Junk Removal · a straight comparison
Flat rate by the load is the better deal for almost every haul-away in Davenport and across Central Florida, because you know the number before anyone lifts a thing and stairs, a slow carry or a full truck don't change it. Hourly makes sense for one kind of job: sorting, where you need hands and decisions more than you need a trailer.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
| Flat rate by load | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| What you know before work starts | The exact price. | The rate, and a guess at the hours. |
| Stairs and carry distance | Built into the number. | Every extra trip up the stairs is on the clock. |
| A slow load | The hauler eats it. | You pay for it. |
| A pile smaller than expected | Drops to the smaller load size. | Fewer hours, if the crew is honest about the clock. |
| Sorting work | Doesn't fit; nobody can quote a decision from a photo. | The right tool. Ask for the rate. |
| Disputes | Rare; the number was agreed in writing before the truck came. | Common; the argument is always about how long it took. |
Any job where the work is carry-and-haul. You can see the pile, the hauler can see a photo, and the only question is which size it fills. A flat rate moves every risk onto the hauler: if the couch fights back on the landing, if the elevator is out, if it takes three trips to the trailer instead of one, the number holds. That's the point of it.
It also makes shopping possible. Two haulers can quote the same photo and you can compare them. Two hourly rates tell you nothing until the job is over.
Flat rate can also go down when the hauler brings the right tool. On a brush job outside Orlando, Rob quoted the pile, then brought the track loader instead of a crew with rakes. The grapple packed the trailer far denser than hands could, so the pile fit in fewer loads and he took the quote down to match. By the hour that machine would have been a line item. By the load it was a discount.
Sorting. When a parent's garage has forty boxes and you need someone to open each one with you and make a keep, donate or toss pile, nobody can quote that by volume because nobody knows the volume yet. Hourly labor for that part, then a flat rate for whatever ends up in the trailer, is the fair way to price it.
Light demo can go either way. Pulling cabinets or a deck is usually quoted flat once the hauler sees it; taking apart a shed piece by piece is sometimes cleaner by the hour. Ask which one the hauler suggests and why.
Flat rate goes wrong when the number isn't really flat. Ask whether stairs, heavy items and the dump fee are inside it, and get the quote in a text so it's written down. Hourly goes wrong when the clock starts at the shop instead of your driveway, or when a two-person crew is billed as two rates. Ask when the meter starts and how many people it covers.
One worked example
Against the criteria above, with the review evidence, verbatim.
Big Rob's Hauling in Davenport prices haul-away by the load: From $125 for a single item, $225 for a quarter trailer, $350 for a half, $525 for three-quarters, $700 for a full. Stairs, heavy pieces and drive time are inside those numbers, and the quote comes by text from a photo, so it's written down before the truck leaves. If the pile fills less than you guessed, you pay the smaller size.
For sorting, Rob does offer hourly labor. The rate isn't published; ask when you send the photos and he'll tell you which parts of the job he'd price which way. Payment is cash, check or card once the work is done. The reviews below include an estate job quoted flat, a customer Rob worked the quote out with, and a fridge that came out without touching the walls.
Big Rob's Hauling was great! I needed help to clear out my Dad's house to sell. They arrived on time and quickly loaded all old furniture and other items that could not be donated. They gave me a fair flat rate. They were kind and courteous. I would highly recommend Big Rob's Hauling!
Suzanna Antenucci · this month
Worked with me on the quote got the job done correctly and quickly
Jake Campbell · this year
I highly recommend Big Rob's Hauling Service for junk removal. Rob and Sarah were professional, friendly, and very reasonably priced. I needed a refrigerator removed, and they took great care to get it out without damaging my walls. Excellent service from start to finish!
Amelia Ramlogan · this year
Questions
For a plain haul-away, usually yes, and it's always more predictable. Hourly can beat it only on a tiny job that takes fifteen minutes, and most haulers have a minimum that covers that anyway.
It should include the crew, the loading, the drive and the landfill fee, plus stairs and heavy items. If any of those are extra, it isn't a flat rate. Ask before you agree, and get it in writing by text.
By the hour per crew, with the clock starting at your property. Ask whether the rate is for one person or the whole crew, and whether the trailer load at the end is priced separately. Rob quotes sorting by the hour on request; the hourly rate isn't published.
Call before noon and it's usually gone today. Or text a photo of the pile and Rob sends back a flat quote.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
