Workshop engine hoist rental

[Wall2wall]

When I had my recent gearbox issues, I looked to rent an engine hoist, but the cost I felt was mad. If any single thing went against me, I was looking at daft cost. So I bought one, and now don't really want to sell it. A price per day doesn't make sense for many of us on here. We can't commit a few days on the bounce, and sometimes have projects that roll over a 3 or 4 weekends. So I have an idea regarding mine. I have no idea if it has legs, but that's what I am here to gauge.
I could rent mine out, but not for £30 a day, but say £60 a month. £150 cash deposit that you get back when you return it, simple rules, you bend it, ruin it, etc, etc, it's yours. I wouldn't regard scratches in the paint as damage. It happens, but over reaching the arm, trying to lift too much or leaving it outside in the rain is. Also obviously if it gets nicked in your custody, your tough carp not mine.
Doesn't have alot to bear on this, but I would donate my proceeds to Macmillan.
I won't deliver it, but would haggle on rental length.
The crane is a Sealey 1 ton, and would come with two new straps and shackles.

Is that a daft idea, or not? And if you have ideas to improve it, please say.

[Wall2wall]

Just to add I'm not thinking of this on a big scale or for anyone other than S2 club members, and it's obviously no good for anyone way down south or anything. I just thought it may benefit a few s2 ( or s1 and s3) owners around here.

[Myles (Mr Fox) Davison]

£150 for a nearly-new Sealey engine crane isn't a bad deal - so the incentive to return it isn't huge!

Recent Sold prices on eBay (didn't check they were all Sealeys- some may be Clarke etc.) start at £100 but are mostly £150+

You might want to rethink your deposit to incentivise return...!

[nathanglasgow]

With any cash for goods transaction the ugly word of 'liability' raises it's head. What happens if it fails in use and the renter gets injured. Can't trust everyone to play fair anymore

[Craig T]

I have a large engine crane that I have lent to various people over the years.
I've always done it on a friendly, I know where it has gone, kind of basis and payment has always been cash in hand, what have you got, type thing upon return. I guess the difference is I know the people I'm lending it to, not people simply contacting me through a forum (no offense people...)

One chap I lent it to borrowed it, kept it for the duration of his kit car rebuild then returned it about a year later. I wasn't worried as I knew where it was and to be honest, it was nice having it out the way for that time.

I guess the deposit cost only needs to cover the cost so if the crane cost £150 and someone gave you £150 deposit then disappeared with it, chalk it down to experience and nothing lost.

I think my only concern would be in a few years time when it hasn't been used for a while, someone borrows it and the seals leak. Do you then ask them to replace the seals saying they broke it or put it down to wear and tear. Also, what happens if it breaks and someone gets an engine on their foot. I doubt Sealy / Machine Mart would be happy to hear it's been used for hire which would put the blame on you perhaps.

Biggest issue with the crane I have is moving and storing it. The legs fold up but it is big and damn heavy. You need a big car to move it around.

Craig.

[Dopey]

I bought one, had it for 9 months (Or whatever) sold it after, cheaper than renting one, and didn't lose much on the deal, the new guy who bought it from me will lose even less.... doesn't make sense hiring, you don't know most of the time how long you need it.

[Tom]

you don't know most of the time how long you need it.

... or more importantly, WHEN you'll need it. Guarantee if I sold mine, I'd develop a fault the following week that requires the engine to come out 

[Wittsend]

'Neither a borrower nor a lender be'
... is a line from Act 1 Scene 3 of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. It is spoken in a speech by Polonius, King Claudius' chief minister.

There are pros & cons to this, as have been posted ^^^

Over the past 25 years this question/initiative has been asked of the club.
Why doesn't the club lend out (special) tools 
It's a veritable minefield.

I've lent stuff to fellow members in the past and had 2 defaulters 
You do need a hefty cash deposit paid up front and I guess some sort of disclaimer if the borrower kills themselves. After all, if you sell something then the risk is on the buyer, the same should/would apply to borrowers

So I say to the topic starter - Give it go. Put on a hefty deposit - £250/300. Not sure how many takers you'll get.

Once I've finally sold my last Land Rover my engine crane will be up for sale.
They are heavy and cumbersome and take up garage space. We are hoping to move and downsize and I'm not planning on any more engine changes.

[Dopey]

I will give you one e.g. of why it's not a good idea, I worked for Keyline, they also hired out tools as well as selling building matirials, someone hired an electric plain, they didn't empty the bag, and the sawdust combusted and burnt half the school down, that's why they have a whole terms of use and instructions on the end of the tool when you hire them, the lender of the tool tried to take Keyline to court and blame them.

[Wall2wall]

Seems it's likely a bad idea, but thankyou everyone for your input. I'll just hang on to it.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

I have several businesses, one of which is plant-hire. I pay all sorts of insurance costs.

On a pin-money basis don't hire - sell. Sell on a 'sale or return' basis, taking the replacement cost as deposit - this limits liability.

Handling 'collection' and 'dropping' any item  you hire is the easy bit.  The commercial reality is your customers will feel they are hiring a crane (or whatever). Stark reality is they're buying the ability to mess you about, yet you'll never convince any of the fact.

Witness this forum's out of touch with reality, 'courier' threads. These  appear every few months.  One post was proud to proclaim and actually boast how he'd taken up a business staff time to lower  the higher courier cost to subsidised (north of the border) Royal Mail rates... this without compunction. With the gall to call it 'customer service'.


Wittsend's comments only scrape the surface.

Over the past 25 years this question/initiative has been asked of the club.
Why doesn't the club lend out (special) tools 
It's a veritable minefield.

It amazes me too. Most of us will be grown-men, yet a mindset that aligns to this has us asking "What are you, a 'kin Miss World Contestant?"

Your crane is the easy bit. Dealing with the "Why don't they" entitled, litigious, malevolent public is your difficulty.  I say do it, hire your crane... only proceed eyes wide open.

[Wall2wall]

That sounds like genuine wisdom from someone who knows. Thankyou.

I have decided to hang on to it for now, it may get lent to a local mate or two, but when I decide I need the workshop space I will sell it.

Thanks again for everyone's contributions. I know I can be a bit of a naive knob sometimes, but that's why I asked. 

[diffwhine]

Actually I don't think it is naive. What I would do is let your area rep know that you have one that you would be prepared to lend out to people locally and then perhaps ask for a donation for charity when it comes back. Nothing in the rules to say you aren't that charity. Some of this sort of thing has to work on trust. If local area club members can't behave nicely, it rather defeats the club ethos. I've got plenty of tools that I lend out to people locally. If it gets broken or doesn't come back, word gets out soon enough that somebody can't be trusted. What I would do though, is make sure that a copy of the operating instructions are given out with the hoist. Provided you've made sure that the borrower knows what they are doing, and you are happy that your hoist is in good safe working order, then you are on a pretty safe wicket.

Only a damn fool uses one on rough ground or gets underneath the load. What I would not do is lend out shackles, chains, straps etc. Just the crane and its original hook.

[Daisythelandie]

I borrowed a crane from a friend in our model railway club which was great as I thought I would have it for a few weeks, when I offered it back he suggested I keep it for the moment as he had no room for it so it sat at the back of my garage for a good while till he needed it again for his Mk1 Escort rally car after he hit an immovable tree. I guess he enjoyed the extra space it gave not having it in his garage....
I also used it to pull a broken fence post out of the ground complete with a heavy lump of concrete and lift it into a trailer for disposal.
 

Dave.

[diffwhine]

And the one I have now has been on permanent loan from a friend for the last 12 years. He knows where it is and shows no sign of wanting it back.