# Price per Hour?



## schuitb (Nov 19, 2005)

tymusicI've read alot of posts in this and other forums and now confussed at what price to charge. 

I live in Hamilton (Waterdown) Ontario canada. Most of the per hour rates i see on plowsite are in U.S. $. Costs to do business up here are higher than in the U.S. so i should charge higher right? I currently try to charge between 125-150 per hour. 

I stopped and talked to two other plow guys in the area and they only charge $80.00 per hour.. I told them i charge 150 and they said show me where! 

This seems to be the first real winter in a couple years so I will now have something to judge by.. eg. income vs. expenses and what is left for profit. Half of my accounts are per plow and half are contract. 

So i guess what i'm asking is, do Canadian plowers charge more per hour than our U.S. friends? Or am i in a town were everyone and anyone with a pickup puts on a plow for beer money? (not that i blame them we got good beer!)

Thanks,


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## Lynden-Jeff (May 21, 2006)

I know guys that get anywhere from $80 to $150 for an entire rig, so your in the ballpark. Personally I do nothing that isn't on contract, except for the off cash jobber residential. After this winter, contract prices will finally start to go up again


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## doh (Sep 23, 2003)

I lost a Municiple contract this year @ $55/h for a truck with an 8' plow.

Winning bidder bid the same per hour with a Bi Directional and 12' blade

I realize I live in a less populated (but snowier) part of Ontario.


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## pusher21 (Dec 17, 2007)

I would also like to see the hourly rates that people are charging


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

Most Guys Who Are Low On Their Hourly Rates Pad Their Hrs To Make Up For It. I Dont Bid Hourly Except For Post Storm Clean Up.and I Charge $75 An Hr For That It May Seem Low But This Is The Gravy Work And I Recover My Overhead On The Initial Snow Removal I Typacally Make $250 Hr On Per Bid Plowing


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm starting out this year charging for plowing. I've been doing our own lots for years. But pricing is new to me. I was trying to bid all my drives so I could be getting about $125 an hour. If nothing goes wrong, I average $187 an hour. So I guess I bid correct. Now I just need to fuiger out how to bid seasonal contracts.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

We make around $120-$140 an hr.

We do not work by the Hr.
There is no incentive and it does not reward a proficient plower or someone with the right equipment.

WE charge by the lot/drive not by the hr.
If we bid a lot at $100 it does not matter if it takes us an 1hr or 1/2 hr it pays the same $100

You pay employees by the hr..


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## tkrepairs (Nov 28, 2007)

4x4 pickup w/8' straight blade no spreader gets $90 per hour for me. 
another guy around here charges $75 per hour.


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## Brant'sLawnCare (Jun 29, 2007)

This is my first year. I do just residentials, and I average around $100 an hour, give or take a little. The first day I plowed, I only made between $40-60/hr. I was worried that I didn't bid them high enough. But it turned out that our first storm was one of the heaviest in our areas history, so I guess I wasn't too far off. Next year, I hope to have another truck and a sub with a skid steere for doing commercial, and I hope to be making at least $125/hr with the truck, and $155/hr for the skid steere. But we will see what happens. I'd be plenty happy if I made around $100/hr with that equipment, but it doesn't hurt to try and get more. Good luck to you.


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

Hey brant, how did you come up with the $155 figure for the skidloader? I run three skidloaders and they make a lot more buy clearing snow by the push not hr.
Also, nobody in S/E Wisconsin barely pays above $70/80 per hr. for a skidloader.
If you know somebody paying $155. let me know who.
Thanks


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## Brant'sLawnCare (Jun 29, 2007)

blowerman;475451 said:


> Hey brant, how did you come up with the $155 figure for the skidloader? I run three skidloaders and they make a lot more buy clearing snow by the push not hr.
> Also, nobody in S/E Wisconsin barely pays above $70/80 per hr. for a skidloader.
> If you know somebody paying $155. let me know who.
> Thanks


I came up with that by figuring out the average prices per hour for skids on here. Most guys seem to get at least $125 an hour. I figure $155 because I'd probably have to pay the sub at least $80 an hr. I guess that I may be a little bit high. I don't know of any one specifically, but there are some companies around here that I'm sure get close to that, like Braun trucking in Kewaskum, and Lamscapes in Jackson. I must have confused you, because I didn't mean that I would tell any of my customers how much the hourly rate is, I would definitely charge per push. But I like to have that hourly "idea" in my head when I'm bidding. Know what I mean?


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

For the companies you named (yes, I do know them) just call and ask if they sub out work. If they do, what's the pay. Never hurts to ask. I believe down here in Milwaukee area the average is about $70/80 an hour. I have one sub that I pay a percentage for the project to clear with his LS190. His times have given him about $100. per hr. Considering how good he is, I'll pay that without a problem.
We use blowers on the other two skidloaders, wheelloaders, then truck plows. Per a push in a tight working route, just a money making combo.


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## doh (Sep 23, 2003)

Wow, have I every been screwed then, a 12' Bi Directional for the same $$$'s as an 8" truck.

I will have to go back at a "Max Hrs per event" price next year.

I have watched the lot and the municpality has been having to do an 1/8th of what I used to do.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

It's hard to find good subs for less then $80/hour and I'm not far from Waterdown. Are you sure those guys aren't subbing.


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## Brant'sLawnCare (Jun 29, 2007)

blowerman;475546 said:


> For the companies you named (yes, I do know them) just call and ask if they sub out work. If they do, what's the pay. Never hurts to ask. I believe down here in Milwaukee area the average is about $70/80 an hour. I have one sub that I pay a percentage for the project to clear with his LS190. His times have given him about $100. per hr. Considering how good he is, I'll pay that without a problem.
> We use blowers on the other two skidloaders, wheelloaders, then truck plows. Per a push in a tight working route, just a money making combo.


That's good advice. I'm planning on calling Braun Trucking because they sub out a ton of stuff, but I've heard Lamb is a jerk. We'll see what happens next year. I agree $100/hr is definitely worth paying if someone is doing a good job. Pay your good workers good, and they'll keep working good. How many accounts and what kind do you have?


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

I clear just under 400 condo units. Most are ranch style, the reason for the 2 blowers. Also have 10 larger commercial/large church properties. If that explains why I run the L70 & L35 Volvos. For some unknown reason, I still plow 20 residential homes when all else is done. Sounds like overkill, but the L35 worked great on that first snow this season when assisting with the condos. That stuff was like wet cement.
Can't say I'm a big fan of Lamm..


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## jrush (Dec 28, 2007)

If your getting work charging $125-150 an hour great! You should be! Let the other guys work their a*sses off for $80-- Just think how much more they have to do to make the same amount of $ It seems the prices for plowing are all over the place, due to so many people with plows that will do it for next to nothing.(and of course your area) I read alot of posts and threads on this site, talk with other local co's (obviously take that for what it's worth) but most of all, whats most important to my company is what I can get. Yup, I do think my prices are high. But guess what-people pay it. And thats the clientel I want, because they hire me for all their landscaping needs. payup


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## Brant'sLawnCare (Jun 29, 2007)

blowerman;475952 said:


> I clear just under 400 condo units. Most are ranch style, the reason for the 2 blowers. Also have 10 larger commercial/large church properties. If that explains why I run the L70 & L35 Volvos. For some unknown reason, I still plow 20 residential homes when all else is done. Sounds like overkill, but the L35 worked great on that first snow this season when assisting with the condos. That stuff was like wet cement.
> Can't say I'm a big fan of Lamm..


That's a ton of accounts! You probably do those 20 houses because they are an easy couple hundred bucks you do them each time. I only have 12 residentials, but it's my first year plowing. And 8 of those are all thanks to Scott's Landscape, he's an old boss of mine, and he's been helping me out a ton starting out my business. Scott doesn't like Lamm either. I agree that first snow was the worst ever. It took us 30-40 minutes at each house the first storm, and it normally takes us at the most 20 at each. I'm glad we haven't had any other storms like that again.


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## Brant'sLawnCare (Jun 29, 2007)

jrush;475968 said:


> If your getting work charging $125-150 an hour great! You should be! Let the other guys work their a*sses off for $80-- Just think how much more they have to do to make the same amount of $ It seems the prices for plowing are all over the place, due to so many people with plows that will do it for next to nothing.(and of course your area) I read alot of posts and threads on this site, talk with other local co's (obviously take that for what it's worth) but most of all, whats most important to my company is what I can get. Yup, I do think my prices are high. But guess what-people pay it. And thats the clientel I want, because they hire me for all their landscaping needs. payup


People pay you for doing a good job! That's why I'm going to try charging that much. We do a good job, and we should be payed for it. And like you said, those are the customers you want.


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## ff1221 (Feb 17, 2008)

*Pricing in midwestern Ontario*



schuitb;464719 said:


> tymusicI've read alot of posts in this and other forums and now confussed at what price to charge.
> 
> I live in Hamilton (Waterdown) Ontario canada. Most of the per hour rates i see on plowsite are in U.S. $. Costs to do business up here are higher than in the U.S. so i should charge higher right? I currently try to charge between 125-150 per hour.
> 
> ...


Up here the average guy is charging $60.00 an hour for a plow truck, and I charge $80.00 an hour for my tractor and blower for additional work on parking lots. My driveways are on a seasonal contract, $400.00 for the season prepaid, so if you want to shovel it go ahead. We have a 3" minimum and average 25 clearings per season. I have 75 driveways, which take about 5 hrs to do, so if you figure out the hourly rate, it's pretty good, around $240.00 per hour. These prices might seem a little low, but there is always some jack*** who is going to do driveways for $350.00 per season. It's a small town with a lot of competition, but I think we do alright.


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## Stone Mountain (Dec 31, 2006)

I pay $60-75/hr to a sub depending on the age and blade.
I charge about $90, although all my contracts are fixed. The $90 is for extra work.


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