# I got charged by the acre to hay my fields not by the bale or ton



## Camelot (Jul 5, 2014)

Hello all.Getting charged by the acre ????? instead of a bale or ton .I was shocked to get my bill .It explains why the field was poorly cut.He even admit s his blade was dull and missed many spots that I could of got more bales. I got charged 400.00 for 4 acres I have 3 acres and got 90 65 lb bales. This his new business and I don't think it will last by treating and scaming people from Craigslist .Because they are desperate .Has anyone heard of this before?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

What was the agreement going into the deal? If you only have 3 acres and he charged for 4 then that needs to be addressed with the person.

Most have gone to charging by the acre. It cost the same to cut rake and bale if it produces a half ton per acre or 5 tons per acre. Charging by the bale costs the operator money if the yield is not good.

If my math is correct you paid 136.75 per ton to have your hay baled. That is steep for my area.

On the flip side, he had to dedicate one day to cutting (getting his equipment to your place etc), another day to rake and bale. Basically be is charging $200 per day to own, transport and operate his equipment. I know it did not take all day to cut or rake and bale 3 or 4 acres. It did take time to get everything lined up to get the job done.

This is one reason why it is cheaper to buy hay from someone who is baling larger acreage. They are much more efficient and can make many more tons of hay per day than having to set up for 3 or 4 acres.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I replied to your second post roughly what Tim/ South said in this one.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

On such a small job, you're lucky you weren't charged hourly. Per acre is a perfectly acceptable and fair way to do business. Tim's point about what the operator is making per day is an excellent one.


----------



## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Sounds fare to me for such a small place. He could have spent the day at a larger field and made 2000.00$. But he chose to do yours.


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I won't do these job's anymore that you loose $$$ on especially if they don't give you a bigger job to average things out.

Yea I'll go help a neighbor that broke down but the guy that wants you to drive 15 miles to bale 3 bales can find someone else.In most cases he has a neighbor much closer that won't do it either.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I've all but quit doing custom work.

Rough fields that are like a washboard, tree lines that aren't trimmed, ground hog or tile holes, the chunk of firewood that fell off the pickup during the winter, and rocks are just a few reasons it isn't worth my time to mess with it.


----------

