Ditch cleaning, ball park?

JohnBoy

Hi,

What's the going rate for getting ditches cleaned? I have 800m of drains need cleaning out. There was an article in the journal a few weeks ago about it http://www.farmersjournal.ie/2010/0130/farmmanagement/farmbuildings/feature.shtml but they only seem to have half the article online.

Any thoughts, just need a rough figure at the minute for some preliminary budgeting.

Bitten & Hisses

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/2009/0314/farmmanagement/farmbuildings/feature.shtml

Better article here from last year. I'd have guessed around 2 days work for a 13-tonne machine, which would be €800 to €900. His price of €1 per yard + 13.5% VAT isn't much different.

reilig

Bitten & Hisses wrote: »

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/2009/0314/farmmanagement/farmbuildings/feature.shtml

Better article here from last year. I'd have guessed around 2 days work for a 13-tonne machine, which would be €800 to €900. His price of €1 per yard + 13.5% VAT isn't much different.

I remember the 2 articles, it was the same guy from eagle plant Hire in both. He had a specially made cutting blade which I thought was a bit pointless - you could do more with a good 6ft ditching bucket with a good set of teeth in it instead of messing around with that yoke.

I just have to warn you that the price and quality of the job will depend on the driver. There are a lot of very poor drivers out there who think they're god's gift on traks. Their experience was gained on sites or motorway projects and they haven't a clue about land drainage. Ask you neighbours who they'd recommend. They guy that does drainage for me would have 800meters done in just over a day with a 13 tonne machine and as Bitten and Hisses said above, it comes in around €400 per day. This would include breaking down any bushes and levelling any clay that comes out of the drain. If you want to rod the shores as per the article in the Journal, you have do do it yourself.

I have a neighbour with a machine and he'd spend 3 days at the same job - I wouldn't have him loading manure!!

JohnBoy

four to eight hundred euro.

I'll call it six so

Bitten & Hisses

reilig wrote: »

I remember the 2 articles, it was the same guy from eagle plant Hire in both. He had a specially made cutting blade which I thought was a bit pointless - you could do more with a good 6ft ditching bucket with a good set of teeth in it instead of messing around with that yoke.

I just have to warn you that the price and quality of the job will depend on the driver. There are a lot of very poor drivers out there who think they're god's gift on traks. Their experience was gained on sites or motorway projects and they haven't a clue about land drainage. Ask you neighbours who they'd recommend. They guy that does drainage for me would have 800meters done in just over a day with a 13 tonne machine and as Bitten and Hisses said above, it comes in around €400 per day. This would include breaking down any bushes and levelling any clay that comes out of the drain. If you want to rod the shores as per the article in the Journal, you have do do it yourself.

I have a neighbour with a machine and he'd spend 3 days at the same job - I wouldn't have him loading manure!!

Couldn't agree with you more. A good operator and a conventional set of buckets is the only job.

Indubitable

my uncle charges by the hour