No harm in asking (or where is the harm)???

Was just thinking of how I made my latest deal (FEL)... Lou in Wi had a thread a year or so ago about seeing something and just stopping and asking if it was for sale... Of course he got feedback anywhere from "I'da shot ya" to "sure thing"...

For the folks that think it's an invasion, where is the problem?

Wife tells me I'm too bold and germans just don't do business like that. My tractor guru buddy says the same thing while his old man laughs and says "good job".....

So,
Where is the threat or harm of someone just stopping and asking "is that for sale" or "I'm lookin for a ____, have you got one you wanna sell?"

Picking up the rest of my loader this evening and will be making the rounds of all the local farmers asking for a poo fork.

Just babbling.....

Are you from the states originally?

I don't know how it goes over there, but some of my best deals were made just by stopping and asking. Then again, some of my worst encounters were by just stopping and asking.


I'm really worried about my latest find... I found a pair of 5800 bushel grain bins, rotting with trees growing around them. one has a propane dryer.


My first interaction ended with, "I don't think they are for sale." My last interaction ended with, "What else do you want to buy, we'll set it aside."


Story goes like this:


A farmer has 2 sons. oldest son gets everything when the father dies. Oldest son has a girlfriend who is willed everything upon his death. Oldest son dies, leaves everything to his girlfriend. Youngest son has his own equipment and things on teh farm. The girlfriend of the deceased gives him no chance of reclaiming his own property. The mother of the two boys is still living with the girlfriend of the deceased oldest son. The girlfriend gets a new boyfriend and they are living in the farm house with the mother of the deceased oldest son.... girlfriend is trying to kick her out... (Jerry Springer comes to mind)

So, that is where I enter the picture.

I didn't know the backstory and I thought I would ask. Girlfriend says nothing is for sale, younger brother says it is all for sale. Then he tells me the grain bins each are full of moldy corn. 5800 bushel in each. I tell him that I can give him a number of a salvage grain buyer and he calls them. When he gets a price, he calls me back and says he will make me a good deal, because I helped him out.

My first instinct is to run away fast, but, I haven't yet. I am waiting to see what happens. Worst case scenario, I helped this guy out to get money from moldy corn. best case scenario, I might get the bins for a good dollar. I'm scared so much.


I hope things work out for you. Once I got two Oliver 4 bottom 16" plows for $200 for the pair. I'm still using the one to this day. The other I have scavenged for parts. $200 for that plow is a song. My other great find was a door knock that ended with me walking away with a 1995 New Holland LX465 skidsteer with 455 hours for $3100. I had to replace $300 in parts, but I am still using it today. I will now knock on wood. I might have messed up by telling so many of my fortune.


To counteract that, I once paid $18,999 for a truck that needed $6800 in work and it is still giving me trouble. The truck is worth $6500 at best. I learned my lesson on that one.


Good luck to you and keep knocking on doors. You never know what you will find.

SE Ohio..... Took awhile for folks to warm up when we first bought the place. They've pretty much got used to me now and don't think anything of asking me if I need anything before they advertise or junk it.

I have a sign. " I have nothing for sale". Keeps tirekickers from wasting my time. To each his own.

My view: My home is not a place of business. I own an old farm in a rural area because I like my privacy. If I wanted to sell some old equipment/vehicles, I’d do the research, figure out what they are worth, and put up a for sale sign. Most people stop to see if the stuff is for sale hoping they can buy something for less than it is worth. Don’t disturb my privacy unless you see a for sale sign.
RND

Two local school teachers bought a farm like that, saw a nice place, wooded, pastures, and she knocked on the door just for the heck of it, and a very old lady answered. Apologized, but asked that if the place ever came up for sale, here's my phone number. Little old lady smiled, and said, No, honey, it's not for sale. Three years later, the phone rang and little old lady said HOney, we have to move, so you seem like noce folks, and we'd like you to have it.

Im never scared to ask some one if something is for sale. Some times people dont even think about selling something until some one asks them. There is no harm in asking

you ever stop to ask about something and end up there 2 hr.s and not buying anything? i have. Bob

I've gotten some great deals by just asking if its for sale.Hint:Go straight to the door and knock and DO NOT go out and look the piece of equipment over because then you'll be branded a potential thief.

Couple months ago, I posted a similar question about stopping and asking to take pics of old tractors and equipment. I got a wide range of answers from "I'd shoot ya fer trespassin'!!" to "Sure, can I have a copy too?" Just depends on the person you ask I guess.
I can't see why there would be a problem long as you are polite and state up front why you're there.

I see no harm in stopping. As long as you don't get pushy and respect the property.If they say no just thank them and leave.

I traveled all over fixing TVs and appliances.I sharpened tools and fixed fence chargers on the tail gate of my station wagon.Met many fine people along the way and often stayed for dinner.A fellow who stopped in asking if I needed my chimneys cleaned.Didnt need that done but told him I needed some aluminum roofing put on the barn and couldnt stand high places.I put up the staging and brought up the material for him and a helper he brought along.I gave them 150 bucks cash,a small table saw and a new tire I had.Fed them dinner every day they were here.We became fast friends.Jr Withee died from cancer 20 years ago.He was 55 years old.Glad I didnt run him off because I valued my privacy.Most of my good friends have passed on now.

Just say you're Frank Fritz from "American Pickers" and you're
making a cold call.

I would have to say stay off our property because we've had some "snoopers" and at least one attempted break in.

Several years ago, we just happened to be working in front of the house and a man and woman drove up the driveway saying they had been told the place was for sale. Lady was looking the house over real hard. Had to tell them several times it wasn't for sale before they finally left.

Couple of weeks later, the man came back (I recognized him and the truck) on a Sunday evening. Drove right past the house and headed to the back. I saw him come up the drive way and headed out the back door. When he saw James' truck, he turned around and left real quick.

Another couple of weeks go by, and I see the same truck with 3 men cruise by very slowly one Sunday afternoon. They saw my truck out front and kept going.

I was headed to town and pulled out behind him. He threw a beer can out and I don't mean just tossed, he threw it out hard and beer went everywhere. I stopped and picked up the can. He saw me, pulled over and apologized. He knew I got his license tags. Never saw him again.

We now have steel gates across the driveway and a no trespassing sign out.

Me and my brother were driving along in the country and seen us an old plow setting next to a run down barn. We stopped and was looking at it when an old man that looked to be about 90 came out of the nearby house and told us to get off his land. Well my brother is 58 and I"m 54 but the two of us together was able to whup that old man good. I believe we could have whupped him even if he had been a hundred.

Not sure I'd do it anymore...but around 40 years ago I ended up buying a '46 International K-2 pickup by just stopping and asking about it. I had to put 4 tires on it [recaps were cheap then], and we eventually did a valve job and replaced the piston rings, but the truck would start and run...and I bought it for $75.

These days, if you're stopping at a place you don't own, folks think you're a thief out to "case the joint"...and they don't hesitate to tell you that nothing's for sale, and you should leave before they call the law. I guess it's just a sign of the times in which we live.

My brother had that happen to him. Caught a guy coming out of his back pasture. Loaded with scrap. Told my brother he was told he could have it for hauling it off. Brother ask him if he got it all. Guy said yes. Brother thanked him for cleaning up the back pasture. But don't come back. My land and I don't know who you are who said you could come on my land.

Really worked out for both of them.Although the man just about had a heart attack. When my brother told him who he was. There was a lady that died. While everyone was at the service. Someone made off with two tractors and a truck her husband had.

Now, are you driving up the driveway, stopping by the house, and introducing yourself, asking if anything is for sale. anything I may look at? Or you could see such & such an item from the road, wondered if it was for sale, if you may look it over?

Or are you walking all over the property looking for yourself, never met the person owning the property?

Or are you driving up to the house, asking the owner if that Super H you saw in the shed last week whwn you were snooping around is for sale?

Ain't nothing wrong with the first deal at all.

The others would likely run into some 'people skills' issues....

--->Paul

you come to MY place,stop at the house first, be glad to talk...avoids a WHOLE LOT of paperwork down at the police station when I plant a bullet in your backside!theres a REAL DIFFERENCE in knocking on a door,and simply walking around a guys place snooping. Its really funny how those smart young boys ,just "LOOKING", turn white when you stick a 9mm in their face.Better yet is watching them run when you pump a 12ga ,and shoot a couple of how shall we say "pack rats" that just happen to be close to where they are standing.Of course you didnt KNOW they were there,they didnt stop at the house so how could you? Some of You guys are way too easy,,I find someone hauling stuff out of my pasture,I just simply sit in the shade while they unload onto my trailer!

i hope you are joking, but around where i live ,you better be from far out of town if you do try this,there will be a 90 year old gentleman hunting you when he gets up.And you better hope another neighbor dont drive by while its happening.I cant think of ANY farmer here who hasnt went armed most of his life,and they dont carry for show.

Whenever I've buy something off a farm I always ask if they want to get rid of anything else and I've had extremely good luck. I bought a plow off a guy and ended up getting a 12ft cultivator and a set of harrows for a $100.00. Nothing was was wrong with either and both were in working condition but he hadn't used them is 30 years and nobody else had ever inquired. If you're polite with people it goes a really long way these days.

Had a similar incident here in Dallas. Kid got killed in a car accident. While the family was at the funeral, two kids from his school broke into the house and stole everything they could.

Happy ending - someone saw them and they got caught.

Some real low lifes in the world now.

Unfortunately there are so many bad people out there looking to do bad things that you can't trust anybody. Especially, when the perception is that you're old and frail and defenseless.

In this day and age it CAN hurt to try... Run afoul of a grumpy old codger who's been approached one too many times, who has a double-barrel 12ga and an itchy trigger finger... You'll be picking birdshot out of your buttocks for weeks!

Yes Nancy to bad we can't shoot them.

I'm one of the guys THAT if you are serious and have talked to me anything is posible....BUT IF I CATCH YOU SNOOPING.IT WILL BE UGLY!!!!!! I have had too much stolen

I have a graveled area out by the road for the things that are for sale. I then have a real thick wind break that you can't see through that I keep all the other stuff behind until I am ready to sell it. You can not see behind it from any public roads or neighbors. It just amazes me the number of times I have guys come and asked about something that is behind that wind break. I then find out about half of them have already walked all over the place looking at whatever they want just like they own the place. Have had several things stolen over the years that I am sure where stolen by guys that had looked at them to "buy" earlier.

I try to keep calm and cool about it but it really bugs the "H" out of me the way some guys are.

(quoted from post at 22:59:46 03/20/12) I have a graveled area out by the road for the things that are for sale. I then have a real thick wind break that you can't see through that I keep all the other stuff behind until I am ready to sell it. You can not see behind it from any public roads or neighbors. It just amazes me the number of times I have guys come and asked about something that is behind that wind break. I then find out about half of them have already walked all over the place looking at whatever they want just like they own the place. Have had several things stolen over the years that I am sure where stolen by guys that had looked at them to "buy" earlier.

I try to keep calm and cool about it but it really bugs the "H" out of me the way some guys are.

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I'm talking about just driving by and seeing something knocking on the door & asking if they'd consider selling or maybe know of one for sale. Nothing said about walking /snooping.......

Same difference Dave,if there is no for sale sign on something,then you are snooping-trespassing and you would be the last person they would sell to then.There was a piece in the paper today about how many Millions of dollars of metal was stolen from farms last year,so trust is a little thin.

(quoted from post at 15:41:03 03/21/12) Same difference Dave,if there is no for sale sign on something,then you are snooping-trespassing and you would be the last person they would sell to then.There was a piece in the paper today about how many Millions of dollars of metal was stolen from farms last year,so trust is a little thin.

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Picked up a super nice poo fork to finish off my loader today by knocking on a door.... Got the loader about the same way... Both cases, folks were glad to be rid of the stuff without dealing with tirekickers...

Thieving isn't much of a problem around here.... I usually leave my car unlocked on the street and equipment, tractors, etc is left outside quite a bit....... 22 years here and I have had a couple things stolen. Sad thing was, those thieves were Americans.........