How much to charge for scraper/tractor?

Hi guys just curious as to what other people charge and what's a fair price for my setup for hourly work. I have a 2013 new holland t8.330 tractor with a new Ashland 14 yard direct mount scraper.

Somewhere between $150 and $180 per hour. Have you moved any dirt yet? I'm guessing you're going to find yourself wanting more power and/or weight. If your just hogging dirt, the drop-center cutting edge is going to be your friend.

I'm hardly knowledgeable on scrapers, but I have a 135hp Kubota with Ashland's 5 yard pan. Weight and good ground is indeed your friend, my tractor with the empty loader bucket weighs 17200lbs and it pulls the pan well (in my inexperienced opinion). I load the front bucket for more weight when running my scraper.

Your cut is 15.5" wider than mine, double the weight and double the power roughly. Your scraper weighs triple mine. In good ground (big caveat) I would think your tractor would do well enough.


That being said, my setup is for personal use, I wouldn't consider running it hourly given the hourly rate, what it cost, and my overhead. I might would entertain bidded work or by the yard, but it's fairly well down the list of my prostpective income.

FWIW Initially I charge $10/hour/cubic yard. I will occasionally adjust that number in certain situations. I charge $140 for my tractor and 14 yd scraper. I'm curious, as shimmy stated, do you have any trouble loading the scraper? I would think unless you have it seriously weighted down that you would struggle getting the scraper full with that tractor....Just my $.02

Actually the tractor has plenty of power. I run out of traction way before power is an issue but it's got duals all the way around. As long as I got good dirt I got no problems! And for weights it's got full set on the front and I think 2 k on the rear. Actually thought about taking rear weights off cause mind you it is a direct mount but we also use it for tillage work in spring and fall. I've been charging 150hr but just wanted to see what you guys though. Thanks for the replies!

What gear are you loading in? I pull a 20 yd direct with a 485 quad and usually load in 3rd. Any lower and all I do is spin. About 3 mph is ideal, IMO.

Usually load in 4-5th gear right around that 3mph range

you need to know what your fuel cost per hour is plus what you want to get paid plus your upkeep/ paperwork cost. a lot of job's are bid by the yard because it dose not matter what you charge per hour if your not get the yards moved. it's kinda like commission get paid for what you do. not how long it take you. up hear in Canada i would say your light i think you need to be over 200 but i not in the business i just play for fun with my own toys.

Just saw a job we didn't bid on. 4 Chicken house pads. Moving around 100,000 yds of dirt. Guy had 2 big case tractors each pulling 2 john deere scrapers. Not sure of size of pans but I know he did it all for just over a dollar a yard. That's awful cheap I think.

I must be greedy. I can’t get my cost below $2.00/cy using 621 on 1000’ haul.

Our rigs load most of the time at 5 mph. 9620R JD pulling K-tec 1233

still learn'n said:

Our rigs load most of the time at 5 mph. 9620R JD pulling K-tec 1233

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What is your cost per cu. yard on that set-up?

ShaneK said:

What is your cost per cu. yard on that set-up?

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How far is the haul? Big difference between 500' and 1500' haul. Around here, I've heard the rule of thumb with tractor/pan combo is one pan per 1000' of haul. Over 3000', you need trucks.