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My neighbor needed to till up his garden. So me being a good neighbor let him take my rototiller. I needed to do my own garden so I went to his house to bring it back home again. He told me it ran out of gas so he added gas but now it won't start anymore. So I brought it into my shop to get it running again. It wouldn't pick up fuel from the tank. The fuel pump was full water, the fuel pump pick up screen was full of dirt and the spark plug was black and wet. He said he had just filled his gas can and didn't understand where the water and dirt came from???

Most folks today are not the same as yesteryear when you loaned equipment, vehicle, etc. you would not only get it back asap full of gas clean and running. I've encountered the same issue in times past and finally decided to say no. It's hard being a good Samaritin these days. If someone asks to borrow my tiller I either tell them I'll do it for you or where to go rent one. I believe it's only fair, fitting and proper, depending on your labor and parts, to bill the man for his abusing your equipment as well as his incompetence.

mechanic mark said:

Most folks today are not the same as yesteryear when you loaned equipment, vehicle, etc. you would not only get it back asap full of gas clean and running. I've encountered the same issue in times past and finally decided to say no. It's hard being a good Samaritin these days. If someone asks to borrow my tiller I either tell them I'll do it for you or where to go rent one. I believe it's only fair, fitting and proper, depending on your labor and parts, to bill the man for his abusing your equipment as well as his incompetence.

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My wife agrees with you 100%. She has told me in so many words that this would happen. I just have a problem with the word NO. Maybe he will fill his own mower with the same gas can.

It is very difficult to say "no", I agree, but these days it just isn't worth the risk.

If somebody lends me any equipment they will get it back in the same condition it was in originally and clean, but sadly many people can't seem to manage that.

my dad said " everything isn't ment to be loaned out "

Did that once, will never loan out any of my equipment again. Not that it came back in bad condition, it just took me forever to get the guy to give it back.

Moral of the story, no good deed goes unpunished!

I always return tools better than I recieved them. The exception is my neighbor because he cleans all his tools after each use. So I clean them before returning I just can't return them better lol

Not sure where I got this credo: Before you lend ask yourself the question...can I get by without it,if you can't then don't lend.I have lent things out with this philosophy and have never lost any friends.

Was taught to never borrow unless I can get it repaired or buy a new one if it breaks.

Has worked out well for me.

Most tools I figure if I need it once ill need it again which justifies buying it. But lately I have a hard time because my neighbor is a retired master mechanic, retired diesel mechanic, and also retired bus builder for the city. He litterly has every tool imaginable. So if I need something I knock on his door he's always home he opens his shop for me sometimes hell even come over and help. Like this weekend he's going to help do all the work on my fiero

good to see theres more old school people out there than I thought. maybe its because I get stuff in and it starts,"my neighbor borrowed..."
and doesn't end with,"he returned it all cleaned up, filled with gas, even cleaned the air filter and put in a new spark plug!"


some things I do when loaning out power equipment:
show loanee how it works.
top it off with gas.explain what type of gas goes in it. if its 2 stroke, my gas can goes with it.
explain how I expect it to be returned.
start it and run it before loanee leaves after returning it.
let em know if they break it they bought it before they leave with it.

but I don't have too many problems. my list of loanees is rather small and trustworthy. if not trustworthy, I may offer to help do the work with em. ive had some pretty nice afternoons doin that.

Some people can break an anvil,..one never knows who that is ahead of time.
I got my tools by buying them,..i expect everybody else to do the same.
I they want to loan them i send them to Rentco

what a dilema....have been there and done that.....loaned things i didnt want to loan but had a hard time saying no....guess what it boils down to is this....do i value this piece of equipment more than i do the person?......i think the best way of handling it is to offer to use the equipment and at least help do the job with them ..then you can keep an eye on both