Especially a dozer. I had a guy ask me to borrow one once. I showed him what it cost the last time I had someone else fix it. I told him if anything went wrong he was responsible. That ended that.

nope, I would never ask to borrow someone else's tractor but on rare occasion I have asked to borrow a trailer (cattle) which I felt really awkward in doing from a very close friend but he knows that it will come back in as good or better condition than when it left.

I have had a few friends ask if they could borrow my tractor, mainly to unload something heavy or remove a stump ... I said sure, but it comes with an operator, me or my son ONLY! Not only is there the chance of them breaking something but there is also liability concerns.

No way, unless to a family member or close friend that knew exactly what they were doing and you know they would treat it like their own and fix what they broke.
Tractors are dangerous machinery, where even experienced users get killed, and turning one over to someone for the first or second time or with very little experience is asking for trouble, and a possible lawsuit from that person or more than likely that person's family.

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Whoot T BONE!! That's is one sexy looking MOFO right there brudda. I had the "grandpa" to that dude, a case (IH) 2390. I wont even ask what that cost (have a good idea), but pretty much makes your point.....

Drive it like you stole it!

No doubt! I had a friend that bought a clean "Lightly" used D7 for his excavating business. 1st summer the seals went out, now I don't know what all that involves, but he said that repair job was 30k.......

Absolutely not. Too much liability for sure. Nothing is more unforgiving than a tractor. And putting a mulcher behind it makes it even more dangerous.

No I would not. But I would ask someone to run it for me and pay them for their trouble.

if you are the guy asking to borrow? by all means. If you are the guy being borrowed from? No way!

I have learned that only bad things happen when borrowing a friend or relatives stuff - go find you own

Loaned mine to a friend once, he ran the battery down then exploded it when he tried to jump start it. He was mowing to fast and ran into a stump and sheared off a front axle. He paid to replace everything but from then on I just went and mowed his place. Way cheaper.

WARNING: Never let anyone borrow your Wife or your tractor, it's possible to throw a rod in either one.

From my FIL or a really close friend, yes. From anyone else, no.

This ^^^
You want to roll the dice?....Go ahead!

I've borrowed one in the past. And I've loaned mine out a couple times. But with the understanding that if something breaks it's your dime to fix it. I'm like PMK in that most of the time if they ask to borrow it, I just go do they chore they need done. Dug 4 post holes for a guy this weekend. Dangerous tool and not smart letting a novice try to run an auger.

I don't think people that do not have a tractor have any idea how easy they are to break, or how hard and expensive they are to fix. And what happens when you get it stuck.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ these photos here tell it ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

the only thing missing was a photo of some dinged-up cylinders
on a front end loader from someone slamming it down on a trailer,etc.
trying to get clods and clumps of dirt out of the bucket.
or a photo of a broken gearbox on an expensive bushhog where someone
tried to mow down trees instead of brush. slip clutches don't always
work in time

pictures say it all. Don't even think about asking to borrow... to much risk, danger and liability.
I would however offer to pay an owner/operator.

Dang... whoever did all that could F*&K up a mothers love!

Dang!.....Must have already been like that!....We never even used the bucket!

Damn Eddie, been busy have we

Most of the people I know that own tractors would not mind at all if I ask to borrow but........most of them all know that I grew up on one so...depends on the person or situation. we use to get stuck a lot messing around the ole red dirt roads and most of the farmers back then always left a key in ...but again...that was back then...

I said "NO"
And I hope everyone that keeps wanting to borrow my tractor understands that I really mean "HECK NO!"
It seems that once you have a tractor everyone starts to come up with stupid crap to do that they think needs a tractor. Things that they would have never done otherwise. Things that they wouldn't rent one or pay someone to do.
I loaned it out initially, but I got jealous because I was never the one that got to break it, or the trailer, but I got to pay for the repairs.