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What are you charging per hour?
Do you have any flay rates, like $xx for A push mower tune up, $xx for riding mower tune up.?

I use scheduled fees for warranty work , roughly, for the number of hours
My rate is now $ 72/hr so it divides into 1/4 hrs nicely .
Nearest shop is $ 100
Shops in town are $ 120 to $ 150
These are Aust $ of course
Flat rate for walk behind general service = 0.75 hrs
More for repairs as per scheduled fees
Same rate for hand helds , however they never come in for scheduled services they are always a repair .

I am $50/hr now. Was $40. All the dealer shops around me are $100/hr.
For normal push mower service $75. Most riders and residential Z's $150-$175 depending on the filter costs. Commercial Z's and compact tractors per hour plus parts. Plus $25 pickup and delivery.

Guys don't sell yourself short. We are here to provide a valuable service and we should at least make a small profit so we can stay in business.

Yes most dealers around here $100+ / hr too. I am lower just because I don't have the same overhead. I have been ask why I don't give free estimates. I tell the customer that if they want me to give free estimates then I have to raise my labor rate up to same as the other shops.

There will always be someone else that will bitch no matter how low you are. I just tell if they wanted it done cheaper then why are you here. Most people just see the bill and have no idea what goes on in the background of the actual repair. As most us pros knows we got to research the parts, buy SM manuals when needed, pay shipping, buy tools, etc. We spend no telling how none billable hours every month just to keep our businesses operating.

It a never ending battle to keep our rates where they are. In the last two years I have been hit with increased parts costs and increased shipping charges. Even with a very cross reference system it is very hard to keep the repairs cost down.

There is a guy near me that is a lot cheaper than me. I get to fix a lot of stuff he works on. He is the guy who gives people the image of "any redneck can fix lawn mowers" . Reminds me of the guys on youtube saying you can start a small engine repair business with a couple hundred dollars worth of tools.

Fake it till you make it or break it.

I even get re-works from some $100+ shops. One job last they charged the customer $300 to fix his lawn vacuum motor and the carb was still full of grass.

Darn why did I buy those 2K worth tools to just get started if all I need a couple hundred dollars. I probably now got to 10K in tools and still having to buy more. Even my first tool chest more than $200 and it didn't even any tools in it.

And of there is all the parts I got to have on hand for quick repair turn around times.

I hear ya. Been a toolaholic for 40 years. Got more tools than common sense.

Hammermechanicman said:

I hear ya. Been a toolaholic for 40 years. Got more tools than common sense.

Click to expand...

Got to be careful here...That can be taken the wrong way. And some I have dealt with lately only has one tool and they got more tools than common sense.

My mother used tell others that if you give me a rubber hammer I could tear up a German tank. Meaning with only one tool you can do a heck a lot damage.

The biggest problem for me is the discount on line parts suppliers who often list prices retail cheaper than my wholesale cost
The popular perception by new customers is we are all idiots and rip off merchants made worse by the dealers who over quote to convince customers to buy a new mower .
I used to be able to add a 100% prats mark up on aftermarket parts and still be cheaper than genuine parts
As I price match, that is now down to 30% and that hurts
Any job that requires parts to be bought in from a dealer gets a flat $ 15 courier fee
I do not charge for pick up or delivery as it allows me to check out the owner & their house
Big house, big yard , expensive car = big bill as I am not above charging for nuts, bolts, washers ,service petrol , greases & cleaning time as line items
I have added up to 2 hours of "diagnosis time" when given a mower for service that had been booked in for a 200hr scheduled service and was told "there is nothing wrong with it so just lube & change fluids "
And I have returned mowers, serviced with blown engines that were picked up for a "service" from owners trying to stiff me for a new engine

Some my after market retails prices are higher than the OEM parts now. And using distributor prices is becoming impossible here too as the my purchase price and the retail are the same on a lot of the parts lately. Or at time the distributor raises my cost and but leaves the retail the same thus making it where I am to absorb the increase and not pass it along. No way it can be done when it cost more to purchase the parts when you add in shipping than you sell it for.

I have just been buying most OEM parts from on-line retailers as they are basically the same price as what I can get with dealer accounts with vendors. At least with stens I can get some stuff at a reasonable price I can make a few dollars on. Since people can look up generic parts on cheapbay marking up real parts is difficult. Most of my customers don't question my prices but you get that one. Today i gave a good repeat customer a bill for $91 on a pressure washer and he gave me $100 and said keep the difference. I guess i am lucky as i have more customers that round up $5-$10 vs complaining about the bill.