Small Meadow Mowing

We know there are many small meadow landowners with just a few acres to manage. Often these small meadows are not economical for farmers with larger equipment to cut, or access is too difficult.

Regular mowing helps to improve soil conditions, suppress pests and weeds.

Mowing also helps to reduce fire risk. Shorter grass (ideally kept below 7 to 10 cm) lowers flame heights, slows the rate of fire spread, and makes any potential fire much easier for emergency services to control.

Our Iseki TH5420 Compact Tractor with turf tyres will access most meadows whilst minimising soil compaction, it is also much less likely to damage wet ground.

We typically use our Wessex 1.75m Flail Mower which cuts and mulches the grass and wildflowers, rather than merely cutting it like a conventional topper. This helps soil microbes to breakdown the grass faster and increases nutrient uptake. Cutting height can be adjusted from as short as 30mm (1.18″) up to 110mm (4.33″).

We are happy to mow meadows from 1-acre to 10-acres in size. However, typically anything over 5-acres in size will be more cost effective mowed with a larger tractor/mower than we use.

As well as mowing, we also offer grass harrowing to help improve meadow health by removing moss and dead material, stimulating grass growth, enhancing soil aeration, and promoting better nutrient uptake.

Small Meadow Mowing Cost

No two jobs or meadows are the same so we like to quote for each job individually. This way you know exactly how much you will be paying regardless of how long it ends up taking us.

Our prices take into account our insurance costs, labour, and machinery costs. Diesel is included in these prices and we are not currently VAT registered so there is no VAT to add.

For meadow mowing with our compact tractor and flail mower we charge £60 per hour. Grass less than 1ft in height we can cut at around 1 acre per hour. 2-3ft in height we can cut at around 1 acre in 2 hours. Taller than 3ft will take longer as will mowing around obstacles such as trees.

Travel Costs

We don’t charge extra for travel within 5 miles of DY14 0QU (Clee Hill). Additional miles outside of this area are charged at £3 per mile.

Minimum Charge

We also operate a minimum charge of £150 even if the job only takes us 30 minutes. This is because of the time and cost required to load, secure and travel with a compact tractor and equipment.

Example Job Pricing

To help clarify our charges here are some examples:

• A 4-acre meadow with short grass (1ft or shorter), 20 miles from DY14 0QU that requires cutting with our flail mower. 4 hours work at £60 per hour. Additional mile charge £45. Total price £285.
• A 2-acre meadow with long grass (1-3ft tall), within 5 miles of DY14 0QU that requires cutting with our flail mower. 4 hours work at £60 per hour. Total price £240.
• A 1-acre meadow with short grass (1ft or shorter), within 5 miles from DY14 0QU that requires cutting with our flail mower. 1 hour of work at £60 per hour. This triggers our £150 minimum charge. Total price £150.

Sounds Expensive?

Running a compact tractor and attachments does not come cheap I’m afraid, here’s a rough breakdown of our running costs for flail mowing for 4 hours (£240):

• Approximately 35 litres of diesel at £1.79 per litre (17/06/26) = £62.65
• Machinery depreciation at £5 per running hour = £20
• Insurance: £5 (average over the year)
• Servicing & Maintenance: £5 (average over the year)

So our rough costs will come to £92.65 leaving around £147.35. This is before tax and any pension contributions. It’s also assuming we never invest in new equipment!

So no, the amount we charge does not go straight into our pocket unfortunately, there are many deductions.

Our Service Area

We are based on top of Clee Hill, Shropshire and cover all of South Shropshire, North Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Occasionally we will also travel further afield. Towns covered include but are not limited to the following: