Don’t let ANYONE borrow your equipment…

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I'm 47 now, my gpa gave advice, for 30 years. Never loan out your truck,your wife,or your saw. You don't know if they will ever come back or if you will want them back.

My dad snagged my little 250 my gpa gave me and he mixed up the gas. He used a 1gal mix for a eyeballedpushing 2gallons. That saw ran 1 time and it was done. That was my favorite little saw.

I ended up buying a 5gal can and wrote on it. This is is Stihl mix fuel. This is the only fuel to be used. Then I keep at least 2gallons always mixed up. Then usually I will run the saw or fill it up for you. Dam I have severe trust issues, here I thought it was because my mother was left handed, maybe it was justified with my saws
 
Don't ever loan out squat and never the big farm tractors too expensive to buy and fix if screwed up. I will let my friend Dave use my saws but Dave is older like me and cuts, splits and bundles firewood to sell to local campgrounds as a added retirement income stream and I help him often. He's very careful with other's equipment (including mine) only one I'd let use my saws and certainly not my tractors. No one touches them, not even my wife. One she cannot start them and two, has no idea how to shift a 12-12.

People today show little respect for just about anything, power tools included.
 
I learned the hard way that even if someone knows how to use a piece of equipment, has the best of intentions to pay you back in case of a problem, and the integrity to do so, stuff still happens, and if they simply don't have the means to pay you back....................they're not paying you back.

If you can't afford to do without the item, don't loan it out.
 
I openly discuss the actual cost to replace a saw with its modern equivalent, that very quickly shuts down the asking to borrow esp when I follow up with a suggestion to just buy one I fully rebuilt thats ready for years of use that start in the 500 range. People usually have no idea the costs associated with buying a good saw let alone a pro or ported model.
 
There are simply too many things that an inexperienced person can do to goof up a saw, chain or bar. They can use the wrong gas/oil mix, wrong type of oil, pu the hain in the dirt or on a rock, bind a bar, forget about using chain oil, or using motor oil on the chain, and.more. I don't lend my saws to anyone!
 
I openly discuss the actual cost to replace a saw with its modern equivalent, that very quickly shuts down the asking to borrow esp when I follow up with a suggestion to just buy one I fully rebuilt thats ready for years of use that start in the 500 range. People usually have no idea the costs associated with buying a good saw let alone a pro or ported model.

I think you put your finger on it here. They see the $130 Poulan at Home Depot, and that's what's in their mind as a reasonable price for a good saw. If they think about it at all, they probably think your Stihl costs twice that. No concept that a $1600 chainsaw even exists.
 
Got a MS500i in a few days ago with a scored piston, little over 10 hours of run time on it. Wasn’t straight gassed so Stihl is involved on this one. We’ll see how it goes.
From what I've heard if they used anything other than Stihl oil the warrenty claim will get turned down.
Had it happen to a friend who runs a a landscaping business. But when he threatened to take all his equipment purchases to a dealer selling another brand, they reconsidered.
 
There are simply too many things that an inexperienced person can do to goof up a saw, chain or bar. They can use the wrong gas/oil mix, wrong type of oil, pu the hain in the dirt or on a rock, bind a bar, forget about using chain oil, or using motor oil on the chain, and.more. I don't lend my saws to anyone!
Couldn't agree more. The only machine that's easier to ruin would be a pressure washer.

I'd never lend anyone either one. My wife, yes. My dog, maybe. My chainsaws -- never!
 
Learned long ago not to lone out tools, seems they always come back damaged or never come back at all.
I can't count how many times I have told people "I'm sorry, but I DO NOT LEND OUT MY TOOLS" I will not even lend out my Plastic Poulan 2375 anymore. I have paid a lot of money over decades to buy tools, that why I always have what someone needs. I can't even count the amount of money I have in tools. I still have the first socket set my parents gave me when I was 12 years old. (That's when I started taking things apart). LMAO
 
From what I've heard if they used anything other than Stihl oil the warrenty claim will get turned down.
Had it happen to a friend who runs a a landscaping business. But when he threatened to take all his equipment purchases to a dealer selling another brand, they reconsidered.
I don't think they can legally deny warranty for use of a non stihl oil. It simply must be an equivalent. It would be impossible to actually know what was used anyhow.
 
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