Letting the neighbor borrow your tractor...

[sikmusicfreak8]

Ive never had good experience loaning anything out. I keep my things very clean, and well maintained. I use to let friends borrow things, but no more. I honestly like helping out friends, but ive been done dirty too many times. My tractor I couldn't imagine lending out, unless I know they operate machinery. Ive had numerous friends ask, and I tell them if my schedule clears up, Id be happy to help out for the cost of fuel in the truck and tractor.

When loaning out my vehicles, they would always be returned dirty, running on fumes, had people spill coffee, salsa on my carpets.

Let one friend borrow my truck while I was working in Hawaii, she loaned it to her younger sister and boyfriend to move out, they rolled up old carpet, layed it across my duals, then slid it over the rails, completely ruined 3 month old paint on my truck. No offer to help pay to fix, and they are well off.

Friend borrowed my trailer to move, loaded it up, turn sharply in a parking lot and clipped the curb, completely taco'd my front axle.

Friend wanted to run my Maverick around the desert, told him to just cruise and take it easy, takes off with another buddy, comes back 5 mins later, taco'd my front rim when he slammed into a rock.

The list goes on and on. Just cant do it any longer.

 

[dragoneggs]

Yep I'm done loaning anything I want back! Never the same condition... let alone better (as it should be). As others have said, I would rather lend a hand with my tools/tractor. I purposely am holding off buying a dump trailer that could haul my BX in a pinch knowing that I won't have an excuse with my BIL's. I don't mind at all doing anything at all with pleasure for my aging next door neighbor though but I will run it. He is pretty unsteady now at 80+ but he has taught me a lot of wisdom so I want to pay it back however I can.

 

[Farmer2750]

I have 1 friend and my father that can take my truck, tractor, or equipment anytime no questions no worries. I let a "friend" take my truck through prom. I gave him strict instructions to leave my tuner on stage one. He came back and said it really gets up and goes on stage 3. Took the keys and walked away. Same guy also rode my ATV while I helped another guy limp his back to the truck. Came back to find a big scratch in it. He claims he didn't do it. I know for a fact he did because my girlfriend watched him run right into a tree.

 

[4570Man]

I have a rent house and I used to let the renters use one of my old lawn mowers to cut the grass. The first renter bent the deck, bent both rear fenders, bent the front grill, and scratched up the hood. I managed to mow the same yard for years without doing that. The second renter took better care of it, but he left the key on and killed the battery that had to be replaced on my dollar. I got wise and took the mower when he moved out and didn't let the third renter use it. The third renter is best one yet and I think they would probably take care of it, but... I charged them $35 to cut the grass which was a bargain considering it's a 2 acre yard. They must not have felt the same way since they started push mowing it.

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ Excactly... I don't know if it was by stupidity or be design.

My tenants and mowing is one collosal disaster... ruined equipment and damaged irrigation.

The final straw was a tenant that had my 6 month old mower and was mad at me when it wouldn't start so he pushed it over the retaining wall... it is Honda and one start... BUT you have to turn on the gas!!!

Another would clip sprinkler heads with each mow...

I've mowed for decades and never had a problem... my mowers last until the deck rusts out.

I keep some tools just for lending... nothing powered goes out without me.

 

[joefromga]

Tenants aren't worth the hassle. Best is to hire lawn care and charge them as part of their lease. No exception.

Then, you can sue the lawn care when they run over sprinklers and scratch parked cars and what not.

 

[shaeff]

Original conversation has been answered ad-nauseam, but I'll throw my few pennies in the mix.

My best friend wanted to split a tractor with me, he knew I'd been looking. I found my Massey Ferguson Utility 35 with a loader on it in disrepair. I've got $2,100 into it total and it's finally ready to work. I'd have no problem lending it to him if/when needed, he's super appreciative, and was a mechanic for 10yrs. There is zero doubt in my mind that he'd repair anything he broke. When it comes to co-ownership, that's not my cup of tea, as I'll be using it with my flail mower to maintain my property (4.5a) on a weekly basis, and have lots of projects planned. I don't want to worry about if/when he would need it for whatever task he has planned. Since it's mine, I don't need to worry about that.

Best $2,000 I've spent!

 

[lilranch2001]

Simple answer is no....
I have worked hard all my life to get "my stuff" and that is why it is called "my stuff"

I wouldn't loan my woman out and I may care more for "my stuff" than her



I will usually use "my stuff" to help almost anyone out tho.....

 

[orangeandgreen]

My neighbor wanted to borrow my tractor but I told him no, instead I loaned him me and the tractor.

 

[oosik]

Around here, anybody I would trust to loan my tractor to already has their own equipment. There are some that I wouldn't loan my all steel splitting wedges to. Then there is the problem with insurance - my insurance only covers my equipment while used on my property.

Me & my tractor have gone to a neighbors and cleaned out his calving pens - his tractors are simply to big and don't have a FEL. He has done numerous favors for me and has pulled my tractors out of the mud a couple times.

Soooo..... I my answer would be no. I definitely would not loan out my tractor.

 

[Thall303]

My neighbor is much more experienced with tractors and machinery than I and HE would be foolish to lend me one of his tractors!

 

[waycoolmarine]

their is a few friends I lend mine to. if it breaks it probably would have broken anyway while I was using it , and the guys I lend it to have the ability and money to fix it. if fact a buddy who also happens to be part owner in the bank I bank at needed to bushog some deer trails so he has my trailer , tractor and bush hog. last time he used it it was full of fuel with 10 extra gallons in the tanks on the trailer ,and it was washed .

 

[ultrarunner]

There are few that will always return better than received... I try to make this my practice although it is rare that I borrow anything.

A few of my neighbors have been very generous without even asking and of course if there is anything I can do to help I reciprocate.

That said none have any recent tractor experience... so I go with my tractor.

 

[PatrickS2222]

I couldn't resist adding my :2cents: to this one. :laughing:
I have two great neighbours and both are very generous and helpful to me. I have loaned my tractor with confidence to one neighbour many times because he's quite savvy with machinery and operating a wide variety of equipment. He also loans me his huge backhoe whenever I want, as well as a lot of other tools and things I don't have ..... we work well together.
My other neighbour, by his own admission, isn't at all experienced and therefore not at all confident in operating a tractor or loader, so I'm happy to go over and do whatever he needs done. He always expects it to cost him, but I only ever accept the approximate fuel cost. This is because - aside from being a neighbour - he also has various things, or access to the odd piece of usually specialised equipment, which I sometimes need, so I benefit in return for an occasional bit of my time ..... we also work well together.
The bottom line is we live beside both good families, look out for each other, watch for thieves etc, and just help make life a bit easier for each other. (They both reckon my home-grown tomatoes are top-grade! And I'm happy to share.)
There are only about a half-dozen others I would feel comfortable loaning a hacksaw to, much less my tractor. But they will also loan stuff to me, recognising that I treat it better than my own. :thumbsup:

 

[Todd NE WY]

I am in the don't loan it out crowd. Had a bad experience with lending a trailer out once and decided I paid for it so I will be the only one using it. That said I am more than happy to help the neighbors out, I keep the local vet and his dad plowed out in the winter. This comes in handy if we have a sick animal, especially after clinic hours, he always answers my calls. There are 3 of us in the neighborhood that kind of gang up on the snow when it gets really deep, our road is not a county road and they do eventually plow us but if we want out to the main road it is on us.

 

[ultrarunner]

My trailer was loaned to the son of a neighbor... the Dad asked... and it came back damaged... plus the tractor he picked up made it overweight.

In 40 years knowing this family this has been the only issue... so sometimes you let it go.

On the rare occasion I need to borrow it always comes back better.

I needed a tile saw and damaged the one I borrowed from another neighbor..... went out and bought a new one with the exact model number to return to my neighbor and he said why did i do that when his could have been fixed...

Simply said I really should have bought one and I already ordered the part to repair the one I damaged.

He asked with a smile if there was anything else I wanted to borrow and his wife let out a roar.

 

[PatrickS2222]

..... bloke who has never asked to 'borrow' my tractor, wanted to know how much I would charge him to level his driveway. We haggled over whether I would have one cup or two cups of coffee whilst doing the work for him.
Like most of you blokes, I am happy to help out if I have the means to do so and I do not expect anything more than a 'thank you'.

Sounds like me and one of my two excellent neighbours :laughing: They know to put the kettle on when I appear! :licking:

But I must also add: I would never ever loan any of my tenants anything ..... not ever! I've had far too many stories come back along the lines of "well they must be doing well, they have a rental house as well as their own" but no reference at all to the payments on that second house ... the one that they live in! Haven't been lucky enough yet to meet a tenant who wanted to help me out with anything!

 

[hawkeye08]

I don't loan things out anymore and likely already responded to that effect, but am reminded of a story my brother tells.

He was bragging about running a Bobcat (skidsteer) to move materials from driveway to back yard. He would talk about how many tons of material they moved in a weekend, but the part of the story that is applicable here is this. He borrowed the trailer from a friend of a friend and the Bobcat from someone else. The trailer was a car trailer, GVWR was less than 7000lbs, trailer took up a portion and the Bobcat was definitely way over the capacity of the trailer. They laughed when the Bobcat lifted the front of the trailer attached to the pickup real high as the Bobcat went off the back of the trailer. I feel sorry for the guy that loaned them the trailer, his trailer took a beating for sure. The springs were flat, not sure if they recovered from the overload.

 

[CCWKen]

I don't loan out tools or equipment but I'd be more than happy to use them and help a good neighbor, friend or family member. And my stuff would come back home with me when I left. Or they can come here and use the tools as long as I was here. Even so, there are tools that would be off limits unless I did the work. Some are pretty high tech and others are dangerous without training. But it would have to be on my schedule and need for the tools.

I lost a really nice expensive pipe threading set when an uncle passed away. He had barrowed it, went into the hospital for OHS and didn't make it off the table. After all the dust settled from that, his wife let her visiting brother into the garage and he packed up all the tools and left. Including taking my threading set. That side of the family cut all ties and I haven't seen or heard from the aunt since.

 

[StuartDK45SE]

My neighbor occasionally borrows my tractor to rake his roping arena when his own tractor is not available. I'm fine with it, because he knows what he is doing.

I would probably not loan my tractor out to someone who needed to mow something etc. Too many variables and hidden dangers there.