GET RICH! or FUN WAY TO GO BROKE? Tilling Gardens with Subcompact Tractor!
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2022
- Tilling gardens with a subcompact tractor seems like a great side business until you realize how much it costs the tractor owner. Tractor Time with Tim loves to till especially in tight spaces like suburban homes but he doesn't make money at it.
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I am an electrician by trade , but last 35 years had office job with a utility company. I look back at some of my most satisfying times where I would help a friend or church member by crawling in attack to install a ceiling fan or wire a basement for a couple rooms and barely charging anything. I was able to see folks in their living space and really know them better and see goodness in people.This was payment for me.
Now I am too old to do these things, but wouldn’t change having had this experience.
Keep up the Great videos Tim and Christy!
I've tilled several gardens this year and haven't charged a dime. But I've received a boat load of plants, and a couple bags of mushrooms. 😁
What kind of mushrooms? ;)
@@Morpheen999 Sadly, no magic shrooms, only editable. LOL
Now, that is a motivation for me to get one.
Sometime making money isn’t always what life’s about. I get more satisfaction making someone else happy with the work I do that they can’t do. I guess it’s a proud thing I have. Good job Tim .
Great job like always Tim! I always enjoy your commentary and your realistic, yet kind approach doing something your passionate about - the title of the video says it all!
glad any of you fellas out there help make it happen and thankful that you are in a position that would allow to give back in professional endeavors.
Great video, I have a ls my125 and I started a landscaping/mowing operation last year and your right these tractors are awesome no matter what paint you have, it sounds wired but I enjoy doing it and I still work a regular job until the business cash flows. Been watching your channel and others for years, that's why I started, use to dairy farm but family issues made me retire from it, this is a great second.👍
Hey Tim I got a 1026r with a 655 tiller and do about 40 gardens each spring and do them on a route. It pays just fine!
There’s a lot of sound philosophy in your dad’s proverb. There’s more reward to doing some things than the obvious. I treasure my dad’s words of wisdom over the years. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Another good informative video as as always. I've always been using a rear tine walk behind tiller with dual direction tines, but i have recently purchased a 1992 john deere 322 diesel engine garden tractor with a series 30 hydraulic tiller. Been fixing it up to use. Can't wait to start using it. 30 years old and can still get all the parts for it. Nothing like a deere.
Got a 92 332 about a month ago with a bucket and three point. Looking for the tiller! Love the 332. Have a 318 as well (now going to sell) 332 is so much quieter and way more grunt. Love the deer! Enjoy!
Great video again Tim! I can see why you enjoy tilling. It sure seems fun and job satisfaction is clearly evident. Happy Mothers Day Christy!!
I'm guessing the video will make more than this job!! Tilling is fun and satisfying....we do about 12 acres each year with a 5' tiller. Actually dusted off the disc harrow yesterday that hadn't been used in a couple years! Good vid, Tim.
Thanks for the video Tim ! I use a single point ripper/subsoiler to loosen the ground and break up a little hard pan ( as much as
My 2038R will let me ) . After that a few passes with a tiller , then I use a 48” black plastic mulch and drip tape layer to lay out my rows.
Sunflowers work great to bust up the hard pan with their deep tap roots. I rotate them every year. Plus the birds love rhem.
Urban garden you are in good shape with the soil. My property was once a Saw Mill. It moved out 50 years ago. Ground is wild and is covered in good grass. If I dig deep and keep that soil there, all sorts of weed show up as deep sleep seed is brought to the top and away we go. Best is to till deep - scoop out and put in planting soil. Have to be cautious, it can trap you in a year or two - after the garden is gone and back to grass - drive over and fall into a hole ! The soft soil creates a bathtub effect.
Making money tilling gardens is all situational. Where I live in a rural area several people raise gardens. I drive the tractor to almost all tilling jobs and try to schedule in several along the route I’m going. It proves out good that way. I have one tractor to keep the tiller on during the spring so I can just hop on and go. I’m really impressed with that tiller your using, it does good.
Tilling is more therapeutic than any. Ive worked in the factory for 35 yr, tilling gardens for 40. Started with an old bolens tiller, moved to a troybuilt, now a 5' king kutter. I can tell you that i made a heck of a lot more money working overtime than an entire day of tilling. Like you, I enjoy it. If i break even, thats good enough for me. Ive been blessed with the ability to obtain equipment over the years so i try and pass the blessing to the neighbors. Ive also have it set up to do everyones in 2 days. I go house to house in a circle to keep from having to load and unload. After that, it cost more. Id like to have a small unit like yours, but i dont have that many small, confined plots that this one. Most i drive in and drive out.
I just did one this morning 15 miles away, quoted 250 as he said it was half acre, 5ft tiller, 38hp tractor. I ended up charging 150, took 45 minutes, going over it twice as it was fresh ground. Was little under half acre. I'm quite new to quoting fairly. Rental locally is 450/day for this size tractor and tiller plus 175 for them to deliver and pick up.
I love that slow forward speed gear that allows complete tilling of soil!
Doing a favor for a local food grower may pay dividends beyond cash, as this world spirals into a food crisis. I'd say you done great for yourself and him both 👍🏼
Put one in that size for my cousin (free for family) and the neighbor wanted one to. I felt bad charging him $40 for the 15 minutes of work, but now not so much. Thanks Tim.
How much would they have paid to rent one. I charge 75-100 for a typical garden, I figure that it's the same price for a rental unit and a bit of fuel, but they get the operator and don't have to clean up the unit or pick it up/drop it off. Many customers don't even have a truck or trailer to get one with.
Besides value of the product is determined by the client not us, if they are willing to pay us and they are happy with the work it's a win win.
Have a blessed day.
I have a 89 John deere diesel great only a woman could understand the outdoors and the fresh air blowing her hair. Then the hubby had to go get a zero turn wow . We keep up 5 of 8 acres right now. I love your attachments . SC LOVES YOUR CHANNEL GOD BLESS BE SAFE.
Great video Tim. Really captured the catch 22 on tilling. What I’ve decided this year is to stick to my $150 minimum for tilling jobs for the most part. It’s high for the customer like you said, and I am transparent with them on why. I still get tilling jobs, and the customers are always very happy with the results. Of course I do break my own policy from time to time if I get into good conversation and feel like the person has a genuine need and doesn’t have the funds and I have an open morning. I’ve also found that a well tilled garden is good advertising for other tractor work that is more profitable. I’m hoping after a few years that I’ll be able to start bundling tilling jobs and knocking out a few in the same day. Once you’re able to do that, you can turn a $100 3 hour day into a $300 or $400 4 or 5 hour day and actually have a little profit as a result. Regardless I do enjoy it as you do, and the exposure and reputation building makes it worth having a place in the portfolio if you ask me.
Perhaps turning the customer into an "agent" for you might be a good idea? Tell the customer to canvass the neighborhood & find others within easy driving distance of them to form a "co-op' & give them a group discount. I've thought about doing that, yet in these litigious times, I hesitate to do much without some form of written agreement to idemnify myself for hitting "unseen" objects, like utilities, Jimmy Hoffa.....etc. Also if I'm not mistaken most, if not all States, have a "Call before you dig 811 service" that's free of charge & a MUST to keep from possibly paying large fines/fees to fix/restore service(s) of utilities & pipeline operators. When I put in my fence, I called them because there's a major telephone line that runs close to the front of my property. We had to hand dig a number of post-holes that were too close to auger with the tractor, but I didn't have to pay thousands of dollars to get it fixed like a gentleman up the road from me did. He DIDN'T call. God bless & stay safe!
What state you in
@@richardbrousseau4855 SC
I recently dug a garden by hand. If people knew how much work it is, they’d gladly pay 300+ for even a small garden. I know I would’ve gladly paid someone $500.00 to do mine
I want a little 48in tiller so bad! End product looks sooo good!! Keep forgetting you got 38hp!! Running it beautifully! Great video as always! ❤️👍
"Yeah Baby!!" I dig your Austin Powers imitation when turning your tractor between the tree an the fence! Groovy!
Fun job and video Tim. I admire how you keep going over the ground to get it as good as you can.
Seems like the way to turn a profit and also be a reasonable price for the client is to line up a bunch of clients on the same day so you minimize time for mobilization and demobilization and hopefully you can map them out on a fuel efficient route. That doesn't always work of course.
People talk about back to eden gardening and zero dig but freshly turned soil looks and smells so beautiful.
I live in an affluent area here in western Chicago burbs, I advertise to doing custom tilling (JD3320 + Frontier RT3062 (AHW)) and I don't get many calls, and there are a lot of folks around here with 2-5 acre property. Oh well, like you say I do it more for fun than for profit, completely agree on that! Unless I do a horse arena, then those pay more full price .....Have a blessed day 😃
Absolutely one of my favorites! I'm a fan of tilling because of content like this!
Enjoyed your video on tilling for satisfaction vs profit. I had a similar scenario with a friend and driving 25mins with a 5ft tiller only to till up a section that was literally less than 2 passes wide by maybe 20ft long. I couldn't see charging more than $40 but he gave me $60 every time which I was grateful for since it still took up to 2hrs for start to finish job. The job itself didn't take more than 15mins and made 4 passes where I too ran into the tree situation but luckily he had a farm field right next to his property I could traverse that to get there. Anyhow, you mentioned all the costs involved like fuel, wear and tear on tractor, trailer and your time but I think you left out the clean up part especially if you get there and its too wet like I did too. Ideally the job should cover cleanup since you really don't know what is in the ground there and whether you could bring disease or other contaminants along for the ride to the next customer. Long story short, I eventually talked him into getting setup with raised beds would be easier to maintain and drain better. Sure I didn't have a repeat side job to do there but at $30/hr when done but I enjoyed tilling in most cases as its satisfying to turn some dirt with intent to grow food.
Now did anyone else have a flashback to "Austin powers stuck cart" when Tim was semi trapped by the tree? Google those 4 words for a nice chuckle!! I setup my own new garden and apple orchard the other day with fencing to keep deer out and glad I got a 455 now with 4ft tiller. But even that has limited turning in tight spaces. Looking forward to the next video.
I don't understand the idea of raised beds. That means you basically carry all the soil by hand and do everything from then on, by hand, from planting to harvesting to preparing the soil for next year. Plus you have to build the beds. You end up with very little square footage. If you have a drainage problem, fix that (consider hiring an engineer) once and for all, then farm efficiently with machines on the ground.
@@davidquinn9676 Well to keep this short and sweet, I think the best way to get you up to speed is for you to lookup the rusted garden on youtube. Gary goes in depth on it all. But I used to have bigger in ground gardens and found I have thee best results with 4x8 raised beds. Before the pandemic you could buy three 8ft long 2x10's for like $10 and cut one in half and screw together with 5" long const lags. Now you're in control of finer dirt compost or bagged miracle grow amendments. You can actually get away with 6 to 8 tomato plants with cages in a setup like this and out produce what was in a ground bed. You have way better drainage also and ground warms up sooner in spring. Every where I've been and moved to had some degree of wet or poor drainage especially during wet years and lose crops. So raised beds are the answer. Dirt is easier to work with seems like too and as you get older you don't have to bend over as much. Can keep adding levels higher if you wanted until waist high or just build one up off the ground. Oh yeah, if you have a tractor and bucket, you simply fill with 2 to 4 scoops of quality delivered and screened black dirt and mix in peat or other top notch bagged soil.
Great point Tim I charge less for larger gardens than I do small. I had to up my rates this year both for travel time and flat rate tilling.
I have to pull 46 miles and do this next weekend providing it's dry enough. It's for a brother in law so I'll go broke. lol The Lord has provided a means for me to do this so I can't complain. He needs bushes pulled, a waterline, landscape rake, and the tiller. We'll be fortunate to finish in two days. As I get older they time me with a calendar.
I took the skids off my King Kutter for first time this year and adjust the depth with the 3 point.
Great video, the only thing you lack is the attachment that I made for my tiller that will put garden rows in as you make the last pass tilling
Love watching you till gardens.
It is certainly fun and relaxing.
This was fun to watch. After your last video on comparing fwd vs reverse tillers, I've been itching to get a 4' Tiller for my 1025r. I don't even have a garden (yet) but tilling just seems so relaxing and fun. Lol
It is! …love the fresh tilled soil smell too!
Was thinking the same thing. Now, there is a new neighbor that moved into a lot that had been wasting. Maybe, I get to play/help him fix it.
That little cultivator reminds me of rototilling between nursery rows with a 10' on 12' rows; just a foot on each side of clearance! Also, I see that AHW decal.
Perhaps you could ask your client to canvas the neighbourhood and let them know when you will be there. Your service is unusual enough that some people will not even know that it is an option. I know the sound of my chainsaw and woodchipper in a neighbourhood would bring people from all around to make enquiries for trimming and chipping work. Love your videos (except for the chainsaw ones) :).
my friend has the same up now 30 years later he does well over 300 gardens. Makes great cash in the spring and fall
I've tilled about 12 gardens in the last week made about $750.
Well lets see, tractors, tillers, lots of work and no profit. Sounds right up my alley. :)
I've don't things for people and most of the time when they ask how much I say what's it worth to you. Sometimes I come out good , sometimes I barely pay for the fuel. Regardless I enjoy doing it!
I’ve been buying multiple tillage attachments in the last 18 months for my Toro 5xi garden tractors: two Agri Fab discs I’ll bolt together back to back, two 5xi tillers, a Brinly 1 bottom plow. I think I got it covered.
Tim, I do those with my 42 hp Kubota and 6' tiller. It is extremely difficult in those size gardens with my compact tractor. I take off the loader to get more room to move around. And I noticed you didn't do cross patch. Unless there wasn't room to do that. Well done and on to the next one.
Love the small tractor stuff…great project for sure.
Tilling is a good way to get in the door for when a larger project
I think the only way you could make some money is to have several of the jobs in the same area on the same day. Other than that, it is indeed tractor therapy time.
Use the Triclopyr 4 for those vines. That'll kill them, roots and all.
I would like to see a review on your trailer, thank you for posting this one.
Two years ago i had a 7ft tiller on my 4720 and my tow rig is a f450 with a 32ft trailer and ppl thought i was crazy asking $125-150 for tilling gardens i did two gardens that year both ppl were happy with the way it turned out. No profit it in the end and breaking even doesnt make it worth the time.
I have done some garden tilling. You are correct. Some of the places can be really tight! Like you said, there seem to be always surprises. A bunch of rocks is never a "fun" surprise. I think you are correct. Unless you are charging a ridiculously high price, you don't make money tilling gardens.
Tight spaces is why I bought a TYM T265, it has Turning brakes. No turning brakes on both the JD & Kubota was a deal breaker for me, I really need them on hill blocks.
That was definitely a tight area to till but it sure looks great now.
A cordless sawsall is excellent to deal with roots. I bring one when I stump grinde. Roots running under pavers or close to a fence can be a headache without it.
I like tilling alsoTim but bush hogging is my favorite. Another great video, thanks.
I saw those ratchet tie-downs you have on that trailer on a previous episode. Thanks to you Tim I bought some and added the chains as you did. Now its almost a pleasure to tie down my equipment every time. Surely saves time and aggravation over regular ratchet straps or boomers. Thanks Tim!
Oh yea, the cargo buckles are fantastic!
Agreed bought some as well and makes my tilling jobs even more enjoyable. Great product Tim!
Absolutely! I made up 6 with hooks and even bought a 2 pack of the smaller ones. I love them. I’ll even use them in combination with a 10’ chain for longer reach applications. One of the best things I’ve bought in the last year!
What episode are you talking about? did he do a review or something? Could you give me the link to said video?
(I did go check thumbnail pictures looking for the vid your alluding to, but.. I didn't know which one it was)
@@MRSketch09 czcams.com/video/epCMfIYWtqU/video.html
having just 'tilled' some garden areas without a tiller....i am so envious
That root reminds me of the roots that I removed from the garden I tilled years ago
Hey! Tim. God loves you!!
I know envy is a sin, but my word, the soil you have up there is unreal!
Tim, I have been down that road, tilling, mowing, leveling, etc. I found with the tilling, going over it several times makes it nice, but, it is so fine that over the summer with rains it packs tight like a road. Well, they have to get you back every spring.
Depends on soil type for sure.
Hey Tim: Good video. However you can make a profit from tilling. I’ve been doing tilling for 10 years and bring in 300-500 a day during the spring time. The key to profitability is not to do one at a time but do 3-5 gardens on a trip. Yes the first time you don’t make money, but if handled correctly you have a repeat customer for years. Then going forward you set up your tilling jobs to do many in the same area or at least on the same route.
On a side note for those starting out, if a new garden is being started, make sure you call for utilities check. Usually 811. In your case it was a previous garden so you know its clear.
I don’t think $300-$500 per day is profitable. There…I said it! Please watch our two pricing videos for a deeper explanation.
I’m 14 and I use my grandpas Massey 1429 with a loader tiller box blade and some other implements I’d like to do tilling hopefully I can work it out
I enjoy tilling as well, But I still need to make money if I'm going to load the equipment and go out..
Minimum charge + trucking + hourly rate if its a big garden..
I have ran a 3 point tiller but ya know, any seat time on a tractor is fun to me.
Excellent "Austin Powers" maneuver Tim! 👍🤠
I stick to my 125 in a 10 mile radius around my house. Then 150 outside that but usually never more then 35 miles. On the rare chance I do, it’s mileage plus 4 hour minimum
This was enjoyable to both watch and listen to. You do great job of commentating your content.
Thank you kindly!
It's a good thing you kept the roll bar on, wildman. I took mine off before I ever started the engine.
Be careful. I took my first one off, like you. After more experience with these subcompacts, I realize how tipsy they are. You can turn over, even on flat land.
Tim when I get in tight I jump the brake and turn like I would on an old farm tractor I hope it doesn't do damage on my compact because I forget sometimes to pop the transmission out of 4 wheel drive as I turn as tight as can be. Any thoughts ?
Tim I have an Italian made Agri I love it it goes very deep,it has c tines.
We till a bit differently Tim. I charge $40 and do a 30 mile radius (15 in either direction) and I am doing 5-6 gardens a day. Then there is fuel and my 01 Dodge ram gets 8.6 mpg towing the massey. I make three passes then I'm gone. Usually takes a half hour. I hate the ones that are an obstacle course! I have to use my loader for weight because I don't have weights but sometimes I am forced to remove it. But like you said I also just want to be on the Tractor doing some kind of work somewhere.
I have sub compact and decided to rent it out for tilling. I always thought I had a big enough trailer to haul it with the tiller attached but found out,, it barely fit on my trailer. lol,But it did fit. I tilled 1 customers garden last year.
Normally,,I use my tiller for my own garden ,,once a year and figured I need to do more with it. $1500 tiller used 1 hour once a year dont make sense.
Next year I will advertise my services.
Watching that John Deere work on the small garden reminds me of when you first brought johnny home to suburbia and tilled your garden in the back yard. Ah the good ole days. ha
Yep. Suburbia seems like Johnny’s home!
That was an awesome tilling time Tim
I charge 50 an hr and that needs to go up... starting to switch to by job instead of by hour... it's a fun way to go broke for me🤷♂️
The tiller looks a lot like a flail mower. Same brand and lots of similarities. Great video Tim.
Excellent content
What an amazing microphone to pick you up while running
Guess the algorithm brought me this one. I started landscaping part time taking over a Tilling business with front and rear tine craftsman tines. Going full time now with regular landscaping but my Tilling customers are consistently the nicest and most generous I have. Something about the garden people . This machine looks too expensive for me but beats the heck out of front tining a garden
Yep. Gardeners are ‘down to earth’ people! Welcome to our channel!
Probably cost you 40-50 bucks just in fuel at 6 dollars a gallon! But like you said, sometimes it's not always about the money
In Germany, we use an agria motorhacke for that and I think that is beautiful
80s I took 15 20 minutes to till my garden 50 × 30 12 inch deep...horse stable nearby I add a 2 yards of manure and tilled in...
I also do garden tilling South Central Missouri I have a joyful fashion hinomoto tractor I really like it
Perfect opportunity to use the left/right brakes!
Yep.
You should charge more. $300 for that vs 10 hours with a small hand tiller - fair deal
Would it be beneficial to run the tiller in different directions? In other words, instead of tilling back and forth one way would it be of any benefit to also run the tiller perpendicular to the way you were tilling in the video.
Johnny X didn't even grunt! Nice job Tim.
6:15 that’s where 4 wheel steer would come in handy, wouldn’t it?
Very cool !
I've never seen your videos before but I really like the style of this video. I also respect your passion in what you do. Your mentality regarding tilling jobs is refreshing. A nice change of pace from some of the self obsessed youtubers who try to squeeze the most money possible from their clients. You may not get rich financially from tilling but if you're making friends and doing what you love then you're rich in a different way.
As the saying goes; "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
Who knows how helping someone out today could turn around and reward you one day.
PS. Wow that tractor turns sharp! Nothing runs like a Deere!
And whats the reason behind those blue x's on the right side of the tractor?
Welcome to our channel.
The blue x’s distinguish it from a standard 1025r. We have upgraded it in many ways, including a turbocharger.
Another great video. For me tilling and stump grinding is just a way to get my foot in the door for more profitable work like grading/dirt work/landscaping. But the most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing.
I don’t make much tilling gardens, I just enjoy doing it.
My only concern is, I’m not sure your trailer is big and strong enough for that massive Tractor. 😜
Ha! We had Vinny on the front from another project…remember the wildflower seeding?
Looks like over kill to me
You can save yourself a pile of time not turning around every pass, plus you don’t wreck the yard as much
plus what you get from your U-Tube channel it gives you great content
Yes I enjoy tilling I till my daughter's garden and my neighbors too
I have a 3000 Ford diesel tractor I use with my 6 foot tiller
Tim,
Awesome video and the information you provide your viewers is priceless. My only suggestion is to get rid of the blue painters tape on JohnnyX and bring on the yellow!!!
tape has been removed. You'll see the new design soon enough!
I will hopefully be getting another tractor within the next year. I've seen these tillers on several videos but I've never had the opportunity to use one. I have a walk-behind rear-tine tiller that does a good job, but I'm thinking of getting one of these tillers for the new tractor when I get it (my 54 super A farmall won't run one), but I have no experience with them. How deep will they till? I'm also curious to know how many horsepower the tractor will need to be to run the tillers efficiently? Any advice you can give would be appreciated
That's the only way to go if you have the money mine cost me $1,800 dollar's for mine about 3 years ago
Till it up!
A x740 john deere with pto and rear links would even be better for very small back yards
I use my old 425 to till small gardens. The x740 is about the right size vs my 425.