Trailer rental . How much ?

Bought an equipment trailer at an auction last fall. Nice big bumper hitch trailer, now a neighbor guy,(just bought the farm across the road) is always asking to use (rent)it. Whats the going rental rate.We had to buy it,why let everyone else wear it out for nothing. He uses his own truck.

Just say "NO" whenever anyone asks to borrow or rent it.

I've found from experience it makes life incredibly more simple.

I finally initiated a policy whereby if anyone asked to borrow or rent my trailer, I would advise them of the policy, but tell them if they wanted something hauled I would haul it for them--for an appropriate fee.

Goose got it right! You "loan" it once and you can keep it loaned full time...... until it won't haul anymore. (And that will happen sooner than you think!)

I totally agree with the other guys; BAD IDEA!!! If it's only once or twice, haul it for him......for free or at your price. If he needs a trailer, he also needs to buy one.

I solved the loaner problem on my last bumper pull with a pintle hitch.Not everybody has one and mine took a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 receiver.By welding the bushing to pintle receiver they couldn't use it in a 2x2.Past experience has shown the trailer comes back home with bent fenders,broken lights,no lights,bent jack,and flat tires.The you have a situation where they change the wiring to fit the jenny rigged plug on the truck.If some body needs one that often they can do what I did,BUY THEIR OWN!!!Good luck.

This is really a pretty simple problem. Sell him the trailer, so you can "borrow" it back. You've got money. He's got a trailer. Life is good.

i agree with the others guys, dont loan it out. i let a guy borrow my beavertail trailer one time. he didnt return it for several weeks, and after several phone calls, had to go and get it. he cut the trailer plug off because it wouldnt match his truck, then cut the legs off the loading ramps because he didnt like the way it loaded. charge him and haul whatever for him.

Dont ever pass on helping a good guy out if ya can. Call a local equipment rental place and ask them what they charge. Or just say something like $1.10 a mile and you make any repairs if any problems occur. Just think about this. Hes your neighbor now, what if some fall you need an extra hand hauling grain, or loading hay. What if someday he wants to rent out the farm, you might get the land for less money because youve been a helpful friend and neighbor. I dont like the bridge burning technique unless youre one of those guys that is so stubborn you wont help someone out because by god you'll never ask them for help. What goes around comes around.

I loaned a friend a trailer and it came back with a broken tail light. He says "It was already broke when I got it"

Another time I borrowed my neighbor's lawn mower trailer and when I returned it he says "I don't think that light was broke when you borrowed it."

Now it's neither a borrower nor lender be. TDF

I'd probably come up with a flat fee depending on how bad I wanted to rent it. I have loaned mine out a few times but not too much. Sometimes a guys offers me a little and I take it., Otherwise I am happy if they fix their own flats and of course the lights are always knocked out so they fix them for me. If it becomes a problem I just tell them "I'm using it that weekend"
Maybe I'm using it for shade for the dog, but if you don't want to loan something one excuse is as good as another.

I have made it a priority in my life not to borrow things....either in or out. If I need something, I buy it or go to town and rent it. I'm sure I will die poorer because of it, but I dont have the stress.

My attitude about life is similar to jstalk's. But we all have to figure out what works best for ourselves.

I wouldn't rent it out. That turns you into a responsible company. I'd ask if he was willing to spring for a new set of tires. If not, buy your own trailer.

Loaning things always has risk, everything in life does. Including NOT loaning things. Some of my friends still get loaned tools from me, some don't. I had a friend with a need of my very heavy equipment trailer. He brought it back with a new inspection sticker for me. I no longer own it, sold it with the crawler. If I need a light trailer, he's got one available. Cooperation, so long as it goes both ways, is a great way to live. Ask the guy who leaves his Stihl 880 here for me to use. And knew that he didn't need to pay for an emergency plumbing repair when he dug in the wrong place.

My policy is that I will rent my equipment, but that includes renting me to operate it.

Son bought a new gooseneck low boy to haul his hay on. We laughed about how long it would be before Duane would want to borrow it. Sure enough it took a week. Son answered. "When you bring back the timing light you borrowed two years ago." End of coversation.
gitrib

Boy thats gutsy cutting up someone elses trailer. I think he and I would have a real discussion about that one.

I don't own a "car" trailer but I found that it only costs $35 to rent the one our local ACE Hardware has. As little as I need one I can't own, maintain and tag one for the cost of renting one once in the while (maybe three times a year).

My younger brother has a very large trailer with a goose neck - bought that way for the specific purpose of limiting the number of people that will want to "borrow" it.

I wouldn't do it, to many liability issues with insurance.You would probably get sued if an accident occured.My trailers are only insured if there pulled behind my trucks.That's how i get out of lending them to people who always return them with a flat tire or something broke.

i'll jump on the band wagon too: have a 5th goose, everyone wants to borrow. told them if they have money to rent, that makes a good payment for their own. title in my name, they wreck or get in bad accident, who do you think someone will sue? told them truck and trailer are hooked together with me driving. $100 hour. stops that rental idea right then!

forgot to add, we/me are giving you our opinion's, but you have to live across from him, will he be the type to pitch in when you need help, or bring over a tool you need to finish a job if you don't have, which could be vise/versa, all my friend's live miles away, i can say no and not have to look across the street at them. it's your decision.

Guy down here rents a 16 foot tongue pull for 25 bucks a day plus deposit. Repeat "Good" customers, he doesn't charge a deposit. I asked him how much the deposit was and he said it depends on what the renter looks like. Yep, gotta read between the lines on that one!
I have a trailer, and I would never ever rent it out to anyone. If someone needs it for a special need, I pull it with my truck and they ride along with me. Maybe a case of beer for payment as well as the cost of fuel and I'm good.
I also have a car dolley that I've loaned out a few times no charge. Came back once with a broken taillight but he promised to replace it. Sure enough, next day he showed up with a new light and installed it and made sure it worked. I reckon he may want to borrow it again!

First thing you should do is go through the trailer and check/replace the bearings, make sure the lights and brakes work. etc. Does the trailer need a brake controller in the truck? The new neighbor, who you know anything about, "always" wants to borrow your trailer? I could see loaning/renting it to a neighbor you've had for 10 years that you know you can trust. I bet if you told this new neighbor he could rent it with a $500 deposit, he'd stop asking to "borrow" it. All you have to do is say you've had a problem in the past with loaning items.

The guy I bought my land from asked me how much it would cost to pick up an 8N with my truck and trailer. He said it was about an hour away, so I said around $100. The day he came by and wanted to do it, I was really busy. I told him he could take my truck himself. My trailer was parked where I couldn't get to it because of mud. I hooked every chain and tie down strap I had to the trailer so I could pull it to the road with my skid steer. Hooked the trailer on the truck and told the guy he'd need to put some gas in the truck. He said he'd be gone about 3 hours tops. 7 hours later and he still wasn't back. Finally showed up 1/2 an hour later. I asked what took so long and he said he got lost! Then he complaining my truck was hard on gas(Chev. 6.0 litre). I had about a 1/4 tank when he left. He said he put $40 in and had to put more in on the way back. He didn't offer to pay anything for the truck and trailer but I thought he would have at least filled my gas tank. When I was ready to go home, hopped in the truck to park the trailer and the gas gauge read about a 1/4 tank. The cheap SOB put in just enough gas to equal what it had when he borrowed it. About a month later he asked if I could clear a fence line with my Cat. I wouldn't let him use my cell phone if he was stranded in the middle of nowhere! The neighbor across from me though uses my tandem dually trailer to haul bales and I don't ask for a cent because he helps me when I need it. Lots of people like to borrow stuff but if you want to borrow from them, forget it.

I specifically went to a 25' deckover gooseneck, the request to use my trailer went to "0". They can't pull that with their toyota camry.
I used to loan the 16' bumper pull out, & more than once is came back with issues.
I put a lift gate on my pickup, now the "borrowers" all want to use that.

Just say no!!

"with a goose neck - bought that way for the specific purpose of limiting the number of people that will want to "borrow" it."

When I was planning to build a car trailer a friend of mine convinced me to build it make it a gooseneck. The very reason was as you say. Most people that are setup to haul a gooseneck already have a trailer. I think it has made a difference. Only one person has asked to use it in the last ten years.

If my neighbor ask to rent something I have, I just do it for him or give it to him to use. That's what neighbors are for. When he asks how much does he owes, I say a thank you. When the shoe is on the other foot, it's nice to have a neighbor that does something for you. You can't get sued when you don't charge and good neighbors are hard to find! However, you have to be a good neighbor too.

Usetobesteve has it right, that is what my brother did to me. His neighbor kept his all the time so he sold it to him, now my bro. borrows mine! He could tear up an anvil with a toothpick!

I see there is an add on craigslist to rent a 20 foot car trailer for 50.00 a day on weekdays or 60.00 a day on weekends. He also has a winch for it that goes for 40.00 a day. he requires proof of insurance and a drivers license. That is in the twin cities.

A rental company wanted $80/day for a heavy duty 12,000 pound construction grade trailer.

...Always asking to borrow it...

Did he just move to this house? Does he have too many projects right now? etc.If he is a new neighbor, you have to look at the long-term. You may get paid back more than you know. You may be helping him out of a tight spot right now, due maybe to lack of time or money.

I have one neighbor, we help each other non-stop. Things do break, we just fix them. Other neighbor... I could write a book on the things he has done, I told him none of my equipment is insured unless it is on my property.

Tough part; You need to figure out what type of neighbor he will be.

Rick

Anything I have is available only as a package with a tow vehicle and operator. Some people I'll do it for free and some its at my regular rate which at todays fuel price is 70.00 an hour and up depending on what it is, my door to my door. If you loan or rent something and there's an accident you are one of the responsible parties in the coming civil suit. I've sat on both sides in a court room where there was a loaned or rented item. Its not a place you want to be.

I have no idea why you think you can't be sued if you don't charge a rental fee.

Why do you think you can't be sued when you don't charge a rental fee? You're wrong.

If you charge for your services, you are a business and must have business insurance. Otherwise, when you pull a trailer, your truck insurance will cover you.