We got this little scooper finished up and returned to it's owner. It belongs to a friend of mine, he uses it for feeding the horses and moving snow. Just a utility tractor with a hydraulic PTO and three-point. We changed all the fluids and filters, cleaned the screens, 11 hoses, radiator, tensioner, and serpentine. The entire front end was rusty like it had been loading salt or fertilizer. Was a major pain in the ass. Also had a few grease fittings that needed some work to take grease. I'm wondering what you think this job would be worth at a shop. I know how many hours we took, but I'm thinking an actual shop might have done it in less than 30 hours. Almost all the hydraulic lines took considerable effort to get loose without destroying the steel lines. Luckily we have one of those coil-type induction heaters, took several cycles of heating until you could hear the oil sizzling to get the hydraulic tank drain plug free. This guy is a good friend, I just want to see what you guys say. Thanks.
There is actual shop time however when ever we got a rusty unit from a salt shed or fertilizer plant it was time and material. I mean even at an hour per hose that's 11 hours right. I'd tell him how long it actually took then discount it and see what he says. If he seems a bit put off say look I'll drop it to "x" dollars. If the work is good he will understand.
He's not at all concerned, I'm just wondering how much a job like this would have cost if done by a dealer shop, or a private repair shop. I mean, I can do the math, 30 hours times [insert rate here]. Just curious what others think.