My splitter hasn't been in my shop for a couple years. My family uses it more than I do. I don't have a problem with them using it. My chainsaw, trimmer, and mower are about the only tools I won't lend out. If somebody needs something done with them I'll just go do it for them.
I've had to be a borrower at times, but I've always been of the belief that if you borrow something you don't treat it like yours, you treat it better. Always makes me cringe when I hear someone say that.. "I'll treat it as if it were mine." I don't loan many things out as a general rule, one can find pics of my ATV trailer and see why. There are a couple of friends to whom I'd lend anything except the wife. If they borrow Chazsbetterhalf they have to keep her. Yes, I will hear about that one.
I would loan anything to my Brother. He is an ace mechanic and has an innate respect for tools and what they can accomplish with skilled users. He, like myself, is a maintenance geek. We both have a strong affection for old, lovingly maintained machinery and implements. The fact that He lives in Kentucky and I in Washington State makes it even easier for me allow him free use of any of my tools!
I hate to borrow tools!! I usually buy what I need.. I got a Snap On timing gun.. I lend out to friends that still need a timing gun... Most of those cars are
Two good friends can borrow anything I have, they'll take good care & repair it if it breaks. We trade equipment use pretty regularly, nobody else touches my stuff. It's expensive, has taken a lifetime of hard work to acquire, & it needs to work when I need it. There's plenty of rental company's around that they can use. Edit: one of them is a forum member.
There are very few people I would lend a tool to nor ask to borrow one from. You'd have better luck trying to borrow me and my tool(s).
I don't have a splitter. I'll loan them my 8 pound maul. Only got a couple friends I would loan a good saw to, absolutely no worries with them. Former bil borrowed a saw once and all I got back was the powerhead I didn't even bother to ask what happened to the bar and chain.
Dang I was about to ask your wife to cut some wood for me, and advise her to bring a gun to shoot any squirrels we might see. Guess I will be working on my tractor this weekend.
I'll go with the popular answer. When someone needs help, I will pitch in with my tools, but they are my tools and they go home when I do.
You can rent them. No need to borrow mine. Good friends, sure, I’ll come and help. I just recently had someone I’ve never met have a friend ask if he could borrow my dump trailer to haul fieldstones. That’s an absolute NO!!! You can rent those too.
A long time ago, my Dad told me, ''never borrow anything from anyone, because if you break it, you fix it''. Well, i was about 11, borrowed my buddy's bike, he had like 11 brothers/sisters. I had another kid on the cross bar and hit a big fir going down a trail in the city park. About neutered my buddy when he went over the bars, but, it bent the front forks, the handlebars, the wheel, knocked a bunch of spokes out of the bent wheel. So, by the time i had bought all the stuff to fix the bike, my dad rebuilt it for him, i almost had the price of a new bike, into a old wreck. But, i learned a good lesson, if you don't borrow some thing, you won't have to pay for it, if it gets broken by some one else. Oh, i have loaned my splitter one time, and one time only, with the under standing, if you break it, you buy it. Here's another good ''lesson'' about loaning some thing. We had a associate pastor who had never cut wood before. He asked about borrowing my pickup, i told him the story about the bike. Then, politely said, no i can't loan it. He was very good about said he under stood. So, he asked one of the older guys at church, Al, he couldn't say no, needless to say, when he got his pickup back, that he had really taken care of, the inside of the box was beat all to heck. It had a big dent in the rear quarter panel where when the associate pastor had throw a big piece of wood short, and dented the heck out of it. Plus he loaded the the pickup so heavy he drug the spare tire that was mounted under the back part of the frame so far, it blew it out and ruined it. Just a couple of ''lessons about loaning'', lol. When poor old Al saw his beloved pickup, he looked like a old sad faced coon hound, that had just lost track on a big old boar coon.
I've been on both sides of the fence. Had to borrow and lend. Now, I go with the tool, especially bif it's the tractor, splitter or saw. Hand tools, if it's close family.
Me and my 2 neighbors will help each other out all the time. when I first started burning wood I borrowed a splitter a few times. The one (last) time I used it the valve was sticking so I bought a new $200 valve and replaced it. No big deal as I had split many cords with it. (I later found out the other neighbor was using it and knew it was sticking and brought it back.) Three of us spent a few hours working together yesterday fixing up our driveways after the storm. We all get along here. And we help each other as neighbors should. BUT! Chainsaw rule #1...never lend out a chainsaw!
I let one neighbor borrow my splitter for his 1/2 cord a year for his camp, but he helps me cut firewood and he brings it back full of gas and cleaner than he got it. Everyone else can go fish. I definitely wouldn’t let someone use it to make money with it unless I was getting half with the price of a new splitter as a damage deposit. In writing of course!
You also should be concerned about liability when you lend equipment. A good friend and co-worker got a call one day during a heavy snow storm. His neighbor's single stage snowblower wasn't cutting it and the neighbor asked if he could borrow my neighbor's larger two-stage. Regular occurrence in the area, everybody doesn't need every tool, we help each other out. During the phone conversation my co-worker gave a brief explanation of the differences between the machines and told him the key was in the pouch with the manuals. Look at the manual and call back if there are any questions... The next call was the neighbor's wife, the neighbor had tried to punch out a clog in the snow exhaust chute. She was going with him & two of his fingers to the hospital but didn't have time to put the blower away. My friend went home, cleaned up, finished clearing both driveways and checked on his neighbor. After a few days and some micro-surgery, fingers re-attached with good prognosis of recovery. Issue over, some neighborly teasing, yes and NO. After a while, lawyers for the neighbor's insurance company served the snowblower's owner. The neighbor did not know it was going to happen, he had good insurance and assumed everything would be covered. The insurance company wanted to put a claim against the owner & his insurance since he lent a machine to someone who was not trained to use it causing injury. Very long story but the short version was: Our office did deals that could have major financial impact. ALL calls were recorded. We dug out the tape of the conversation asking to borrow the snowblower. It had the discussion of the snowblower, where the manual was, and to call after looking at the manual if he had any questions. Since he had to touch the manual to get the key he had to see it. Once that transcript was sent to the lawyers the discussion of who was to blame ended. They are still good friends just one cringes a little every time it snows. Your neighbor might not hold you liable but his insurance might have a different point of view. I always accompany my power equipment if somebody else is using it. KaptJaq
Good story, aside from finger damage. Another good reason to have release of liability forms handy. You just never know .
