loaning tools to other trades ?

[Short.Circuit]

i have mixed feelings about this. fortunately most of the people i've worked with have been pretty cool. sometimes I've borrowed a really big hammer drill & even a jackhammer from the plumbers. I just hate it when something like a screwdriver, doesn't find its way back to me.

[celtic]

Hold their DL or CC as collateral ....and expect the "favor" returned.

[sgeers]

my all time favorite was loaning my new klein lineman pliers to a plumber and getting them back with the grips all mangled. learned that lesson quickly

[Mr.Sparkle]

I despise when other trades show up with no ladders and think they can take yours because at the moment you are not using them.

[charlietuna]

Too much liability to loan out ladders,cords or tools and take a nice new orange fiberglass ladder and loan it to the drywall finisher--it will weigh 10 pounds heavier due to drywall mud !

[brantmacga]

I despise when other trades show up with no ladders and think they can take yours because at the moment you are not using them.

I was on a job once where the homeowner on a new construction had contracted the "bulb installation" out to a company specializing in CFL's.

It was a new company.

The guy showed up in a brand new sprinter van well stocked with bulbs, and if i'm lying i'm dying, the guy didn't own a single ladder.

The look on his face when he realized he didn't have a way to reach the can lights 14' off the floor was frickin hilarious.

He wanted to borrow ours, but I remembered we had somewhere else to be and loaded up. I thought it was pretty insane for someone to start a business installing light bulbs to spend $30k on a van and not buy a ladder. What a spaz.

[LarryFine]

I thought it was pretty insane for someone to start a business installing light bulbs to spend $30k on a van and not buy a ladder. What a spaz.
I'm suprized he didn't carry one of those extendable bulb-changing kits they sell at the Home DIYpo.

[JohnJ0906]

I despise when other trades show up with no ladders and think they can take yours because at the moment you are not using them.

It's bad enough when my own coworkers take the ladder I was just using because I went to grab material. :mad:

I had a problem on an apartment complex rehab project, where the framer/drywall crews would just grab any ladder they could find when they needed one, and left it wherever they were done with it. I enjoy searching 44 unit buildings for that one missing ladder at the end of the day.... :mad:

[jrannis]

Usually we chain up our ladders when not in use. I wonder if a club could could be used to lock a ladder closed?

[steelersman]

I had a problem on an apartment complex rehab project, where the framer/drywall crews would just grab any ladder they could find when they needed one, and left it wherever they were done with it. I enjoy searching 44 unit buildings for that one missing ladder at the end of the day.... :mad:

You think that's bad? Try having to find your ladder in the Pentagon! PITA. It must be a universal characteristic with sheetrockers and finishers. The workers outnumber the ladders, so they seem to do this no matter what the job.

[bjp_ne_elec]

Depends on the contractor - but I do share tools with a few of the GCs that I have a good relationship with. The liability thing has me thinking a little more. I mean I have considered it, but it's generally been a ladder or a small hand tool.

Not too many plumbers I would loan something to, especially a hand tool - never know where their hands have been.

Two of the GCs always supply the temp power (including the gasoline) from their nice Dewalt Gen, so that's why I'm a little flexible with them.

[hillbilly1]

I loaned a 1 HP industrial drill to a plumber one day, he was using a hole saw for a 4" vent stack. He came back with it all bloody saying he would never use it again! The hole saw binded up beating him against the stud next to the hole.

[ceb58]

Usually we chain up our ladders when not in use. I wonder if a club could could be used to lock a ladder closed?

Install a LoJack system:grin:

[SEO]

Depends on the contractor - but I do share tools with a few of the GCs that I have a good relationship with. The liability thing has me thinking a little more. I mean I have considered it, but it's generally been a ladder or a small hand tool.

Not too many plumbers I would loan something to, especially a hand tool - never know where their hands have been.

Two of the GCs always supply the temp power (including the gasoline) from their nice Dewalt Gen, so that's why I'm a little flexible with them.
What do you do if they break your tool?

[480sparky]

Install a LoJack system:grin:

Stop it! You're keeling me! http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc172/480sparky/Emoticons/Dies_Laughing_emoticon.gif

I pretty much keep a very short leash on my tools. If it doesn't fit in my pouch or pocket, it's completely off-limits to others. Hand tools are a different story. I don't mind if someone asks me, "Hey can I use your pliers to loosen up this bolt right here?", as long as it will only take a second, and I get it right back.

The last time I loaned out a hand tools was a brand spanking new pair of Channies. Painters asked to borrow them for their sprayer. They seemed like nice enough guys, so I let them. End of the day.... no pliers. So I start walking the site, and find their job box with their sprayer chained to it. And my pliers..... laying on the floor..... taking a nice rust bath in ½" of water. http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc172/480sparky/Emoticons/emoticon-0183-swear.gif

The next day,the first thing that happens is the painters ask for my channies again. I hand them my 2-day-old rusty pair, along with the receipt, and tell them they just bought themselves a pair.

[Sparky555]

A guy asked me for a 1/2" bit. I gave him a high speed steel bit, which he used on masonry. It would've been nice if he asked for a masonry bit. No more loaning tools.

[satcom]

What do you do if they break your tool?

If they broke the tool, the next thing is wait for their comp company to contact you and ask for the medical payments for removing the steel chips from his eye, I learned early on, never loan any tools or equipment, anything from missing tools to legal action can be the result, for those not in business, or just doing this work on the side, it may be hard for you to understand, the extended liability, that may result. And never, never, loan a ladder, unless you want to change the way you live for the rest of your life.

[charlietuna]

Had a mechanical contractor buddy of mine working on a job i recommended him for and a roofer fell off one of his ladders and broke his leg and arm. They found out the roofer was hung over from the company Christmas party the night before, carry a tray full of coffee causing him to climb the ladder with one hand. The guy sued the building and my buddy's company--each were found responsible 50/50 and each insurance company payed about $100k!!! The roofer had his ladder about twenty feet away but his employee decided to use the other one???? Attoney's !!!

[George Stolz]

I have fewer issues loaning tools to other trades than fellow employees.

In the past month I've had one file snagged from a guy who forgot to give it back before he was reassigned to another job; had another guy accidentally take home the replacement for that file the following week, and then not show up to work; and had the belt clip busted off my 12v Hitachi drill by a fellow who forgot to bring his own drill to work that day.

If I have something to gain by maintaining positive relations with another trade (which is almost always the case) I try to be helpful to them. Sometimes that includes loaning tools. But I try to be sure to get them back before I have a chance to forget they are loaned out.

[luckyshadow]

When I was on the contracting side of the trade I used to loan tools to those I knew or even those who were working were I was. But then I was on large jobs and could be on the same job for a year or two. You get to know who you can loan to or even borrow from.
I very seldom ever borrowed. The company did not want any other trade using any company ladder though.
As far as my ladder walking away when I wasn't on it I found a solution for that. I always had a material cart. I carried a 6' piece of chain and a lock that no one else had the key for. I would chain the ladder to the cart of to anything I could. ( door frames,window frames,stud walls, cast iron plumbing vents and so on)
I also would use this chain to secure my cart and ladder at the end of the day. Locked it where I was last working and would be starting work the next day. I hated carrying a ladder to a general location and locking it in the pile only to have to carry it back in the AM.
This also made it easy for me to keep a good ladder that someone hasn't written all over or "walked it" making it wobbly

[tonyou812]

I despise when other trades show up with no ladders and think they can take yours because at the moment you are not using them.
that has to be one of my top three pet peeves. especially if your roughing a house or installing old work cans or something. You practically need it all the time.

[mdshunk]

I went to move a plumber's stepladder one day that was in my road, and realized it was very heavy for its size. I commented on that to the plumber. His reply was that it kept people from borrowing his ladder. I think it was Green Bull brand, or something along those lines.

[iwire]

This also made it easy for me to keep a good ladder that some {one} hasn't written all over

Yeah, I can't be working off a ladder with writing on it:D

Electricians truly are prima donnas:D

[mdshunk]

Yeah, I can't be working off a ladder with writing on it:D

Electricians truly are prima donnas:D
I noticed on my one ladder the other week someone had written "Johnny Appleseed's ladder" in Sharpie. :-? Not a soul on the job named John. No apple trees around either.

[iwire]

Many of mine have mesurment written on them.

[mdshunk]

Many of mine have mesurment written on them.
I was thinking the same thing. Or, a math problem or a phone number.

[George Stolz]

Many of mine have mesurment written on them.
Sometimes I have a hard time finding a clean spot to write my measurements on. I don't see a problem with it, IMO

[luckyshadow]

the bigger issue was dealing with wobbly worn out ladders because someONE "walked" them rather then getting down off them and moving them. As far as the writing measurements didn't bother me it was some of the other POOP that was scrawled on them

[480sparky]

Many of mine have mesurment written on them.
I was thinking the same thing. Or, a math problem or a phone number.
Sometimes I have a hard time finding a clean spot to write my measurements on. I don't see a problem with it, IMO

I know this is way off-topic, but next time you're in the big box store, grab a free sample of white Formica counterop.

Use your tinsnips to cut it down so it will fit on the side of your tape measure. Remove any label on the side of your tape, and gouge the case up with a sharp knife. Epoxy the c'top sample to the case.

Write your measurements / phone numbers / etc. on it with a pencil, and erase with your finger. http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc172/480sparky/Emoticons/Writing_emoticon_by_eburt.gif

[mdshunk]

Related to ladders, I had to look up the weight on the heavy Green Bull ladder the plumber said discourages people from borrowing his ladder. The Green Bull 8 footer is 46 pounds. My Werner 8 footer is 29 pounds.

[iwire]

Related to ladders, I had to look up the weight on the heavy Green Bull ladder the plumber said discourages people from borrowing his ladder. The Green Bull 8 footer is 46 pounds. My Werner 8 footer is 29 pounds.

My 350+ lb buddy owns Greenbulls for his side jobbing, they are great ladders.

[mdshunk]

My 350+ lb buddy owns Greenbulls for his side jobbing, they are great ladders.
If I was a big guy like that, I'd want a good ladder too. No doubt it's a fine ladder. I just don't want to tote the heavy thing around all the time.

[Mr.Sparkle]

I weigh in at a whopping 160 lbs. so I get away with being able to use the lighter duty ladders the majority of the time, although I do like the extra sense of security the heavier duty ladders give when performing above the "DO NOT..." line.:D

[George Stolz]

I don't have an issue with the weight anymore, since the stability is so nice. The only issue I have is whacking my shins on the supports as I'm descending the ladder, that happens at least once a week. :mad:

[220/221]

My concern is generally the whole job. If I have a tool out, I don't mind sharing.

I will NEVER loan out a chain saw or my Ditch Witch.

The chain saw never comes back in good condition and the Ditch Witch is old and needs to be finessed.

[peter d]

If I was a big guy like that, I'd want a good ladder too. No doubt it's a fine ladder. I just don't want to tote the heavy thing around all the time.


Yeah, 350 pounds is like 3 of you. :D

But yeah, I hear you...I'm not much a fan of hauling around heavy stuff like that all day either, particularly because I weigh 190 I don't need an extra heavy duty ladder.

[electricalperson]

i hate lending tools out. reminds me of the time i lent out my leatherman supertool to a fellow boyscout and it came back covered in peanutbutter

[peter d]

i hate lending tools out. reminds me of the time i lent out my leatherman supertool to a fellow boyscout and it came back covered in peanutbutter

What would you expect a Boy Scout to do with a leather man? :confused: :D

[Karl H]

What would you expect a Boy Scout to do with a leather man? :confused: :D

Tie a knot of course:D

[480sparky]

i hate lending tools out. reminds me of the time i lent out my leatherman supertool to a fellow boyscout and it came back covered in peanutbutter

The least he could have done is given you some bread and jelly.....http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc172/480sparky/Emoticons/SidewaysLOL.gif

[JohnJ0906]

Many of mine have measurement written on them.

Mine too. :D

[Rampage_Rick]

Related to ladders, I had to look up the weight on the heavy Green Bull ladder the plumber said discourages people from borrowing his ladder. The Green Bull 8 footer is 46 pounds. My Werner 8 footer is 29 pounds.
My Little Giant 22' Fiberglass is 53lbs. Nobody borrows it... I rarely use anything else. Also get the bonus upper-body workout humping it around the room.

[iwire]

My Little Giant 22' Fiberglass is 53lbs. Nobody borrows it... I rarely use anything else. Also get the bonus upper-body workout humping it around the room.


Your under 25 aren't you?:D

[Pullnwire]

I used to work with a small GC and the owner would come out and spend alot of time on the job. He always did the layout as he was the architect also. He was notorious for borrowing a tape measure and a sharpie. He would then do layout on the concrete floor with my sharpie. I am anal about my sharpies, and I would always get it back mangled. about after the 5th time of this, I kept the mangled dully and taped it red and kept it for him in my pouch. He always seemed upset when he kept getting the same crappy sharpie over and over.

[electricalperson]

I used to work with a small GC and the owner would come out and spend alot of time on the job. He always did the layout as he was the architect also. He was notorious for borrowing a tape measure and a sharpie. He would then do layout on the concrete floor with my sharpie. I am anal about my sharpies, and I would always get it back mangled. about after the 5th time of this, I kept the mangled dully and taped it red and kept it for him in my pouch. He always seemed upset when he kept getting the same crappy sharpie over and over.

i hate it when my sharpie gets like this

[whillis]

Usually we chain up our ladders when not in use. I wonder if a club could could be used to lock a ladder closed?

Bike U lock. When you do a parts run lock the ladder closed so nobody can use it. It also works to keep it on the roof rack.

[bjp_ne_elec]

What do you do if they break your tool?

It's only happened once and I had a brand new pair of Kleins Needle Nose Pliers the next day handed to me by the guy who broke them.

[ITO]

1) My Skytrak came back from a job (twice) with a bent ram and nobody knows how that happened, but we are pretty sure it was the Mechanical guy both times. The third time they dropped a chiller with it and then tried to sue me…yeah I am slow to learn some lessons. The same contractor on another job refused to let us use his skytrak to unload a truck because “the last electrician who borrowed our skytrak tipped it over while standing up pole lights and cost us a lot of money.”

2) I got an “emergency” call one Saturday morning at 7am from the GC who it turns out just needed the key for the chains on my Skytrak so he could unload a truck. What started out as a favor, became an entitlement and they were pissed that I would dare to lock up my own tools.

3) On Friday one of the safety guys for the GC pointed out one of my bakers scaffold had a bad wheel, so we stopped using it, took it apart and locked it up for the weekend ready for a truck to pick it and a bunch of other material and tools up that Monday. Well on Saturday the plumber cut the chain, and put it back together and started using it in an area we were not working anymore. My material handlers showed up Monday picked up everything in the staging area with my name on it and left. On Wednesday the scaffold fell over with two plumbers on it, cracking one guy’s skull and breaking the other guy’s arm.

Everybody remembers the safety guy warning us about the wheel, and how I had promised to remove it from the job. Nobody (except the foreman and me) remembered we had taken it apart and locked it up. We even found the cut chain with my lock on it but that did not seem to mean anything. Later it turns out they were using it on some stairs where they had built a ramp and the ramp had collapsed but the lawyers locked in on the bad wheel and how I had been “ordered” to remove it from the job and hadn’t.

This story is a lot longer, I will skip the rest you get the idea…it cost me some money.

4) One of my electricians borrowed a forklift from the GC to move some light poles, 4 months later I get a bill for forklift repair. The GC claims the electrician used the forklift as a battering ram to beat the pole sections together. The problem was that particular electrician no longer worked for me and I had no real defense… and I really could not say that he did or did not do it, because the guy was an idiot and may have done it. I ate the repairs, only to find out much later the forklift was damaged by the GC long before we ever touched it.

5) One of my top ten pet peeves, is when the GC decided to work the painters, dry wallers, or finishers on third shift and those contractors because they are working at night don’t feel the need to rent their own lifts and just use everyone else’s lifts all night running out the batteries and then not even plugging them in to charge. The same applies when they work all weekend and we show up Monday and all the lifts are dead.

Yeah borrowing tools does not seem to work out so well for me.

[electricguy61]

Don't loan a tool unless you can afford to replace it.

(I hate it when sheet rockers, tapers or painters "borrow" ladders, as they always come back trashed. I make them clean them up.)

[acwservices]

I went to move a plumber's stepladder one day that was in my road, and realized it was very heavy for its size. I commented on that to the plumber. His reply was that it kept people from borrowing his ladder. I think it was Green Bull brand, or something along those lines.

Speaking of Green Bull ladders, I priced a new 10' step ladder this morning with my supply house, and they gave me a better price than the big box stores are selling them for. When I asked what kind, I was told Green Bull. I have always used Werner, which the big box stores sell, but have never heard of a Green Bull until reading it on this site. Other than the weight issue, I assume from reading this thread that this is a good ladder?

[JohnJ0906]

I have always used Werner, which the big box stores sell, but have never heard of a Green Bull until reading it on this site. Other than the weight issue, I assume from reading this thread that this is a good ladder?

I've always thought they were good, solid ladders - my only issue was the weight.

[mxslick]

On topic, I have generally loaned tools with no issues on damage or loss.

I am also very nice to the sparkies on my job sites as I have to work closely with them and to get the circuits and placement I need. :)

I also treat the HVAC guys well , if they follow my exhaust specs for the projectors. If not it can get a bit ugly as they are the most difficult when it comes to change orders. :)

[jeremysterling]

I have mixed feelings about loaning tools. Loaning my employer's tools is off limits due to liability reasons as others have spoke to. I try to be flexible with rental lifts, even though liability exists there as well.

With my hand tools, I try to pin down the borrower's true tool need. If they ask for a screwdriver are they actually going to turn a screw? I have punches and chisels and prybars and etc., if that is what they truly need.

[peter]

"If they ask for a screwdriver are they actually going to turn a screw?"
True dat. A "screwdriver" is a multi-function tool. It is also known as "a electrician's chisel", It is a paint can opener. It is a doorstop. It is a prybar. It even operates those old fashioned, obsolete screws which have a single, longtitudinal slot in the head.

As for the subject: Often this is a two way street. Some other trade may have a tool on site which you could really use. We humans have a tendancy to help each other out, lawyers be prevented from flooding.

A plumber came up to me and asked to borrow my utility knife. Since he used the proper term [not razor knife], I loaned it to him. A couple of hours later, I needed it and tracked it down to the rest room he was working in. I should mention that it had a new, sharp blade in it.
There it was, laying in a puddle of water. He had used it to try to cut some grout [hardened]. It didn't work. The formerly sharp blade was like a butterknife.

When I was an apprentice, a journeyman asked to borrow my long nose pliers. I inquired why he didn't have a pair. He said he broke his three months ago. I said no.
In cases like this -- where you don't really trust but still want to help -- the solution is to offer to go along with him and do the task yourself.
~Peter

[iaov]

I despise when other trades show up with no ladders and think they can take yours because at the moment you are not using them.One of my pet peeves too. There are a couple of contractors that I work with on a regular basis. We both show up with ladders and use wichever one is closest.

[jaylectricity]

I've had good luck trading/loaning tools with other trades. I'm small time, so everybody can get personal. I met a guy who will cut stuff for you with his diamond blade, just because he wants to make your life easier.

[quogueelectric]

What do you do if they break your tool?

If they break your tool it will be the cheapest lesson you will ever learn. What if they got hurt by your tool?? Guess who is liable??? I loaned out a bosch 4"angle grinder to the brickey once and he darn near cut his thumb off with it. If he wasnt a decent guy I would still be paying for that idiot move on my part.

[quogueelectric]

Everyone is your friend until they get hurt and sue you. Treat it as such when they ask to borrow your tools. Owner or employee answer is NO!

[George Stolz]

When I was an apprentice, a journeyman asked to borrow my long nose pliers. I inquired why he didn't have a pair. He said he broke his three months ago. I said no.
You just reminded me of an occasion where a foreman tended to leave his tools in the van and borrow others' tools for quick tasks. When we'd ask "Where are your tools?" he would quip "I get more done if I leave my tools in the van."

A couple days later he borrowed something of mine, and I had to go track it down at the end of the day to retrieve it. That settled it for me. The next day, he reached toward my bags that were laying on the floor to borrow something and I unloaded on him. He carried his bags in every morning after that. :)