Who do you let borrow your trailer?

[keeney]

Some stories of lending out my trailer:

1. When my buddy came to borrow it one time, he had to flip his two-sided hitch over to the 2" side. But the pin was rusted-in and the hitch was a solid bar, so it was really rusted in his reciever good. We spent about 3 hours drilling out the old pin.

2. My trailer was partially full of junk dstined for an eventual dump run during a lazy couple of weeks of spring cleaning when my buddy called to borrow it. I told my buddy he could use the trailer, but he would have to take it to the dump and empty it first. Instead, he emptied it in my yard, used it for half a day, and then re-loaded the junk back in. I guess that was OK.

3. Returned with busted tail light. Next borrower complained that short in tail light circuit fried the fuse in his truck! (my truck didn't care.)

4. Returned with broken wiring harness pin but with parts to repair handed over with sheepish apology.

5. Returned with another new wiring harness

6. Repaired wiring harness is too short for next borrower and the wires rip apart as he backs out of driveway (previous borrower's repair had not provided enough wire!) I spent an hour splicing new wiring in. It was late at night after a good drinking party. Nothing like splicing trailer wiring out in the dark at 1 am drunk (I was drunk, but borrowing driver was sober).

7. Returned by my father who pointed out "Did you know you have a broken spring leaf on the one side?" Answer: No, I didn't know that before he borrowed it. In all fairness, based on what he was hauling, he probably wasn't the one who broke it.

8. Not returned for several months (which is OK when I don't need it because generally its just in the way). But then when I did ask to have it returned with about 1 week notice, I had to drive across town and back about 3 hours round trip to retrieve it myself.

9. I was literally driving the last screw during a recent re-decking of the trailer when my buddy pulled up and asked if he could borrow it. I never got to enjoy that "new deck" feel.

10. Returned with screws missing from tailgate brackets. Apparently, borrower could not figure out that you just simply lift the woode stake rear and sides out of the stake pockets. The interlocking corner brackets were apaprently too confusing to figure out to just take the rear stake gate off first. Duh!

11. Returned and parked on new driveway without anything under the tongue jack leaving a nice rust spot.

12. Returned with 2 cases of beer - only borrower to actually pay the going rental rate!

 

[Botabill]

I have a nephew who I like very much and I've loaned him my trailer and vehicle to pull it many times. It kind of worries me to do it so even though he hasn't done anything to harm them. The last time he asked to borrow it I offered to give him an old trailer I have to keep if he will just put a tow hitch on his van. Well he didn't seem interersted in doing that. I can't figure out why but anyway I didn't loan him the trailer and I also think I came out looking OK. I don't like loaning anything. Over the duration of my long toothed life more often than not when I've loaned anything it has not come back in very good shape.

 

[jimgerken]

My Dad taught me "Never loan out your chainsaw or your wife. Neither will come back in as good of shape as when they left." Substitute trailer.

 

[Rara Avis]

My Dad taught me "Never loan out your chainsaw or your wife. Neither will come back in as good of shape as when they left." Substitute trailer.

A utility trailer came unattached from a car heading down the canyon. A motorcyclist behind it couldn't stop in time and slammed into it.


Anytime you think about loaning out your trailer remember you could be facing a lawsuit...

 

[ghagemann]

The last time I lent my trailer was the last time I'll ever lend a trailer....
A co-worker wanted to move a hot tub and heard I had a 16' flat bed (tandem axle) and wanted to borrow it to move this tub a couple of miles. I put it out for him with my 7 pin to 4 pin adapter for his lights. He said he was pulling it with an Olds Electra. I didn't think anything of it...
My wife called my cell about 1/2 hour after I left and said she was coming out of town and some idiot had a trailer come off his car (with the rear bumper still attached) and ended up in the ditch. The trailer had just missed getting t-boned by a semi tractor as it passed through the oncoming lane.
Of course you know who's trailer it was. The trailer wasn't really hurt, but seriously, someone could have been killed if the semi punted it back into traffic.

 

[blueriver]

I just don't loan things out nor do I ask to borrow. When a friend or neighbor ask me for a piece of equipment, I always tell them I will do it for them.

1.) You are the best for helping them
2.) You are in control of the equipment being used
3.) 9 out of 10 offer something for helping them out.

 

[wkpoor]

I have loaned a time or 2 mostly to my FIL. However one time I loaned to a farmer who led me to believe he needed it to move some straw and it would return later in the day. This was Saturday. The following Friday I finally ( after I was so mad I couldn't see straight) called to see why it wasn't back. Mind you I had no idea in the whole world where it was either. The wife answered and said,oh do you need it back, I was like yes, last Saturday! I keep a trailer at my house for a reason ya know. That was the last time one of my trailers went out without me towing it.

 

[john_bud]

Who would I let borrow a trailer?

Just like a bank, I would only let a person that already has a trailer and has no need for an additional trailer borrow one. Then I could recover his trailer should anything happen to my trailer.

If you don't want to loan out your trailers, convert to pintle hitch!

 

[schmism]

i let close friends borrow my small utility trailer all the time. I even let one borrow my truck to tow it. He always brings it back full of gas.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

A utility trailer came unattached from a car heading down the canyon. A motorcyclist behind it couldn't stop in time and slammed into it.

Anytime you think about loaning out your trailer remember you could be facing a lawsuit...

I think my attitudes would be totally different if my trailer were part of my business or had a business logo all over it. If my personal trailer makes it on the front page, the readers think "tough luck". If a business trailer makes it on the front page the readers will always associated that image with "Iplayfarmer & Co."