There's a reason for the saying "No good deed goes unpunished"

[cabmandone]

And I SWEAR someday I'll learn this lesson. I loaned my Husqvarna chainsaw to a friend. He had a tree fall in a wind storm and didn't have a saw large enough to cut it up. So.... me being the nice guy I am, I loaned him my saw. When I picked it up (I needed the gas can I gave him with the saw) his son told me he couldn't get it to start. I didn't think much of it until today when I needed to use the saw. It took a while to get it started and once it started it wouldn't idle. No big (or so I thought), I'll fix the idle problem later.. NOPE! used the saw for less than 10 minutes and it overheated and seized up. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished I'm not gonna say anything to my friend and won't hold it against him. I just need to learn to stop loaning stuff out.

[rockfan4]

And that's why I don't loan tools.

Even though I'm in the IT industry, I will not fix your computer for you. If I do, I apparently own every problem that comes up with it for infinity.

I loaned a coworker an Epiphone electric guitar so that his son could take lessons. It came back years later all beat to hell. I also gave the son a bedroom set when he moved out of his parents' house. His dad said he'd pay me later. 10 + years on, I don't think I'm going to see anything.

[cabmandone]

In hindsight, I should have just gone over and cut the tree up for him.

[URY914]

I loaned my sewer drain snake to a guy. Figured how could he break it? He did. He got it stuck in the pipe and had to call a plumber.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

I'm not gonna say anything to my friend and won't hold it against him. I just need to learn to stop loaning stuff out.

It is never pleasant, unless they are the right people. That is the hard part as you know. But the above is excellent.

I lent one of my 23 year-old MF CG 2300 to a neighbor...he loves the PTO powered rototiller. The front steering hydraulics had issues, fixable, not due to him...they are old machines.

He wanted to pay for the fix and I said no: He is great with equipment and a $300.00 dollar part isn't worth all the great stuff he does for me.

He offered, I refused. The Circle of Trust.

[Steve Carlton]

What caused it to fail? Could it have been coincidence, or was misuse to blame? What's it going to cost to fix?

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

What caused it to fail? Could it have been coincidence, or was misuse to blame? What's it going to cost to fix?

I don't know which is why I'm not going to say anything to my friend. It was really hard to start which is unusual for the saw. It's typically pump the primer 8 times, pull the choke, pull twice and it fires saw. I've never had the saw start hard. I thought it was odd when his son said he couldn't get it to start when I picked it up but didn't think much more about it. It's completely seized up so I'm not gonna try fixing.

Oh well! Now we can talk about the new Husqvarna 445 I own!

[Steve Carlton]

In the '70s my mom had a Husqvarna sewing machine. She didn't lend it out.

[Tobra]

I have heard that no good deed goes unpunished, and have some personal experience with it.


Still happy to risk it.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I have heard that no good deed goes unpunished, and have some personal experience with it.


Still happy to risk it.

And that's my problem! My wife has even told me it would happen and sure enough! I still do it. Someday I'm gonna be not so nice and then people will be shocked!

[peppy]

I loaned a lawn spreader to my brother, he kept it for over a year. When I asked about it he said it broke, but he has a new one I can borrow.
Last month the same brother returned a set of golf clubs he borrowed 20 years ago missing all the woods.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

In hindsight, I should have just gone over and cut the tree up for him.

No you should have given him the contact info for a local reputable tree service!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by peppy

I loaned a lawn spreader to my brother, he kept it for over a year. When I asked about it he said it broke, but he has a new one I can borrow.
Last month the same brother returned a set of golf clubs he borrowed 20 years ago missing all the woods.

LOL! Sounds like you need to "borrow" his new spreader for an extended period of time.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Baz

No you should have given him the contact info for a local reputable tree service!

The guy doesn't have a lot of money. So when I can help a friend in need and save them some money, I just do it... or I loan them the tools I have so they can do it. The problem is, it seems to come back to haunt me but I just keep doing it. I swear someday I'm gonna turn into "mean Nick" and people will be shocked.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

There's only two reasons I know of why a chainsaw would seize: no oil/too little oil in the gas or the saw was running lean. Based on your experience on getting it back, hard to start and wouldn't idle, I'd say the latter. And why your neighbor couldn't start it.

[stevej37]

You need an electric chain saw.

...for lending.

[speeder]

He probably put straight gas in it, or does it have a separate oil supply? If so, could that have gone dry? I hate loaning stuff out, it almost always bites me in the same way as the OP. I’d rather do it for them or send them to the local rental place. I’d rather pay for the rental than loan my tools if they are that broke.

I’ve actually had people ask me if they can borrow my PU truck because they are moving. I refer them to a new company called U-haul. I had one of my oldest friends in the world, (since 1st grade), come to visit a year ago and I loaned him my cherished 1979 Mercedes 300SD to bomb around town. Somehow, (can’t figure out how for the life of me), he damaged the vacuum system that controls the door locks and other things. I can’t find the leak and I’m good at this stuff. It’s not worth ever bringing up but next time, it’s the rental car counter for visitors.

[A930Rocket]

We lent Ms Rockets sister $5000 as part of a down payment on a house, about 25 years ago. It was to be paid back. I told Ms. Rocket, we will never see that money again.

She sold the house a few years ago (after being foreclosed on many times) and got some money from a car accident lawsuit. She bought a new car and a $5000 dog and I told her she should’ve paid us our $5000.

She said she did pay us. 🙄

She’s a POS.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

It is never pleasant, unless they are the right people. That is the hard part as you know. But the above is excellent.

I lent one of my 23 year-old MF CG 2300 to a neighbor...he loves the PTO powered rototiller. The front steering hydraulics had issues, fixable, not due to him...they are old machines.

He wanted to pay for the fix and I said no: He is great with equipment and a $300.00 dollar part isn't worth all the great stuff he does for me.

He offered, I refused. The Circle of Trust.

I wish I had a pto tiller when I was still young and single, based on the amount of interest mine gets.

Lent it yesterday to a mid 60's neighbor lady that wants to start an organic csa. She know equipment, sorta, and I know she won't kill it out of neglect. But I had to run over this am after a vague "tractor won't start" text-and she has spotty service so I couldn't call he back. Had to explain that the start circuit is interlocked out if the pto is engaged...

[oldE]

My BIL and I borrow a few things back and forth. He knows where my PTO driven post hole auger is, as well as the 60" tiller. He used to keep a stick welder at his folks' place but we both have wire feed units now. He did a copy of his trailer registration for me to carry in the Golf wagon. When the alternator quit on his tractor while I was using it, i just replaced it. We're there for each other. I wouldn't loan anything I ever needed again to anyone else.

Best
Les