You want to borrow what?

[canopyboy]

Reading a thread about a brother-in-law borrowing a chainsaw down in that forum got me thinking about my neighbor the other day. But I thought the guys reading up here would appreciate it more.

My neighbor stops at the end of the driveway and asks if it'd be alright if he borrows my climbing equipment and maybe an extra saw in the next couple weeks.

Say what?

This guy is motor head. Runs a couple of race cars every Saturday. I know I have about as much chance borrowing his torque wrench as getting him to set me up on a date with his wife.

He needs to take down a couple big, dead trees. He has a "buddy" that is going to climb them for him, but needs gear as he's sold all of his. And he figures a second saw will speed things up. (He has this little Craftsman that he likes to cut rocks with.)

I actually like the guy, and try to diplomatically tell him no by explaining that because my life hangs on that gear, I don't let it out of my sight as I don't want to find out it's been abused when I'm 80' up in the air. His wife said, "Gee, I never thought about it like that. I guess that makes some sense." Somehow I didn't have to come up with a reason for not lending out the saw.

I did offer to come help with the trees though. So a week later he asks me to come look at them. Turns out he was then going to buy $1000 in gear for his buddy, plus pay his buddy $1000 to come take these two trees down. One is next to the shed but is a notch and drop, maybe with a pull line on it. The other needs to be climbed, but it can be bombed out in smaller pieces. No clean up, just get 'em on the ground.

I should have quoted him $1800 to save him some money, but it just didn't seem right.

Anybody else ever get a request to "borrow" your climbing equipment?

 

[asthesun]

noone ever ever ever gets to use anything of mine that keeps me safe in the tree. saddle, spikes, flipline, climbing line etc. people i trust to take care of my stuff can use my saw, let down ropes, portawrap etc.

 

[tomtrees58]

i have about 20 tree climbing saddles and 30 stihls saws and we do not lend any thing out if i have 3 climbers that day and eq it at the shop no way tom trees

 

[Ironbark]

I have rock climbing pals who will happily use karabiners that they find at the bottom of crags

Sure, they just left it at the bottom when they packed up. Not likely to have dropped 200 ft onto the rocks invisibly damaging it.

If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident!!!

 

[Treetom]

i have some old gear i would lend out for climbing, but never a chainsaw or my personal gear. (i did just lend a stump grinder to a mechanic i know, of course now it actually runs.) this job sounds like potential for disaster. make the $1800.00 offer to your neighbor, before someone gets hurt.

 

[fishercat]

his buddy probably has a drug problem.

sold everything to pay for dope.now this guy is gonna buy him gear and pay him.that money will go to dope and the new gear will get sold and that money will go to dope too.i'd tell the neighbor you'll do it for 1500 just to keep the dope dealers from getting any of it.

 

[John464]

I only let one guy borrow stuff once in awhile. Oddly enough, he also runs a tree care co. Former employee that went out on his own. He was always good to me when working here and when I called him once to borrow a chipper, he has two, he lent it to me and without his help I would of had a crew down for the day. I will lend him whatever he needs. We have only borrowed a few things here and there on emergency situations. Nice to know someone has your back. If we have a chipper or bucket truck go down for the day and will lose it in the shop for a few days and he or I have an extra, we'll help each other out. We both have saved each other 10's of thousands in gross profit. We both say to each other "the show must go on, come get it!"

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

B.I.L."Can I borrow your big saw?"

To Li'l Sis I ask "Can you guys afford to replace $1500 of saw?"

 

[canopyboy]

I'm going to do the job for him, and for less than 1800. I think I'll be there maybe 4-6 hours top. But part of me wanted to charge him 1800. I bet his buddy convinced him the job was so hard and technical only someone who had left the business and sold his stuff could do it. And I'm sure the price he quoted was a "best buddy price" too. (Remember, nothing has to be lowered or cleaned up here.)

I just can't believe he had the balls to ask. But maybe he just didn't understand... Figured he could save the $1000 his buddy wanted to for new gear/future drug money.

I'll loan someone my favorite jock strap before my safety equipment leaves my sight (I have lent someone a biner or let them try something if I'm there with them.) I will loan even my good tools to a few trusted people who I know will bring it back as good or better than they got it -- with the understanding you don't borrow something you can't afford to replace.

And I borrow from people sometimes with the same principle that my dad beat into me. Borrowed the neighbor's rototiller for the garden. Barely ran, coated in grease and dirt. Cleaned the carb, lubed a few spots, used it, hosed it off, put it back and he thought I'd bought him a new one.

 

[treemandan]

Ah to hell with diplomacy, you should have ask to borrow the wife while he was cutting his schlong off with your gear. never was one for diplomacy

 

[canopyboy]

Ah to hell with diplomacy, you should have ask to borrow the wife while he was cutting his schlong off with your gear. never was one for diplomacy

I'll try that next time...

 

[KD57]

No climbing gear, but the MS250 is the loaner saw I let out. Odd, but it still runs after all the abuse it gets. I seldom sharpen the chain, but the last guy that used it cleared a fence row out, so you can imagine what it looks like, lol.

 

[tree md]

Had a guy stop me in the road on my way out from bidding a job during an ice storm here. He wanted me to cut a large tree that was under tension behind his house and hanging over a creek. He wanted me to do it for free as a favor. I would have needed to use my 441 and stand under a tree under tension while cutting. I told him I would drop it for $75 and he acted like I had hit on his wife or something. He said it wouldn't take me 5 minutes to drop the tree. I said no way and asked him if I could drop by his job and ask for some free service. I put one of the climbers I had contracted on the job I had bid and the guy stopped him in the road and asked him the same thing a week later. I think he told me he quoted him $150 to drop it and the guy acted like he'd been gut shot. There are some real special people out there.

I have loaned saws to friends who are in the business who I sometimes trade favors with. The deal is you use my saw you buy me a new chain. I would never loan my climbing gear to anyone.

 

[Rftreeman]

I'll never loan climbing gear and will only loan ropes and such to a few people and saws stay in the truck due to the fact that the last one loaned out was a stihl 026 that came back with a cracked case and my 394xp that came back with "man I couldn't get this thing to start up, never even used it" the piston was scored, needless to say we ain't friends anymore.

 

[canopyboy]

There are some real special people out there.

That, my friend, is what I need to keep telling myself. They're all just "Real Special"....

I'm gonna grab a beer now. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Adkpk]

Where do you guys find these people. Borrow my climbing gear, you-must-be- out-of-your-freaking mind!
I would never lend a chainsaw for fear that it would wreak my conscience if something bad were to happen to the user or a bystander. The hell with the saw. :monkeyWell not really)

 

[treeclimber101]

Sounds a bit suspect , given that your neighbor must know your occupation , and asked a ill equipped other buddy before you , I would have told to go scratch on principle alone , or asked him to cruise one of those cars he loves so much..Your a much nicer guy than most.

 

[Ghillie]

I've told guys, "There are two people in this world that I would loan my gear to.....and you aren't one of them."