Neighbors and favors.

[davesl708]

Couple of other threads on neighbors. This is one of them.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/344708-time-another-good-neighbor-thread.html

A few months ago I taking down some large pines and cleaning up stumps with my excavator next to a neighbor whom I have had some property line issues with (he moved survey pins), he came over and asked if I would take down some pine trees on his property that are leaning pretty good and likely to fall on his wood fence. I told I would for the cost of fuel but warned him that I will tear up the ground pretty good moving around and some limbs would break off. I also told him I will dispose of the trees in my tree pile and he could throw any limbs left over over the fence and I would put them in the pile later. He agreed, so I took down 6 very large pines, spend about 3 hours of my time, fuel and wear on my excavator. I burn around 8 gal/hr so I tell him 60 bucks just to make it easy. He tells me I tore up his grass and then tells me since I do not operate equipment for a living, he did not need to pay my anything. Hmmm So, do I write it off and never help him again??? Or, give him back his trees (BTW- this is what my wife wants me to do).

Wow. what a dirt bag. I would drop him in your wake and move on. If he throws any limbs over the fence throw them back.

 

[KennyG]

I will do whatever I can whenever I can for friends, neighbors and those in need. I never ask for or accept money. It would just get awkward. I find that these projects are usually more interesting than my own projects because I'm working with others. I draw the line when it impacts commitments I've made to my family or gets into areas I'm not competent or qualified.

 

[Garycw]

Wow. what a dirt bag. I would drop him in your wake and move on. If he throws any limbs over the fence throw them back.

I would agree with him being a dirt bag. He will get paid back without your help. If he's low enough to throw the limbs over the fence, I wouldn't lower myself by throwing them back. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person and move on. Let him believe he can ask you for your help again. Maybe he'll realize he did wrong when you decline.

 

[ultrarunner]

Couple of other threads on neighbors. This is one of them.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/344708-time-another-good-neighbor-thread.html

A few months ago I taking down some large pines and cleaning up stumps with my excavator next to a neighbor whom I have had some property line issues with (he moved survey pins), he came over and asked if I would take down some pine trees on his property that are leaning pretty good and likely to fall on his wood fence. I told I would for the cost of fuel but warned him that I will tear up the ground pretty good moving around and some limbs would break off. I also told him I will dispose of the trees in my tree pile and he could throw any limbs left over over the fence and I would put them in the pile later. He agreed, so I took down 6 very large pines, spend about 3 hours of my time, fuel and wear on my excavator. I burn around 8 gal/hr so I tell him 60 bucks just to make it easy. He tells me I tore up his grass and then tells me since I do not operate equipment for a living, he did not need to pay my anything. Hmmm So, do I write it off and never help him again??? Or, give him back his trees (BTW- this is what my wife wants me to do).

Fool me once... well you know.

I have met people like this and they have a screw loose as my Grandmother would say... best to avoid... which is not the same a backing down.

One of the worst owned a home next to a rental property... the guy was just a miserable person... later I found out he was not always like that... everything changed when his wife left him leaving their kids behind never to return.

Problem with a person that is unbalanced is you never know what they are going to do...

Other times... I have met difficult people and they have come around... mostly because other members of their family tell them to straighten up...

Plus... most of these people don't seem to be around or last long...

 

[ultrarunner]

We have been doing favors for our neighbors for years, and I have found with very few exceptions that at one point or another that we will be paid back. My skills lay in gardening and woodworking, I am a reasonably competent mechanic if it is not too complicated. My next door neighbour is a retired mechanic and industrial fabricator. Another of our close neighbors is a fiercely independent older German lady. She is the most ruthless mole hunter in the neighbourhood, and if asked will watch your place for you if you are going to be gone for awhile. When you return their will be a multi-page report waiting for you and she may well have trapped a bunch of moles as well. She also shares fruit, nuts and produce with everyone.
Needless to say I do not charge for tractor work with my neighbors,if it is something which will take a few hours they always buy fuel without being asked. If the job does not take too long I usually have to be pretty firm with them that they are to buy fuel.
I guess that I have found that a philosophy of "pay it forward" has worked very well for us, in the few cases that someone has not paid us back there has been someone else who more than balanced the books.
Bottom line is good neighbors are worth more than all the gold in the world.

I know the type... 80+ years old and still climbing trees, pruning/harvesting and supplying the neighbors with fruit and vegetables... in my area it is gophers and she is by far the go to lady to get them...

 

[Coyote machine]

Couple of other threads on neighbors. This is one of them.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/344708-time-another-good-neighbor-thread.html

A few months ago I taking down some large pines and cleaning up stumps with my excavator next to a neighbor whom I have had some property line issues with (he moved survey pins), he came over and asked if I would take down some pine trees on his property that are leaning pretty good and likely to fall on his wood fence. I told I would for the cost of fuel but warned him that I will tear up the ground pretty good moving around and some limbs would break off. I also told him I will dispose of the trees in my tree pile and he could throw any limbs left over over the fence and I would put them in the pile later. He agreed, so I took down 6 very large pines, spend about 3 hours of my time, fuel and wear on my excavator. I burn around 8 gal/hr so I tell him 60 bucks just to make it easy. He tells me I tore up his grass and then tells me since I do not operate equipment for a living, he did not need to pay my anything. Hmmm So, do I write it off and never help him again??? Or, give him back his trees (BTW- this is what my wife wants me to do).

"The deal is the deal" Rule # 1: You can't change the deal. Rule # 2: Refer to rule # 1 ~From the Transporter movie series. Jason Statham, star player. :confused3:

Your neighbor changed the deal. You've done you're good deed. Move on. He may be looking to fight with you. Is that what you want? If he's that confused and petty, forget him and don't stoop to his below ground level. Life's way to short to put up with a hole.

 

[mapper]

If your gopher problem is near Olympia you should be very discreet about controlling them. Have some friends that have been restricted from doing anything with their property because gophers were found on it. I am glad that I am not in that part of the county. If I was I would probably be on the attack at the first sign of one inside my property line!
I ran into a situation a couple of years ago that was sort of typical and would of almost been funny if it was not so frustrating. I was looking for a site to establish a calibration site for aerial photography, it basically is two lines of permanent survey monuments about 1.5 miles long crossing each other at 90 degrees. The marks are about 200' apart on each line, the monuments consist of a concrete post about three feet long and three or four inches in diameter with a brass cap on top,set flush to the ground. I wanted to place this on ground that was not likely to be disturbed by vandals, road maintenance or property development. I found two good possibilities near Olympia for this (I worked for WADOT at this time and needed to be able to have access to the array), one was the Olympia airport and the other was a prairie on Fort Lewis's Rainer training area. I was denied permission for both sites because they were gopher habitat! Mind you that the Fort Lewis site was sprayed for scotch broom a few years ago - it did not kill the scotch broom but it did wipe out the native camus Lilly that is a major food source for the gophers! So no small holes for monuments but lots of herbicide for the plants, irony here.

 

[ultrarunner]

If your gopher problem is near Olympia you should be very discreet about controlling them. Have some friends that have been restricted from doing anything with their property because gophers were found on it. I am glad that I am not in that part of the county. If I was I would probably be on the attack at the first sign of one inside my property line!
I ran into a situation a couple of years ago that was sort of typical and would of almost been funny if it was not so frustrating. I was looking for a site to establish a calibration site for aerial photography, it basically is two lines of permanent survey monuments about 1.5 miles long crossing each other at 90 degrees. The marks are about 200' apart on each line, the monuments consist of a concrete post about three feet long and three or four inches in diameter with a brass cap on top,set flush to the ground. I wanted to place this on ground that was not likely to be disturbed by vandals, road maintenance or property development. I found two good possibilities near Olympia for this (I worked for WADOT at this time and needed to be able to have access to the array), one was the Olympia airport and the other was a prairie on Fort Lewis's Rainer training area. I was denied permission for both sites because they were gopher habitat! Mind you that the Fort Lewis site was sprayed for scotch broom a few years ago - it did not kill the scotch broom but it did wipe out the native camus Lilly that is a major food source for the gophers! So no small holes for monuments but lots of herbicide for the plants, irony here.

Gophers in Alameda County in California...

With the drought the critters have been on the move to anywhere with moisture and that leaves flower beds as the last stand for many that let the lawns go a long time ago.

So far... no pest problems in Olympia...

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I'd dig the trench in a heartbeat. 200' for electric shouldn't take very long.

I'm inclined to help others, and not ask for anything in return. I have one close neighbor, we help each other out all the time. I probably owe him for more than he owes me.

I'll especially help older people, or those that appear to be more in need.

 

[Otto Syracuse]

I would be happy to help my neighbors, but except for one, I can barely get them to wave back at me when I pull in my driveway. I also wouldn't mind having someone next door that I could ask for help every once in a while, even just a "hold this while I hammer it in".