"Can borrow your tractor?"

[gladehound]

The chainsaw is the last thing that I would loan to anybody. Too dangerous.

I've loaned out my Stihl M290 before and wouldn't hesitate to loan any average saw to any close friend or family that has been running saws most their life has displayed both responsibility and intelligence in the way they use equipment. Same with tractors. I've also borrowed tractors, skid steers and saws from the same friends and family.

Now I do have some chains that I have cut to be very aggressive and I won't loan a saw with a chain like that on it even to family that have run saws all their life - just because it may react in a way they don't expect.

But there is no way I would ever loan a saw or a tractor to any of my neighbors! It's a different world today and not everyone grew up on a farm. Also, few today have the integrity to take responsibility for their actions with regard to injury, machine or property damage.

 

[sixdogs]

Never thought about that but a neighbor could borrow a chainsaw, cut himself with it and sue you for all you're worth. An attorney could argue that you knew the risks in operating that chainsaw but with complete disregard for his client's safety, you neglected to inform him or provide him with copy of the owner's manual and provide suitable training. Your attorney argues a six figure settlement is in your best interests to avoid losing a jury trial. You relent and sell enough assets, including your beloved tractor, to come up with the excess over your insurance coverage. But, you and the neighbor stay friends.

In a cruel twist of irony, your neighbor buys a nice cab tractor with new implements with the settlement money but won't loan it to you.

 

[aczlan]

Never thought about that but a neighbor could borrow a chainsaw, cut himself with it and sue you for all you're worth. An attorney could argue that you knew the risks in operating that chainsaw but with complete disregard for his client's safety, you neglected to inform him or provide him with copy of the owner's manual and provide suitable training. Your attorney argues a six figure settlement is in your best interests to avoid losing a jury trial. You relent and sell enough assets, including your beloved tractor, to come up with the excess over your insurance coverage. But, you and the neighbor stay friends.
In a cruel twist of irony, your neighbor buys a nice cab tractor with new implements with the settlement money but won't loan it to you.

If you own property and a tractor, but don't have a half million dollars (or a million dollars) of liability insurance coverage in this day and age (between homeowners and an umbrella policy), you really need to re-visit your insurance coverage.

Aaron Z

 

[sixdogs]

Very true, aczlan.

Most people don't know their tractor is not insured if taken off site of the insured property. So your neighbor flips it over at his place and can't pay. If he could have, he would have owned a tractor to begin with. Or he could rear end someone driving to his place. These are irony comparisons of the flip side of loaning things. Bad things can sometimes happen to good people.

I used to deal with the aftermath of settlements and can say that 00.001% of people don't know what they are insured for. As well, 99.999% of people think they are covered for things they aren't.

Actually, I can't loan my tractor because of insurance reasons is a great, and honest answer.

 

[Howling]

Id gladly loan out my tractor for a day to someone who would let me have their new Lamborghini for a day.

 

[jerrybob]

Tom was continually plagued by his next-door neighbour asking to borrow things.

One morning he saw the neighbour approaching his front door and so he was ready for him.

"Can I borrow your power-saw this morning?" asked the neighbour.

"Afraid not," replied Tom gleefully. I'll be using it all day."

"In that case, you won't be using your golf clubs. Mind if I borrow them?"

 

[coralhead]

Ok here's mine. My pop had a Stihl 031AV chainsaw that he bought back in the early '80's. Fast forward to near future with my dad no longer able to use the saw but he still burns his share of wood. I as well burn wood for heat so I took it upon myself to keep the saw in working order so I can keep him in firewood. The saw was kept in his shop and one of my older brothers used it and brought it back. He is hard on tools. I went over to use the saw to work up some wood for pop and the saw was all jacked up. Non-running, Burnt bar, dull chain, muffler bolts out, And so on. It really bothered me since I know who last used it. I took the saw back to my shop and completely rebuilt it. I think it had replaced the jug as well. A while later I was using it to cut off fence post tops and brother asked me if that was dads saw and I said yes. A few days later my mom called and asked if I had dads saw and I said I did. I know who was inquiring about it and it pissed me off. I told mom that I did have it and that I had spent money to get it back in shape since it was unusable. She then asked me how much I spent since she wanted to pay me for the repairs. I told her that she did not owe me anything and that I would bring it back in the same shape that I found it. Pop was there during the conversation and he asked me if I wanted the saw and to keep it as long as I wanted it. If I no longer wanted it than I could bring it back. He was thinking it was best for him to get firewood if I kept it. I still have that saw and use it quite a bit. It was the last new saw Pop had purchased. Next weekend brother had a box store saw that he was abusing.

 

[Deere Dude]

I would be worried if I lent my tractor to a friend knowing he is a professional tractor operator. I am thinking they will run the starch out of it because that is what they do at work.

I visited my BIL last summer and he told me my brother was ticked off because I wouldn't let him use my tandem axle trailer to haul firewood. I don;t remember ever turning him down. But then an hour later in my visit we were by his pole shed looking at is tri axle trailer. He said he lent that to my brother and it came back with a bad tire and quite a few floor planks were busted because he had a guy with a payloader drop some 24-36" 10' logs in without dropping them in gently. He was complaining and I thought to myself, it was better you than me.

I did turn my brother down to use my log splitter because he was going to burn wood constantly and he had money to by Harleys every year and had money to stock up on expensive guns. He finally bough his own, although it was difficult telling him no.

I do have a BIL who I would trust with my tractor or chainsaw or any other thing because he would take better care of it than I would. But, he would probably never ask. If he would use it and something broke because of whatever, he would fix it with no questions asked. But if he was using my tractor and it was just time for the engine to blow, knowing he babies his stuff and anybody elses that he uses, I wouldn't try to squeeze him for repairs. I would just suck it up because it would have happened to me anyway.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

"Can borrow your tractor?"

How do you guys deal with these types of questions?

Once I stop laughing (and THAT may take a while) here's my std. answer -------->

SR

 

[ultrarunner]

I was doing a job for my brother at his place using his 350 Dozer and lost the fuel cap...

I was doing the job because no one else operates the dozer and I was the free help.

Felt bad loosing the cap and looked until it got dark... had the kids look the next day and nothing...

So I bought a new cap and brought it with me next week... it had rained two days since I was there last... so I am out with the Dozer and there is the original cap... muddy and otherwise fine...

I was just helping out and I felt bad enough to go out and buy a $45 replacement cap since it happened on my watch.

So now I have a spare!!!