"Can borrow your tractor?"

[Kodiak45]

I always like to use the excuse that the tractor isn't completely mine, that I share it with my brother or it's a family tractor, perhaps even blame the wife. Not trying to be deceitful, but just avoiding confrontation. If I told them what I was thinking, it would be a laugh and **** no, not the nicest response.

 

[check]

I won't loan out any two stroke equipment especially a chainsaw. It is all too likely someone will pour in straight gas. I don't let hired help use the chainsaw either. They can't seem to keep it out of the dirt.

Very interesting point about hired help. As we all know, you have to be very careful when using a chainsaw not to touch the dirt or a rock or a piece of concrete, or a nail, or anything like that. Hired help seems not understand that concept very well, or not to care. So whenever I get someone working for me do use the chainsaw, I am right there to supervise, and I don't let them cut anything anywhere near the ground or near anything that could dull the chain.

And I don't lend my tractor. Period.

 

[check]

Have you ever really watched people drive? I have and wont let just anyone borrow any cars or trucks from me as well. Like many here I do have one friend who I can trust to return things without breaking or damaging them when he uses them but he is the exception rather than the rule. Between us we have helped each other many times with everything from advice right down to labor and shared the cost of big ticket Items that we would not have purchased if we had to buy it ourselves. We slowly developed this relationship over the years but it started when after a mishap I needed a trailer in a pinch and got rear ended while using it. I left a message for him that I had an accident and it would be 2 days till I could return the trailer. When I did it was completely repaired with brand new fenders on both sides new wire harness and a quick paint job of the hole trailer. Only one light and one fender needed replaced along with the side rail but how can one justify returning it with a mismatched set of rear lights and fresh paint covering the replaced rails and fenders only. So I made it all match and look like new for just a few dollars more. Needless to say he was pleased about the repairs but insisted he give me some money toward the extra work done. I refused and told him I wouldn't feel right about taking it as it was only a few dollars more and a few hours of time. The next weekend I came home from work to find a very presentable bumper to replace the one that was bent up in the accident. The note said I know you don't need repayment but I basically got this for free and figured you could use it. Thanks again for going the extra with the trailer. To this day I have never asked if he really found that bumper for free or not and wont ask but we have become best of fiends. Helped each other out with many different things over the years and are both willing to loan just about anything we have to each other and have co-owned many big ticket items. Problem is you wont find too many people like this around even the friends of our friends don't have the capacity to understand it but we don't feel right if something breaks and the returned Item isn't better than the item first borrowed. We don't sleep right if we owe someone money. Its funny I could write a check out to my friend for any amount he needs and not worry about him not paying it back unless he died suddenly but if I lend a 100 dollars to any of my family I would likely never see it again.

Gee, Paul, good for you. What a great friend! Wouldn't it be nice if they were all like that!

 

[Kodiak45]

I don't borrow anything I can't afford to replace in full, if only everybody had the same mindset. I've heard the term, "it's a tractor", or "it's a truck", the people that say things like this scare me. I'm getting ready to wax my tractor and touch up any rust and paint chips. Not everybody treats equipment like I do.

 

[Henro]

Some years ago, I lent my nearly-new post hole digger to a TBN friend who lives about an hour away.

We used to get to get together once in a while for breakfast at a mid point distance wise. Anyway, he gave me a piece of steel for my welding table, and so on...a good guy really.

Everything worked out OK, but it took six months before I had the PHD back in my possession. He only had to dig a couple holes. That kind of put the brakes on my desire to lend anything else out to anyone...

At that point I became one of the "I go with my stuff" crowd.

Like many others here I have occasionally done stuff for my neighbors...not expecting anything in return, but ending up with a case of beer that I did not ask for or expect.

Good neighbors are more valuable than good fences!

Bill

 

[ultrarunner]

Only two people I have ever known that return things better than when borrowed... one has been deceased 12 years.

Most borrow because they are cheap...

Being cheap doesn't bode well...

My neighbor had a big project and his saw quit...

I knew he needed to get it done so I loaned him my Stihl saw which is not the same as his pro model...

It came back to me Monday looking like new with 3 new loops of chain...

 

[JMER817]

While I was prepping the build site for my new house, my neighbor a 1/4 mile down the road came by and asked if I could spread some asphalt millings that he got for his driveway. I asked well how much did you get. His answer was well I'm not sure. I asked what a truck load 10 yards or something. He says oh yeah it's about 10 yards. He offered to pay knowing that I would turn it down. I said, just drop off a case of beer sometime. I drove my tractor down to his house a few hours later turn into his driveway and see about 35 yards of material. I spread it anyhow all along just shaking my head. When I was done he started bragging about the deal he got. He told me that he only paid $$ per yard. So he did know how many yards that he bought. It's 1.5 years later and still don't have my case of beer.

 

[ultrarunner]

Things like this are why one of my 80 year old friends said people are no good... with a few rare exceptions.

He said if you live long enough you will learn this for yourself.

I hope I never reach this conclusion... yet, the older I get the more his words ring true.

 

[sixdogs]

Woody Allen has a movie quote that is something like:

I love humanity; it's people I can't stand.


Actually, there are lots of good people. Unfortunately, they aren't the ones that want to borrow expensive equipment.

 

[Snowback]

Things like this are why one of my 80 year old friends said people are no good... with a few rare exceptions.

He said if you live long enough you will learn this for yourself.

I hope I never reach this conclusion... yet, the older I get the more his words ring true.

This is a sad truth in a lot of cases. I like to believe I'm one of the exceptions and have been burned by loaning or helping may times.

Last time I loaned out Max 25 and trailer to move some "small bushes" around, I got a call around 7pm asking for help. The guys had taken my 6,000 pound rated trailer to get trees and put about 10,000 pounds of palms and ferns on it. Then once back home they were trying to lift those monster ferns off with the sub compact tractor... not happening. Even dented brand new trailer fenders up trying to get at trees. When I showed up I just smiled. Helped drag the trees into place myself and licked my wounds on way home.

I'll still help anyone out who asks nicely. Probably get taken advantage of more often than not, but hopefully it's making the world a better place.

I do have one neighbor who used the Max to move some dirt around with a box blade. It got a little muddy, but he washed it until it was new, and brought 10 gallons of fresh diesel back when returning. That was a fair trade.

I'll be very hesitant to loan out the 2538 but will gladly help out with it in the right cases.

If anyone on TBN in and around Conroe TX needs a helping hand just hit me up. I'm a sucker for punishment!