Lending out equipment

[Guest]

Hi guys,

I have been approached by someone that I know but not well asking if they can borrow the overland trailer for a week's camping/off roading in Wales.

I will not be using it the week in question, and the chap has offered me some money for the loan, which is always useful to top up the LR fund, he has also said that he would pay for any damage if it occurred. I don't think that my trailer insurance covers other people using it so he would also need to get insurance for theft etc.

Normally I am quiet happy to help people out, and lend things to people but on this occasion I am just not sure and thought I would get the groups thoughts on it.

Cheers, Jason.

[ejparrott]

I wouldn't lend it to someone I didn't know that well, money or no money. There again, i've got stroppy of late as a number of things lent out have not been returned...

[landroversforever]

I wouldn't Jason, unless you knew them very well.

[forkrentfitter]

with the work you have put in i would want a very large cash deposit before you let it out of your sight

[garymorris]

I wouldn't lend to them , given the amount of work /time/money (have read your thread) you've put in to it and the fact you don't know them well

Cheers

Gary

[CwazyWabbit]

Well you said in a thread the other day it cost you about £2500 in parts alone ...... Can I borrow £2500 Jason? I'll give it back next week with interest.....

[Sirocco]

what if someone rear ends him? Its not his fault but only you lose out. I would just say 'sorry, but I have invested too much time and $$$ into it to risk lending it out'.

...and for that reason I am out

G

[Team Idris]

I lend to people I trust, and it is not a big list

My trailer wing is hanging off and the elec cable is worn through, and thats just Terry towing it back from an Event last weekend ! It'll get broke, you can garantee it

[muddy]

I would also say no, there's something about trailers, no matter how big or small whatever type they always seem to get damaged in some way. I lent my car trailer out last week and it came back with a marker bulb blown, almost certainly nothing to do with my mate but still gives you a sour taste even if in my case it's unjustified.

Unless the cash is a significant amount and you get a decent bond or some kind of written contract + proof of insurance I think it could be potentially foolish with all the will in the world.

Will.

[stuck]

A guy I know (not too well) has just asked if he could borrow my hydraulic tilt transporter to take his race car to Birmingham for a rolling road session.

I said no but I'll take it there for him.

As has been said trailers represent a significant investment in time and / or money so it will always be a no from me I'm afraid.

[Early90]

I think that if they do not know you that well they have a cheek even to ask! I have never met you but i followed your build,i would not take your trailer camping even if you offered it to me because of the risk,i wouldn`t be able to relax the whole time it was under my care.

No

[mmgemini]

No I wouldn't.

[simonr]

I seem to be the only yes vote!

I've really appreciated it when people have lent me stuff and although my experience of lending stuff has not all been positive, I would do it again without a thought.

Si

[ballcock]

I don't mind lending some of my equipment. But I don't think I would lend a trailer like yours without Knowing them extremely well.

[Mountain Goat]

Well Jason I would ask myself how much use have you had out of it since you built it, and if the guy goes camping on a regular basis why does he need a trailer all of a sudden.

With good freinds it's a different story, you know how they respect your kit and return it as you lent it to them.

How well does this guy look after his own kit???????? and if he has spare money cant he rent one.

For me it would be Sorry Pal

[jeremy996]

I voted maybe; not helpful but I would look for other things.

How well does he look after his own kit? Is he normally careful with his own stuff or his employers? Do they know it's not just a "thing" but something you have sweated blood over?

I've lent stuff from spanners to cars and it's usually gone very well. The exceptions have been minor, a missing spanner and a scratch on a trailer, but the best have been great.

I lent a Vauxhall Vectra estate to a junior member of staff so he and his girlfriend could go for a long weekend in France. He paid for the additional insurance cover, which wasn't cheap but it came back clean, polished and with a full tank of fuel unasked. I lent my Morgan 4/4 to people we knew but weren't friends as their wedding car. We are now. We had a battered beige Austin Metro 1.3 we would lend to quite a few people over 21, where they were desperate for a car, (unless you WERE desperate you would not drive a beige metro!), and it always came back with more fuel in it than before.

Most people are good natured, there are not many sociopaths, but the damage they can do can be devastating.

Having said that, I won't be lending the Land Rover unsupervised just yet; it's still MY new toy! (Although others have driven it in France and on a gentle pay & play).

[zoltan]

I seem to be the only yes vote!

I've really appreciated it when people have lent me stuff and although my experience of lending stuff has not all been positive, I would do it again without a thought.

Si

I could make a reasonable list of things I have lent out and that have come back damaged and with only very few exceptions I have ended up with a knackered item and a whole host of excuses from the borrower. I have become very choosy now

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies so far chaps, I hear what a lot of you are saying but on the other hand the trailer is fairly tough and not just about to fall apart at the first bump!! Clearly if it were a relative stranger asking for cash it would be a different so don't think there is a complete comparison.

The reason he was asking about the trailer is he had been wanting to build one for a while but his Mrs is not keen, he thought a week away with the family may inspire her into Land Rovering/Overland, and he would then build one himself.

Jason.

[Ratty43]

I second Si. While I agree that you are taking a risk, as long as he insures it I can't see a problem. Most of us have needed to borrow something in the past and it would be a sad world if nobody trusted anyone else. I've had a few bad experiences with lending from money to tools but most people are decent. At the end of the day all you can do is decide if you trust him to take care and take it from there.

[CwazyWabbit]

I too have lent and still do lend tools to people but in fairness tools can normally be replaced quite easily once you have got the money out of whoever broke it (assuming it was their fault). The trailer is a unique creation of yours Jason so even if it is insured if it were to be stolen or in an accident it isn't as simple as just paying for another one. Obviously the choice is yours and we know you want to build a MKII anyway

......

At the end of the day all you can do is decide if you trust him to take care and take it from there.

^^^ Pretty much agree

[FridgeFreezer]

Many of the best things come about through helping people out - if he totals it or does a runner you know who he is & where he lives so the worst case he's up in court and you have to build another trailer.

On the flipside, if you lend it to him & his missus loves it a friendship may well be formed and 12 months down the line you could all be somewhere exotic camping with your trailers and having a grand old time.

[GBMUD]

I do not mind lending things as long as it is to someone I trust. I have both borrowed and loaned out trailers, I greatly appreciated the former and know that the latter has been appreciated. The key word here is trust, would you trust the guy who wants to borrow it to make good if the worst happened? Do you know him well enough to make that judgement? How much is he offering you? Would that sum pay for decent insurance such that, if needed, it would buy you a new one or pay for someone to repair yours?

Chris

[Ridgeback]

I agree with what others have said , how well do you know or trust him to put his hand in his pocket if the worst happened.

I have a few mates I have known for years but I will never lend them anything of any value because they have crashed, broken, damaged my things in the past and never paid for it .

On the other side I have a few friends with the same view as me (and means to pay) and I know that if they caused damage to anything of mine, it would be fixed or replaced without asking regardless of the cost. I never ask to use something that I can't afford to replace if something goes wrong.

[mickeyw]

I seem to be the only yes vote!

I've really appreciated it when people have lent me stuff and although my experience of lending stuff has not all been positive, I would do it again without a thought.

Si

Si, you may not know everyone that has lent you stuff, but a lot more people know of you and your good reputation. I would not have any issues lending you stuff, based on this.

With good freinds it's a different story, you know how they respect your kit and return it as you lent it to them.

How well does this guy look after his own kit???????? and if he has spare money cant he rent one.

I voted maybe; not helpful but I would look for other things.

How well does he look after his own kit? Is he normally careful with his own stuff or his employers? Do they know it's not just a "thing" but something you have sweated blood over?

Unfortunately I have a number of friends, good friends too, that I would not lend my prized possessions to, simply because I know how they don't look after their own things. It's not as clear cut as whether you know the individual or not.

As others have said, it is up to you to decide how much you trust this chap. If you know where he lives, and you see evidence of some insurance, or he offers you a deposit of suitable value, that's a good start. Maybe you know someone else that knows him and can vouch for his character.

[Guest]

Thanks again for the responses, the guy is semi local to me and certainly has the funds to pay, his garage/workshop is like an operating theatre and his 110 is like an advert for Autoglym so I know that he looks after his own stuff.

My trailer insurance is £125 per year that is for an agreed valuation of £5k for total loss/fire/theft with £250 excess the insurance covers the trailer if left unattended but locked, with a further £1.5k for equipment left in the trailer (fridge, RTT etc)

I have checked and my insurance only covers Mrs S and myself and explicitly excludes hire or reward so I would need to change this, I have spoken to the insurance company and the extra cover for hire/reward would be £80 for two weeks, (3 days either side) buy keeping it in my name and against the agreed value and survey report, any payout would come back to me and In the event of the worst I wouldn't suffer a double loss with someone else keeping the insurance!!

I have been offered £250 for the week plus the cost of insurance and he will exchange/fill a 907 cylinder for his use and I will keep what ever gas is left, As I don't know him that well I was thinking of asking for a £250 deposit to cover the excess.

As you may detect from the tone of above I was happy to loan the trailer but someone said I was crazy to lend it out which made me think. I am proud of the trailer as something I made but that said am not overly precious about it, and think I would take pleasure in someone else having a good holiday from it as that's what it was built for.

But with all of the above in mind I thought I would see what the group thought, and to be honest was surprised by response I am of the nature that I like to think the best of people and found that if I trust my gut when it comes to people is the best way. Judging people by the amount of money they have is not a good way of judging people so I am not sure that has any relevance, but clearly stuff can happen and covering myself against a loss would be sensible.

Would this change your mind?

Jason.