Best Loaner Story

[Duke Thieroff]

I know this is an old thread, but I'll throw a plug in anyways...

My neighbor, him and I are good buds and wood boogers together, asked if he could borrow a saw, as he didn't have any sharp chains, to cut storm damage at his BILs place. So I thought of the most indestructable saw that I had....ProMac 610 fit the bill pretty good.

I outfitted it with a bar, a new chain and new fluids. Explained all the switches to him, and showed him how to fire it up. He questioned me on how to tension the chain, and I showed him, but I told him the saw was all set up and he needn't worry about it.


He comes back home a few hours later, and I was all anxious to ask him how it ran. He usually runs a 290FB. He pulls it out of the back of the truck with the damn chain hanging off of it. He said "it fired right up, but threw the chain." After a little investigation he over tensioned the chain and broke the tensioner bit.

Then he said the words every "Stihl Man" does when he had a chance...."I figured it wouldn't run, it's a McCulloch."


Last time I'll ever loan out a saw.


Chris

 

[Vibes]

May be McColluch made them that way so idiots like him aren't breaking the ends off the cranks.

 

[K7NUT]

Never again!!
Never loan out a saw!!!

I have ONE rule, "I do not loan out my tools"!

I know, it makes me sound like an A&#hole, but being a Contractor over 20 years, some people have NO business owning and or using tools, at the least of which, mine!
Case in point, this thread starter! They cost money and we care for our tools, some people don't care, plain and simple!

Having said that, there is ONE exception to that, my wood cutting partner was a logger for years in this area, he's the one who taught me to fall trees and cut. Now HE and only HE, would I ever turn loose with any one of my saws! I know how he treats his 2 044's!:msp_thumbup:

porsche, I feel for you man, that would have made me sick aswell.

 

[ncfarmboy]

1. SIL's son dropped off his 346XPNE oiler wasn't working. He's out of work cutting firewood to make ends meet. Loaned him one of my Husky 262/262 woods ported so he could work. I asked him did he have any chaps? "No" so I loaned him my Stihl ProMark chaps. Haven't seen him, saw, or chaps. Been 2 yrs. Do have a low hr. 346XPNE tho!
2. Same guy same time frame. Loaned him my John Deere 4200 4X4 w/front loader and my 18' tag trailer to plant some trees right down the road (wife said don't do it). Kept it three weeks called him and told him to bring it home NOW. He did came in handed me the key and left. Coupla days later went to use. Raised hood to check oil. Bottom line he busted the fiberglass hood (loading a disc harrow on the trailer with the boom, harrow swinging on a chain)never said a word when he handed me the key. $1200 damage to tractor.
3. Didn't loan but left my 4200 Poulan 22" bow bar (20yrs. old @ the time, 1 hr. use original chain) @ my buddies. He loaned my saw to an idiot to cut a big live oak that had fallen in his yard. Idiot didn't know you have sharpen the chain he just leaned on it harder. Toasted the clutch,drum and chain 80dl if i remember right. It did come home repaired tho new clutch assy and chain.
4. Loaned 18' tag trailer to SIL/Father of #1 and 2 to haul race car to local track. After 2 mo. and a couple of phone calls I went to his house to get my trailer. First thing I saw was both fenders bowed out. Anyway, got it home, alum. tool box on tongue caved in(jack knifed trailer) wiring torn up, main frame rails bowed out 1 1/2", 3 bed cross member rails above axle broken out, new jack busted, jack foot gone, 4-15' 5/16" trucker grade chains missing, hitch clamp broken, both fenders bent and wiring coupler missing. Scrap metal was high at the time he used my trailer to haul junk cars to scrap yard. Dropped school bus on it is how frame got bowed/broken$900.00 damage.
5. Sold new Dolmar 5100S MM to same SIL (on credit) brought it back to me (chain sharpened twice) said it quit running "I tried a new plug". Toasted P&C he or somebody had put straight gas in it. There was no oil film in the crankcase and piston was dry. I'll pay you to fix it. I put a new P&C on it told him when he paid me for saw and $200 for P&C I'd fix it(I already had). Bottom line I'm out $170.00.
6-10 Same SIL I'll learn one day!
11-~

Shep

 

[howellhandmade]

Yeah, this old thread just keeps going. It's pretty clear, though, that if a guy can't afford to pay for a rental chain saw, he won't be able to afford to fix yours when he trashes it. I still haven't loaned out a saw. The only people I trust enough with everything I own (which is what a jury might give a guy who hurts himself with my saw) to lend them a saw would never ask.

 

[tolman_paul]

This reminds me of a deer hunt I went on, one of the guys in our group didn't own a rifle, so a buddy loaned one to him. When the rifle was returned it was filthy, no thank you or nuthin.

The same goes for saws, anyone that knows how to opperate and care for a saw already owns one that is in proper running order and hence won't need to borrow one. Anyone who doesn't own a saw, or can't keep one running is guranteed to run your saw into the ground, litterally. They won't even have a clue as to why you are p/o'd.

I lent my saw out once. Our church was clearing off a couple of acres to build a church, and there were more volunteers than chainsaws. I figured sure, this is a good cause, here is my saw, two loops of chain, two wedges, 2 1/2 gal of pre mix and a gallon of bar oil.

A few days later I get a call that my saw doesn't work. Hmm, I'd had it for years and it always worked. Well, I can't blaim the saw not working on them as a disasembly and cleaning of the carb had it back in proper order. But needless to say both loops were driven into the ground, and then still used to make sure they were well and goodly dull. My pre-mix and bar oil were both used up, and my felling wedges were no where to be seen.

Lesson learned, don't loan out your saw unless you want to spend time grinding chains and repairing it. Either that or have a dedicated loaner saw so you can find out exactly how much abuse a given saw can take.

 

[CTYank]

Never have, never will, unless I go along as the sole operator, at $50/hr. (I did let #2 son use my Echo CS-315 for a day at a wood-cutting party, under supervision. He was 13, and got the safety-seminar.)

Like Woody Hayes said about the forward pass- "Lots of things can happen, and only one is good."

People totally discount freebies. What's so hard about "no"?

 

[tallguys]

Never loan out a saw that is close to your heart!!!

Best loaner story? I have none, as I would never loan one of my saws out.

If they don't have one, they also most likely don't know how to use one. Never mind wrecking the saw, too many things can go wrong injury-wise.

 

[tallguys]

1. SIL's son dropped off his 346XPNE... 6-10 Same SIL I'll learn one day!

Shep

Between your SIL and his son (guess that'd be your grandson), I don't know if you're making it sound worse or if you've got a real couple of winners hanging around. Hate to tell you buddy but if you haven't learned to say no by this time then you never will.

Stop always handing over the fish to feed them today and rather teach them how to fish so they can feed themselves. You're not doing them any favours otherwise.

 

[motofishman]

1. Loaned my favorite pencil to Tommy Shine in 3rd grade, brought it back worn to 2" remaining, lead broken off:msp_sad:
2. Loaned by new football to the Johns brothers when I was 10 years old, one of them kicked it onto the roof at school, I fell off roof drain trying to climb onto roof (since they wouldn't) they kindly broke my fall with with their bicycles
3. 16 years old loaned my 62' Ford to my best friend, lets just say he wasn't my best friend anymore:angry2:
4. 18 years old loaned my heart to a girl, she gave it back badly damaged!!!okeeggy Sue has made it all better for 35 years now
5. 19 years old loaned a motorcycle to friend to ride for the summer, finally found him 4 years later, he had taken it to dump because it wouldn't start one day, he didn't think I would want it back since I loaned it to him and didn't need it.
6. Loaned my Chevy Suburban to Jim, guess lock cylinder wouldn't turn during his trip, but some big pliers solved that problem, he got mad of course and wanted me to pay the tow bill, guess it ruined his day. I fixed the broken lock cylinder.
7. So I borrowed Jim's roto hammer and found it wouldn't hold the bits, he insisted that it has worked good for the 20years he had been using it, and certainly worked great for his dad all those years, so I must have broken it! Tool repair guy said these old things wear out like this all the time $135 good as new, you know those old bits/chisels won't fit now with this updated better than new bit holder? How much for 5 bits?:bang:
8-999. Loaned out so many things over the years, belt sander, tire tools, saws, grinders, snow tires, misc. hand tools, t-post puller(I loved that t-post puller), helmets, gloves, nail guns, ladders, pole saw, drills, etc... now everyone thinks my tools are their tools.
1000. Need a chain saw, sure I got 10 of them, pick the one you want, need a truck to haul the wood too, yea that hook and cant are nice to have along when moving logs. Hey Joe just a minute I got an idea, Hey Peg I'm going to cut wood with Joe be back sometime after dark. Don't worry Joe I got some extra gloves, we will just use the extra gas/mix I got here, got plenty of bar oil.

Ahh just funnin, the stories may be true but I am blessed with a great wife, and family, 7 kids, 7 grandkids (so far), you could take everything I have, I wouldn't like it but it wouldn't ruin my life. Peg's had her last chemo treatment and her cat scan is clean, she's sleeping with me tonight!:biggrin:

God bless everyone here, I sure enjoy reading what you guys have to say, learned alot!

p.s. I really did like that t-post puller, anybody got one I could borrow?

 

[ckelp]

long story short:
let this nice old guy i know borrow a wildthinggey just told him to bring it back with a new loop of chain on his way to go buy a loop he gets rear ended the saw goes up in flames with the truck he comes over to my house with a look on his face like he just ran over my dog and he was telling me how he'll make it up to some how... i started laughing sooooo hard i said well did you get the job done he said he did not even make it home. so i walk him back to my shed throw another one at him and told him if you f**k up this one your ass is grass! he walked a way smiling

a couple days later he comes back to my house with two more of "them" then what he left with.. it turns out there was a yard sale by his house and he got them for $15 each
i told him just to keep the one he borrowed from me and well call it squire he said sure thing..

i let my brother borrow one comes back with a toasted P/C on the correct mix in passing i was talking to his neighbor he said "boy he was sure unsafe cutting those black berry's with a chainsaw" i went what? he said yep he just kept it pined the hole time slashing at the vines i said that M/F