DO NOT LOAN OUT YOUR TRACTOR... long

[swampvol]

A good buddy of mine borrowed my tractor today to bush-hog some paths for hunting. Fine..no problem, he's never borrowed it before, but he's mechanically capable and has run equipment before.

Drops it back off at my place,calls me up and says it ran fine except the fuel line going into the top of the gas tank popped off and spilled diesel all over the engine...not sure why...but I replied OK..I will pick up some degreaser on the way home and take care of it. Got home and spent over an hour trying to clean the motor.

After it dried off I decided to do some cutting myself...after about 10 minutes I smell rubber burning. I hopped off and notice one of the chain tensioners digging into my tire....then I noticed the pin on the hog bent away from the tractor, looked at the other pin.. the same thing. looked further and noticed on both plates that hold the a-frame hitch to the front side of the hog had broken at the bolt slots...one on each side.

WTH did he do? My initial thought was that he backed the hog into something, but there was no sign of that at the tire or back of the hog. I called him up more po'ed than I am now and his response was "I don't know, I didn't hit anything..I had to tighten the top link to get the back of the hog up to get it on the trailer..did it buckle? I didn't feel anything??"

There is no way in **** he didn't feel it..whatever it was.

He's not telling me what happened...do any of you have an idea?
It also looks like one of the lift arms may be slightly bent..not sure.
Anybody can screw up....but **** just man-up and tell me what happened.

I spent another hour beating the pins in to straighten it as much as possible so I can get the years final cut in...

Sorry for the long winded rant.

 

[lug nut]

There are three things that I won't loan out: my truck, my wife and my tractor.

As to what may have happened to your bush hog, maybe he hung it on a tree or stump?

 

[MOPAULY]

Last thing I loaned out was my car trailer. It came back with a dented fender. Haven't loaned anything out since.

 

[Cap-n-Cray]

Neither a lender nor a borrow be.

When ever I borrow something I always return it better than it was when I borrow it.

Must have hit something hard. Accidents will happen, but always make it right.

lug nut, what about loaning out your dog? Four things?

Cary

 

[Double Orange]

IF.. IF.?? He really didn't hear anything could he have loaded and chained it down wrong transporting it? Could have also shifted in transit? This he might not have heard. Any way we live and we learn! I often wonder myself why people can't be 1/2 as smart as I Izz. Sorry about you day. Frank

 

[swampvol]

IF.. IF.?? He really didn't hear anything could he have loaded and chained it down wrong transporting it? Could have also shifted in transit? This he might not have heard. Any way we live and we learn! I often wonder myself why people can't be 1/2 as smart as I Izz. Sorry about you day. Frank

Thats a good possibility...but still with 3/8" steel getting bent like that, he had to have felt something.
He's going to repair it or replace it regardless.

What worries me is what other damage/stress could have been inflicted on the 3pt hitch and frame.

 

[john_bud]

I think he backed the cutter into the dirt from the trailer. Probably didn't have the 3pt raised up very far. Rookies make rookie mistakes.

If anyone wants to borrow my tractor, it's no problem. They just have to rent the operator too!

It's like Mamma used to say, "Son you might be slow and dumb, but you're not good look'n".

 

[lug nut]

lug nut, what about loaning out your dog? Four things?

Cary

Nah, they could even keep him for a while. That would be one less mouth to feed around here.

 

[DiezNutz]

If anyone wants to borrow my tractor, it's no problem. They just have to rent the operator too!

I'm with you on that one. Wrenches, I'll loan out. Tractor? Doesn't leave my sight. Fortunately my only other neighbor that really knows how to run one has his own, and the rest are happy that I'm included in the package deal and wouldn't ask otherwise.

 

[RobJ]

my tractor is always broke when someone wants to borrow it. I can pull something off the engine in no time, flatten a tire.

But I do borrow stuff. People gladly loan me broken stuff because they know i'll fix it first and they;ll get it back running. not a big problem for me, I still get to use itand the don't mind paying for the parts.

 

[Shantycoke]

Neither a lender nor a borrow be.

When ever I borrow something I always return it better than it was when I borrow it.

Must have hit something hard. Accidents will happen, but always make it right.

lug nut, what about loaning out your dog? Four things?

Cary

I try to explain to my wife (who wants to borrow everything) that if we need it, we'll buy it. If we can't afford it, we don't need it. Her parents borrow EVERYTHING and they all think it's normal. I hate it. Sorry about your tractor, hope you get it squared away.

 

[DickS]

Advice is never accepted in the same spirit in which it is given.

Having said that, I'll give you mine:

Relatives are the greatest offenders. Lend nothing to anyone. If they need your help, you go with the tractor. Better yet, tell them to go rent it and send you the bill if they can't afford it. That usually shuts them up.

 

[irwin]

So far no-one but me has driven my tractor, I'd be positive anyone but me would do something out of ignorance or over confidence that would either hurt/kill them or break something else. Just my faith in my fellow man I guess..

Metal can be repaired, no one got injured, Not always easy but try to look at what didn't happen, you just may have gotten off cheap... fix it and move on. If there's the slightest possiblity your friend didn't know, and there's always that possibility, good friends aren't replaceable, IF he really is a good friend take a breath and let him know he's a friend....

 

[PBinWA]

"You can ask to borrow a farmer's wife but never ask to borrow his tractor!"

That's what I was told the first time I asked about borrowing a tractor and it stuck with me.

 

[Kendall69]

I can tell you tons of stories of borrowed equipment - AND LOST FRIENDS.

Even my Big Bobtail trucks friends and relatives ALWAYS want to borrow them, they're nearly 100k each. What I always say is Uhaul is $29.99 a day, here's $30.00 I'll be glad to pay. No one has ever taken my money.
The ole "my liability insurance won't allow it" always works.

And when they want to borrow money, sorry it's all tied up in CD's and the penaties would kill me.

And when they want my wife - just make sure she's home in time to cook dinner

Seriously though the liability of loaning out equipment IS SCARY at least. If you friend got hurt on your tractor, your friends insurance company would come after YOU, and your friend wouldn't have a say so in it. The manufacturer od the cutting equipment, tractor, dealer, you etc. would all be listed on the suit.

Sad as it might me, it's true.

 

[motepoc]

I had asked one of my kids best friends (who hunts our land) to give me a price on bush hogging a ten acre field. In a couple of days, there's a knock at the door. It was Mike, and he asked me to come outside so he could some me some things. Got my shoes on and went out the front door. Saw his truck and empty equipment trailer. He said let's go out back. As we walked around the house, I saw his tractor, Yanmar2000, out back, parked by my shed, with his bush hog on the back. He showed me how to operate the whole thing (hadn't operated a tractor in 15 years, and never a Yanmar, all Farmall stuff). Mike told me to take my time, and be careful. Had the tractor several weeks, not because of breakdowns, but more on doc's appointments for me, MIL, and wife, picking up grandboy from school, and other things that take away seat time. He came one time and asked if he could borrow my Craftsman YS4500 54" lawn tractor, so he wouldn't have to load the tractor, change impliments at home , cut the grass, change the impliments, and bring it back to me to finish my cutting. That was a no-brainer.
I knew that during the whole time I had the tractor, that anything that happened to it was my responsibility, and I would take care of it. Thank the LORD nothing did. I asked Mike what I owed him, and he said $0. I told him that I had to give him something. And he said he needed a grinding wheel. So, i'm looking for a good wheel to get him. He returned my Craftsman in better shape than when he got it (sometimes I don't clean it as good as I should after I cut). Mike is a fine young man, and one that I am glad to count as a friend, not because he lent me his tractor, but because of who and how he is.
As a side note, am looking for my own 2000, as soon as I get money together, and find right deal. Am looking at a dealer in SC who has what looks to be a good deal. Hope all comes together soon.

 

[tommu56]

swampvol

Is your mower rigid to the tractor I've seen many parts get bent if the tractor and the mower doesn't flex at the top link?

tom

 

[Fjord]

I lent my B7800 with BH to a friend a couple of months ago. When it came back it was cleaner than it left and was returned with a full can of fuel and the oil and filter required to do an oil change. He did forget to put the roll bar down which hit his garage tore one of the holes open where the bolt goes through. Seems like a weak point on the ROPS to me. Anyways, he told me about it, then welded a piece of steel tube inside the folding part which makes it stronger and it probably should be built that way. He also offered to buy me a new roll bar if I didn't like his repair. In general I find that things get damaged when you lend them out because the people that didn't invest their own time and money to research and buy a product don't have as much respect for it as you do. I lent out a boat a couple of times and it came back with a bent prop each time which cost me about $70.00 each time to repair. I'd do it again because I like the people I lent it to and sometimes they do nice things for me. I wouldn't lend my tractor to most people, but if somebody is a friend and I think I can trust them I don't mind helping them out once in a while. ( I've read many posts with opinions about modified or repaired roll bars, but in this case it honestly doesn't worry me)

 

[CDsdad]

A pressure washer, lawnmower, generator, or something small I would loan to a relative, I don't have any friends. I would expect it to be returned as soon as they were done and in good shape.

My parents or siblings I would loan a vehicle or drive them if they needed me to. No in-laws, they hate me.

Only 2 people would ever use my tractor. My wife, and she's a little scared of it, and Daddy. He and my mother are the only 2 people that can come get anything I have, anytime, keep it as long as needed, bring it back however and don't worry about it. Some cousin-in-law or one of my drunk neighbors, forget it. I'll come help them out, but I wouldn't lend them a wheelbarrow.

I also don't borrow. Somebody said above, I'll buy it or rent it first, or if I can't afford it, do without.

People wonder why I have small engines and vehicles over 10 years old and still running like a top.

 

[riptides]

A good buddy of mine borrowed my tractor ......

Wow. That person is NOT a good buddy. Not even a good person.

Good luck.

-Mike Z.