Damaged rental Case backhoe - how bad / costly will this be?

[tlbuser]

BTW, renter damaged uhoh, first time I operated a backhoe, I pushed a section of a new construction house off it's foundation (had the bucket too close when I curled it). Luckily, we could jack the unfinished house back to it original position. This wasn't a rental situation though.
Just saying it's pretty easy to screw up with powerful equipment.

Did that make it into the disclosure notices the new homeowner got?

 

[jda1961]

um, what the heck is the gland?

 

[renter damaged uhoh]

Thanks for all of the advice.

- I called first thing this morning and advised them. My concern was safety. Plus if they checked the machine before loading it up the stabilizer would go down and be stuck down.
Rental shop was glad I told them.

- I wasn't told about insurance availibilty. But I read the back of the contract which I could have ( to late now) bought a damage waiver for 8% more.

- for rental equipment used by novices the machine should be a bit dummy safe. A very simple angled edge to deflect the upward slide of the arm would have saved the damage.
Side note: my inlaws backhoe has warning labels that boom may contact stabilizer out riggers.

- hopefully they will accept using a salvage yard replacement. Total cost 400-600 otherwise a new replacement is near 1000.00 provided they don't blindly accept the highest price for parts. I found new replacemtn for 800. I'll pay the proper damage but if they try to Jack the charges then we might have to let a judge determine the case.

Again thanks for the help and advice.

 

[renter damaged uhoh]

um, what the heck is the gland?

It is end cap that screws in with a few o rings that keep the fluid pressure in. Need spanner wrenches to install.

 

[roadhawk]

Just a guess, but I would imagine that they as renters would be held to a higher standard by their insurance company and must use new parts installed by a professional.

That way there is no guess-work later on about if the part was really good enough or not, or if it was installed correctly/safely or not. A new part "normal" failure has a guarantee (so the insurance doesn't have to pay) and the professional that installs it, even if it's the renter's pro, has insurance to cover an incorrect installation which may not be the same insurance as the original accident insurance.

 

[RoyJackson]

Did that make it into the disclosure notices the new homeowner got?

I have no idea. That incident happened in the winter of 1968/69.
I was a plumber's apprentice and they offered me another buck an hour to operate the 'hoe.
Ever run a open station backhoe in a cold winter? I earned that extra buck per hour!

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy - Ya gotta 'lose' that hat!!! Your killin' me man!!!:laughing::laughing:

Man, I LOVE my Bull Hat!

 

[CurlyDave]

I'll pay the proper damage but if they try to Jack the charges then we might have to let a judge determine the case.

Just be aware that if it were a rental car, not only would they charge you for repairs, but they would also charge you for rental time, at their highest rate, for the time the car was being repaired.

Lets hope you get a better deal than that.

Taking the rental car analogy a little further, check with the company that issued your credit card. There may be insurance coverage there. Also check with homeowner's insurance. Maybe you are covered after all.

 

[renter damaged uhoh]

- I asked if the backhoe was rented anytime this week and was told NO. Should they want me to pay for rental loss that would need to be determined by a judge. I don't think the contract clearly stated renter would be responsible for loss income for damage.

I'd ask for
proof of previous rental history and proof that it wasn't able to be rented due to the damage.

- good tip on homeowners and credit card coverage. That might save the day!


Great
forum you guys have!

 

[renter damaged uhoh]

The store worked with me on the total repair cost. I paid about 80% and they got a new part.

A used part might have been cheaper but unknown.