Grounds ToolkitEquipment and Ownership
What Does This Mower Really Cost Per Operating Hour?
Enter purchase price, expected resale value, and fuel and maintenance cost. This shows depreciation, running cost, and the real hourly cost of owning this equipment, before labor.
How this is calculated
Depreciation per hour is purchase price minus resale value, divided by useful life in hours. Fuel and maintenance cost per hour add on top. SeeMethodology for how the sourced ranges behind the defaults were chosen.
Worked example
An $18,000 zero-turn mower with no expected resale value and a 4,000-hour useful life depreciates at $4.50 per hour. Add $6.50 in fuel and $1.50 in maintenance, and the total ownership cost is $12.50 per hour.
Frequently asked questions
Why does resale value matter?
Depreciation is what the equipment actually loses in value, not the full purchase price. A mower you can resell for $2,000 depreciates less per hour than one worth nothing at the end of its life.
Where do the fuel and maintenance defaults come from?
Fuel is scaled across a sourced $3 to $8 per hour industry range by mower size. Maintenance is a flat $1.50 per hour rough estimate, real service costs vary by how well equipment is maintained. Both are always editable.
Does this include labor to operate the equipment?
No. This is equipment ownership cost only. See Job Labor Cost for labor, the two add together for a job's full direct cost.
What if I don't know the useful life in hours?
Use the mower-type default, sourced from commercial zero-turn mower data (3,000 to 5,000 hour working life) and scaled down for lighter-duty riding and push mowers. Override it in advanced settings if you track actual hours.
Next decision
Trying to decide if another mower is worth buying? UseShould I Buy Another Mower, which builds on this hourly cost.