Fitting Costs?

[TottenClubCalves]

Ok my question is I guess for fitters but anyone who knows please feel free to share. I'm just wondering when fitters start to travel obviously expenses start to kick in like food, hotel, and especially gas or air fare etc. Have you ever heard of a fitter charging a certain amount per mile that they travel?  Like  .40 cents a mile or do they just add whatever there expenses are into there pricing for clipping, fitting etc. I only ask because I know there are some guys who make a living by traveling and doing everything from sale clipping, to fitting at all level shows, but recently I've been getting into alot of traveling and expense costs are double if not triple what I charge to clip and fit etc. I'm just wondering whats a simple way to to figure out how to charge someone where I can make it worth while to travel.

 

[ValenteRanching]

The way I would figure traveling costs would depend on..

If you need the work, then I would only add on the cost of travel, food, hotel ect. Just because if your not travelling you wouldn't be working anyways. So being paid for your time of travelling really isnt to fair.

With that being said if you have alot of fitting you could be doing with minimal travelling then I would add on. All your travelling costs, food, hotel. I would also add the time it takes to get there, say it took 6 hour to get to the job. Thats 6 hours you could have been closer to home working..

Just my 2 cents.

 

[TMJ Show Cattle]

A lot of it is who you are and how good you are and who you are working for.Different customers, different prices. A lot has to do with how many you are gettin ready,how much help you may or may not have,and disposition of cattle.Do you or employer have insurance in case of serious accident? These are all legit things to talk about because 'times' have changed.I used to make a lot more working production sales,rather than shows,but their seems to be wealthier folks than ever,doing this deal nowadays.I can remember traveling and fitting for sales for 30.00 aday plus motel and reasonable food alloance,and i paid for the .30 cent a gallon gas myself. But was always guaranteed to work with some crazy assed Angus cattle for a thirdy day minimum.Today it cost more for one meal than what I could get four or five meals for.and motels aren't 13.00 a nite anymore.Most guys and gals that I know charge a set price with all expenses figured in to account.Usually you would only charge mileage for one way,if at all. In this bussiness there has to be give and take...Good Luck!!

 

[TJ]

A lot of it is who you are and how good you are and who you are working for.  Different customers, different prices.  A lot has to do with how many you are gettin ready...

Agree.  A person who fits lots of champions on a National Level will be able to ask for more than somebody who doesn't have a similar track record.  Also, getting 2 head ready is a whole lot different than getting 8 head ready & the pay is typically going to be a whole lot different too.  Same thing is true if you are working for a person on a very modest income verses if you are working for somebody who is loaded & looking for a tax write off.  

I know people who have kids available to do fitting or whatever else is needed, for around $60 per day, plus hotel & food.  I know some who want $100+ & expenses.  I know others who want $200 or more just to lead a calf in the showring.  On the flip side, we had 2 EXCELLENT fitters who would help us for about a week every year at Denver for nothing more than... 1) plane tickets... 2) hotel... 3) food.     Honestly, there are plenty of fitters (from decent to excellent) who are willing to do the job very reasonable just because they enjoy doing it & because they like to make a trip out of it.  And there are plenty of fitters who are after as many "Benjamins" as they can possibly get.  Pricing will depend upon how bad you want the job & how willing the other party is to part with their $$.  

 

[mashowcattle]

i have a question of my oun.. what do you do about a fitter that you housed for a month and payed all of their expenses such as gas, food, boots, etc... pretty much took them in as family and even payed them to fitt for me. and then i go to a show and they just drop me because the calf i was wanting them to fitt was a little incorect on his hind legs but still a great calf!.. to me if the money is good and they dont have to pay for ANYTHING and they are still going to the shows making money from other folks as well would it matter if the calf has some what of structure issues?.. just wanted some opinions on that..

 

[SKF]

i have a question of my oun.. what do you do about a fitter that you housed for a month and payed all of their expenses such as gas, food, boots, etc... pretty much took them in as family and even payed them to fitt for me. and then i go to a show and they just drop me because the calf i was wanting them to fitt was a little incorect on his hind legs but still a great calf!.. to me if the money is good and they dont have to pay for ANYTHING and they are still going to the shows making money from other folks as well would it matter if the calf has some what of structure issues?.. just wanted some opinions on that..

When I pay someone to fit I excpect them to do the best job they can. If they are getting paid they need to do the job they were paid for regardless if the structure of the calf. I can understand not wanting fit a calf that is crazy but not one that has a structure issue. There is no such thing as the perfect calf they all have something we would want to change and a good fitter will try to make the good qualities of the calf even better and try to not draw attention to the areas that need help. If I was paying someone like that and they dropped us at a show over a structure issue  that would be the LAST time I ever used that person.

 

[TMJ Show Cattle]

To be honest,I would do everything in my power to let everyone know what this person did to you. His/her name would be in every magazine,every message board,and every where else I could find. The only problem, you might be libel for slander,if you can't prove why he/she left. Personally,if it would have happened to me,10 years or longer ago,I might get my ass whupped,cause I would be tryin to whup theirs,unless of course it was a girl. To me that person is a lowlife S.O.B. I have heard of this happenening more than once. Just one more thing to fuel the fire about this bussiness being corrupt.

 

[mashowcattle]

thanks for your two opinions, most people down here charge $50.00 a calf but me being the nice person i am like to pay for EVERYTHING and then throw some extra money in there if they dont mind picking up a blower hose rather than just adhesive and a comb.. i feel you get payed for the amount of work you put in. but slowly i am learning i cant do that so i am just starting to just pay them to fitt and leave. i hate to be that way but some people just ruin it for others. and sure mom says oh just do it yourself sure i can but i mean im they type of person that thinks my work isnt as good as others so id just rather pay to get it as close enough to perfect for that calf! .

 

[TJ]

i have a question of my oun.. what do you do about a fitter that you housed for a month and payed all of their expenses such as gas, food, boots, etc... pretty much took them in as family and even payed them to fitt for me. and then i go to a show and they just drop me because the calf i was wanting them to fitt was a little incorect on his hind legs but still a great calf!.. to me if the money is good and they dont have to pay for ANYTHING and they are still going to the shows making money from other folks as well would it matter if the calf has some what of structure issues?.. just wanted some opinions on that..

IMHO, they probably found somebody else who had more animals and/or was paying more $$.  Either that or they probably thought that they made enough $$ off of you & then got lazy.  Either way, I'd pay em what I owed em & then part ways.         

 

[TJ]

thanks for your two opinions, most people down here charge $50.00 a calf but me being the nice person i am like to pay for EVERYTHING and then throw some extra money in there if they dont mind picking up a blower hose rather than just adhesive and a comb.. i feel you get payed for the amount of work you put in. but slowly i am learning i cant do that so i am just starting to just pay them to fitt and leave. i hate to be that way but some people just ruin it for others. and sure mom says oh just do it yourself sure i can but i mean im they type of person that thinks my work isnt as good as others so id just rather pay to get it as close enough to perfect for that calf! .

I can almost always tell how well a person is going to work out, just by talking to them about pay & then judging their reaction/attitude towards it.  It's a good litmus test.  My observation, over the years, is that the cheaper a person is willing to work, the more loyal they usually will be.  Not always, but more often than not.  The person who wants "the big bucks" usually is the 1st one to leave/disappear/look for excuses.  Not always, but more often than not.  I'm not at all saying that a person shouldn't be paid well, because they should be, especially if they work hard & if they do a good job.  However, wanting more $$ CAN BE a sign of greed.  Greedy people tend to have other baggage that comes along with it.  $$ is not the root of all evil, however, THE LOVE OF $$ is!  Keep that in mind.                     

To prove a point... I asked a SP poster to clip a calf for somebody who lived in their area.  Not only did they drive to that person's place to do that, they brought everything necessary (including a grooming chute), & they didn't want to get paid anything for doing it.  However, I told the people upfront to pay them for doing the job & I gave them some ball park figures that they should expect to pay.  Thankfully, because I spoke up beforehand, they insisted on paying that person.  This SP poster went out of their way to bend over backwards to help somebody & didn't want anything for it.  As I mentioned above, we had 2 fitters who charged us ONLY expenses and they worked like slaves, from 7-7:30 AM - 4:30-5 PM (and they would've started earlier if the rest of us had gotten up earlier).  They were up @ 2:30-3 AM on showday, fitting 10-14 head, including blowing them out, after I washed them.  On the other hand, I can tell you multiple stories about people who wanted good $$, but they either didn't show up at all, vanished after 1 day, vanished for long periods during the day, etc, etc, etc.  

The best thing you can do is ask around & find somebody who is highly recommended by others.  That doesn't always work out either, but somebody with a good track record is more likely to stay on track.  

I'd part ways with that person unless they apologized.  However, I would not stop being nice just because of some rotten apples.  Eventually you will find a good fitter & they will appreciate the generosity. 

 

[mashowcattle]

thanks for your opinion but i am still nice but im not sure if half of that had to do with what i was saying. i am sayin i bent over backwords because i knew this person needed the money and so i didnt mind helping. but i guess what i thought is if i gave them everything they needed to do the job and then some with out them having to spend a dime except for their time then they would have no problems of spending the time to get things done rite but i guess i just expected too much!

 

[braunvieh]

I think TJ makes a very good point. Those that are lower in rates may be the most hard working and loyal. We have dealt with a fitter for several years and he is cheap and good and loyal. I believe when we used him we paid his hotel and meals and so much per day to do whatever he was needed to do. (we shared him with another breeder). And he rode with us to and from the show so he didn't have travel costs.

And, you can always tip if you feel your fitter went above and beyond.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Some of us old timers had a saying when we worked for people - Ride for the brand - This may have been lost on some of the younger generation. RW

 

[TottenClubCalves]

Okay no offense to anyone but when did my post turn into a complain about fitters? All i wanted was some advice on what I should charge some clients for out of state shows and then someone started to rant about a problem they had with there fitter? Please make a new post if you don't mind, thanks and Merry Christmas!

 

[mashowcattle]

sorry bout that it just all fit into place and had just a few things in common with your post so hey why not.. post it!

Merry Christmas to everyone and have a happy happy new year!  (clapping)

 

[TJ]

sorry bout that it just all fit into place and had just a few things in common with your post so hey why not.. post it!

Merry Christmas to everyone and have a happy happy new year!  (clapping)

I kinda thought it fit & had a few things in common too.  But even if it didn't, it's not like this is the first post that was ever high jacked & it for sure isn't the worst at drifting off subject.     

You make a good point as it is almost Christmas, so I'll also say... Merry Christmas to all!!  (thumbsup)

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

The price depends on how good both you and your reputation are. Due you have a proven track record etc. I know some guys that will work for $50.00 and room and board, but you get what you pay for. Any more I do more trading help with guys like MBAR than I do charging, but if I do outside work it's from tie out to tie out, and I've been pretty handy with a pair of shears from time to time (14 national champions in 4 breeds). And I will laugh in your face for $50.00 a day and board. RW

 

[Sumner]

wow

 

[TJ]

... you get what you pay for.

...but if I do outside work it's from tie out to tie out, and I've been pretty handy with a pair of shears from time to time (14 national champions in 4 breeds). And I will laugh in your face for $50.00 a day and board.

Not meaning to high jack this thread again, but I've learned from experience that the words... "from tie out to tie out" means different things to different folks.  Some who agree to do that, probably could have given Houdini a good run for his money.  

In all honesty, I am guessing that you would be a tremendous asset & it would probably be almost equal to robbery to only pay you $50 per day & board.  I don't know that, but I really think that probably is the case & I really mean that, not just saying it to say it.  

However, while I agree that it can be true, I have to disagree that you always get what you pay for when it comes to fitters.  That sometimes is true & sometimes it's very far from the truth.

I had a really good crew in KC, in 2007... they charged $45 per head on set up day, $90 per head the 1st whole day & $115 per head on show day & I paid NONE of their expenses & they provided feed for my cattle & used all of their own equipment & supplies.  I did absolutely nothing except watch.  It cost me $250 per head for the whole show & I paid none of their expenses.  I won Grand Champ Bull & Res. Champ Heifer Calf... with my 4 head.  On a scale from 1 to 10, I'd rate that crew a 9.9 & I'm picky.  All I know is that there are plenty of fitters who would have charged me just as much OR MORE, who don't have nearly the resume, the work ethic, or the skills that crew had.  

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

There are exceptions to every rule with out a doubt. I know a few young guys that have learned "the right way" that will cost less money and do a pretty good by anyones standards. When I say "tie out to tie out" that means I will be waiting on you in the morning, lead in, feed, water, wash, blow (if I'm doing the clipping I would just as soon no one else touches the blower) work hair all day and only be gone from the stalls long enough to eat and maybe take a leak. At night after we are done feeding and watering, every animal will be blown out while tied up and then I will lead to tie outs and probably check everyone elses tie job beore I leave. BUT you have to remember I grew up in the big string days when 4 of us would take 20 to 25 head to a show and do it all. I do know that there are a bunch of "kids" (I'm old enough to say that) walking up and down the isles carrying clippers that think they are fitters - they would be too high if they worked for you for free. Guess I'm just getting old and cranky! RW