Equipment Rate Calc

Skid Steer Cost Per Hour Calculator

Build a skid steer ownership, operating, operator, overhead, and recommended billing rate per hour. Results update automatically as inputs change.

Inputs

Ownership

Enter either the monthly payment or depreciation allowance for the skid steer, not both.

Allocate the skid steer's monthly insurance premium and secure storage cost.

Job assumptions

Use customer-paid skid steer hours in a typical month, excluding unbilled travel and downtime.

Operating cost

Use measured gallons per productive hour for the skid steer, attachment, and work mix being priced.

Enter the current delivered price per gallon for the fuel the machine will use.

Reserve for tires or tracks, cutting edges, teeth, hoses, and attachment wear per working hour.

Use wage plus payroll taxes, benefits, workers' compensation, and other labor burden.

Allocate estimating, accounting, software, office, and other indirect business cost per billed hour.

Profit & protection

Use skid steer service intervals and repair history to set a separate hourly maintenance reserve.

Margin is profit divided by the final selling price, not a markup on cost.

Calculations stay in this browser unless you explicitly save or share.

Total Cost / Hr0

How this calculator works

Fixed cost per hour = monthly ownership / billable hours. Variable cost includes fuel, maintenance, wear, operator, and overhead.

Read the methodology and editorial policy

Use the result as a cost checkpoint

Calculate a skid steer-specific hourly cost from ownership, fuel, wear, operator pay, overhead, utilization, and target margin.

This tool is best for setting a defensible skid steer hourly floor. Use the result to decide what each billable skid steer hour costs and should recover. Review low billed use, fuel changes, wear, operator pay, and unplanned repair exposure before relying on the result.

Worked example

Use the machine's actual fuel and service history whenever available instead of a generic skid steer average.

Update the calculation after major repairs, a payment change, or a sustained utilization change.

Input and quote review

  • Use billable hours, not hour-meter or available hours.
  • Price specialty attachment wear separately.
  • Keep mobilization and job minimums visible.

Keep the final scope, assumptions, exclusions, allowances, change triggers, and post-job results with the estimate so future defaults are supported by evidence.

Common questions

Is this the final customer price?

No. It is a planning checkpoint. Walk the site, confirm scope and access, verify current costs, and apply contract, permit, tax, utility, safety, and professional requirements.

Where are saved inputs stored?

Only an explicit Save stores inputs in this browser's localStorage. Share places inputs in the URL hash. The calculator does not send them to Equipment Rate Calc.

Should I copy a competitor's rate?

Use market prices as a reasonableness check after calculating your own cost, scope, utilization, risk, and margin.

Test skid-steer production after cost

After calculating the skid steer cost floor, use the production and unit-cost calculator to estimate output, schedule fit, and internal cost per task unit from documented field cycles.

Important disclaimerPlanning estimate only. Verify current costs, measurements, production, scope, access, customer requirements, contracts, permits, insurance, taxes, and local rules before quoting or committing money.