal/household expenses continue. Off season wages and cost need to be loaded into the 'go' season.
Bidding is tough! Even moreso in some markets. I suggest adding contingency costs to your bids. Line item or built in is up to you. If you price yourself out of jobs then adjust accordingly. If you find you significantly overbid a project then cut the customer a break commensurate with where your heart, community and business model intersect when settling up!! Keep up the good work !
I give you a thumbs up for being brave enough to try, your willingness to learn, and most of all being willing to take the sometimes not so nice public thrashing! I would not change your approach to business too much. Thanks
Thank you. I definitely open myself up to criticism trying to learn a new business and sharing all my failures and mistakes. Thank you for following along
Good morning Brock, You're doing great just remember that. As you get more experience with your machines you will also get more experience with bidding. What people feel to realize is you're bidding and your experience matches so as you gain more experience on your machines your prices will increase.
Your on the right track but your bidding needs to have options, IE, you budded 5 loads, ended up with more loads as you and the homeowners did not realize what additional trash was under the limbs and brush. $850 + 100 for load outs above 5. Then the owner can decide if he wants the additional clearing. Just an idea to consider for additional jobs.
Great video again Brock! As others have mentioned you are one of the very few that explains your thought process behind your decisions while at the same time be willing to admit when your original process may have been flawed and why. On pricing...I only have a backhoe and don't do many jobs for other people as a business....but around 1990 my cousin (who worked with equipment at his job at a DPW) knew a local guy with equipment on a scale of say Dirt Perfect. When he bid say a 24x24 cement garage approach tear out he would tell you it's $250 when my truck pulls up before anything is unloaded, then he would bid by the hour after that with an estimate on total hours (he had done this long enough that he was usually pretty close) plus any disposal fees. Depending on the job he might say the estimate was good for what "he saw" and believed the job would entail. Some jobs have the potential for unknown surprises for which he would tell the person "If I run into this......or this.....that will take extra time and work and the price will go up". Every bid has to contain a certain percentage for yearly insurance and routine maintenance. It also MUST contain a certain percentage for future break downs. I have a backhoe and most people do not understand why I charge $1,000 for a job that they think should be $500. I simply tell them If I did 10 jobs like this one at $500 each (maybe a tiny profit) where would I be when the bill for my next break doown repair comes in at $3,000? Am I just supposed to eat that cost? I simply tell people that with big equipment comes big costs. If you you don't want to pay there is always a shovel option. Stick a T-post through your tire and have to deal with that pain in your *ss (real story, played around with patching it and tubing it for about 5 years having taken it to two different shops on about four occasions and finally put a new tire on for $650. I hear that same tire is around $2,000 today). Repairs will kill you if you don't plan for it and build in a small chunk on each bid; and then save that money. Well this went on long enough and I believe others have said similar things. Good luck, keep learning and sharing. You have a great channel!!
Man Brock this hits home with my experiences over my first year doing tractor work with my 1025r. I’m learning all the same lessons. I’m trying to be disciplined and determine rates based on my depreciation, maintenance, etc. and bid accurately even if it feels like I’m overcharging (even though it always takes longer, like you). I’ve done identical jobs to this one, just a little smaller areas. Where I’ve settled and how I would bid this one would break down like this: I would guess 5 hours or so of seat time in the tractor. I want $100 an hour in the seat, so there’s $500. When I haul away loads in my dump trailer, the number I’ve settled on is $150 a load. I would have guess 10 loads for this one, so $1500 there. The grading I’d think an hour or two, so $200 there. I think I would have personally wanted to bid $2200 on this job and I would have been fighting myself all the way because at a glance I’d want to charge $1000 to not feel like I was over pricing it. It’s tough to analyze your operation, nail down pricing, and be disciplined enough to stick to it. Loved these two videos! Keep them coming!
Your not wrong. When I did land clearing we changed 1200 a day for 10hrs of work and travel time was included meaning if it took 2.5 hrs to get to the job site we ran the machine for 7.5hrs.
I guy I knew did landscaping he always added an unkown component to his pricing..which was price it and add 25% to cover the unknowns and only do what is agreed to and re quote and additional work the customer may have..
I have been there the way to find out what to charge is by what your doing real world experience now you know in the future. But what I would do is if you want to charge $100 a hour for the skid I normally charge that the whole time it is on the job so sense you took 12 hours I would charge $1200 but I would also charge at least $50 to $100 per load for a dump fee to get ride of it. If you did not have property to put it on you would have to pay a lot to get ride of it.
Factor in loading and uploading, trips to dump, disposals/your time moving it on your property, and equipment down time that it'll be dedicated for said job. Be open and upfront about what you're planning and set that quote. THEN let them know that it can be adjusted to the actual time. You're thinking 8 hours and your done in 3, knock some off. It takes 15 hours, readjust the time. Let them know before you go over the original quote and they can decide what else they want to pay for. If you're putting in the work worthy of what your charging, they'll typically have no issues with paying a little more because of the unknowns. If you're putting in half butt work and run over time, they'll have plenty of issues with the "unknowns" because they think you planned it to get extra. You seem very open and honest about things, so just let them know. Obviously it doesn't apply as much to every job you'll do, but jobs like this certainly have the ability to go haywire halfway through. Nobody worth working for expects you to work for free, but nobody wants to be shafted too.
That guy who said he charge 6500, he's NUTS, your right in the ball park, maybe go up a little bit more to 150 an hour, your equipment ain't cheap to operate, but you'll capture more customers with reasonable prices.
TTWT has a great breakdown video on all the things to consider when breaking down a job. I don't know if that includes your prep time, but you took in $70 hr to do this job. After wear/tear, consumables, insurance, etc, what did you actually "make" per hour? I think I would focus on that number and see if that's something I could live with. I'm going to guess you worked for $25 hour or less on this job not counting any YT revenue. To me, that's a low ROI on your equipment and your time. Basic carpenters make that with a lot less overhead and responsibility. I wouldn't cut your grass for $25 an hour!!
Brock, you are right to get at least $100/hr for the skid steers run time, but value YOUR time on site as well. Think of your time's value as if you could be somewhere else doing the same thing or something different because you could! If a job gets instantly complicated, running into unforeseen obstacles like this job, build in a clause or addendum in the bid contract that clearly expresses to the customer you are agreeing to do just what you first intended and both agreed on. Upon discovering the depth of additional work needed to get the customer's desired expectation, stop your work. Then inform the customer and get approval before tacking on additional hours and materials. The customer may not initially understand...time for a teaching moment. But any and all hours and materials you expend need compensation. To get over that hump, an exception clause needs to be there on the front-end. I see that as necessary in bidding brush hogging jobs, too, because there are hidden hazards that cause equipment damage or delays that the customer needs to own. You may be bidding a brush mowing job, but it turns out to be an excavation job! Its tough bidding a job by the job, rather than by the hour, but you have to think hourly because that's how equivalent rentals get billed, or hourly costs on the meter pan out, or an hourly job wage if you weren't doing this. Gotta try to get apples to apples as much as you can...it's fair. Also, if you bid too high, either you won't get the job, or you'll make the $$ you desire...duh. But sometimes, a customer whose job comes in underbid will be thrilled, and you win their confidence, and you still made your necessary expense goals. It's all kind of blue sky...you just don't know.
In a nutshell, 2 days or 16 hours. $850 Gross divide by 16 hours, is $53 per hour gross. I would love to known, where you would have to drive to to dump load (round trip travel time -jobsite to dump x number of trips) and how much it would of cost to dump material. Also, how much would it cost to pay an operator for 16 hours plus benefits. That cost plus your fuel, wear/tear/depreciation/insurance/finance charges/overhead/general expenses etc. You figure out all those costs, I bet you break even or lose money on this job and you see how/why you got hired for $850. I think you are confusing making a gross profit with paying your self as an operator hourly/daily, two different things. I wish you the best to figure it all out.
Quoting jobs takes time and experience.BUT first you have to know what YOU can do with your equipment,and how efficient you really are before you can really get accurate.I would always advise you to document,especially on a suspect job,that unexpected incidentals are going to cost more.I strive for 100.00/hr on small compact equipment,excluding all materials,just machine and operator.Smaller jobs,like half dayers,pay very well,pretty much double and some if you do the math,or they should.Nothing rolls for free,truck,trailer,machinery,loading,unloading,factor it all in.
Do you know your machine costs per hour on the skid steer yet? If i follow my PM schedule and keep full of diesel, it costs me about $10 per hour to run my 1025R. That's not depreciation, repairs, or loan payment. Just what it costs to run. I was a bit shocked when i did the math. To make more money than my day job I'd probably have to charge $20 per machine hour and $50 for my hour, then whatever insurance and other stuff would cost. It's sticker shock for sure.
That $70 number you just came up with for running your tractor is about where I have settled on tractor work. That is for everything except the stump grinder which I charge more for. I haven’t done a bunch of math on the skid loader but everybody else seems to stick to the $125 an hour number to cover depreciation and maintenance and your time and everything included I’ve had A couple of farmers tell me that it cost less per hour to run a skid steer than a larger tractor because it takes more hours to depreciate it.
my fren in cali does tile work and everyone in the county makes a million dollars so he can easily find work and over charge, not true for where i live where the avg income in 160k
great video thanks for sharing, if you had sides on your trailer how much time do you think that would have saved on this job? you probably would have saved some fuel expenses also
Probably at least cut down from 12 trips to 8? Just a guess Guarantee you’re going to see a video in the next month of me putting sidewalls on the dump trailer
I think your thought process on that bid was pretty sound, maybe you just underestimated. That will self correct with more experience, but in my opinion it would have been fair to include something on the material disposal in addition to your travel time. You mentioned you had a few options to get rid of that stuff without paying a fee, well that's awesome for you and something you should be compensated for knowing how to do. If the customer gives you a place to dump it, well that's maybe a different conversation. At a minimum, your going to have a few more machine hours spreading out that mulch on your property, that should get included in this bid.
You wanted us to guess the number of loads and then don't tell us the total? 🤷♂️ And no mention of what the landowner said about the additional ditch work. I realize that the leveling phase is yet to come, I hope you cover that process as well.
I didn’t realize I didn’t get that answer in the video I know I recorded it but I must’ve edited that out I took five loads the first day and seven loads the second day. 11 loads of mulch and debris and the last load was just logs that were picked out previously I went back out there this morning and it was still too wet to work so all I did was Dig a small swale to direct rainfall that might come tomorrow and then take the machine home Feels like my candle is burnt at both ends a little bit so I’m taking the next couple days off from everything Thanks for following along
@@dustdevl1043 let’s be honest, the guy giving them a $6500 bid planned to sub the job out to a day laborer with a skid steer ($1000) and contract someone with a dump truck for the day ($1500) and pocket $4000 himself. That’s just how it goes in this economy of contractor shortages. High bid gets 1/3rd of the jobs Brock takes on and a fraction of the liability with that business model, same or better pay. In the end, it’s who you know, not what you know that makes the difference for both contractor and client.
I was the one that said $6500. However I would have dumped the loads in a landfill paying dump fees. I wouldn’t have dumped on my land. So that’s around $1000 in my area. Yeah I could have dumped it on my land but later on I would have to do something about it at some point. Spending a day in just hauling is what I was figuring. Plus at a minimum $500 per day for skid steer. So now where at $2000 just for that alone. Then add for grading work ok maybe $1000. So now that’s $3000 plus you got to figure fuel,insurance, maintenance plus the cost of using all the implements. Power rake alone is around $11000 just for the implement so using it for a day maybe $400. Using the grapple, $400 for the work. So now we’re about $3800 for the equipment. Now still haven’t made any profit yet. So the hours spent getting equipment loaded and hauled over there then back to the house using two different trailers. Yeah I would have planned for at least two days then that’s $2000 for labor. But it’s looks like it’s gonna be 3 days to allow for the dirt to dry out for the Harley rake to work. So 6500 on high side the 5500 low side but hey it’s just my opinion. I love the channel Brock you do make great content and do a great job on explaining why and what you do. What you charge is your building not mine or anyone else’s. Just glad you share with us what you do and how you do it. Not many people will share there life and business for the world to see. Take care I can’t wait to see it finished.
Thank you for commenting , And especially for commenting in a levelheaded manner. I was not trying to put you on blast or anything like that.
One reason I’m sharing pricing is to gain perspective from other people so I can find an intersection between what I need to be profitable and what the market will bear.
I also did not have the grading part in my bid that I was discussing in the video. I was probably only charging half of what I should have and you were probably in a higher market than I am.
I also felt like I had a use for the mulch even though that will cost me time.
I should charge them as if I were disposing of it
Thanks for watching and it is difficult to start this type of business and share everything I’m doing on TH-cam as I do it.
It’s impossible not to look like an idiot at least a little bit
I’m not only new to bidding jobs are also new to running the equipment so my main focus is on making sure I do a good job for the customer
Another thought is that if you are able to charge a premium price and people pay it part of that is probably based on a reputation that you have built for doing quality work
So well done on that front
@@RockhillfarmYT another way to look at it is for example. Say you didn’t own any of the equipment and you have to rent all of it ok. Then figure the profit portion. So renting a skid steer with bucket,power rake, grapple. Plus the hauling fees. Both to job site then return to shop where it came from. Plus the fuel to fill it back up. Now figure a truck rental and dump trailer rental. Plus those expense’s. Or even a dump truck rather sub it out or renting one. Then figure dump fees because your not always gonna dump trash or someone else’s stuff on your land so there’s fees for that too. That’s I think is a fair way to bid jobs. Plus as the more experience you get the faster and better you get working the machines. Now after saying that since you own that equipment don’t forget you also own the 2038r which I think you probably used it with the pallet forks to load the grapple on the trailer on day 2. So now you got to figure the cost of using that as well. Otherwise that grapple wouldn’t have been loaded on the trailer without using the skid steer being hauled back and forth. So if you back up and read all my comments on last two videos maybe it will make sense of what I am trying to explain. It’s just hard to explain using text on TH-cam chat lol. I think your on the right track but of course it’s just my opinion and my opinion alone. Just trying to give you feedback on pricing is all and trying to help. But the $850 bid ouch I think your paying the landowner to play in the dirt. That guy got a heck of a deal and he knows it. That’s like hitting the lottery lol. A wise person told me before “ you never learn till you pay for it”.
If it was easy everybody would do it
@@chrisreddick36 Mr red dick I think 6500 is actually a fair price where I live. the only problem is somebody's always going to undercut your bid
Thanks for the insight. I got the same problem. "This will be easy. It'll take no time."
Then I gotta finish the rest another day.
I always underestimate how difficult a job will be
Thanks for watching
Your transparency will help you in long run
Thanks. I know I open myself up to criticism but I’m trying to learn as much as I can as fast as I can
Guys i love the comments and the advice i just bought a tractor and im excited to do jobs with it. Cant wait until one day i can get a skid steer
There is a long learning curve, or at least there has been for me. Two years ago when I got my tractor and decided to do work for people I didn’t even know what I didn’t know.
I didn’t understand the additional cost that can come in and I basically work for free at first. I don’t regret that because I also didn’t know what I was doing and wasn’t sure I could do a great job
I feel like the better my skills get the more I can always charge the going rate in my area
I don’t know what attachments you’ve got but things like tilling a garden are an easy way to get started and get in a routine with safely hauling the machine and that sort of thing
TH-cam is a great teacher. Not just from the videos but from the really intelligent comments that sometimes come in.
I make daily equipment videos and I’ve learned a lot from my audience
You are learning. Don’t leave implements on-site some will steel a bucket just for its scrap value 🙂
Good Point. Probably more likely to take the bucket than the machine, although it is pretty darn heavy
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Knowing your market and what it will bear is very important.
Exactly. I’ve been trying to connect with other local contractors and learn from them
I wouldn't be too hard on yourself Brock. Running new equipment & bidding new type of work takes time and experience to get the revenue you desire. Consider it a learning experience and hopefully word of mouth recommendation from this customer in the future. Great job and content!
Thanks
Excellent points. Great video.
Thank you sir
You'll have never make er like that Brock. That was a real deal for the customer. But, it'll pay off in other ways. As the ole baker used to say "if we can't make a whole loaf, we'll settle for half a loaf ". You did a great job.
Thank you sir
In the northern tier of the country this kind of work is seasonal. While equipment is idle during 'off' months, personal/household expenses continue. Off season wages and cost need to be loaded into the 'go' season.
Bidding is tough! Even moreso in some markets. I suggest adding contingency costs to your bids. Line item or built in is up to you. If you price yourself out of jobs then adjust accordingly. If you find you significantly overbid a project then cut the customer a break commensurate with where your heart, community and business model intersect when settling up!! Keep up the good work !
I like that. Thanks for the advice
I think this is excellent advice as well
I give you a thumbs up for being brave enough to try, your willingness to learn, and most of all being willing to take the sometimes not so nice public thrashing! I would not change your approach to business too much. Thanks
Thank you. I definitely open myself up to criticism trying to learn a new business and sharing all my failures and mistakes.
Thank you for following along
Good morning Brock,
You're doing great just remember that. As you get more experience with your machines you will also get more experience with bidding. What people feel to realize is you're bidding and your experience matches so as you gain more experience on your machines your prices will increase.
And add to that - as experience and skills increase, the time to do the job may decrease, making the same bid amount more profitable.
Good Point
Exactly
Your on the right track but your bidding needs to have options, IE, you budded 5 loads, ended up with more loads as you and the homeowners did not realize what additional trash was under the limbs and brush. $850 + 100 for load outs above 5. Then the owner can decide if he wants the additional clearing. Just an idea to consider for additional jobs.
Good idea
Great video again Brock! As others have mentioned you are one of the very few that explains your thought process behind your decisions while at the same time be willing to admit when your original process may have been flawed and why. On pricing...I only have a backhoe and don't do many jobs for other people as a business....but around 1990 my cousin (who worked with equipment at his job at a DPW) knew a local guy with equipment on a scale of say Dirt Perfect. When he bid say a 24x24 cement garage approach tear out he would tell you it's $250 when my truck pulls up before anything is unloaded, then he would bid by the hour after that with an estimate on total hours (he had done this long enough that he was usually pretty close) plus any disposal fees. Depending on the job he might say the estimate was good for what "he saw" and believed the job would entail. Some jobs have the potential for unknown surprises for which he would tell the person "If I run into this......or this.....that will take extra time and work and the price will go up". Every bid has to contain a certain percentage for yearly insurance and routine maintenance. It also MUST contain a certain percentage for future break downs. I have a backhoe and most people do not understand why I charge $1,000 for a job that they think should be $500. I simply tell them If I did 10 jobs like this one at $500 each (maybe a tiny profit) where would I be when the bill for my next break doown repair comes in at $3,000? Am I just supposed to eat that cost? I simply tell people that with big equipment comes big costs. If you you don't want to pay there is always a shovel option. Stick a T-post through your tire and have to deal with that pain in your *ss (real story, played around with patching it and tubing it for about 5 years having taken it to two different shops on about four occasions and finally put a new tire on for $650. I hear that same tire is around $2,000 today). Repairs will kill you if you don't plan for it and build in a small chunk on each bid; and then save that money. Well this went on long enough and I believe others have said similar things. Good luck, keep learning and sharing. You have a great channel!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it. Reading all these comments is helpful to me
Brock, your content, honesty and transparency are great! Thanks for helping others learn.
Thanks for the kind words
Man Brock this hits home with my experiences over my first year doing tractor work with my 1025r. I’m learning all the same lessons. I’m trying to be disciplined and determine rates based on my depreciation, maintenance, etc. and bid accurately even if it feels like I’m overcharging (even though it always takes longer, like you). I’ve done identical jobs to this one, just a little smaller areas. Where I’ve settled and how I would bid this one would break down like this: I would guess 5 hours or so of seat time in the tractor. I want $100 an hour in the seat, so there’s $500. When I haul away loads in my dump trailer, the number I’ve settled on is $150 a load. I would have guess 10 loads for this one, so $1500 there. The grading I’d think an hour or two, so $200 there. I think I would have personally wanted to bid $2200 on this job and I would have been fighting myself all the way because at a glance I’d want to charge $1000 to not feel like I was over pricing it. It’s tough to analyze your operation, nail down pricing, and be disciplined enough to stick to it. Loved these two videos! Keep them coming!
Thanks for sharing your experience with it
I think you should be getting $1500 a day for you and your equipment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
Good logic in pricing…… just purchased a 16 foot GN dump trailer…. On the fence about using for a side hustle.
Experience is the best teacher
Your not wrong. When I did land clearing we changed 1200 a day for 10hrs of work and travel time was included meaning if it took 2.5 hrs to get to the job site we ran the machine for 7.5hrs.
Thanks for sharing that information
I guy I knew did landscaping he always added an unkown component to his pricing..which was price it and add 25% to cover the unknowns and only do what is agreed to and re quote and additional work the customer may have..
Thanks for sharing
Love the Channel and your honesty. The world would be a better place with more hard working people like you. Cheers
You are too kind. I do think it’s important to show that buying machines and jumping into the marketplace isn’t all sunshine and roses
I have been there the way to find out what to charge is by what your doing real world experience now you know in the future. But what I would do is if you want to charge $100 a hour for the skid I normally charge that the whole time it is on the job so sense you took 12 hours I would charge $1200 but I would also charge at least $50 to $100 per load for a dump fee to get ride of it. If you did not have property to put it on you would have to pay a lot to get ride of it.
Sounds about right
Thanks for watching
Factor in loading and uploading, trips to dump, disposals/your time moving it on your property, and equipment down time that it'll be dedicated for said job. Be open and upfront about what you're planning and set that quote. THEN let them know that it can be adjusted to the actual time. You're thinking 8 hours and your done in 3, knock some off. It takes 15 hours, readjust the time. Let them know before you go over the original quote and they can decide what else they want to pay for. If you're putting in the work worthy of what your charging, they'll typically have no issues with paying a little more because of the unknowns. If you're putting in half butt work and run over time, they'll have plenty of issues with the "unknowns" because they think you planned it to get extra. You seem very open and honest about things, so just let them know. Obviously it doesn't apply as much to every job you'll do, but jobs like this certainly have the ability to go haywire halfway through. Nobody worth working for expects you to work for free, but nobody wants to be shafted too.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
That guy who said he charge 6500, he's NUTS, your right in the ball park, maybe go up a little bit more to 150 an hour, your equipment ain't cheap to operate, but you'll capture more customers with reasonable prices.
Thanks for the feedback
You will learn how to do your prices as you get more work.
Experience is the best teacher
Thanks for following along
TTWT has a great breakdown video on all the things to consider when breaking down a job. I don't know if that includes your prep time, but you took in $70 hr to do this job. After wear/tear, consumables, insurance, etc, what did you actually "make" per hour? I think I would focus on that number and see if that's something I could live with. I'm going to guess you worked for $25 hour or less on this job not counting any YT revenue. To me, that's a low ROI on your equipment and your time. Basic carpenters make that with a lot less overhead and responsibility. I wouldn't cut your grass for $25 an hour!!
I agree. My biggest mistake on this one was underestimating how many trips it would take but even then I still would’ve been low
Brock, you are right to get at least $100/hr for the skid steers run time, but value YOUR time on site as well. Think of your time's value as if you could be somewhere else doing the same thing or something different because you could! If a job gets instantly complicated, running into unforeseen obstacles like this job, build in a clause or addendum in the bid contract that clearly expresses to the customer you are agreeing to do just what you first intended and both agreed on. Upon discovering the depth of additional work needed to get the customer's desired expectation, stop your work. Then inform the customer and get approval before tacking on additional hours and materials. The customer may not initially understand...time for a teaching moment. But any and all hours and materials you expend need compensation. To get over that hump, an exception clause needs to be there on the front-end.
I see that as necessary in bidding brush hogging jobs, too, because there are hidden hazards that cause equipment damage or delays that the customer needs to own. You may be bidding a brush mowing job, but it turns out to be an excavation job!
Its tough bidding a job by the job, rather than by the hour, but you have to think hourly because that's how equivalent rentals get billed, or hourly costs on the meter pan out, or an hourly job wage if you weren't doing this. Gotta try to get apples to apples as much as you can...it's fair.
Also, if you bid too high, either you won't get the job, or you'll make the $$ you desire...duh. But sometimes, a customer whose job comes in underbid will be thrilled, and you win their confidence, and you still made your necessary expense goals. It's all kind of blue sky...you just don't know.
Lot of good points in there
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it
How much diesel fuel do you think you burned for the project? Full size skid isnt cheap to run.
I used about $120 in fuel between the skid loader in the truck. Most of that went in the truck
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In a nutshell, 2 days or 16 hours. $850 Gross divide by 16 hours, is $53 per hour gross. I would love to known, where you would have to drive to to dump load (round trip travel time -jobsite to dump x number of trips) and how much it would of cost to dump material. Also, how much would it cost to pay an operator for 16 hours plus benefits. That cost plus your fuel, wear/tear/depreciation/insurance/finance charges/overhead/general expenses etc. You figure out all those costs, I bet you break even or lose money on this job and you see how/why you got hired for $850. I think you are confusing making a gross profit with paying your self as an operator hourly/daily, two different things. I wish you the best to figure it all out.
Thanks for watching
Quoting jobs takes time and experience.BUT first you have to know what YOU can do with your equipment,and how efficient you really are before you can really get accurate.I would always advise you to document,especially on a suspect job,that unexpected incidentals are going to cost more.I strive for 100.00/hr on small compact equipment,excluding all materials,just machine and operator.Smaller jobs,like half dayers,pay very well,pretty much double and some if you do the math,or they should.Nothing rolls for free,truck,trailer,machinery,loading,unloading,factor it all in.
Thanks for sharing
Dam good video! Just do Honest work for Honest pay and you'll always be in business.
Thanks
Do you know your machine costs per hour on the skid steer yet? If i follow my PM schedule and keep full of diesel, it costs me about $10 per hour to run my 1025R. That's not depreciation, repairs, or loan payment. Just what it costs to run. I was a bit shocked when i did the math. To make more money than my day job I'd probably have to charge $20 per machine hour and $50 for my hour, then whatever insurance and other stuff would cost. It's sticker shock for sure.
That $70 number you just came up with for running your tractor is about where I have settled on tractor work.
That is for everything except the stump grinder which I charge more for.
I haven’t done a bunch of math on the skid loader but everybody else seems to stick to the $125 an hour number to cover depreciation and maintenance and your time and everything included
I’ve had A couple of farmers tell me that it cost less per hour to run a skid steer than a larger tractor because it takes more hours to depreciate it.
my fren in cali does tile work and everyone in the county makes a million dollars so he can easily find work and over charge, not true for where i live where the avg income in 160k
There is definitely a regional aspect to pricing
Thanks for sharing
great video thanks for sharing, if you had sides on your trailer how much time do you think that would have saved on this job? you probably would have saved some fuel expenses also
Probably at least cut down from 12 trips to 8? Just a guess
Guarantee you’re going to see a video in the next month of me putting sidewalls on the dump trailer
I think your thought process on that bid was pretty sound, maybe you just underestimated. That will self correct with more experience, but in my opinion it would have been fair to include something on the material disposal in addition to your travel time. You mentioned you had a few options to get rid of that stuff without paying a fee, well that's awesome for you and something you should be compensated for knowing how to do. If the customer gives you a place to dump it, well that's maybe a different conversation. At a minimum, your going to have a few more machine hours spreading out that mulch on your property, that should get included in this bid.
Good Point. Thanks for sharing
You wanted us to guess the number of loads and then don't tell us the total?
🤷♂️
And no mention of what the landowner said about the additional ditch work.
I realize that the leveling phase is yet to come, I hope you cover that process as well.
I didn’t realize I didn’t get that answer in the video I know I recorded it but I must’ve edited that out
I took five loads the first day and seven loads the second day. 11 loads of mulch and debris and the last load was just logs that were picked out previously
I went back out there this morning and it was still too wet to work so all I did was Dig a small swale to direct rainfall that might come tomorrow and then take the machine home
Feels like my candle is burnt at both ends a little bit so I’m taking the next couple days off from everything
Thanks for following along
$6,500 bid LOL
Wonder how many jobs that $6500 person gets?
For $6500 you could rent a machine and clean it up yourself and have money left over.
@@dustdevl1043 let’s be honest, the guy giving them a $6500 bid planned to sub the job out to a day laborer with a skid steer ($1000) and contract someone with a dump truck for the day ($1500) and pocket $4000 himself. That’s just how it goes in this economy of contractor shortages. High bid gets 1/3rd of the jobs Brock takes on and a fraction of the liability with that business model, same or better pay. In the end, it’s who you know, not what you know that makes the difference for both contractor and client.