Bush Hog Rental vs Hiring: Which One Fits Your Field?
Renting a bush hog can cost less than hiring on a small, open, flat field. That holds best when you already own a tractor and have the time to run it. Hiring tends to win on overgrown ground, saplings, slopes, ditch banks and bigger acreage. Your own field can still break that pattern.
Posted rental rates show the rental side. One farm equipment dealer lists a 6-foot rotary cutter for a tractor’s 3-point hitch at $185 a day and $550 a week. One equipment dealer lists a skid steer rotary cutter attachment at $215 a day and $645 a week. One rental yard lists a walk-behind brush mower at $92 for 24 hours and $278 a week. Delivery, fuel, a protection fee and tax can come on top.
Those rates are market numbers, not our price list. None of these lists comes from an Arkansas yard. Based in Monette, Craig Land Management does bush hogging on fields, lots and ditch banks about 50 miles around Jonesboro.
How much is a bush hog rental?
A bush hog rental can mean three different machines. A rotary cutter that hooks behind your own tractor is a tractor attachment. The tractor’s power take-off (PTO) shaft drives it. A skid steer brush cutter is an attachment for a skid steer or track loader. A walk-behind brush mower is a smaller, self-propelled machine.
| Rental | Day rate | Week rate | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary cutter attachment for a skid steer or track loader | $215 | $645 | One equipment dealer’s posted rates |
| A second brush cutter attachment on that sheet | $300 | $900 | The same dealer |
| The dealer’s skid steer, if you have no machine | $365 | $1,110 | The same dealer |
| 24-inch walk-behind brush mower | $65 for 4 hours, $92 for 24 hours | $278 | One rental yard’s price list |
| 6-foot rotary cutter for your own tractor’s 3-point hitch | $185 | $550 | One farm equipment dealer’s posted rates |
The farm equipment dealer rates its 6-foot cutter for a 30 to 60 horsepower tractor and brush up to 2 inches. Without a skid steer, the equipment dealer’s machine plus its $215 cutter comes to $580 a day before fees. The walk-behind is the low number, and that yard rates it for saplings up to 2 inches across. If you have no tractor, ask whether the yard rents one with the cutter. That puts a second machine on the bill.
For a tractor, ask for a rotary brush mower. A university Extension fact sheet says lawn mower blades are not built for repeated hits on hard objects and brush. Brush mower blades hang on hinges, so they pivot when they hit a rock or stump.
What fees come on top of the rental rate?
Delivery or a trailer. The dealer’s prices are at its own lot, and delivery and pickup cost extra. Hauling it yourself takes a truck and a trailer that can carry it.
Fuel. That dealer bills by the gallon when a machine comes back without a full tank.
A protection fee. The dealer wants proof of insurance for the full value of the machine. If you cannot show liability coverage, it adds a 15% protection fee to the rental charge.
Damage and blades. Abuse or damage gets billed back to the renter on that sheet. The Extension fact sheet says to replace blades that are bent, cracked or too dull to sharpen. Ask the yard what a blade like that costs you.
Arkansas tax. Rent for under 30 days in Arkansas, and the bill picks up state and local sales tax. The state’s gross receipts tax rule also adds a 1% short-term rental tax, which the rental yard collects.
Is a rented bush hog safe to run?
Only with care. A university Extension safety fact sheet warns that rocks and debris thrown by a mower blade can be deadly. It says to pick up litter and debris before you mow and to keep bystanders well away. Never let anyone ride on the equipment.
The PTO shaft is another hazard. Loose clothing can get tangled in it. The fact sheet calls for close-fitting clothes and every guard in place, the PTO shield included. Before you climb down, disengage the PTO, shut off the engine and set the brakes. The blades keep turning after the power is off.
Slopes and ditches raise the stakes. The fact sheet says to stay off steep slopes. It also says to watch for holes and ditches, which can cost you control of the mower. A wide rear tire setting steadies the tractor and lowers the chance of an overturn. On a tractor with a rollover protective structure, wear the seat belt.
Its basic gear list is safety glasses, hearing protection, work gloves and leather boots.
How far does one rental day go?
The rental clock sets the outside limit. On the dealer’s sheet, a day covers up to 8 hours of running time in 24 hours. A week covers 40 hours. Extra hours get billed on top. It has no hourly rates and a one-day minimum.
What you cut in those hours depends on the cutter, the growth and the ground. Tall, thick growth takes more passes than short grass. Picking up debris first takes time, and so does slowing down for holes, ditches and stumps.
How do hired prices compare?
Hired prices by the acre, the hour or the visit are in what bush hogging costs in Arkansas.
A hired job puts the machine, the fuel and the wear on the contractor. To compare, add each line of the rental bill to the day rate, plus your own hours.
Should you rent or hire for your field?
| Your situation | What tends to make sense |
|---|---|
| A small, open, flat field cut in the last year or two, and your own tractor with a PTO | Renting a brush mower can cost less, if you have the time |
| You own a skid steer or track loader | Renting only the cutter attachment |
| A yard edge or small lot with tall weeds and no tractor | A walk-behind brush mower |
| Overgrown ground with saplings, briars or hidden stumps | Hiring: thrown debris and blade damage are the risks |
| Steep slopes, ditch banks or ground full of holes | Hiring: the Extension fact sheet warns about steep slopes, holes and ditches |
| Bigger acreage | Hiring: the rental clock, fuel and fees keep running |
Renting also moves the risk to you. On the dealer’s sheet, the renter accepts full liability for whatever happens with the machine.
Thick brush and saplings past what a cutter can take change the math. For that ground, see renting or hiring a forestry mulcher. A pasture taken over by cedar and saplings is pasture and fence line clearing work.
Would you rather hire the cutting out?
From Monette, we work about 50 miles around Jonesboro. We run a brush cutter on a skid steer for fields, pastures, lots, ditch banks and road frontage. When the growth is past mowing, we bring the drum mulcher and the grapple.
Call (870) 351-5107 and ask for a free estimate. After we look at the property, you get the price in writing. See our bush hogging service for the kinds of ground the brush cutter takes on.