"Can borrow your tractor?"

[hawkeye08]

Just say no. You don't have to explain and if they push and ask why, you have your answer..

 

[BigBoyToys]

I learned the hard way years ago. Let a good friend borrow a fairly new Bostitch framing gun. Went to use it months later and when I attached the air line to it...air started pissing out of the head. It had a nice hairline crack in it. That was the moment I wised up.

As far as the tractor goes...I'll help neighbors out, with ME in the seat. Other than that I just say "it's not for rent"!

 

[meos1]

Bad news does not get better with age....

 

[Sprinklerman]

I will lend out my tractor , BUT only to 2 select friends . Why , because its a 2 way street . I have borrowed a mini ex from 1 guy and a bucket truck from another . But we have 1 rule . Borrowing is fine if its for your stuff , but if its for a job , you pay . If you break it , you fix it right away .

 

[KubotaToy]

Reading some of the posts reminds me of a lesson I learned on borrowing from others.

I had an elderly neighbor whose husband farmed for a living who was widowed several years prior to knowing her. She had several older JD 4440s that had not been ran for over 10 years and wanted to get them running to sell. Her daughter worked part time for me as a secretary and she overheard me telling a friend I needed to disc up 15 acres to plant some yellow clover for my bees but did not have a tractor big enough. She offered her fathers tractors if I could get one running and would that would help them out also. Well, I spent a week off work swapping parts on three of them to get one to run but still could not use it because all the fuel return line rubber boots were rotten and leaked fuel all over the place. I was traveling the next week and told my neighbor to pick up some boots and o-rings at the JD dealer and I would replace them when I get back. While I was gone, my wife uses her little Kubota with her 4' disc and plows up the field during a pretty good job (took her quite a few hours). After I get home I stop by the neighbors to tell her I did not need to borrow her tractor anymore but I would still put the parts on it and get it running for her to sell. She told me not to bother that local JD mechanic came out and fixed the tractor and handed me a $1100 bill for 6 injector fuel line replacements. I looked at her and asked why they replaced the lines, all they needed was return boots and maybe o-rings, she said the mechanic told her I damaged all the lines and needed to replace them and she expected me to pay the bill since I worked on the tractor. Just for the record I never touched the fuel lines. I ended up paying the bill to keep the peace, but I learned my lesson the hard way on that one.

 

[tcartwri]

Good friend if mine borrowed a fairly expensive air compressor from me to use in his new business. He brought it back twenty years later.... I fired it up and noticed an air leak, so I started running my hand around looking for the leak... The tanks were full of pinholes from internal corrosion.. Laughingly called him a few things.

Same guy borrowed a new Makita variable speed polisher.. $$$$. That's ten years ago. I asked him about it once and he replied that he needed more than I did...

We're pretty good friends obviously.

 

[murphy1244]

Good friend if mine borrowed a fairly expensive air compressor from me to use in his new business. He brought it back twenty years later.... I fired it up and noticed an air leak, so I started running my hand around looking for the leak... The tanks were full of pinholes from internal corrosion.. Laughingly called him a few things.

Same guy borrowed a new Makita variable speed polisher.. $$$$. That's ten years ago. I asked him about it once and he replied that he needed more than I did...

We're pretty good friends obviously.

20 years use is not borrowing, it stealing.. I would not even to expect it back after that long.

 

[Deere Dude]

Reading some of the posts reminds me of a lesson I learned on borrowing from others.

I had an elderly neighbor whose husband farmed for a living who was widowed several years prior to knowing her. She had several older JD 4440s that had not been ran for over 10 years and wanted to get them running to sell. Her daughter worked part time for me as a secretary and she overheard me telling a friend I needed to disc up 15 acres to plant some yellow clover for my bees but did not have a tractor big enough. She offered her fathers tractors if I could get one running and would that would help them out also. Well, I spent a week off work swapping parts on three of them to get one to run but still could not use it because all the fuel return line rubber boots were rotten and leaked fuel all over the place. I was traveling the next week and told my neighbor to pick up some boots and o-rings at the JD dealer and I would replace them when I get back. While I was gone, my wife uses her little Kubota with her 4' disc and plows up the field during a pretty good job (took her quite a few hours). After I get home I stop by the neighbors to tell her I did not need to borrow her tractor anymore but I would still put the parts on it and get it running for her to sell. She told me not to bother that local JD mechanic came out and fixed the tractor and handed me a $1100 bill for 6 injector fuel line replacements. I looked at her and asked why they replaced the lines, all they needed was return boots and maybe o-rings, she said the mechanic told her I damaged all the lines and needed to replace them and she expected me to pay the bill since I worked on the tractor. Just for the record I never touched the fuel lines. I ended up paying the bill to keep the peace, but I learned my lesson the hard way on that one.

Ouch. That would have hurt big time. I can't imagine anyone doing that to somebody else. She had some brass to give you the bill.

 

[4570Man]

20 years use is not borrowing, it stealing.. I would not even to expect it back after that long.

Must be the same guy that "borrowed" all of my tools after dark. It has been about 10 years and he hasn't brought them back yet. :surprised:

 

[ultrarunner]

Reading some of the posts reminds me of a lesson I learned on borrowing from others.

I had an elderly neighbor whose husband farmed for a living who was widowed several years prior to knowing her. She had several older JD 4440s that had not been ran for over 10 years and wanted to get them running to sell. Her daughter worked part time for me as a secretary and she overheard me telling a friend I needed to disc up 15 acres to plant some yellow clover for my bees but did not have a tractor big enough. She offered her fathers tractors if I could get one running and would that would help them out also. Well, I spent a week off work swapping parts on three of them to get one to run but still could not use it because all the fuel return line rubber boots were rotten and leaked fuel all over the place. I was traveling the next week and told my neighbor to pick up some boots and o-rings at the JD dealer and I would replace them when I get back. While I was gone, my wife uses her little Kubota with her 4' disc and plows up the field during a pretty good job (took her quite a few hours). After I get home I stop by the neighbors to tell her I did not need to borrow her tractor anymore but I would still put the parts on it and get it running for her to sell. She told me not to bother that local JD mechanic came out and fixed the tractor and handed me a $1100 bill for 6 injector fuel line replacements. I looked at her and asked why they replaced the lines, all they needed was return boots and maybe o-rings, she said the mechanic told her I damaged all the lines and needed to replace them and she expected me to pay the bill since I worked on the tractor. Just for the record I never touched the fuel lines. I ended up paying the bill to keep the peace, but I learned my lesson the hard way on that one.

Wow... just wow and I'm speechless... really an example of no good deed goes unpunished.

I was hoping for a good ending... I guess you are still neighbors?