Random question

[namesray]

He is a good friend and very good with the tractor. I don't have any doubt about trusting him. If he breaks it, he will fix it. No problem there. Probably bring the hours up to 100-150 a year tops. It sits mostly on a grain auger when he is using it.

if your quote is truley the situation then i think i would let him use it. just sitting there will probably do more harm then running it, i believe. i put over 300 hours a year on some of my equipment and they still treat me well with very few problems over the years. just make a deal that he will keep it clean/maintained and such. i have a b7800 with over 1100hrs on it and when it was back at dealers for a front axel seal replace, the dealer told me a couple actually walked over to it and wanted to know more about that model as they were looking for a "new" tractor. dealer laughed and said this one is in for maintenance and has over 1000 hours on it. so you can run them and still keep them looking new. if you ever do run into a problem with your neighbor, then you will "know" the answer to your question and will have no second thoughts taking the tractor home with you, but i sence that if you took it home with you now, you would always wonder if it was the right thing to have done,

 

[BOC]

It's about a half mile a way. I just drive it over when I need to use it. I have a steel conex container I would put it in but it would be un-vented and secure but unmonitored. I really appreciate all the honest replies!

 

[tthopskin@yahoo.ca]

Tractors are mine to break. If someone has a need, bushogging, moving or such... I use my tractor. It breaks while I'm on it there's no hard feeling to worry about.

i agree 100 % i hate anyone touching my stuff . but if it was in the same predicament as were talking about ..i am not sure what i would do but its not good for a tractor to sit

 

[D7E]

I would say don't let him use it. What if something major goes wrong, he rolls it, blows it up, breaks the transmission, who is going to pay for it? I and only I operate my equipment with the exception of a select few but they are within my view at all times while they use it. It is human nature to borrow something break it by accident and then deny breaking it.

Absoluteley !

 

[MBTRAC]

There's no way I'd be letting someone use one of our tractors -Whilst more than happy to help out a neighbour by doing the work as a charitable "one off" if they're in a bind or even helping out more regularly if they've fallen on hard times, or contracting if they don't want to own a machine - it's not the fear of machine consequential damage as our paid farmhands are most likely harder on our gear than any of our neighbours would be......

In this litigious world it's the fear of being sued to the hilt if I loan out machinery & in the event I've given someone (a non-employee) from a legal standpoint permission to operating machines we own & that person subsequently injures/kills themselves &/or others operating one of our tractors-- you're then in a very precarious position with no insurance (be it public liabilty or workers cover) in the knowledge you have given a non-employee permission to operate the machine.

Specifically in your example too, I'd also be far more concerned about the mechanical impact on longevity on a relatively new tractor idling away lightly loaded for hours on auger duty than than sitting unused in the shed......

 

[GManBart]

He is a good friend and very good with the tractor. I don't have any doubt about trusting him. If he breaks it, he will fix it. No problem there. Probably bring the hours up to 100-150 a year tops. It sits mostly on a grain auger when he is using it.

If you're really that confident, I'd let him use it.

It's a tractor, not a Ferrari, and nobody really cares how many people have run it, and the hours you're talking about will put it in the low end of the "normal use" category. The whole concept of "nobody drives/runs/touches my car/truck/tractor is just silly.

 

[BOC]

Thought there would be a load hauling corn up a 10" auger? And isn't this what diesel engines are made to do, run at constant RPM?

 

[MBTRAC]

Thought there would be a load hauling corn up a 10" auger? And isn't this what diesel engines are made to do, run at constant RPM?

In theory a 10" auger may or may not be a reasonable load all depends on the length, gearing & if it's kept "loaded" with corn - although corn being less dense than say wheat is generally a lesser/much easier auger task....

Sure diesels are made to run at constant RPM's but if they are not under load it'll glaze the bores & caronise the engine amongst other consequential increased wear characteristics...........IMO, in the long run newer tractors make incredibly expensive stationary engines

 

[kiotiken]

These things never end well. Even if you both have the best of intentions and you're great friends, over the years, something's going to break. That may be because of misuse, poor maintenance or simply because of normal wear and tear, but it won't likely be obvious to you which one that is. Is he going to pay for these repairs when they're needed, afterall, he's the only one really using it and you did pay for the thing in the first place. This will lead to bad blood and it's how threads about properly boundaries are started on TBN!

You also say you're **** about keeping this thing like new. I get that, I feel the same way. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to have a 20 yr old tractor work and look the same as it did when it was new, no matter how hard you try. If he puts 1000 hrs on it, it's going to look like a tractor with 1000 hrs on it, regardless of how well it's maintained.

 

[BOC]

Thanks for the additional worry MBTRAC I am really glad I started this thread though. I honestly thought most people would tell me to get over it. You have all taught me that it is Ok to be ****, glad to see I'm not the only one!!