Equipment Rates Per Hour

Drone equipment cost per hour starts with acres: MU’s T40 model sprays 26 acres per flight hour. Here’s what that does to your rate.

Drone spraying cost per acre sits just above manned aerial in Iowa’s 2026 survey. Here’s why, and when owning a drone actually pays.

Custom hay baling rates look cheapest on small squares until you run the per-ton math: in Nebraska’s 2026 survey, they cost roughly 3x what rounds do.

Custom combining rates in Iowa’s survey predate a 90% diesel jump since February. Here’s what that adds per acre, and how to price it.

Custom planting with a high-speed planter now averages $31.25 an acre in Iowa, yet quotes span $14 to $56. Here’s what drives the gap.

Brush hogging rates swing nearly fourfold between pasture and brush in Iowa’s 2026 survey. Here’s what drives the gap and how to quote by acre or hour.

Forestry mulching prices hinge on one number: acres per hour. A USDA Forest Service study clocked 0.21 to 0.89 in the field, and your quote depends on it.

Dozer cost lines: a D5 shares FEMA’s D6 row, $163.92 an hour with a median-wage operator, and a 2021 Cat D5 in Maine’s 2026 bids sat $13.92 under it.

Backhoe rates with operator ran $75–$150 an hour in Maryland and Delaware’s 2025 survey, and the $125 median is under the floor for FEMA’s older Case row.

Compact tractor costs at 150 billed hours and $5.76 Illinois farm diesel: $64.70 to $76.34 an hour for 30 to 50 hp. Compare that floor with each job line.