Opinion on broken Kubota; who should pay???

uberusa · May 24, 2005

Hi All,
I will try to keep this short and would value your opinions on the subject. I was planning to dig a patio in my back yard and my friend who is a contractor offered me use of his Kubota. My buddy dropped the machine off and in the process of explaining the machine admitted to me that he is very lax in regards to service and said we should grease all the fittings because he had not for approx. 1 year, which we did except for the ones that were clogged. All was going well and the hole was dug, on the last day I was clearing up a couple of things and noticed that the hoe was hanging down lower than usual, upon further inspection I saw that on the triangular piece that controls left to right movement of the arm (please let me know what this is called) the top pin was gone and the arm was hanging on by the bottom pin, the traveler pin, and the cracked joint of the cast triangular piece. The left/right hydraulics were intact but the pivot point was in bad shape. So, any advise on repair if this piece can be welded or needs to be replaced? I offered to pay for the repair but do not feel that I should foot the entire bill since I am sure the general wear and tear on an 8 year old machine contributed to the damage. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
Kevin

KiotiJohn · May 24, 2005

Without seeing the subject, it's hard to say how much of that wear and tear contributed, but my rule is that if I borrow something, and it breaks while I'm using it, I pay with few exceptions. In the case of the owner not keeping proper fluids, etc. there would be some room for argument in my mind, but not occasionally checking over the backhoe while working is asking for trouble, and is the operator's responsibility.
I think you're talking about the swing boom, or swing plate. Most anything on the backhoe can be welded, including the cylinders, with care not to overheat them and ruin the seals.
I good welder should be able to repair it for not too many dollars.
This is just my opinion, and also why I nearly never borrow anything any more.
John

Bob_Skurka · May 24, 2005

I'm not quite sure that I understand exactly what went wrong, but I think you should pay. My experience with hydraulics is that if one little cotter pin breaks loose then that little $0.75 part can lead to a pivot pin falling loose and that can lead to all sorts of damage in a great big hurry. I'm not discounting the wear and tear, and it may have been extreme, but it is likely that something small broke and then the power of the hydraulics did the damage.

SteveInMD · May 24, 2005

Unless I missed something it sounds like a few new pins and some minor welding will fix it. I'd probably just pay the bill because I would think it would be less than the rental bill would have been. If it's not a cheap fix maybe he'll split the bill with you (if you think there was previous damage). I'd think twice next time he offers you equipment.

LarryD · May 24, 2005

It's a shame the damage surfaced while you were using the tractor but I think you're in a difficult spot. The easiest thing to do would be get the thing repaired and return it, hopefully it can be welded and the cost would be minimal. Your friend did save you a few $$ by letting you borrow it. At least see what it's going to cost.

I've loaned my tiller out on occasion with the full understanding that it be returned in the same working order. I've hit some pretty good sized rocks so it's quite possible one or two tines may have some defects that are not visible. The unit is clean and we both go over it but that's the deal if you want to borrow my tiller. If it breaks in your possesion, you fix it. There are a couple equipment rental places in town if that deal is not acceptable.

frank_f15 · May 24, 2005

I will agree with the others, see what it will cost to Repair and just pay for it.What would a Rental have cost you for the same time that you had use of it?

PineRidge · May 24, 2005

Used to borrow a 40 year old Massey from a neighbor when I needed to use a BH or a loader before I owned a tractor. This thing was in such a poor state of repair that every-time I used it something always seemed to break. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Yes I always footed the entire bill to make it right again, until I finally said enough and purchased a rig of my own. We tend to take better care of our own equipment as we want it to be around for a lot of years to come.

Henro · May 24, 2005

Seems around these parts it is kind of an unwrittten rule that if you borrow something and it breaks you fix it.

Your friend might offer to split the repair costs...but if he doesn't...well...he was kind enough to lend it too you. And he probably would not have come back to you asking for help with the repair if it had failed the day after you returned it to him (that is pure speculation of course).

I might not like it but I would pay for the repairs, and would not ask or expect him to pay anything. I would gladly let him pay some or the repair cost if he offered though. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Egon · May 24, 2005

I go along with the oyher fellows thoughts.

My neighbour has offered to lend me equipment but so far I've always turned it down cause if I break it I gotta fix it.

Egon

thcri · May 24, 2005

I guess I would call the guy you borrowed the rig from and ask him who does his work for him. Explain to him what happened and you want to get it fixed since it failed while you were using it. The guy just might come out and say hey that should not have happened or he might say let's split it. This way he is aware of it, might help you out and will let you borrow stuff in the future. As far as borrowing in the future if this guy doesn't maintain stuff you may not want to borrow from him again but you do need to get the one you did borrow fixed. And yes, in my opinion you are responsible.

murph