"Can borrow your tractor?"

[bdog]

I don't let people borrow my equipment. I used to have a really nice Harley. We were at a party and this guy asks me if he could ride my bike. Without blinking an eye I asked him if I could ride his wife and he quickly got the point. We both chuckled and kept bs'ing.

I am always more than willing to help neighbors with my equipment but I don't let them borrow it. My old neighbor borrowed a skid steer from my other neighbor. He developed some kind of hydraulic leak and drove the machine back to the owners place and didn't say a word. When the owner went to use it the fluid was so low it wouldn't even move. There was a trail of fluid from where he parked it all the way back to his place. He has to have seen it when he walked back home.

 

[tractchores]

I never loan mine out. While I wouldn't be crazy about someone using it liability is the real reason. If someone screws up I don't want to be sued because they were on my equipment. When I use it I have liability insurance. I do often offer to help with the job and I'll operate the tractor. Usually that works out well. I also never borrow tools or equipment, but will loan hand tools to people I trust or power stuff to family.

 

[mike69440]

It really depends on who asks. If they are good people I'll do favors. But I will not do big projects, unless hired. Operating costs amortized over the life of the machine, I figure average $40-45 hr for my tractor and 7$70-75 for my excavator. So I'll do favors, but asking for projects is a sure way never to get another favor. Let me offer, don't ask. Close freinds get bigger favors.

 

[MortalWombat]

I don't let people borrow my equipment. I used to have a really nice Harley. We were at a party and this guy asks me if he could ride my bike. Without blinking an eye I asked him if I could ride his wife and he quickly got the point.

You need to be careful with that line. Depending on what she looks like, they may take you up on that and feel they got the better end of the deal.

 

[Alien]

It really depends on who asks. If they are good people I'll do favors. But I will not do big projects, unless hired. Operating costs amortized over the life of the machine, I figure average $40-45 hr for my tractor and 7$70-75 for my excavator. So I'll do favors, but asking for projects is a sure way never to get another favor. Let me offer, don't ask. Close freinds get bigger favors.

I worked it out one day if I was to do some mowing.
I wouldn't charge less tha $120 hour taking into account my time, fuel and maintenance and mower maintenance and to me that would still be cheap.

When my friend heard I was going to buy a mower he told me just to borrow his one. I politely declined as if anything happened to it (gearbox) or bearings, I would feel obliged to spend the money repairing it and I still wouldn't have a mower. I bought my own new one.

Years ago a neighbour saw me trimming weeds around the edges of my garden and bought me over his electric trimmer. 2 minutes into it the **** thing burnt out and I had to buy him a new one and I still didn't have one of my own....
Lesson learned.

Neither Borrower nor Lender be!

 

[PILOON]

I keep a list...
OK guys and never again.
Every one gets a first chance.

If i need to use my tool and have to go fetch it 3 weeks later he is off my list!
(once made a guy drive 40 miles to return a tool that I had loaned him 6 months earlier)

The 'good guys' are the ones that return the tool as soon as the task is completed, they have total access to my assortment.

On the other hand I very rarely borrow nor do I need to as my collection is very complete. (am a true 'tool freak') and that is mechanical as well as wood working tools.
Pawn shops and yard sales are my thing, in fact I suspect that 90-95% of my collection is 'pre owned', but then I know quality and who makes the best of whatever. It helps that I was the 'go to' for a local tool rental facility, and they see the worst of abused tools.

 

[2ndhalf]

Absoltutely you can! ... Can I borrow your horse?

 

[Kubota 2350]

Way too much money invested to take the chance of something happening to it.

I don't borrow, and I don't loan any type of equipment.

 

[4570Man]

I worked it out one day if I was to do some mowing. I wouldn't charge less tha $120 hour taking into account my time, fuel and maintenance and mower maintenance and to me that would still be cheap. When my friend heard I was going to buy a mower he told me just to borrow his one. I politely declined as if anything happened to it (gearbox) or bearings, I would feel obliged to spend the money repairing it and I still wouldn't have a mower. I bought my own new one. Years ago a neighbour saw me trimming weeds around the edges of my garden and bought me over his electric trimmer. 2 minutes into it the **** thing burnt out and I had to buy him a new one and I still didn't have one of my own.... Lesson learned. Neither Borrower nor Lender be!

$120 per hour for a ck30??? I guess that is the I don't want to do it price. I can hire a guy with a skid steer for $75 per hour 2 hour minimum. That is a commercial guy, not a fly by nighter.

 

[motownbrowne]

$120 per hour for a ck30??? I guess that is the I don't want to do it price. I can hire a guy with a skid steer for $75 per hour 2 hour minimum. That is a commercial guy, not a fly by nighter.

He's in Australia.

 

[TerryR]

120 AUD is about 90 USD currently.

 

[4570Man]

120 AUD is about 90 USD currently.

That is still ridiculous for that size machine.

 

[Alien]

You can have your opinion. As I said I wouldn't do it for less. I used to get $60 an hour when I worked in an office without using machinery.
If you take depreciation and running costs into true consideration then $120 is right and still making a small profit. Why else would you do it? If you want to work for nothing, go right ahead, but if you want to sit down and work out true running costs then you will see it is not ridiculous. Working for any less is.
I have a friend who charges $600 an hour for a D6. He is swamped with work.
A gardener with a push mower charges from $50 - $60 to do a city lawn. I can do a couple of acres in an hour easily and more if it is straight mowing.
But, as I said, you can charge your ridiculously low rates and then find that you can't afford to replace your machine when the time comes. I don't really care.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My God. You can get a D6 around here for less then a hundred and fifty (Canadian Peunut Valued Peso) an hour with operator.

It's true though. I show up with a tool kit with a few hundred bucks of tools and charge $60.00/hour. Show up with a hundred and fifty grand of equipment and charge $75.00/hour. Don't make no sense.

 

[joefromga]

Re: "Can borrow your tractor?"

A D6 uses 3.5 to 6.5 gallons of fuel per hour. There's not much left after the tow to site, setup time and work time plus figuring in depreciation and repair costs. Also if you're doing work you should at least be bonded if not have liability insurance etc. Don't forget the costs of tow rig and it's fuel and insurance.

The good thing is people that undercharge go belly up when it's time to replace equipment.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Usually, you have to pay float charges anyway.

I know one guy that just parks his broken equipment and heads off to the next auction to buy the next piece. He has quite the collection of broken equipment.

For me, being able to make any money with my equipment regardless of how little, allows me to write it off (on taxes) and that to me is worth a lot more than the income!

In general though. It seems that when equipment services are concerned, it's almost as if the operator isn't part of the cost consideration. I spoke with a lady that left a government job and bought a pretty busy health food store. Her accountant told her, she was actually making twenty cents and hour! Seems like pretty much the same thing with running equipment.

 

[4570Man]

You can have your opinion. As I said I wouldn't do it for less. I used to get $60 an hour when I worked in an office without using machinery. If you take depreciation and running costs into true consideration then $120 is right and still making a small profit. Why else would you do it? If you want to work for nothing, go right ahead, but if you want to sit down and work out true running costs then you will see it is not ridiculous. Working for any less is. I have a friend who charges $600 an hour for a D6. He is swamped with work. A gardener with a push mower charges from $50 - $60 to do a city lawn. I can do a couple of acres in an hour easily and more if it is straight mowing. But, as I said, you can charge your ridiculously low rates and then find that you can't afford to replace your machine when the time comes. I don't really care.

The market is obviously different over there. A guy charging those rates over here adjusted for currency value wouldn't get a single job. I can rent a D6 dozer for about $5000 a month and use it for 160 hours. The rental company obviously isn't loosing money, and they think it cost them less than $31 per hour to use their dozer.

 

[4570Man]

I can buy a ck30 without a loader for about $15000 maybe less for a 2wd. Add in $2000 for a cutter. Assuming the tractor last for 3000 hours ( I'd expect more ). That is about $6 dollars an hour operating cost. Add in diesel price current price is $1.70 per gallon, but we will figure 2.50 per gallon. Add in x for maintenance and repairs. You are now at about $15 per hour operating cost. It seems at 75 per hour you'd still be making 60 per hour. I'd be happy to ride around on a tractor for 60 per hour.

 

[Alien]

My son in law bought a new DK45 and a slasher. He charged $70 per hour. He lasted about 12 months and gave it up due to excessive costs, It was not worth his effort.
His transport trailer was handy while he had it though....

 

[joefromga]

I can buy a ck30 without a loader for about $15000 maybe less for a 2wd. Add in $2000 for a cutter. Assuming the tractor last for 3000 hours ( I'd expect more ). That is about $6 dollars an hour operating cost. Add in diesel price current price is $1.70 per gallon, but we will figure 2.50 per gallon. Add in x for maintenance and repairs. You are now at about $15 per hour operating cost. It seems at 75 per hour you'd still be making 60 per hour. I'd be happy to ride around on a tractor for 60 per hour.

Until you snag a stump or barbed wire buried or worse a survey pin or concrete stob.

Every repair and maintenance adds to that 6/hr cost.

Remember, your time is worth money too. Mine is.