Madder than HECK at an old Customer!!

I must just be getting old enough that people think they can walk on me and I will be OK with it!!!!!! An old customer of mine called me earlier this spring. HE had a tractor break down right across the road from a farm we rent. He asked me if I had a tractor there he could borrow to finish drilling his oats. His blew the motor in his and he would have us look at it later to repair. I had my JD 4040 on that farm hooked to MY grain drill. I told him he could use the tractor BUT not to use the drill. He could borrowed the tractor. HE did that.

This afternoon I had my wife take me over to that farm so I could get the tractor and drill. I wanted to clean the drill up and put it away. Plus we rake second crop hay with that tractor and I wanted it ready to go. I started the tractor while my wife waited. It took right off and I sent her on her way, which was to town for several things. As I walked back around the barn the JD 4040 died. I could tell it ran out of fuel but I could not get to it fast enough to shut it off before it ran clear out.

The barn is dark so I had not turned the lights on to check the fuel level. I knew I had filled it right before bring it over to this farm. I only drilled ten acres of water ways, so the tractor should have had plenty of fuel. Then I remembered the neighbor borrowing it. So I check the tank and sure enough BONE dry!!! So here I am on a farm with no fuel and maybe a pair of pliers and a hammer. Got my Cell phone out. No signal. Remembered that this whole road had poor coverage due to being a long valley with limestone bluffs along it. So I thought I would just walk up to the upper field that was high enough that there should be coverage. Guess what NO coverage. So I walk back down to the road and start hiking back toward home. Not a single soil on that road this morning. I had to walk about two miles before I had cell coverage. ARRGGGGG!!!! Finally got ahold of one of my boys.

He took me home. Since we are done with planting I had taken the fuel tank out of the Pickup. So I decided to load it over fooling with cans. By the time I got fuel and got the tractor running, then home it was supper time.

I called the fellow that borrowed the tractor. I asked him how much he used the tractor. Well he told me I told him he could use it to finish his oats. Yes on THAT FARM!!! No he drilled all of the oats he planted all spring, several hundred acres. I went out and checked the tractor. He put 75 hours on it. THEN LEFT it so low on fuel I could not even get it home!!!! I called him an asked him what he was going to do with his tractor??? He said he thought we would be too high on rebuilding it so his son-in-law was going to do it in the evenings over the summer. WHATTTTTTTTT!!!!!!! I about blew a casket!!!! I told him he owed me rent on the tractor and fuel. I told him I would make it easy. I would give him some time as I told him he could borrow it. So I told him he was going to pay for 50 hours use plus the fuel.

He is all bent out of shape about it but I am not going to be walked on like that. Putting that many hours on the tractor and then leaving it with zero fuel just is not right in my opinion. Especially since we did not even get a repair job out of it. If he had put fuel in it and we got some repair work on his tractor then I would have chalked it up to customer service. Since nether happened I feel he "USED" me.

What do you fellows think????

My dad always said first rule of borrowing something is return it in better shape than you got it.
He should have at least replaced the fuel he used and then some.

Rodney 8)

Good for you, you are in the right all the way

You are right in feeling used and walked on. It seems not many people appreciate when you do them a favor any more. Several years ago a neighbor was chopping hay and a wagon came unhooked and ran up on his 3020 busting a back tire and damaging the wagon. We had finished the day before so he asked to borrow a tractor and wagon. I let him have my 4020 and a Miller pro wagon. He ran that tractor as hard as he could. The fuel is turned up and he left a constant trail of black smoke. When we went to use the wagon next cutting it would not unload right. Somehow they jammed a bunch of haylage back under the cross conveyor and did some damage back in the inside corner of the wagon. Yes he did pay me a little bit but I was taught to take better care of others peoples equipment than your own. I also thought I might get some of his repair business but he takes it all right pass me to someone who charges more and does not even like working on Deere equipment. Tom

Your preaching to the quire here, my friend, I'm still suffering a twisted gut over the similar kind of crap the a "friend" will do, after I did them a great favor! No end to what some will do!! :x

No good deed goes unpunished.

Dean

You are 100% justified in being ticked. I'm ticked off just reading about it! :evil: Stuff like this has soured me on ever loaning stuff out to all but the closest and most trustworthy of friends. Too many things that become broken and unrepaired or just never returned... Even years on I grumble about it.

You are right, he was just trying to take advantage of you. I never have to lend any equipment out to anyone, as either my stuff is too small, or I am busy using it myself. And I don?t borrow from others, I either get my own equipment, or hire the work done. I?ll bet you were just steaming mad, lol. Good thing , in away , you were alone. And the walk probably helped to calm you down some.

I know exactly how you feel, and have been done the same way with a tractor and several equipment trailers, I no longer loan my stuff out, if they need it then they can go buy it or rent it is my motto, it?s a shame to feel this way but there are friends, family and neighbors that will use/sponge off of you. I got one neighbor that made a remark one time in front of another neighbor with me standing there that I didn?t loan anything out cause I was too curious about my property, I let it be known right there and then it was because of people like him that would bring it back broken or not bring it back at all putting me in the position of having to ask to use my own tools, truck , etc

And he is probably the kind of guy who whines about how bad he is treated by others.

He flat out used you,, had a neighbor like that more than once,, very very short list who I borrow equipment to any more, I may go help them do it and run my own equipment but that's about it,
cnt

Close by farmer would borrow anything we had and never returned anything. I could never understand why Pop let him get away with stealing our equipment. Pop would just send one of us boys to find it and bring it home when he needed it. Better take an air tank and fuel because he would use it it till the tires were flat or it was out of fuel. When Dad retired it took many times for me to tell him to get off our farm and never come back.

That's why I don't lend anything anymore. You're just lucky he didn't destroy your tractor in the process.

Of course he used you. Sounds more like a brother to me. Mine broke me from lending tractors or vehicles.

People that have constant breakdowns usually abuse and don't maintain their equipment so why expect them to do any better with yours? I'm betting he never checked the oil or coolant either.
And if it had been me I'd of charged him for the walk big time(LOL)

It takes some talent to leave a machine that low on fuel. The really stupid part is, if he had left it full of fuel, you may have never noticed the difference. So he wasn't trying to get away with anything. He was trying to stick it to you, so you would know it. Probably petty jealousy. Like; "you have so much", or "you're so lucky", etc. Doesn't that make your blood boil?

I ALWAYS try not to borrow, but if I do, I return things in BETTER condition than I get them. Washed, gassed up, sometimes touch-up painted. Lubed. I've taught my boys the same.

They'll ask you to do the second overhaul on his tractor after the first one has a failure.

Deere seller: I did not know you lived on my road!!! Yep sounds like the people around me!!! especially on the repair job!! I tend to tell those borrowers that I come with it at so much $$ an hour. Seems to cure this borrow thing.

He probably did you a favor in the end.if he has the ballz to ever ask for anything as a favor again you can politely say no.

JDS, that guy is a "hooray for me" guy. I remember many years ago buying a new home, and borrowing my brothers rototiller to put a lawn in. When I was done, I took it apart and cleaned and painted the whole thing. When he got it back, it looked like new.

You went easy on him. Only charging him for 50 hours, when he put 75 on the tractor? I'd have charged him for 100 hours.

The fuel is down right insulting, and sets a bad tone. But I sorta feel there is room to understand the hours. IDK what the distance/acreage situation is, but in my mind, if I had a job to finish and blew a motor and borrowed a tractor to finish the job, it would be the entire job. I fully understand you're inferring he only meant for that field, but really it could go either way. He should have been clear with how much he needed it for, and it should have been wiped down, topped off with fuel, and probably some beer exchanged as a huge thank you, but I also wouldn't loan something without asking what the use was going to be. I personally prefer to be hired with my equipment than to loan it out. I break my own stuff and I'm familiar with it, I don't need other people breaking it too.

First, I am surprised that you would loan out a large and critical piece of equipment like a tractor. Secondly, I am also surprised that you would not outline some rules for the usage and condition of same.

But, having said that, he sure did take advantage. Personally, I think that he should pay for the entire 75 hours as well as fuel. What he did was wrong.

Consider: had you not loaned him a tractor, what would his choices have been? Rent a tractor or go out and buy one. In either case, he would have had to pay for the usage of the tractor as well as the fuel. Why should it be different with your equipment?

Personally, I have strict policies about loaning out large or expensive tools and equipment. I go with it or it doesn't go. If it gets broken or damaged, I have nobody to blame except myself. That way, I know that it will be used correctly, maintained correctly, and how and when I will have it back in its place.

Have a neighbor like that. A tree came down on his property last month and he cleaned it up with his paltry littl plug in electric saw. Must have taken forever. Couple of days later he asks if I could bring over one of my big saws and cut something. Lucky I didn't make a move. He wanted me to cut the trunk down to GROUND level in sand soil. I conveniently forgot to do it. Now he has a manicured lawn, is five years older than me, is 100% disabled. Has nothing better than to but putter around. Then tells me to mow my lawn cause it grew since last week. What brass. This clown could mow the cemetery no sweat. Nope. I do not loan equipment, but only if I come with it. Now I don't even do that anymore. At least offer to BUY me some gas!!! Forget it.

being that low on fuel did some one steel the fuel? Bob

Murphy's Law always kicks in when the borrowed item has an engine and uses fuel. Sure, borrow my fork and shovel, and maybe even my hand saw but not my chain saw or my garden tiller. I don't blame you though for being pi$$ed off, but you'll know better next time.

JD, yup, you got used.

Kinda funny that so many people mentioned tillers and saws. That is exactly what cause me to stop lending out anything with an engine. Saw I let a BIL use. Offered him a clean gas can. Got told I have gas at home. Got the saw back a few days later and was told that it didn't run right. I took it in. Carburetor was full of garbage and water. I was using new gas cans. Then right after that a nephew borrowed our tiller. Came back the same way. I know he used a gas can that belonged to his dad. I did not push the issue. The BIL would have denied it and the nephew would have really been sorry and wanted to pay for a new carb but at the time really couldn't afford it. So I don't lend stuff out. Same thing with hand tools. Got really tired of having to chase em down to get em back.

Rick

People aren't what they used to be. The 75 hours of use wouldn't bother me nearly as much as running it out of fuel and saying nothing about it. I'd have unloaded on the guy too. Last fall the people who farm the land across from my house don't know how to drive a semi. They drove far enough to get the drives in my front yard leaving big ruts. When I asked them about the ruts they just shrugged. I said a roller would be a good start and all I got was a dumb look. This fall might see an old tractor parked there...

When I was in the middle aged stage of life, that would have made me furious. Now that I'm a senior citizen, that situation would have me in jail! Your friend got off easy, very easy. Tolerance level going down with age (at least in my case).

I had a uncle I let borrow my new 16 foot stock trailer to move a horse. He keep his truck and cars looking like showroom new....anyway a couple of days later some guy who I don't know shows up pulling my trailer he drops my trailer in the yard and has unhooked about to go when I get outside ...Trailer is covered with cow manure... I ask him who had been using my trailer....the guy who brought it home was third guy to use it...guess I am lucky to get trailer back

For sure he took advantage of you. Charging him for 50 hrs use is reasonable, he got 25 free hours.

Amen ! I borrowed a disc from guy down the road. It was old,poorly maintained. Four or five blades broke while I used it. I went down to guys place and asked him if he needed it back right away ? Explained what happened and I was going to fix it, but be following week before I had parts. He about fell over. Says most folks would have just parked it back where they got it and never said anything. Few new blades and bearings in couple gangs ans it was good as new.

SKREWWWED.. is the term you got.. Years ago neighbor moved in across road down roaad.. wanted to borrow a corded drill.. loaned it to him.. found out later he loaned it out.. wouldnt work for 2nd loaner.. got it back and there was a dead spot in the motor.. have to turn it little then runs.. VERY PARTICULAR who I loan to...

Same neighbor was drilling post holes with someone elses auger.. he was hanging on the back of that sucker with a long pole to get it to dig.. lator saw him screwing around with it.. went over he had NOT used shear bolts and twisted the regular bolts inside the digger.. stuck solid.. lol..(glad not mine) as I was looking noticed he didnt have cutter blades on the edge of auger bit.. lol.. "didnt know it needed them"

Problem with loaning is
1) generally they dont treat it like you would...
2) they dont know the in's and out's of what they borrow.. as there are always things, tweeks or whatever that equipment that I own has that only I know about.. even if I tried to explain they wouldnt get it..

Played you like a fiddle. However... be mad at yourself. You said yes and he rode that horse long and hard. I dont know how you can make him pay for something when you "loaned" it out. Learn your lesson and move on. There are many more like him out there. Wait it out and see if they get the other tractor overhauled and how that works out. It will probably not last a season. Wished I could say that I was smarter and had not be used either, but....

Dad had bought a 180 MF and sold the three point hitch off of the 70 JD. When the flywheel cracked and the hyd failed on the 180, we had 300ac the cultivate and no tractor. Dad borrowed a 830 from a neighbor to run the cultivator. The clutch went out and dad fixed it,the neighbor found out a year latter when dads friend asked if the clutch was working alright! Dad had a to-20 with a concrete mixer. That mixer poured most of the cement on that livestock/row-crop farm,and he would have taken a tractor out of the field for us to borrow.

You really got taken, doubt you can ever get paid for the hours, because you "loaned" him the tractor.

Would not have 75 hours taken several tanks of fuel?

David he would have ran 2 tanks out plus the fuel I had in the tractor. He just did not care about my side of the deal. As for collecting anything from him??? Maybe not but I have along memory. This fellow will not pay dealership rates for repairs. HE will be needing to get some thing repaired. We then will have a decision about what he owes. LOL He usually runs a rock or two through his forage chopper each year. So when he has acres of hay down on a weekend and need the chopper fixed, I think I will have a pretty good shot at getting my tractor rent. LOL