Somebody "borrowed" my tractor

[MarkV]

Wow Jim, I can't imagine anyone even considering coming and "borrowing"...i.e. stealing a tractor for a project. I think you are lucky it is still there and I would be watching that neighbor closely. It worked once, why not try again.

MarkV

 

[ustmd]

Talk about stainless steel ones.

I don't even like borrowing someone's hammer if it is offered. To come on your property and "borrow" a piece of capital equipment is pretty gutsy.

 

[blueriver]

Its not mine and it just simply makes me down right mad that someone did this ... borrowing a hammer, shovel, cresent wrench is different than borrowing a tractor.

I'd be out looking and would probably end a friendship (if it was a friend) or be opening a can of WA on the person or persons involved.

 

[Jstpssng]

Infuriating. I hope it was an isolated incident.
Although "boobie trapping" it may sound appealing to some it's probably a bad idea; you could very well find yourself in more trouble than the theif if he gets hurt.

 

[Bellafx]

In today's world, isn't that what people do if they do not have something they want? Just take it from the folks that work hard for it? They see you with things they want or need to borrow and they feel entitled. (They learn this from the gov't)

Call the law make a report, take photos and such, when they come back for more, you and the law can pile all the trespassing and stealing of things on them. Yes, stealing of fuel and use! More than $500 in all is a felony!

Hope they enjoy it while it last, right?

 

[Travelover]

In today's world, isn't that what people do if they do not have something they want? Just take it from the folks that work hard for it? They see you with things they want or need to borrow and they feel entitled. (They learn this from the gov't)...............

Thank goodness. I've been waiting for 5 pages for this to get around to a anti government rant. :laughing:

 

[jinman]

I think I have this pretty well planned out. I have one additional neighbor who I might ask because he was arriving as I was leaving and going out when I was coming home. He's a nice fellow, retired form FedEx, and lost his wife a couple of years ago. If he saw anything, he would surely tell me.

I won't call names, but I think it was my next-door neighbor who helped himself. His house is about 400 feet from mine with a gully and trees separating. I once pulled a 20' container for him about 40 ft with my tractor when it was new. I've also pulled him on his father's tractor out of the sandy creek behind our places. He is just the kind of guy who thinks his need constitutes a good reason to help himself. I've observed scraps of poached game on his property with buzzards circling. He's also the one who bottle fished all the big catfish out of our lake because, "I gotta feed my family." There is no fence between our places and he could easily walk here and take my tractor after seeing us leaving at noon. If some neighbor had caught him and asked, he would have told them that he has my permission. That's just the kind of guy he is.

I'll do the light and I plan to install a four station video monitor. The next time this happens (if it happens) I'll have the perp on candid camera. In the meantime, I'm locking up keys, setting the disconnect on my TLB and pulling the 40 amp main fuse. The rubber cover for the breaker looks completely normal with the fuse pulled. The long-term solution is as Ron Hall suggested. I have to get off my duff and get my pole barn built. Unfortunately, if they break into a building while I'm gone, they would be hidden from view of the road. It's always something and a good insurance policy is the best plan.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Talk about stainless steel ones.

I don't even like borrowing someone's hammer if it is offered. To come on your property and "borrow" a piece of capital equipment is pretty gutsy.

I know how you feel about borrowing equipment. I don't like to either. However, its not always possible to buy or rent some of the big ticket items. Today is a perfect example for me. I have been looking at Mini excavators for a few years but couldn't justify the cost of a decent used unit. I need a cab since I would be using it mostly in cold and crappy weather (when my other work slows down). Well I have a bunch of stumps I needed to remove along a road where I am planting a new vineyard. I ask the neighbor we bought the property from and I get along with well if I could rent her Kubota KH-28L. She said I could use it as long as I fix anything I break and fill it up with fuel. No problem I say. Well I drove the machine 200 yards and extend the boom to brace the machine as I cross a ditch and rip the hydraulic line off the grapple cylinder. The guy who had just used the machine "repaired" the grapple. Well his repair involved shortening the hose to the cylinder and I was the first one to use it since it was "repaired". As soon as I extended the boom part way the fitting snapped off and sprayed oil all over. So I shut down, go to the store and buy a proper length hose, proper hydraulic fitting (he used galvanized steel water pipe and fittings) and an easy out to remove the sheared off fitting (that I didn't mind since I needed a good set of easy outs). Put it all back together, drive another 100 yards and start digging stumps. The 6th stump I dig out (these are 8-10" pine stumps that were pushed over and already loose) and swing over to set up on the other stumps and the grapple cylinder rips off the boom. So I took it back and parked it. The guy who "repaired" the grapple welded it back together and the weld never penetrated. The entire weld except for a inch or two stayed on the boom and there was only that inch or two of weld actually attached to the grapple attachment point. So I called in a mutual friend of ours and am going to ask him to properly repair it for her. She apoligized for all my trouble and offered to pay for the parts (which I politely declined) and has offered it to me as soon as we get it repaired again.

It is so frustrating dealing with other peoples equipment that I called up one of the local dealers and am going to try and make a deal on a Bobcat 331 with cab, hydraulic thumb, brand new tracks and a 12 and 24" bucket. I have been dragging my feet about buying my own even though I have a lot of work for one but I am just going to bite the bullet. It is always more rewarding to use your own equipment and not have to worry about someone else doing a crappy repair and being stuck with down time and fixing it again. Plus if I break something on my own its my own fault and I can't blame anyone else and there are no hard feelings. Plus when I repair it properly, I reap the rewards instead of someone else :laughing:

 

[J_J]

Jim,

Take a look at these cameras. Will take pics and send them to your phone, and your phone can control the camera if it is a smart phone.

X10.com - AirSight Wireless SD H.264 IP Camera

 

[namesray]

sorry to hear about your troubles. it makes me mad and it did not even happen to me. i wish you luck and hopefully it never happens again. in my opinion there are 2 ways to look at this. 1: it should have never happened. your equipment, not theirs. atleast ask. no one has any respect anymore.
2: people now a days will re tal e ate (i can't spell) and if you " trick lock it up", you might open yourself more to vandelism. the tractor was returned unharmed (as much as you know.) in a twisted way that shows some care. atleast they didn't steal it or anything on it. if they wanted to take it, they would have got away with something in my opinion (chains!). it is good you reported it to the police and if it were me, i would let my neighbors know that too. they might have "borrowed" it, but you don't like that and will report all such instances to the police and will be watching closer. atleast then, your nieghbors will know where you stand and charges could be filed if caught. might deter them more in the future.

sometimes it is better to get the flys with honey then with a fly swatter. shame it has to be this way, but next time the tractor might not end up in that good of shape.

there is a few instances of this happening to other people i know of. i do not agree with it, but just to give you one example, we were working along the road removing and replacing old road signs. it was early spring and some areas were still frozen and where we were at the time, this sign anchor was frozen in the ground and we did not have the tools to get it out. my friend on the crew knew this guy that lived near by and guess what was parked near the sign we were working at? a front end loader. my friend thought the guy he knew that owned the front end loader "wouldn't mind" so he just hopped in the loader quick, started it up, pulled the sign anchor, and went right back to park it. thing is, this was an older loader. my friend could not get the loader to shut off. had to call the owner, who came down and showed my friend how to shut it off. pull back up on the throttle pedal! he was not too happy with my friend, but at the time did not say much of it. (i found out later on he was mad, which i agree.) had something been wrong with that loader that my friend did not know about, there goes that guys investment. and that is not even the worst of it. my friend should have just not have done it and respected it that way. but just to show you an example of a seeming harmless intention, gone wrong.

i would do everything you said about the cameras and such if you want. might help you sleep better. but usually now a days one trick usually gets another trick right back, especially from people who would just "borrow" without asking in the first place. i would tell every neighbor that "if they did use it, thanks for putting everything back mostly, but please just ask next time if they need the help. and that the police have been notified and it is on record and they are alearted to this ongoing issue" maybe a more diplomatic way to handle it, that might work out better in the wrong run.