What are your hourly rates?

[AzIron]

I'm worried they may be coming after me- just for reading this thread. I'm sure glad I didn't post my hourly rates. Now I can't be accused of colluding with 5 other guys on the internet, of controlling the dirt moving and equipment rates across the entire country. Someone would actually have to call my office to know what I charge. Can they arrest me for just thinking about fixing prices?

Now I wished I didn't post at all. If I delete it now, is that still criminal- because I committed the crime, then tried to cover up the event? Now I could be up for obstruction of justice and concealing evidence too .

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed.

Now you got me curious if only suckers are in the dirt business crane work seems like a good gentleman's job always clean no ground engaging tools to repair it's not like there are a lot of moving parts on a crane to fix the machine should never wear out

 

[Welder Dave]

This forum is free. Now I'm worried, is that considered price fixing?

 

[DMiller]

You guys CRACK Me UP!!!

 

[crane operator]

Now you got me curious if only suckers are in the dirt business crane work seems like a good gentleman's job always clean no ground engaging tools to repair it's not like there are a lot of moving parts on a crane to fix the machine should never wear out

And here I was thinking I needed to get in the rock breaking game. Sit in a cab with only two sticks. To move you just pick up the bucket and stabilizers and drive ahead. No more throwing wood and mats. Charge enough that I can have new backhoes every two years and warranty on them, instead of my "new" stuff being 20 years old. Machines are only $100,000 instead of 1.5 million.

Working all of 12' away right in front of your feet where you can see it all. Bid the work high and then work like a madman, and make some real $$$ instead of only charging by the hour. Get to sell/ add on some profit to every load of rock / gravel/ and dirt that leaves or comes to the jobsite. Even better, charge to remove material from one site, and charge someone else to deliver the same material to their site. WIN WIN.

I'm backhoe shopping in all my spare time.

 

[crane operator]

In other news, my rates just went up. I'm now $3,500/ hour. IF everyone else's expenses have gone up like mine due to the covid and the rioting, I'm guessing that we all need a rate increase like this. I'm not saying that everyone needs to agree what new rates need to be, but I'm sure that everyone sees my point that we are in uncharted territory and something must be done.

 

[CM1995]

And here I was thinking I needed to get in the rock breaking game. Sit in a cab with only two sticks. To move you just pick up the bucket and stabilizers and drive ahead. No more throwing wood and mats. Charge enough that I can have new backhoes every two years and warranty on them, instead of my "new" stuff being 20 years old. Machines are only $100,000 instead of 1.5 million.

Working all of 12' away right in front of your feet where you can see it all. Bid the work high and then work like a madman, and make some real $$$ instead of only charging by the hour. Get to sell/ add on some profit to every load of rock / gravel/ and dirt that leaves or comes to the jobsite. Even better, charge to remove material from one site, and charge someone else to deliver the same material to their site. WIN WIN.

I'm backhoe shopping in all my spare time.

You need to skip the backhoe and go to an 80K LB hoe and hammer in order to get into the real money.

Hammers hardly ever break down and there is not a lot of maintenance involved either. It's pretty much a license to steal.

BTW - Who's selling new backhoes with a hammer for $100K? I'll take one.

 

[crane operator]

You need to skip the backhoe and go to an 80K LB hoe and hammer in order to get into the real money.

Hammers hardly ever break down and there is not a lot of maintenance involved either. It's pretty much a license to steal.

BTW - Who's selling new backhoes with a hammer for $100K? I'll take one.

See- I knew someone would understand. I mean- you dirt working guys- your bucket or hammer is actually ATTACHED to the end of the boom of the machine. With pins. Not on the end of a 200' string. How can you go wrong?

 

[AzIron]

You need to skip the backhoe and go to an 80K LB hoe and hammer in order to get into the real money.

Hammers hardly ever break down and there is not a lot of maintenance involved either. It's pretty much a license to steal.

BTW - Who's selling new backhoes with a hammer for $100K? I'll take one.

I dis agree hammers always break down that's how I justify my 300 grand service pickup

True tho hammers make some good money when they are well handed but you put a cowboy on them and you will have a boat anchor in 15 minutes

And also 80k lbs are for suckers I should get my 750 lbs hammer out again on the regular that thing made more money than any hammer I have ever owned it wont break any rock but man it sounds like it's doing something as long as the customer thinks I am raping them to begin with I might as well not make him a liar lol

Now if i could figure out how to get paid for all of everybody else's stuff i have to move on a job i would make some money

 

[f311fr1]

The last hammer I rented cost me $4k to replace the broken bit. Sunbelt sells an additional insurance policy for the hammer for damage. When I rent from them i always take it. My personal 1k lb hammer is waiting in line for repair now. $2k in parts and probably the same in labor. But I still use them.

 

[CM1995]

I dis agree hammers always break down that's how I justify my 300 grand service pickup

Good point! I do have my eye on a 2021 F350 Platinum Tremor 6.7...

 

[Norwegian Steam]

in socal we're lucky to have a few different operated rental companies.

120 for a skip loader
135 for a backhoe
225 for a 350 class excavator
250 for a blade

mob fees and minimum hours apply, extras like hammers and rollers and GPS are extra. and those rates get much much higher if its on a prevailing wage job.