Would you loan your woodsplitter to your neighbor?

[joe25DA]

I let my neighbor borrow the splitter once. Came back with a broken air filter box and stuffed in fuel tank. Never offered to pay, claimed the airfilter box was okay since it was still attached. I'd guess he dropped a log on it. Same guy thought he had my Milwaukee sawzall stolen. This was within a week. Luckily it was in his cellar. Learned the hard way. I let my dad borrow stuff on the slim chance he doesn't already have it. I never borrow. I buy or rent and rent very little

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

Too busy running around your yard screaming "get off my lawn"?

I keep my neighbors supplied with wood all summer, they come by with fish, caribou, moose, etc.

I work 80+hrs a week. I still find time to help friends.

Funny how we actually are both in the firewood/bundling buisness and make money off our equipment, but are also in the minority in the fact that we will loan our equiptment out to friends/neighbors.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My neighbor down the road from me, loaned out his splitter. He was complaining it came back to him with a busted ram! How do you do that??

Anyway, he took it back to TCS and they didn't want to replace the ram, so he screamed and yelled until they did. lol

I didn't see it, but the only thing I can think of is, the welds on the ram must have broken...

BTW, I guess my neighbor learned his lesson, as he won't loan his splitter out to anyone now!!

SR

 

[jrclen]

Absolutely not. We have a local rental outfit for just that purpose.

 

[JeffGu]

If you like interesting experiments... write up a contract wherein the borrower agrees to pay for any and all damages to the equipment, and ask them to sign it. I can almost guarantee that some of them will go on a rant about how if you were a true friend, you wouldn't ask them to sign this, blah, blah, yada, yada....

A true friend would understand completely why you were asking them to sign it, or would withdraw their request to borrow your stuff if they felt they were likely to break it (ie. they have no idea what they are doing).
Just sayin'.

 

[Otahyoni]

I don't have any neighbors that heat with wood. My parents always want to borrow it though and I try not to let them because my dad is very hard on equipment. I built this splitter for a specific purpose and he'll try to run anything though it. Working on a farm I get to be picky what wood I get, and therefore my splitter is built accordingly (I get straight logs 12-20" diameter, and have a fixed 4-way set at 8"). My dad gets what he can find and seems to always cut the ends like //. Already broke my push block once.

 

[alleyyooper]

No I no longer yell to get off my lawn. In fact I never did it was my woods they were always trespassing in. It stopped real quick when I called the law and filed a trespassing complaint 3 times cause the fool kept coming wanting me to drop the charges and I called the law both times. People from the city seem to think they can do on our rural property what they did to their neighbors places in the city.
I have no trespassing signs on both sides of my drive about every 20 feet down the property lines too.

If ya wanted woods to tramp around in and take wood from you should have bought property with woods and not a vacant field. Same with a wood splitter to use BUY OR RENT one.

Al

 

[spike60]

If you like interesting experiments... write up a contract wherein the borrower agrees to pay for any and all damages to the equipment, and ask them to sign it. I can almost guarantee that some of them will go on a rant about how if you were a true friend, you wouldn't ask them to sign this, blah, blah, yada, yada....

Brings up an interesting point. Gotta sign a rental agreement when you rent one, don't you?

Another huge advantage of renting a splitter, especially if the person buys the insurance, is that he's pretty much off the hook if he wrecks something. So, rental is really the best way to eliminate the risk involved for both the owner and borrower of a splitter. Rental houses expect a certain amount of damage as a cost of doing business. Why should a private owner, like @joe25DA have to accept a busted air box and dented gas tank from someone who got to use his splitter for free?

Now, damage like that is obviously the user's fault. But some things can go wrong while borrowed that just happen and can't be blamed on the guy currently using it. What if a tired engine gives up the ghost after years of poor maintenance by it's owner? In that case it's hardly fair to expect the borrower to buy a new motor. He was just unlucky enough to be running it when it let loose. It really cuts both ways. Best way to avoid all the pitfalls is to avoid the loan/borrow trap altogether.

 

[laynes69]

While we own woods, the neighbor owns everything else around us. He let's us cut, and we cut for him also. Whenever I see he had a good load of rounds, I'll drive down to his house and split his wood for him. He appreciates the help, as we appreciate everything they do for us. Yesterday while going down to his house to split, I lost a rear tire on my tractor. He towed the tractor home, and towed the splitter to his house where I split a good pile for him. Good neighbors are hard to come by anymore.

 

[JeffGu]

It really cuts both ways.

That's true. But, in such a case you have the option to say, "Forget it, that wasn't your fault."

 

[Whitespider]

I have one buddy I'd loan anything to... anything... my saw, my splitter, my truck, my guns, my boat, or anything else I have... no questions asked.
I flat know it will come back cleaned up, lubed, tuned up, full of fuel, full of oil, the wedge sharpened, tires full of air, and if anything got broken or damaged he'd repair or replace it. He could call me at work and I'd tell him where it is and tell him to go get it... he'd bring it back as soon as he was finished with it, the very day he finished with it, and put it away exactly how I had it stored. If I went to his house and he wasn't actually using it at the moment, it would be in his shop or shed... likely even covered. He's the kind'a guy that would borrow your reciprocating saw and bring it back with more blades in the case than when it left... because he'd replace any he used... plus a few more.

I have one neighbor I'd also loan anything to... anything... no questions asked.
He ain't exactly mechanically inclined so he wouldn't do "maintenance" type stuff, but he'd bring it back cleaned up and full of gas and oil... he ain't abusive to power equipment, in fact I tell him he's too darn careful sometimes. If anything got damaged or broken he'd offer to take it somewhere for repair and pay the bill (even if it weren't his fault)... and if I told him not to worry about it, that I'd fix it, he'd insist on paying for everything and helping me (even if he just hung out for moral support). Stuff always comes back as soon as he finishes with it... usually with a box of beer.

Either of those guys would loan me anything... anything... no questions asked... for the very same reasons I'd loan anything to them.

I wish I could get my oldest son to be as responsible as those two guys
*

 

[olyman]

No I no longer yell to get off my lawn. In fact I never did it was my woods they were always trespassing in. It stopped real quick when I called the law and filed a trespassing complaint 3 times cause the fool kept coming wanting me to drop the charges and I called the law both times. People from the city seem to think they can do on our rural property what they did to their neighbors places in the city.
I have no trespassing signs on both sides of my drive about every 20 feet down the property lines too.

If ya wanted woods to tramp around in and take wood from you should have bought property with woods and not a vacant field. Same with a wood splitter to use BUY OR RENT one.

Al

valley thinks himself to be a god of this forum.......

 

[muddstopper]

I wish I could get my oldest son to be as responsible as those two guys
*

God, please dont let me get started, Amen!

 

[olympyk_999]

valley thinks himself to be a god of this forum.......

he aint the only one

 

[olympyk_999]

box of beer.

though you liked "box-o-beer" ? is there a difference?

 

[Whitespider]

though you liked "box-o-beer" ? is there a difference?

No difference... mental lapse on my part
*

 

[olyman]

No difference... mental lapse on my part
*

you don't have lapses..just trolls do.............

 

[olympyk_999]

you don't have lapses..just trolls do.............

that's news to me...oh wait...never mind, I'm not one of those

 

[Red Elm]

Sure, I do all the time. I live in a neighborhood of farmers, livestock men, and country people that have to work in town, borrowing equipment of any kind is how we all help one another, but, there is an agreed on rule. You borrow, you break, you fix or pay to have it fixed, or you lose your borrowing privledges. It's simple. Everyone understands.

If a neighbor let's me borrow an $80,000 loader tractor, how can I say no when he asks to borrow my splitter?

 

[olympyk_999]

I live in a neighborhood of farmers, livestock men, and country people

sounds like you live in a "farmers only.com" commercial