do you loan your trailer out

[Flatheadyoungin]

my first thoughts are tell them no, kiss off.........

but, and even though it isn't right, when they bring the grand kids into it, logic goes out the window.....

you are just in telling them no but it's not fair to you or the grand kids......i'd just probably grit my teeth and let them have it, a trailer is replacable the time with the kids isn't.......a nice reminder of fool me once, fool me twice would be in order.....

[unreconstructed]

Definitely you are between a rock and a hard place.

I tell folks I don't loan out anything and I don't borrow anything. But immediate family poses some additional problems.

I have loaned out my trailer twice. The first it came back with one of the fenders bent back almost against the tire. The second time to a different guy who bought me a bunch of new flooring for the trailer to repay my kindness. You just never know.

[RayCo]

Without a doubt, I would loan it out. I'm going to guess that your stepdaughter is on the younger side, and as such, has many more years to gain more wisdom and understand the reasons behind your hesitation. But for now, what's more important? A dent in a tailgate or your relationship with your stepdaughter? There's nothing wrong with explaining to her that you care for your equipment and it's important that she respects it and all that, of course. 99% of what you say will probably go in one ear and out the other, but that 1% that stays will reverberate years later when she's remembering that you helped her out even when it was not necessarily what you wanted to do.

I've run into similar situations with my nephews, but it's gotten to the point that they know they can't ask things of me just because they don't feel like dealing with something on their own, and I know that they only ask me when they really have to and have already exhausted other reasonable options.

[Robert_in_NY]

We only loan equipment out to friends we trust and 9 times out of 10 it comes back in better shape then it left. My neighbor insist on washing all my tractors before he brings them back. He has to have close to a ton of my mud on his property as my tractors don't get washed very often (it would be a full time job with the mud we have here). He also changed all the fluids in my 1920 before he returned it and changed the filters.

There is only one person who borrows our corn planter every year. I regret ever letting him take it the first time as now it is hard to say no. He hauls it 15 miles away, keeps it for a month (sometimes longer) then brings it back dirty. Of course he never takes it just after we are done using it, he waits till we get it all cleaned, oiled and greased for storage before he wants it I have found a couple other used planters that would suit his needs but he doesn't want to buy one (and why should he when he can use ours for free). His ground is very rocky so things usually come back slightly damaged. It is going to stop soon though, hopefully this is the last year as I need to fix my planter up and I am not going to be loaning it out once I do. I will look for some more used ones and tell him about them so it would be up to him what to do.

As for your family matter, you can suck it up and let them use it and abuse it to keep the peace or you can just give them the number to the rental yard and let them decide. If this silly thing is enough for them to not want to let you see the grand kids then I feel bad for their kids. My youngest sister moved to New York City with her boyfriend and son. She refuses to talk to our step mother because she didn't have the time one day to do her boyfriends laundry. So when she moved she will not tell us her address and has nothing to do with my father and step mother (she sends my father cards still but with no return addy). My parents are not happy with the way she acted and now concentrate on the grand kids they do get to see. Best of luck to you, I wish I could tell you what to do but you will have to make the choice and live with the decision. Take care.

[tommu56]

deere755
How anout this have the grand kids over some day and have one of the kids hide their arm in their shirt body not in their sleve when you take them home.
Then explain to your step daughter that they are ok but slightly damaged just like your truck was last time they borrowed it.

I think your grand kids would love to help you with it.

tom

[Robert_in_NY]

Originally Posted by tommu56

deere755
How anout this have the grand kids over some day and have one of the kids hide their arm in their shirt body not in their sleve when you take them home.
Then explain to your step daughter that they are ok but slightly damaged just like your truck was last time they borrowed it.

I think your grand kids would love to help you with it.

tom

That isn't right, you don't use the kids as pawns and you don't make light of injuries to children or people in general. All this would do is make matters worse.

[RobJ]

You used the term stepdaughter, so this tells me a little bit. I don't have any steps but in my sibs do. They call them sons and daughters. It's a trailer, not worth it. It probably sits outside in the weather all the time and is only used a few times a year anyway. Let them use it, life is to short.

BTW, have you ever put a ding in your truck, trailer, tractor? You did and you let yourself drive it again???!!!??? Man I wouldn't.

Oh and yes I do loan mine out, sometimes the locals up at the weekend place use it and I don't know about it. I'm not worried about it. Worse thing I had to do was wash off a little fertilizer, my yard thanked me!!

[firemanpat2910]

One of lifes most complicated issues. Family vs Mine. Are we talking about a trailer or a $50,000 truck attached to a gooseneck, deckover, tilt bed, $15,000 trailer? I am one that loans my services with my toys most of the time. However I do on occasion let the toys go play with some one else. I think over 1/2 the people I know have driven my trucks at one time or another, wether its just moving out of the way, going to the store and I was the last one in the driveway at the beach house or actualy borrowing the truck to go move something. I dont have any idea of the history between you and the stepdaughter, so I can not give you any real help. If you truly think someone will get hurt or major damage occur then dont lend it. If your worried about scratching a nickles worth of paint off a $500 dollar trailers fender its not worth upseting the wife

[LeadPoison]

Loaning tools and equipment is like loaning out your wife. They just won't be the same afterwards and sometimes they don't come back.

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by LeadPoison

Loaning tools and equipment is like loaning out your wife. They just won't be the same afterwards and sometimes they don't come back.

Divorced?