Sharing snowblower ownership

January 30, 2009 6:20 AM

What do I need to consider when sharing ownership of a power tool with my neighbours?

The item in question is a snowblower, though I'm sure the same advice applies to sharing ownership of any large tool.

Some details that might be relevant: 4 of us want to split the purchase. I've known the other 3 for over a decade, and trust them (which I suppose is obvious.) One of the guys doesn't use his garage for car purposes, so has lots of room and offered to store the machine. The units we're eying would cost us at most $300 each.

Is there anything specific I should address, or be concerned about?

posted by ParsonWreck to home & garden (10 comments total)

Snowblower's going to need some small amount of maintenance, so you'll have to make sure someone takes care of that.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:22 AM on January 30

who will maintain and care for this machine? Will that person pay less up front? Will all of the neighbors treat the machine with the same level of care? Not put it away wet, that sort of thing?
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 6:23 AM on January 30

What happens when it breaks? Is the current (or most recent) user responsible?

Who has first dibs?

What if empty-garage-guy is on vacation when it snows?

Who buys and stores the gas?

What if Neighbor B is hurt while using the snowblower? Or Neighbor B accidentally hurts someone else with it? (This would apply better for a radial saw or something, but it could throw up a rock.) Who bears the liability?
posted by charmcityblues at 6:28 AM on January 30

After a snow, how quickly must one person use the machine and then deliver it to the next person, the order of rotation and what variations to accept, how do the others get access to the machine if the guy storing it isn't available after a snow?

How about gas and oil? Would any user burn significantly more than the others? Should you all bank money for consumables and repair at the beginning of the season and leave it to one person to keep it gassed up no matter who used it last, or should each person be expected to gas it before passing it along.

Are partners (people who chipped in for the machine) allowed to take it to a non-partner's house and use it there, how often? Can a partner loan it to a non-partner, for how long, for how often? Can either of the above be done for a fee? (IE, no one needs the machine but partner B knows he can rent it to a friend for X dollars, or use it on a friends property for X dollars.) Is that OK with everyone, should the cash be divided among the partners to cover the buy-in price?

If everyone generally has the same sized area to clear, and is competent enough to use the machine safely I think all repairs should be shared by the group. That way slight damage that is not repaired, but becomes catastrophic, is not covered only by the unlucky soul who used it last.

Can the best friend of partner C buy-in at a later date and become a full partner? What's the discount rate for a buy-in months or years after the purchase?
posted by Science! at 6:32 AM on January 30

I would set one person (and *only* one person) to be administrator of the machine. They would pay all the bills, keep all the receipts, and schedule maintenance. In return for this, they're given a break on the bills.

While ownership is 25/25/25/25, bill responsibility would be 30/30/30/10 for the person 'in charge' of the machine.
posted by unixrat at 7:10 AM on January 30

Oh wow, thanks ... A lot of those points totally didn't occur to me.

I like that approach unixrat. The guy who offered to store it is a tinkerer anyway, so it'll be a good fit to put him in charge of maintenance.
posted by ParsonWreck at 7:54 AM on January 30

I tend to think that things like this work out better with one owner and everyone else paying a reduced amount to use the machine whenever they want it rather than trying to jointly own a piece of machinery without any over-arching organizational structure.
posted by toomuchpete at 8:47 AM on January 30

What happens when someone wants or needs to move?
posted by mmascolino at 8:53 AM on January 30

How big is the area and how often/heavily does it snow? My Dad usually grabs his snow blower and does the walks for a bunch of neighbors. One of those neighbors follows up with de-icer. (Not sure what people use to de-ice these days. It used to be rock salt, but that's not environmentally friendly.) That gives a clear breakdown of duties - Dad is the snowblower guy. It's his; he's responsible for it. Someone else picks up the work and cost of de-icing.

If you're 4 good friends, then shared ownership can totally work. At the end of the first season, sit down and ask how it worked for everyone and adjust accordingly. Good neighbors and decade-long friendships are infinitely more valuable than a snowblower.
posted by 26.2 at 10:13 AM on January 30

Put EVERYTHING in writing, and everyone gets a copy.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 10:27 AM on January 30