Guild of Attachments

[MacTractor]

I have been mulling over an idea that probably will not make sense here in New Brunswick where I live but would most likely make sense in larger more dense areas.

I have a Tractor and a couple of attachments, but from time to time it would be great to have more attachments for simple projects around the yard. I don't have a money tree growing in my yard as I would love to have a bunch more attachments but justifiying them is difficult.

I have a Rear Blade and Snow Blower but this year will most likely need a Landscaping Rake, Boxblade, and maybe Land Plane for landscaping projects around the house. I suspect I will buy them, use them for a week or so then pretty much never use them again if not maybe once a year.

I am just talking out loud here and have by no means sat down and thought this through, but it would be great if I knew other people with some attachments that I could rent/borrow for these small projects. If everyone had some attachments and were responsible it would be a large cache of attachments that can be utilized on an as needed basis and as a group, maybe we could cover a list of the most popular attachments? I would easily go out and buy another like a BoxBlade or Rake if I knew someone who had some others. Tiller, Spreader, etc, the list goes on and on. Again responsible is the key word here as I know the biggest issue would be someone borrowing your stuff and bringing it back broken.

Here the Geography couple with the fact that the population in NB is spread amoung almost 3 indentical in size cities, makes this kind of talking points for me.

From what I know, there is no place to rent any attachments so maybe that is the other angle.

Thoughts? Ideas? Crazy Talk?

 

[cmore]

I think its a good idea as long as every one has skin in the game.

 

[Short Game]

I can see an issue would be that I would want to use your snow blower precisely when you are using it.

I will share my attachments with friends and not think about coming out even.

I would want to be sure that the equipment is cared for at least as well as I would. I think it rarely seems to work out that way. I hate having to go get my own stuff back when I need it, the good deed punished by the time to recover the implement.

As often as I break my own stuff, and because I do most of the repairs, coming out even on sharing equipment would depend a lot on who is using it. Anyone making the grade would be a good friend and one worth having. There are a few neighbors I like well enough that I would help them out any way I could, anyway.

So, as George Carlin said, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, "Be excellent to each other."

 

[FreshRouteFarm]

I have often thought the same thing. Finding enough people with similar size tractors willing to do it might be the problem here in New Brunswick, depending on where you live that is.

 

[CliffordK]

There are, of course, rental places.

Perhaps that is one of the faults with America. Everyone wants their own stuff. And much of it spends more time sitting than it spends running.

I'm trying to put together some haying equipment, but what I'd like would be to have a backup. So, if I have hay down, rain coming, and a broken baler, I could have someone who would loan their equipment... of course with a promise that I would do the same.

Perhaps one could build a website, somewhat like craigslist, but with tools and equipment sharing. But, as others mentioned, one would not want to "share" equipment with someone who expecteed to get everything, and put nothing (substantial) into the pool, and of course, get the equipment back at the end of the day.

I.E. Come borrow a blade to grade the driveway, but bring it back at the end of the day. Don't expect someone to give you a free dozer for 2 years as you slowly clear your back 40.

Broken equipment is always a problem. Some repairs might mean just dragging out the grinder and welder. Others might be quite expensive. And, it may not ever get back to original. With some things, a breakdown might be just a sign of normal wear. Other times it might indicate abuse by the current operator (or previous operators).

 

[kebo]

I remember a similar thread on this same subject a year or two ago. The poster was suggesting an "equipment co-op", of sorts. I think that's very do-able, but I think it would have to be a situation where you buy into it with X dollars (for repairs and maintenance) so there is some level of commitment from everyone, and sign an agreement that spells out how it will be run, and who is responsible for what. No way would I depend on a verbal from someone that I hardly knew, or maybe even knew very well, to loan any of my stuff out to.

The co-op could maintain a list of members and all the attachments to be made available, and (as suggested) listed on a website with each member having an account, so you wouldn't have to make so many phone calls to find out what's available, where it's at, ect to keep track of the equipment.

The attachments could then be checked out for X number of days, and once your time is up, you could check it out again (if still needed) unless someone else had since put in a request for it. If something broke, the person who broke it would have the choice to fix it (correctly I might add) out of their pocket, or it could come out of the co-op funds, if that person didn't have the means by which to fix it correctly. Or, if one member had all the equipment they could be hired by the co-op to do most of the repairs, and pay him out of the fund. This way, everyone should have a good feeling that their equipment would more than likely be used properly (not abused) and if it was broken, it would be repaired the right way.

Good idea though, especially for some people who don't really want to tie up a lot of cash into equipment they might only use once in a while. There's a number of ways it could be done too.

 

[CliffordK]

We used to have a Eugene Farmer's Coop. I hadn't been there for years, but my parents used to buy their fertilizer there, and rent a fertilizer spreader from them. Perhaps also purchasing seed or renting other equipment too. Unfortunately, they started loosing money, and eventually folded.

Anyway, there would be two ways to run such a coop. Centrally, much like a rental agency where all equipment is owned by a central entity, and loans or rents out the equipment as needed. Maintenance would be provided by the central agency.

Distributed as you suggest where each person owns some equipment. The startup would be much easier with the distributed model, but liability and maintenance would be much more complex.

Some things with maintenance is cut and dry. You run into a tree and break off a mounting bracket from a piece of equipment, and you must repair it.

Other things are less so. You scrape some paint off of a blade. Negligent, or not, it may just be purely cosmetic damage without need for repairs.

Now, say you tear out the transmission or engine of a tractor. Is it the fault of the last operator, or is it caused by cumulative wear, and would have happened any time anyway?

 

[pat32rf]

Whenever someone damages something of mine, I would sooner they show up to help ME repair it to MY specs. Don't know how often I"ve had to redo someone else's repair, often to their own equipment....

 

[6011Artist]

That's a good idea and would work among the right friends but we all know not everyone would take care of your equipment or return it promptly. Renting equipment must not be profitable or someone would be doing it already. So I guess that's why we all own what we need.

I have equipment that I seldom use but if I need it, it's on the back of my property and it's doesn't eat anything or cost me any upkeep.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

What I have done is buy the pto and complicated equipment I have needed.

And built some of my own less complicated things.
Good luck
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[6011Artist]

wyo, you're doing the same thing I did/still do. Once you build the hitch, you can build all kinds of tools off of a piece of 2x2 tubing to work out of it. You're getting the job done and not spending anything compared to buying factory made implements. For my plow like you made I took 1 cultivator leg off of a set in the bone yard and welded it to a piece of tubing, it has the angle adjustment. I took 4 teeth out of my boxblade like you have there and put them in a piece of 4" tubing, cut the slots and made the pin loops just like in the box blade for what I call my root rake or sub soiler. I have a single tooth that I plan to do basically like you did to run water/electric lines. If a man has a welder, building his tools is very thrifty and some of mine is custom made just to my liking and never seen anything like them. I like to take old equipment in the bone yard to get my parts and rig the correct hookup out of my hitch to get what I need. Every time I think I'm going to buy a piece ready made the price usually scares me enough to get my mind working and build it.

 

[MacTractor]

I soo wish I had the skill and tools to make some of my own attachments.

What I have done is buy the pto and complicated equipment I have needed.

And built some of my own less complicated things.
Good luck
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View attachment 309588

 

[MacTractor]

Thanks for the replies.

I wish there were somewhere here that I could rent from but there is not. I don't think there is enough owner density here as well to do some sort of Co-Op. I think I will just have to keep trying to aquire more attachements as I go along. If there is anyone on this forum located in and around the greater Saint John, NB area who would be interested in some attachment swapping, feel free to PM me.

Cheers,

 

[Short Game]

What I have done is buy the pto and complicated equipment I have needed.

And built some of my own less complicated things.
Good luck
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View attachment 309587
View attachment 309588

Thanks for the ideas there. There's gonna be a run on 2 inch tubing around here.

 

[6011Artist]

short game, it only takes a short piece of 2" tubing to get out of your hitch and then you can let your imagination take over. I have 2x2 tubing and an 8' stick of 2x2 solid stock. If it's going to take tough treatment I use the solid.

 

[D7E]

Machinery rings or "pools" like this are common in other countries . I used to work for one , Never knew where i'd be working ....just match up closest tractor / attachment and driver most suitable for the job . Saying that i would never put my equipment into one after seeing how some of it came back .

 

[crazyangel]

I thought a "Guild of Attachments" was a great idea too when I got my tractor. On paper it makes a lot of sense. Friends had offered to lend me implements prior to my purchase, and I was excited to take them up on it. When it came right down to it they all started to shuffle their feet because they really didn't want to lend the stuff out for fear of what could happen. Mind you, I have a reputation for leaving things in better shape then when I got them, but that didn't really matter. So rather than push an uncomfortable situation, I have found a lot of good deals on pre-owned pieces to get my work done. What I have learned is that most tractoring folk feel the same way about their equipment. In hind sight I can understand why. No one wants to see their investment come back bent up or broken, and it's a lot easier to blame yourself when something does go wrong. Now I am much more apt to take my tractor and attachments over to help someone with me in the seat then I would be to just lend it out for the weekend. Funny how my perspective has changed....

 

[CliffordK]

For some things, perhaps it is easy to just drive your own tractor over to the neighbor's house.

For the last several years, I've been driving my tractor over to the neighbor's house to till their garden. So far I've been happy to spend a half hour or so just tilling. Now, they don't have a full-sized tractor, but in some situations it may be possible to just trade tractor time, for tractor time, within reason.

A little mowing here, tilling there, blade work, and etc.

I suppose someone will always be left holding the short straw :yuck: