$ per hour

[atgreene]

Good question Lance, welcome to HEF and remember, we all (or most of us) started where you are now.

I don't know about CA, but in Maine you do not need a license but you definitely need insurance. No matter what you do, make sure your fully covered should someone get hurt or you do damage to someoens property. Here in Maine it's called an Inland-Marine policy. It covers everything under the sun for excavation. If your only doing landscaping you may get away with a landscaping policy for minor earthwork but may technichally not cover you for digging for things like septic systems and foundations.

(on edit) As far as pricing, see what others are charging, even better, work closely with someone you trust who will sub you in so you can get some work to get started. Until you build up a customer base and reputation you may end up with some jobs that are in less demand ( a nice way of saying you'll get all the nut cases who want some earthwork done that noone else will work for) but thats the cost of starting-up.

Good luck.

 

[rino1494]

Some townships require a contractors license to work within the township. One township we did work in also sends you a letter each year and you have to pay them .1% of the money that you grossed in that township each year.

 

[Orchard Ex]

Lance, I'm not in CA, but in where I am in MD you do need a license to do that type of work. For anything such as grading a driveway, pulling stumps, landscaping putting in a fence at a residence you need a MD home improvement commission license. If we are strictly working commercial or new home construction we need a "contractors license". As always YMMV...
Good luck

 

[dayexco]

make sure you have XCU insurance...stands for explosion, collapse, underground....many jobsites won't allow you on them without it

 

[tylermckee]

$110 an hour on excavator 140 and 160 size machines
$90 an hour for tandem axle truck

 

[NWH]

N W H

The rates sure sound good everywhere else.
$75 per hour for a 120 size excavator ,$60-65 per hour for 450 - 550
dozer and $ 55 per hour four a 14ft class backhoe ! The great state
of Louisiana.

 

[Dwan Hall]

The rates sure sound good everywhere else.
$75 per hour for a 120 size excavator ,$60-65 per hour for 450 - 550
dozer and $ 55 per hour four a 14ft class backhoe ! The great state
of Louisiana.

$55/hr for a 14' backhoe? does the operator get paid?



Dwan

 

[atgreene]

I cherge $ 85.00 per hour to bushhog with my 6' bushhog on a 55 horse Kubota, I can't imagine working a backhoe for those peanuts. How do you pay insurance and fuel?

 

[murray83]

those aren't so bad,rates around here are just as bad

$50/hr for a tandem dump
$75/hr for a dump trailer
$50-60/hr for backhoes
$45-60/hr for dozers D3-D6 sizes
$50/hr for mini excavators
$100-120/hr for a 200 size excavator

and a local guy last i herd was charging $65/hr for his sweeper

 

[mflah87]

I just got 2 jobs for my Komatsu PC-09 (2100lb excavator) both at $100 per hour trenching for an electrician. I usually get $50 per hour for travel(GMC 3500 w/16" trailer). I get $50 an hour for my New Holland LS120 skid loader(1850lbs)

I bet you make more money with that little machine than we do with a bigger machine due to the demand of it. I rented a few from united rentals to do jobs, and thought about buying my own and sending it out with an operator when i had no work for it based on the amount of money i could get for it.

 

[mtb345]

mini ex

:ban i like to work with home owners because you get paid at the end of the day or the is going back in the hole

 

[digdeeper]

$75/hr an hour sounds good for a mini excavator, we are getting only 125.00 for our cat 320. Here is our other price's
D4 dozer 60/hr
Back hoe 60/hr
dumb truck 75/hr
D7H dozer 125-150hr
D8K 200/hr
75 hp tractor with side mount 5foot bush hog 125/mile
140 cat motor grader 75/hr
We do very little work by the hour, we can make alot more money by bidding it out. Everybody and there brother has a dozer and backhoe here in alabama so the market on that kind work is tight

 

[haF.AST]

updated rates

I did a little changing for the 08 season and have been averaging $100-125 for the excavator, $75 -$100 for the skid steer and $60 for the dump. Never worked less than a 40 hour week this year...most were over 60 hours! Can't be too high, I still have work lined up and the weather is starting to crap on me

 

[nedly05]

$75/hr an hour sounds good for a mini excavator, we are getting only 125.00 for our cat 320. Here is our other price's
D4 dozer 60/hr
Back hoe 60/hr
dumb truck 75/hr
D7H dozer 125-150hr
D8K 200/hr
75 hp tractor with side mount 5foot bush hog 125/mile
140 cat motor grader 75/hr
We do very little work by the hour, we can make alot more money by bidding it out. Everybody and there brother has a dozer and backhoe here in alabama so the market on that kind work is tight

He must not like his dump truck, he thinks its dumb:beatsme

 

[BIGDAN315]

Dawn I love those numbers!! I wish we could get that here is central New York. Very competitive and about 200 excavators in the phone book. The going rate is about $100 per hour for finish dozer the same for 60-120 excavator and $75 for mini and skid steers. Dump truck $65 for single and $75for tri axle. MOB is around $150 each way. I try and quote the job not the hour and try work towards getting it done faster. We have to quote about 10 jobs to get 2-3 of them. Always someone cheaper. All this holds true for residential. Commercial is whole different story. Site work is much better IMO and takes months instead of days. Bigger money, longer to get paid but can help your year allot. I would rather do 100k job for 2-3 months than chase around 20 $5000 jobs any day. The GC's you work for can kill you, I know this the hard way. Any of you other guys in the same boat? How many of you do site work compared to residential?

I also live in central NY. I am charging $ 65 for a 580 backhoe and 450 case dozer. same for my pc 40 excavator. I charge buy the load for my single axle s 1900 $ 75 for a single load plus materials down from there the more loads the better deal I give. Am I too low? I know the comp. is fierce with every one jumping on the band wagon. seems like every farmer around here has a machine and hires out. Not to mention the rental places that rent a machine for 200 a day. I mean ya got to do what you got to do to survive in this buis right? :Banghead

 

[jazak]

A good operator here with his own equipment is getting;

$100+ for a mini excavator / per hr.
$85+ for a skid steer / per hr.

Most of them also will charge travel time................

 

[GaryKelley]

That does it, I'm moving to Juneau, Alaska

 

[bobcat ron]

I'm charging $50 for the Hitachi 27, and $65 for the Cat 247, any attachments are an extra $10-40 per hour and mving it is $50-100 depending on kilometers/travel time.

 

[iron kid]

287 B CAT $75
185 NH $60
Dump truck $65
410 G deere $115
low boy $105
D5 $100
D7 $145
110 ex $115
200ex $145
270ex $165
Plate/man $45
60in roller $65
labor $35
hammer(200) $175
Small tractor $65
attachments $25-50
rock or pipe $ 25% mark up

 

[BrianHay]

Kaiser X4M TurboStar $***/hour. If we use any attachments other then the buckets and power tilt the price goes up from there.