Contracting On The Side

TheClubMan

Well folks,

My father just purchased a 100 hp tractor and was looking into doing some contacting work as well as farming. What machine/jobs do you reckon would offer the best return for a one man operation? I was thinking maybe hedge cutting or zero grazing considering there's a lot of dairy farmers around us? Maybe something smaller like a power washing service with a pto driven machine or purchase a silage trailer and hire his machine and labour out during the summer? Grass stitching, aerating etc. Preferably a service he could offer year round.

Any ideas welcome.

Thanks.

davidk1394

TheClubMan wrote: »

Well folks,

My father just purchased a 100 hp tractor and was looking into doing some contacting work as well as farming. What machine/jobs do you reckon would offer the best return for a one man operation? I was thinking maybe hedge cutting or zero grazing considering there's a lot of dairy farmers around us? Maybe something smaller like a power washing service with a pto driven machine or purchase a silage trailer and hire his machine and labour out during the summer? Grass stitching, aerating etc. Preferably a service he could offer year round.

Any ideas welcome.

Thanks.

Tedding and raking are the easiest jobs on a tractor. You cover a lot of ground with a small amount of diesel. Good work in zero grazing but its 7 days a week

maidhc

TheClubMan wrote: »

Well folks,

My father just purchased a 100 hp tractor and was looking into doing some contacting work as well as farming. What machine/jobs do you reckon would offer the best return for a one man operation? I was thinking maybe hedge cutting or zero grazing considering there's a lot of dairy farmers around us? Maybe something smaller like a power washing service with a pto driven machine or purchase a silage trailer and hire his machine and labour out during the summer? Grass stitching, aerating etc. Preferably a service he could offer year round.

Any ideas welcome.

Thanks.

A 100hp tractor is slightly smaller than the average ride on lawnmower these days from what I can see, and even if you have a tractor you are spending another 40k on implements to go contracting.

Delivering Pizzas will probably yield more money in the bank at the end of the year.

Suckler

maidhc wrote: »

A 100hp tractor is slightly smaller than the average ride on lawnmower these days from what I can see, and even if you have a tractor you are spending another 40k on implements to go contracting.

Delivering Pizzas will probably yield more money in the bank at the end of the year.

Plus the added servicing/parts and wear & tear on the tractor

kerryjack

there is a lad down our way delivering small loads of gravel,chips and topsoil he not too far from Quarry, he has a nice tidy little rig, just an idea.

bogman_bass

If you are going down that route then probably best to do the crappy jobs that others won’t do. Power washing is a good one. You’ll earn your money though. Get a jetting hose for it that you can clean drains

Muckit

kerryjack wrote: »

there is a lad down our way delivering small loads of gravel,chips and topsoil he not too far from Quarry, he has a nice tidy little rig, just an idea.

Yes catering to the townies for small jobs if ye are near a fairly big town is the way to go. Power washing, cleaning gutters. Cutting lawns and hedges and removing the green waste.
Small load a gravel here, load of bark chips there. Turf etc.



Your tractor coupled with a 10x6 max sized trailer (for manoeuvring into tight yards) will earn you more than coupled to any other piece of farm machinery.

I would stick to hiring cherrypicker, powerwasher etc as excellent value in hiring especially if u group work together.

If u got a good name you wouldn't b able keep the work done.

Say my name

He'll need a thick neck on him too for collecting money.

Doing the job is the easy bit. It's the filling out the invoice and collecting is the hard bit.

visatorro

Fert spreading with gps. Handy on diesel.

I'd say the power washing would earn a few euro but you'd want to be well set up.

I think 100hp is too light for hedge cutters to go contracting with.

Develope relation ship with farmers maybe you'll hire man and tractor into them maybe. Plenty of ways to make money.

blue5000

maidhc wrote: »

A 100hp tractor is slightly smaller than the average ride on lawnmower these days from what I can see, and even if you have a tractor you are spending another 40k on implements to go contracting.

Delivering Pizzas will probably yield more money in the bank at the end of the year.

I think you could add another zero there, new slurry tank these days is 45k, I know another lad who spent 40k on a hedgecutter.

Have a look at Reggie's posts and you'll get an idea what's possible.

Slurry spreading and hedge cutting would dovetail well together, slurry period closed while hedgecutting is allowed.

K.G.

If it was me id start with bale moving.maybe a double and 1 on the loader and a 8 bale trailer.loads lads are getting up of drawing the f##kers.might be abit of work during winter with it as well

enricoh

kerryjack wrote: »

there is a lad down our way delivering small loads of gravel,chips and topsoil he not too far from Quarry, he has a nice tidy little rig, just an idea.

This one^ was working at a house last year n yer man was getting screened topsoil delivered for his raised beds. E300 iirc for 4 tons.
He thought it was great value, who was i to argue!!
Im sure u'd pick up a second hand 10 ton dump trailer for 5k and away you go.

kk.man

Remember you will get the dregs and the serious farmer will not change contractors too easy.

Birdnuts

This budget will have tightened margins further on the fuel front too:(

davidk1394

enricoh wrote: »

This one^ was working at a house last year n yer man was getting screened topsoil delivered for his raised beds. E300 iirc for 4 tons.
He thought it was great value, who was i to argue!!
Im sure u'd pick up a second hand 10 ton dump trailer for 5k and away you go.

How would a person get into that kind of work ? I'm after picking up a few handy jobs cutting garden hedges with the hedge cutter

enricoh

davidk1394 wrote: »

How would a person get into that kind of work ? I'm after picking up a few handy jobs cutting garden hedges with the hedge cutter

Facebook or better yet a website. Give some teenager e100 and he'd do u one! 50 quid a year to host it. Pay for itself the first week
Mainly cash into the paw, no traipsing round months later begging to get paid. Less stressful!

davidk1394

enricoh wrote: »

Facebook or better yet a website. Give some teenager e100 and he'd do u one! 50 quid a year to host it. Pay for itself the first week
Mainly cash into the paw, no traipsing round months later begging to get paid. Less stressful!

Very true. Like getting blood out of a stone sometimes

twin_beacon

davidk1394 wrote: »

Tedding and raking are the easiest jobs on a tractor.

Also, gathering bales, fert spreading, spraying and topping. All jobs farmers can actually do themselves, however, they are time consuming.

davidk1394

twin_beacon wrote: »

Also, gathering bales, fert spreading, spraying and topping. All jobs farmers can actually do themselves, however, they are time consuming.

Wouldn't be fond of moving bales, tough on the clutch

Iodine1

Post-driver and do a bit of fencing perhaps? All year round and maybe work the hours that suit you?