"Can borrow your tractor?"

[joefromga]

I never loan tools to anyone who can't afford to replace them. I had a guy ask about using the tractor for some digging tonight. I sort of shifted the discussion to rentals but didn't want to just say no even though that's always what I tell them.

How do you guys deal with these types of questions?

I paid way too much to loan out my pride and joy.

 

[Rock knocker]

Is his wife hot?

 

[joefromga]

Maybe 40 years ago.

 

[Bull Of The Woods]

Reminds me of a song...."older women make beautiful lovers" lol

 

[CurlyDave]

If it is a good friend, a neighbor, or someone who is otherwise a good guy, I will bring my tractor over and do the work while he watches and directs. I will bring my tractor to the church and work there. When our house in CA burned down a few years back, a member of our church, who is a retired electrician, drove 500 miles to help us with the electrical part of the rebuild. On his own dime. I did some work at his house a few weeks ago.

Otherwise, it is just not going to happen.

There is one person I will let take my tractor -- he is a very close friend, closer than a brother. Ex-marine, hunting companion, 25+ years clean and sober, honest, and very careful. No one with lesser qualifications should even ask.

 

[oosik]

I've never had anybody ask. I would just say "NO". I had a person ask to take a "joy ride" - his words - on my ATV. I graciously declined his request. My neighbor to the south is a BIG cattle rancher. I help him each summer by cleaning out his calving pens - his tractors, big 500+ hp Versatiles - are too big and not set up to do that kind of job nor even get in the pens. I've asked him a couple time to come over with his big tractors and help - and he gladly does that.

Speaking of women and wives - IMHO, asking to borrow a persons tractor is very much like asking to borrow his wife. Its just not done and isn't even polite.

But, then again, maybe I'm just old fashion in my way of thinking.

 

[kenord]

I own a backhoe when I first got it a lot of my friends wanted to borrow it. the easy answer was I don't have a trailer to haul it. Then I would tell them it only cost me $400 to have it hauled home . they should ck what it would cost what it cost to haul to here house , one guy wanted to haul it on his little car trailer when I told him it weighed about 13,000 he didn't need it then.
Other than that if my neighbors need anything I just go do it for them , Its usually just dig a hole to bury a goat, they ask what I owe you I just tell them I don't charge for funerals .
but I just don't loan my equipment it costs too much to fix it ,
Rich

 

[TomSeller]

I'd dig the hole for them and have a couple of beers together afterwards. Neighbor building.

 

[Wagtail]

It's never happened to me, it's always been me and my tractor. I've yet to say no and put the work down to 'tractor fun'. It's the same when I've offered my tractor and myself for a job = 'tractor fun'.

There is one exception (isn't there always ) and that's my neighbour, to the back of me. She has horses and was very helpful to me when I moved in with my two... long.story.short, I checked her out on my rig so that she could shift her round bales into her paddock as she'd been doing on her own (pushing & shifting!). She's always asked before using it, even after I told her to grab the keys whenever she needed to.

 

[motownbrowne]

No way is anyone borrowing my tractor for "digging"!

If a close friend needed to use the bush hog for a couple hours in a field that had been mowed at some point in the last couple years (to ensure there weren't any major obstacles) I'd consider it. Just about anything else, though, I would have to go with on the job.

 

[2ndhalf]

Funny that the only guys I would loan mine to (Dad, Brother in laws, and nephews) already have tractors or closer access to a tractor than mine. No neighbors will borrow it; I will do the work myself. I have one friend that I do worry about him asking but he hasn't yet. I would have to go do the work for him even though he would not like that at all. He is not mechanical at all and I wouldn't want him on my mower much less my tractor; too many stupid things he could do with the tractor.

 

[coobie]

NOPE,never loan equipment.When my equipment comes back damaged is Pizzes me off.Folks then say sorry.LOL.

 

[Looking4new]

My neighbours have the good sense not to ask.

I did have one woman who asked me if I would take my brand new Kioti with R4's on down a 45 degree slope. I told her 'no'. She said that Freddy took his David Brown (with R1's) down. I told her that the D-B was a full size tractor with better traction than my toy tractor with industrial tires. She never asked me again.

You want something done, I and my tractor will show up and we (my tractor and I) will do the work.
End of story.

 

[Ed of all trades]

My dad loaned a chain saw to a friend for a little cleanup around his new house. It came back and would not start. When dad asked what had happened he said, "I was almost done and ran out of the gas you sent with the saw and so I put some pure gas in it to finish up. I only ran it a little bit so I am sure that it didn't hurt it but it stopped and I don't know what is wrong." So we rebuilt the engine on the saw and never loaned anything out again. Lesson learned. I do have one guy that if he asked I would loan it to him but he has never asked and I don't think he would. Anyone else I will do it or just say no. Ed

 

[2ndhalf]

My neighbours have the good sense not to ask.

I did have one woman who asked me if I would take my brand new Kioti with R4's on down a 45 degree slope. I told her 'no'. She said that Freddy took his David Brown (with R1's) down. I told her that the D-B was a full size tractor with better traction than my toy tractor with industrial tires. She never asked me again.

You want something done, I and my tractor will show up and we (my tractor and I) will do the work.
End of story.

Ha Ha ... too funny my 4wd Kioti with less traction than a DB RWD only! Smart man! You should have said "where is FREDDY now?"

 

[joecdeere]

Yep, if I like ya, I come with my equipment, I have backhoes, chippers, regular tractors etc, so I am the neighborhood target for wanting to borrow something for just a second. If I have the time and it's in the scope of my abilities, I'm more than happy to be a good neighbor! But I come with it, and I run it. I had a no longer neighbor call me at work last year and tell me "Hey, you know the key's not in your backhoe? I was gonna borrow it for a few minutes" needless to say, we had a couple of cross words and no I didn't help with his chore. I was the neighborhood a@@ in every story he told until they moved. Hate it for him!

 

[The Deerslayer]

I would never considering loaning my tractor to someone, way too many things can go wrong which may result in bad feelings. I also do not have a trailer so that limits any potential requests. There have been times when I have helped a good neighbor out, but I am the operator. Any gas operated equipment I have does not get loaned out;especially my saws. Learned my lesson once by loaning out a pressure washer in fine working order that came back leaking like a sieve. Any hand tools or power tools are fair game for a loan to a good neighbor in need.

 

[TnAndy]

My dad loaned a chain saw to a friend for a little cleanup around his new house. It came back and would not start. When dad asked what had happened he said, "I was almost done and ran out of the gas you sent with the saw and so I put some pure gas in it to finish up. I only ran it a little bit so I am sure that it didn't hurt it but it stopped and I don't know what is wrong." So we rebuilt the engine on the saw and never loaned anything out again. Lesson learned. I do have one guy that if he asked I would loan it to him but he has never asked and I don't think he would. Anyone else I will do it or just say no. Ed

Yeah.....every 2 cycle engine needs some 'pure gas' now and then.......ahahahaaaa

Joke:

One guy asks his neighbor to borrow his chainsaw. Other neighbor says "No, can't lend it to you....I have to make soup today."

"What has making soup to do with you lending me your saw ?"

"Well, nothing. But if I don't want to do something, isn't one excuse about as good as another ? "

 

[Code54]

Yep, if I like ya, I come with my equipment, I have backhoes, chippers, regular tractors etc, so I am the neighborhood target for wanting to borrow something for just a second. If I have the time and it's in the scope of my abilities, I'm more than happy to be a good neighbor! But I come with it, and I run it. I had a no longer neighbor call me at work last year and tell me "Hey, you know the key's not in your backhoe? I was gonna borrow it for a few minutes" needless to say, we had a couple of cross words and no I didn't help with his chore. I was the neighborhood a@@ in every story he told until they moved. Hate it for him!

ALL I can say to that is WOW!

I have 2 friends I would let use the tractors without giving it a thought but neither would ever ask. Heck the one friend hand rakes his ¼ gravel driveway because he does not want to bother me by using my 3pt rake which I offer to him everytime I know he is working on his driveway. He lives too far to drive my tractor over or I would. His Dad has eqpt that would easily handy the rake but just does not own a rake yet (just got the tractor and my friend just built the house so he has plenty of other expensive so I would be glad to help him out)

 

[KubotaToy]

I adopted a policy several years back, if I like you and if you need help, then you really need my personal help and the tractor is just a tool to get a job done and may or may not be used. I once loaned a friend tractor with a 15' brush-hog to clear a overgrown pasture, I warned him is was designed as stalk cutter and would throw stuff out the back a long way, so make sure the field as clear. Well, he parked his truck in the field, hit a piece of metal and broke a door window out of his truck, had the basketballs to ask if I would pay or claim it on my insurance.

My wife does get mad when I tell neighbors who ask to use anything that if they are willing to work their way thru college, work hard for 24 years in the Navy, retire and start a second career, save money and not spend beyond their means, they could either afford to hire the work out or buy the item they want to borrow...

BTW- their are some good folks out their, I have a new neighbor who asked what my thoughts are on getting yard drainage around his new to him home fixed, he has some really bad drainage problems that is allowing water into his basement, I showed him my drain arrangement around my house and figured that is what he needed. Next day, he is out digging around his house with a shovel and pick, I go over and ask to help him and he politely said no, he would get it done and did not want to burden anybody else, I told him no burden on me, so we dig hard for about 8 hours that day, he never complained once. We might have got 15' about 6' down dug in some really hard clay. The next day, I bring my shovel and pick over, the backhoe, he was concerned that he could not afford to pay me, I told him no money, just be a good neighbor. I finished the dig out that day, he seemed overwhelmed that someone would do that. His wife baked me some bread and painted a watercolor of me on my backhoe, hmm, better than money to me, good neighbors that do not believe you own them something...