We had a big wind storm about 10 or so years ago. I think it was related to hurricane Ike. Well, one of my grandsons was a baby and they'd been hoarding mothers milk to feed him. Then freezing it. So their electricity went out, as it did a lot of places. No power, no cold.

Being the patriarch of the family, I was looked to for an answer. Mine was simple, bring it here where we had electricity. The simple and efficient solution is never acceptable to my offspring. So I told them to come and "borrow" my generator. That was only 10 years, what'd I expect?

So they put it out on their deck. Powered only the freezer because it was maybe 2500 watts. And the cheapo Coleman/briggs was up to the job. About an hour after he got it plugged in and running, he called me in a panic. It had stopped making the loud exhaust noise and was idling. So sure enough, the freezer temp was just below zero.

So as son's often do, he kept the generator. Then a couple of years ago someone borrowed it to power their fall festival. Only some lights and it again was up to the task. Then my son didn't take it home, someone else wanted or needed it. All OK with me, they want it again, they can't have my Honda.

So it has apparently passed through a number of hands but yesterday, the person who'd been storing it wanted it gone. So my DIL went over to get it. But as she was lifting it, the handle came undone. Flew up and hit her in the mouth. Chipped a tooth and it went through her lower lip! Ouch.

My instinct is to run and hide. After all, I did own it at one time. Just because I haven't seen it in 10 years doesn't absolve me of lifetime responsibility. If it comes back here, I'll bolt the handle back on so it takes wrenches to get off. The old method was with thumb screws so you could get it in a normal size car. DIL has stitches and a dentist appointment.

Now, anyone want to bet its still got the same oil in the crankcase as when I loaned it out? Maybe I should offer to pay the bill at a lawnmower repair shop and have them change the oil. No way I'm touching it again.

Thanks for the laugh! You are spot on.

Loaned my electric and might handy pressure washer to a Daughter. It got passed to another Daughter and eventually back to the first one who then loaned it to a friend to wash their deck and house siding before a backyard wedding.

Took about 2 years total to get it back to Daughter number one. OK, I went to grab it while I knew where it was. Turns out the reason they returned it was because it had quit working. The built in GFI protector had crapped out. I repaired that and thought I was good to go... Nope! The pump was was completely worn out and wouldn't pump much harder than a regular hose pipe.

I have similar results with loaning my flatbed trailer. Except that it usually gets returned with the safety chains ground off from dragging down the road and the wires torn off from underneath. I now "just say no" to loaning it out. At least nobody has been injured in the process of damaging my trailer.

No good deed goes unpunished.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
I have similar results with loaning my flatbed trailer. Except that it usually gets returned with the safety chains ground off from dragging down the road and the wires torn off from underneath. I now "just say no" to loaning it out. At least nobody has been injured in the process of damaging my trailer.

There is one person on the planet who gets to borrow my trailer. The only reason he gets to is because a)he has stuff I borrow, and b)if something gets screwed up (like the time his crew dropped a granite step on it and broke a deck board) he pays to have it fixed.

Prior to that, any time I loaned it, it came back with the wiring harness ground off/ripped off, the chains dragging, the fenders bent or the lights destroyed. Usually a mixture of 2 or more of the above.

If there are people in your life that call you 'dad' or 'honey', it's your fault. In fact everything is your fault.

Like a good ol' Sci-Fi story, "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman, I got a "story line" running in my head as I read your post.

"The Forever Generator". In it, the generator is "followed" throughout a few thousands of years, all over the galaxy, and maybe all over the universe, in various wars, epochs, among various species and all manner of inner story-lines, and in the end, some alien archaeologist find itself with the generator and discovers the "origin" of it and the "First Owner".

Anyway, since Hollywood reboots everything, I figured it might be worth a try.

Maybe I can get John Malkovich to play me. Just a cameo appearance, maybe a pawn shop owner who turns down an offer to take in as pawn, the generator... (Fast scene cut as Guy starts to drag it in the door. I/John, sez loudly: "Not Interested!" and the guy drags it back out muttering under his breath.) 5 seconds, max...

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Like a good ol' Sci-Fi story, "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman, I got a "story line" running in my head as I read your post.

"The Forever Generator". In it, the generator is "followed" throughout a few thousands of years, all over the galaxy, and maybe all over the universe, in various wars, epochs, among various species and all manner of inner story-lines, and in the end, some alien archaeologist find itself with the generator and discovers the "origin" of it and the "First Owner".

Anyway, since Hollywood reboots everything, I figured it might be worth a try.

Maybe I can get John Malkovich to play me. Just a cameo appearance, maybe a pawn shop owner who turns down an offer to take in as pawn, the generator... (Fast scene cut as Guy starts to drag it in the door. I/John, sez loudly: "Not Interested!" and the guy drags it back out muttering under his breath.) 5 seconds, max...

I like the part where it gets wired into the spark plug for the Big Bang and ends up time-warped into Kentucky.

Hey!



No spoilers!

Let me know when you can't find a tool, have to go borrow one...

and borrow your own tool back.

I've never been a borrower of tools etc preferring to rent or buy what I need. As a result I have accumulated a significant collection of tools and equipment for carpentry, residential electrical work, mechanical repair, welding, logging etc.
About 30 years ago after repeatedly loaning tools or equipment then having to track them down when I had a project to do I stopped loaning anything to anybody.

My Wife feels that is unfriendly behavior. I agree with her but I am not really a friendly type so it works for me.

In the old days, you never locked the house so if a neighbor needed something, he helped himself.

Then one day my father is looking for his pipe wrenches and there are none to be found. So he accuses me of loosing them.

Then he remembered Red Smith borrowing one some time ago so we walk up to his place and check his shop. Turned out he had the whole works of different sizes and had failed to return them.

So my father decided to put a lock on the door of the workshop.

It is hard to tell what else walked off and hasn't been missed.

Lots more to say. Tonight at a kids basketball game I asked my son on of my questions. He said I shouldn't worry about the oil because it mostly hasn't been run... He didn't bother to read the instructions about changing the oil once a season. I didn't have the nerve to ask him what he thinks happens to the water drops (condensation) that forms. Yeah, it falls to the crankcase, then because oil floats on water, water sinks in oil. Where it can't evaporate.

That wouldn't bother him, he had no skin in the game. Got it for free.

Then the next issue, this should be my 16K post here on the forum. I'm at just short of 17 years here. Quess I need to up my game. I see posters with mor posts who joined less than 10 years ago.

And I need to thank Para for indulging me all this time. I surely hope I've added more to the discussions than the trouble I've caused him.

Back to the tools thing. Everyone who hoards tools, me being one of them, needs to consider what will happen when we croak. Will it burden our wives with a long running yard sale trying to sell off $85 SnapOn ratchets for $3 each? Out in my garage I have all kinds of crazy stuff. Like my 600' roll of 2" barge line. All brand new, still wrapped neatly in a coil with the sort of torn plastic overwrap. Or the case of large base light bulbs (they might be 220v, I don't remember.)

Guess its time to divest myself of that debris, but not my incandescent 100w bulbs. Just in case we have a EMP and LED bulbs never work again.

You need to simply keep posting as you have.

We like you just fine, the way you are.

If Li'l Kim pops one off, keep a 100w bulb for me...

Oh, BTW, My 3/8 ratchet is sorta "sticky", can I swing by and borrow yours?

The traveling generator would make good Twilight Zone.

Anybody seen my Dewalt drill? I need it now. Guess I'll just buy myself a secret new drill/driver set and never talk about it.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:

(Much good stuff snipped...)

Back to the tools thing. Everyone who hoards tools, me being one of them, needs to consider what will happen when we croak. Will it burden our wives with a long running yard sale trying to sell off $85 SnapOn ratchets for $3 each?...

Tools and firearms... don't sell a thing! If you think the wife won't want it, leave it in your will to someone just starting out. How else do we end up with tools our grandfathers and fathers bought? Or perhaps borrowed? That's how we end up with about 1500 mismatched phillips-head screwdrivers in a drawer in the garage.

Although giving them to grateful recipients while you can still see the smile it causes works, too.

I'd never do either ("borrow" something for 10 years or blame Dad for something that's been my responsibility for 10 years) to my Dad. Two of the gazillion reasons I'm the favorite child

My brother on the other hand...

Bolt Cutters are high loss tools.
Large Pipe Wrenches are high loss tools.
Ladders are high loss items.

Generators are one loss tools.