Borrowing / Lending out Machinery and Tools etc

Folks, how’s it going, I’m looking for your honest opinions on what you think about lending out your machinery to neighbours and friends?

Do you mind doing this? Or does it annoy you to have to part with the equipment or tools you have paid for?

Sometimes it can be hard to say no to people when they ask and if they are stuck.

I’ve had to borrow plenty over the years and I have loaned out the bit of equipment I have too when I’m not using it.

When it’s idle, I don’t mind someone borrowing but when it’s needed or the chance that I’ll need it, I’d like it sitting there in the yard.

How do you feel about this subject? Like if you pay say 8k for a trailer and the neighbour has it gone a lot of the time, it can be a bit vexing I suppose?

Base price

I see we have another random Friday night post on F&F. I must be getting paranoid 🙄

funkey_monkey

I'm fortunate that not many come to take a lend of things from us and not do we borrow off others.

Cattle and flat trailer would be lent out a few times and as long as we don't need it and it is returned clean and not mishaps all is good.

Lending tools never works out well as things go missing and damaged more easily. Odd that some people would even consider returning without repairing or replacing.

Still stihl waters 3

If I need it I buy it

Thanks all. See the thing about farming etc is, many farm are too small to justify going out to buy all the equipment you would need

Thank you for welcoming me 🙏

Reggie.

I myself don't mind lending something out once it's reasonable but if it comes back damages or in some way the arrangement has angered me then never again. You have to be able to say no as thre are lads out there with no respect

how would you feel if you were paid a few euros for letting someone borrow your equipment?

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119808301#Comment_119808301

Probably worse as the person would feel they could borrow anything anytime and probably pay much less than the going rate (and how do you decide on such a borrowed price with a neighbour?)

bogman_bass

i’m happy to give fear to my neighbours and they do the same for me.

wouldnt dream of letting something go back worse than it went out to me

Count Mondego

My auld lad gave the loan of a PTO cement mixer to his cousin back in the 80s, who kindly lent it on to another neighbor of his. When the auld lad tracked it down it was half full of dried in cement.

davidk1394

I give a loan of the sheep/cattle trailer to a few people I know. It probably does more work on loan than for myself. It goes out clean and comes back clean, anything broke it gets repaired by whoever broke it and we all get on fine.

It works both ways really, and works well so far.

Dunedin

I guess it depends on the gear really. Loads of people borrow my trailer. It’s as near to bullet proof as you’d get so no issue. I wouldn’t be as open for a lad to ask for some of my newer (and more expensive) stuff.

SVI40

I lend stuff, but tell the up front, you break it, you buy it.

893bet

I would be reluctant to ask anyone. It’s too easy damage something, especially something you are not familiar with.

Say now if you had a slatted shed and you could borrow your neighbour's tanker and agitator and even tractor if necessary and empty the tank yourself, would you or would you still get in a contractor? Even if you had to pay the neighbour a few euro for the three pieces of equipment and had to top up the tractor with diesel.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119810389#Comment_119810389

Absolutely no way would I borrow (or lend) 3 pieces of equipment like that. The person borrowing it would most likely be totally unfamiliar with the gear and might be doing something wrong that they’re not even aware of. They should get a contractor- end of.

Waffletraktor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119810389#Comment_119810389

Piss take or a realisation someone hasn't even being using lube all these years?

I see what ye mean, the only thing is, as far as I’m aware anyway, is there any actual training to use a slurry tanker and agitator? You get a license to drive the car and tractor but I don’t think there is any formal training to use a tanker?

If you paid say, 15k for a piece of plant, you use it yourself say 6 times per year, would you let another man hire it off you when your not using it?

Lime Tree Farm

A Book by Herbert Fensterheim - "Don't say yes, when you want to say no"

for those who don't want to offend by refusing.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811019#Comment_119811019

On that basis, you could hire out the wife when not using her as well……

Suckler

I'm fussy about lending tools. If someone asks, I'd tell them I'll come down and do it for them. Otherwise, its a case of "you break it. you bought it".

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811019#Comment_119811019

If you're used to a tractor, tanker etc you'll cop a problem a long time before a less experienced person will, and long before it becomes a major problem.

There's places hiring out machinery, let them go there

Companies hiring out equipment keep the stuff new and have trained staff in their workshop,

Also if your machine injures someone, they'll be suing you and as far as I know you're responsible

K.G.

Only really borrow /lend with maybe 3 neighbours and there.s a very strong relationship there..usually its now only done a basis of being a bit stuck with something of your own breaking down.that said i ve a roller that a good few use but there no bother with that.i suppose back in the day when m9ney was tighter i would have done more of it with others but i would avoid it now.there s no excuse for someone more established to be at it whereas a young fella starting up you might give him a chance.its better not to think too much about stuff getting broken,it happens and you should just move on.as regards borrowing gear to do the full job like op suggested,no it s not really on.in general with these arrangments/relationships you have to feel you gain more than you lose on both sides

davidk1394

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119810389#Comment_119810389

That's taking the píss really. Just get in a contractor. They might give you a loan of the tank but not all 3.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811019#Comment_119811019

This is a situation where shared ownership is useful. Cost of purchase shared. Cost of maintenance shared.

Was more common years ago. When we did our own silage we had shared ownership in pick up wagons. We still have a shared ownership in a sprayer (wouldnt pass a test these) and a few other small bits. Pulled a few wagons out of the ditch last year and had make sure to give some of the proceeds to a neighbour who was in halves 30 years ago 😀.

Cattlepen

I used to be lending the whole time. Found it hard to refuse. But nearly every time things were damaged scratched or dented. Fellow had a tractor. Next week crown pinion ring etc. And always it was like that when I got it. One lad made a huge complement of giving me a half full 5litre can of vacuum pump oil after having tanker for a week. Brought it up many times. Have learned to say no way now and life is much better.

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119810389#Comment_119810389

maybe to a family member or a close friend but not just anybody

my BIL uses our tanker and agitator from time to time but he’s a top notch machinery guy.

I wouldn’t be that generous with others

older by the day

"he will borrow till he breaks it" that's a neighbor of ours. Kept coming for the cow box even when I had it on my own jeep. The way I cured the problem was, I spotted he got a new mower "well 10 years old". I went up one night and told him my own mower was broken and could I use his. I topped every field I had for a week. And dropped it back covered in ****. He never came for the cow box again

roosterman71

I was trying to talk a couple of my friends to buy a share in a mower. All 3 of us would own it then and there'd be no hassle most of the time with 2 of us needing it at once. But they wouldn't go for it. I went and bought it anyway for myself. Then a few months later they both upgrade mowers too. I couldn't understand it. Same goes for the bale carrier. We've 5 between 3 of us and rarely is any more than one in use. Lads just like the comfort of knowing something is there when needed.

Back in my youth a neighbour constantly borrowed our small cattle box for the car. Each time it would come back either full of shite, dirty, punctured, lights broke or something. Father eventually got sick of it and put a sign at the gate "Trailer for hire". Was never asked again!

We used to borrow a dung spreader each year from a neighbour. And each year we'd break something on it. We'd fix it up and carry on. The neighbours used to love us coming for it as it never seemed to break for them and we were doing all the repairs!

funkey_monkey

I never understood how some folk could have the brass neck on them to borrow something and not leave it back in as good as condition as they got it.

I'd be too mortified to leave something back that was broken.

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119832160#Comment_119832160

I was trying to talk a couple of my friends to buy a share in a mower. All 3 of us would own it then and there'd be no hassle most of the time with 2 of us needing it at once

As sure as ****, a setup like that is always an absolute unmitigated disaster.

3 lads not talking to each other and a broken mower is all that will be out of it

twin_beacon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119810389#Comment_119810389

No way would I ever consider borrowing something so expensive.

I've never actually spread slurry, always got the contractor to do it, but even if I was experienced at it, I wouldn't borrow that amount of equipment.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119833459#Comment_119833459

Can be, or not. We share lots of stuff between us as is, and 2 of us own a couple of things between us (rake, agitator). Never been any trouble to date. Might have to wait a day for something on rare occasions

Thanks lads for the comments, great insights.

lads, what I’m saying is, would you rent out your trailer, mower, tractor, roller, bale lifter, even jeep if you were not using it?

if you could get 50 euro for hiring out your trailer for a day or multiple days that you are not using it, would you or would you leave it in the yard?

You’d be getting paid, no lending or borrowing, what do you think of that?

mayota

My father got a tractor drawn cattle trailer made years back and 5 or 6 neighbours would borrow it. One of them was complimenting the trailer saying there should be a trailer like that in every village.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851140#Comment_119851140

Cheeky fecker.

How much did it cost your father to get it made?

I see what ye mean fellas BUT would getting paid overcome the resentment and problems? If your dad got whatever it is, 80 to 100 euros for RENTING his trailer, would he have been happy or would he not rent at all do you think?

mayota

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851824#Comment_119851824

There was no resentment or problems, these were good neighbours and still are.

mayota

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851635#Comment_119851635

IIRC it was £1050, we supplied axle and drawbar.

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851824#Comment_119851824

I suppose the big thing you have to understand is most fellas have thzir own gear not because of financial reasons but to be able to do their own work when they want it done so the bit of rent for machine wouldnt be worth it if your gear is broken or not in the yard when you need it.also the more work a machine does the more maintance it requires so really you are drawing more bills on yourself from what i ve seen alot of hire machines are really just demo s and the crowds doing it are hoping to get a few sales out of it

Right, god I thought lads would be anxious to earn a few euros from depreciating plant. It would be at your own discretion as to when you would want to rent it…. I can see the concerns of lads but Jesus most people would be straight. Think of renting a car from the airport, you’d be careful with it and return it perfectly. You rent for a specific purpose and once fulfilled, you return. Of course accidents will happen but sure you could break your neck in the shower in the morning too.

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854155#Comment_119854155

Not really comparable to your car renting example, You’re given the car on the condition you give them a credit card, if you wreck it they will rinse you. You don’t have the same security renting out machinery unless you’re going to start charging deposits and then it gets very messy

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854155#Comment_119854155

http://donedeal.ie/silagetrailers-for-sale/grain-trailers-for-hire-and-sale-book-now-/23790911

Fill your boots!

SuperTortoise

Well you know what they say, a lender nor a borrower be!

Now i have borrowed the odd thing and i've lent out the odd bit, but seeing something coming back broken would piss me off, slowly building up my own gear, it's nice to be able to hook up to what you want in 5 minutes and head off.

I have absolutely no interest in lending/renting out my gear, it'll depreciate an awful lot faster giving it to every tom and harry in the village.

It's getting harder to buy gear now with the price and some things like slurry are going the way of the contractor.

The problem with buying between 2 or 3 lads is there's always one that will take the piss and the other two will resent the purchase! seen it all too often.