Would You Loan It Out?

[Pleease]

Rule 1
Never loan Trucks, Tools, Tractors, Tillers or Trailers

....or toothbrush.

 

[Realtornz]

A neighbor who lives down the road from me, a neighbor who I've only met once or twice, finds out that I have a tiller. I have a Woods RT72.40 6ft tiller. Last spring, he "hired" me to till his garden plot, about a half acre. And by hired, I mean, I drove down the road about 10 minutes, tilled up the sod where he had marked, and drove home unpaid. He suddenly had to leave and never did pay the agreed amount of $50, which, in my opinion, was a steal. I really didn't care about the money, and didn't push for it.

This last weekend he calls me, first time I've spoken to him all year. He asked to borrow the tiller and informed me that he has recently purchased a new tractor.

Being the nice and helpful person I am, and realizing that this wont take much of my time, I reluctantly agreed. The tiller has been sitting all winter, so I brought it up to the shop, checked the gear oil, greased it, and slipped the slip clutch. I checked it all over for damage and set it next to my garage for an easy hook up to his tractor. He shows up in a small Branson 2400 21 HP at the PTO.... and backs up to my 6 foot wide tiller. Upon learning that his new tractor is only 24 engine HP, I advised that his tractor is simply not enough. I offered to use my tractor. He scoffed and said that he knows what he is doing, and he cannot afford my high prices! I left him to his work of hooking up to my tiller, hoping, at this point, that his 3 point wouldn't even lift it. But it did and he drove down the road.

He sends me a text message that afternoon: He said that the tiller worked very well. He was able to till at "15-1800 RPM, 1/1," and he needs to borrow it a bit longer. I needed clarification. Why so low of RPM? What is 1/1? Why does he need it longer?

Apparently, he is running as slow as the tractor could go: first gear, first range (1/1), and had to slow the RPM of the engine down to move slow enough across the ground, to do a good job. He needs it longer because he has decided to not only do the garden, but expand his garden, and also put in a big back yard.

My wife called me an idiot. Am I too nice? Too helpful? Would you have loaned your tiller (or other attachment) out to someone like this? He still has it, and I haven't heard anything back. I drove by his house this morning and I saw his garden is bigger, all tilled up, but couldn't see his back yard.

What kind of damage could I expect on my tiller of running it at low RPM on virgin soil? Its gear driven, so I assume the gears are taking a beating?

"Never a lender or borrower be " I believe to be a tried and tested position, particularly in this case. Your neighbor is taking advantage of you, rein it in asap. As another put it never lend anything with more than 2 working parts, I'd say 1 working part.

 

[2old2have5sons]

A neighbor who lives down the road from me, a neighbor who I've only met once or twice, finds out that I have a tiller. I have a Woods RT72.40 6ft tiller. Last spring, he "hired" me to till his garden plot, about a half acre. And by hired, I mean, I drove down the road about 10 minutes, tilled up the sod where he had marked, and drove home unpaid. He suddenly had to leave and never did pay the agreed amount of $50, which, in my opinion, was a steal. I really didn't care about the money, and didn't push for it.

This last weekend he calls me, first time I've spoken to him all year. He asked to borrow the tiller and informed me that he has recently purchased a new tractor.

Being the nice and helpful person I am, and realizing that this wont take much of my time, I reluctantly agreed. The tiller has been sitting all winter, so I brought it up to the shop, checked the gear oil, greased it, and slipped the slip clutch. I checked it all over for damage and set it next to my garage for an easy hook up to his tractor. He shows up in a small Branson 2400 21 HP at the PTO.... and backs up to my 6 foot wide tiller. Upon learning that his new tractor is only 24 engine HP, I advised that his tractor is simply not enough. I offered to use my tractor. He scoffed and said that he knows what he is doing, and he cannot afford my high prices! I left him to his work of hooking up to my tiller, hoping, at this point, that his 3 point wouldn't even lift it. But it did and he drove down the road.

He sends me a text message that afternoon: He said that the tiller worked very well. He was able to till at "15-1800 RPM, 1/1," and he needs to borrow it a bit longer. I needed clarification. Why so low of RPM? What is 1/1? Why does he need it longer?

Apparently, he is running as slow as the tractor could go: first gear, first range (1/1), and had to slow the RPM of the engine down to move slow enough across the ground, to do a good job. He needs it longer because he has decided to not only do the garden, but expand his garden, and also put in a big back yard.

My wife called me an idiot. Am I too nice? Too helpful? Would you have loaned your tiller (or other attachment) out to someone like this? He still has it, and I haven't heard anything back. I drove by his house this morning and I saw his garden is bigger, all tilled up, but couldn't see his back yard.

What kind of damage could I expect on my tiller of running it at low RPM on virgin soil? Its gear driven, so I assume the gears are taking a beating?

I would suggest getting your tiller back as soon as possible. I loaned a chainsaw to a neighbor not too long ago, and it was never returned. The neighbor said it was stolen.

 

[JBF43]

Anytime someone wants to borrow something of mine it's broken or the battery is dead.

I follow that same policy with the exception of one friend/ former co-worker. I would and have often offered him to borrow things because he takes care of borrowed stuff better than his own, and if he were to damage something, he would either repair it (or more likely) buy you a brand new one out of guilt for having broken something belonging to someone else. That's just how he is. He is a very rare breed, especially nowadays.

 

[Shorteraaron]

The only people I loan equipment to are my parents. Anyone else you are getting me and my tractor too. Even then it’s a select few friends and not the only when I need it ones. I won’t even let the talk to you once a year “friend” hunt. Once you get it back in your possession and are driving away, kindly inform him not again.

 

[Buckeye Guy]

Obviously the consensus here (and I agree) is not to loan out equipment, but some of the comments have been WAY too harsh IMO. You're obviously a nice guy and just trying to be a good neighbor, world could use more people like that. But, as you found out, your neighbor is a user. On several instances when someone asks me to borrow something, my response is no, but I will come over and do your project for you, In exchange for you doing something for me. As long as both parties agree, it works out. Been doing that for years.
Like some other poster though, I will loan out tools with 1 or 2 moving parts (hammer, hedge clippers, etc) because if it doesn't get returned, I'm not out much, and it guarantee's that they will never be able to borrow anything ever again.

 

[dodge man]

This thread reminds me of one a few months ago. Problem with a chainsaw. About 10 comments “sharpen the chain yet?”. The op answered yes the chain was sharp. Then the thread went on for 10 pages with about every third comment “sharpen the chain?”

HE GOT HIS TILLER BACK!

 

[HighTwelve]

To borrow anything from me you have to be a blood relative (three sons, one son-in-law) and most of the time I supervise the use of the tool or implement. Wifey would throw me out of the house if, for example, I hadn’t lent son-in-law a pump when his basement flooded. Still, I’ve had to do repair work when stuff came back, like a snowblower that was allowed to digest a rock.
As a few previous posters have commented, tool and implement rental shops are there for a reason.

I have developed a defense which I am not really proud of - creative fibbing. The snowblower now “won’t start without starting fluid” and the chainsaw “really needs a new chain”. It’s a strategy that I hate to use but it works.

 

[coobie]

Hang on to your wife she is SMART..

 

[88bradb]

We used to call people like this leaches, not a popular term now days.

Hope you get the tiller back, and in one piece.

Leach or a mooch. They will keep doing it as long as they get by with it. If you give these type of people an inch,they will take a mile.

 

[GS1100GK]

Years ago my father taught me that if I borrow something I was to return it in the same shape or better to be a good neighbor. So, if I borrowed something that uses gas, I would make sure to fill it up when I returned it. If it was a cutting tool, I sharpened it. I till 4 neighbors yards each year. My only payment is a "Thank You". I enjoy using my tractor and I find it fun to do so no monetary payment is needed. However, with the cost of diesel these days I may have to ask for diesel fuel as payment!

As others have said, I would get it back ASAP and I wouldn't loan him anything else at all.

 

[3Ts]

This has to be some kind of record. In 52 hours or so there have been 191 comments. You think maybe this hit a nerve with ALL of us who have loaned stuff in the past !?

Yeah! I think most of us have been there, including me. He's a good man and obviously willing to help. Glad he got his machine back in good order. My story doesn't end nearly as well as his, never again. I'm even careful as to who I will help as well.

 

[bitseeker]

OP,

Please tell us that you have recovered your tiller.

Just go get it.
No explanation is required or even desirable.
You may want to telephone Law enforcement before showing up at the neighbor's place to give them a heads-up.
If the neighbor resists, call local law enforcement back and request standby assistance.

 

[NCL4701]

I’ll once in a while loan a tool, but nothing I’d get so upset over it would ruin the relationship if I never saw it again. If I “loan” equipment I go with it, and that does happen semi-routinely. Even if I trust the borrower to treat it well and return it timely it’s quite rare I’d trust them to know how to run it safely if they don’t have similar equipment themselves. Some guy who owes me $50 from last year and we both know it; I wouldn’t loan him a claw hammer even though I have three other ones. The dude is a tool and doesn’t deserve respect or kindness. I don’t like borrowing high dollar stuff either.

I would loan my tractor to my brother if his was down for long enough to be a problem and he needed it since he has animals and sometimes has stuff that has to be done when it has to be done, whereas we don’t. I also know he knows how to operate a Tier 4 diesel CUT with loader since he has one.

My father, who lives next door, has his own key and can use it at will but we have a verbal cross treaty where he can use my equipment and I can use his without specific permission. We both have stuff the other doesn’t, he’s retired and I’m not, so it works well for both of us. We have a couple of buildings we both can access to store the common equipment, which makes that easy. Other than that no one is truly borrowing my equipment.

And I don’t see any reason for an explanation. No is sufficient. Same goes for me if I ask to borrow something. If the owner says no, they don’t owe me an explanation. If someone asks to borrow something, is told no, and then demands an explanation I would never loan them anything ever.

Just noticed a few disparaging comments about the OP. Nothing wrong with being nice. Tilling the guy’s garden for a nominal amount was nice and nothing wrong with that. After he didn’t keep his part of the deal, further dealings are simply inappropriate. You can be nice and still say no. You can nicely decline to explain when an explanation is demanded by someone who isn’t due an explanation.

We had a parasitic neighbor that had latched onto my father for a bit. As I methodically removed him, with my father’s permission, I think he always wanted me to be a jerk so he could play victim of the mean bully (me) when he was “just a nice person helping an old man” (and just happened to have access to his house, computer, land, equipment sheds, etc.). He and Dad did “fun” things like rehabbing an old bass boat my father wanted no part of but “didn’t have a choice” to fix the motor and electrics; maintained and stored his tractor with Dad being the mechanic, storage building, and financier but Dad prohibited from ever driving.

I don’t think he ever figured out how to respond to the fact that I was extremely nice to him when he complained if he gave back the keys to the buildings he couldn’t access his stuff stored here. I’m such a nice guy I offered to hand load it all onto pallets and fork it over to his front yard for him. When he couldn’t retrieve his tractor from the shed because of a low tire and not sure it would start, I nicely offered to pump up the tire and tow it over to his house with my tractor. When he wasn’t sure when he’d have time to get his deer stands, I offered to take them down for him and drop them off at his house (of course I’m such an ignorant goof I’d have to take them down with a grapple and bring him whatever was left of them, but at least he’d have them back). When he couldn’t find time or means to get his box blind out of the creek bottom, I let him know with it being right beside where I bush hog and me not being the skilled operator he is I was really concerned next time I mowed up next to it I might get too close and the loader might accidentally smash it to splinters, so if he could bum a trailer off a victim/buddy I’d skid it up to the road and load it on the trailer for him.

“Nice” is usually confusing to parasites.

 

[jmc]

Sorry if I missed it but shouldn't the borrower return the lender's tiller when requested? Otherwise, lender has to make a 20 minute round trip, disconnect it from borrower's tractor, reconnect it to his own, disconnect it at home if he is using another attachment... Borrower sounds like he's doing lender a favor by letting lender have it back before borrower is finished with his unilateral decision to keep it longer.

 

[slider909]

I lent a friend the post hole digger, I used a piece of rebar as a pin, I know... told him about that. It ended up breaking his PTO and the gearbox of the digger. I never asked for it back.

 

[tempforce]

he stiffed you for fuel last year, now he's borrowing it, then extends his use, without any sort of payment.
I would take my tractor and get the tiller. let him buy his own...
you know that you're liable if he gets hurt on your equipment.

 

[Jstpssng]

OP,

Please tell us that you have recovered your tiller.

Just go get it.
No explanation is required or even desirable.
You may want to telephone Law enforcement before showing up at the neighbor's place to give them a heads-up.
If the neighbor resists, call local law enforcement back and request standby assistance.

He did, as he mentioned several days ago and others have pointed out about 12,000 times since then.