34 
BULLETIN" 174, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
CUSTOM WORK. 
In order to ascertain what difference, if any, existed between the 
figures furnished by men who did custom work with their tractors 
and found it profitable and those who did custom work but did not 
make it pay, Table XX was prepared. From this it would appear 
that the principal factors which operate to make custom work un- 
profitable are the time lost by the engine and repair charges, which 
are. of course, closely related, as making repairs and replacing parts 
take considerable time. It will also be noticed that the men who 
say that custom work does not pay show slightly less investment in 
equipment in each case, although not sufficiently less to draw any 
definite conclusions therefrom. 
Little difference exists in the prices received per acre for custom 
work by the men who report it profitable and those who find it 
unprofitable, which would seem to indicate that this factor had little 
influence on the result. This, together with the fact that nearly 50 
per cent of the tractor owners who have tried custom work state 
that it is unprofitable, would seem to justify the assumption that the 
prices received for custom work, namely, about $2 per acre for 
plowing and $3.70 per acre for breaking, are very close to the actual 
average cost of performing this work, assuming that the cost for fuel, 
oil, interest charges, etc., were the same for each class of owners, 
which would probably be the case. 
Table XX. — Comparison of figures furnished by farm tractor owners in North Dakota 
who had done custom work. 
[Columns headed "Yes" include figures from men who stated that custom work was profitable; those 
headed ''No - ' include figures from men who stated that custom work was unprofitable.] 
Item of comparison. 
Number answering 
age drawbar rating of 
tractor horsepower. . 
Average price of tractor, 
dollars 
Average time lost in the field. 
hours 
Average cost of repairs, 
dollars 
Average value of equipment, 
dollars 
Average size of farm acres. . 
Average price per acre received 
for plowing dollars.. 
Average price per acre rece ived 
for breaking dollars . . 
First season. 
Second 
season. 
Third 
season. 
Fourth 
season. 
Yes. 
Xo. 
Yes. 
No. 
Yes. 
Xo. 
Yes. 
Xo. 
118 
40 
92 
72 
4-1 
38 
20 
15 
23.8 
23.2 
24.5 
24 5 
24.3 
25.1 
22.6 
22.9 
2,525.36 
2,460.85 
2,563.70 
2, 557. 19 
2,615.68 
2, 694. 41 
2,376.32 
2,431.00 
1.4 
1.9 
1.5 
2.4 
1.9 
2.8 
1.7 
2.9 
33.60 
68.09 
88.03 
249.87 
197. 35 
411. 00 
227. 49 
681.74 
648.23 
730.2 
636. 78 
795.0 
733. 16 
804.9 
721. 70 
708.4 
761.34 
692.8 
748.64 
806.2 
756. 50 
682.3 
745.73 
820.0 
1.97 
1.80 
1.91 
1.91 
2.03 
2.21 
2.03 
2.08 £ 
3.66 
3.48 
3.68 
3.46 
3.71 
3.71 
3.81 
3.68 
In this connection it should be noted that very few farmers in 
figuring the cost of performing work of this character take into con- 
sideration interest and depreciation charges, which previous tables 
have shown to be very heavy for the average tractor. 
