By
ri702bill
I read the post by @Foxer14 regarding the out-of-line price set by his grandfather that wanted to sell his C175. I can relate to his frustration when it comes to WH Tractors and the over-the-top demands set by family relatives. You can pick your friends, but not your relatives...🤷♂️
Disclaimer: The names have been changed to protect the guilty and this really happened as I am telling it.
Back in 1990 my father in law bought a used D250 that had a 60 inch deck and an Ark FEL for $2800 from a local WH Dealer. The previous owner bought it new and had it for 2 years and then died; his widow sold it back to the Dealer. My father in law had it for 2 years, had a stroke and died shortly thereafter (notice a pattern here??) I am sure that every family has a relative that is legendary for their history of extraordinary frugality (aka cheapness). After the burial my brother in law "Bob" expresses his interest to buy the D250 from my mother in law for what they paid for it - the issue was getting it from RI to OK.
Bob worked for a major airline and could have it shipped to Tulsa for free, but it would have to be drained of all fluids and crated and dropped off at the local airport. He kicked at the cost of the skid and crating and asked me if I could build the skid and crate in the back of my 4 cylinder Ranger and drop it off. I refused and told him I could crate it if he bought the materials but needed to hire a Freight Carrier to deliver it to the airport. He then realized he had no way to get it home when it arrived - he did not want to pay a Carrier to deliver it to his house.
My sister in law, "Cindy" his wife, calls to demand that I help him get it home. At the time, I had just gotten a promotion and had 10 days of Vacation Time available. They wanted ME to load it in my Ranger and DRIVE it to Oklahoma with their "generous" offer of $50 per day for lodging & meals and "X" per loaded mile gas money - and less than "X" for the return trip - I flat out refused.
I gave them MY suggestion - He should fly here (he could do so for free) and HE should rent a one way small box Van. We would load it up and "hot shoe" it across the country, one drives, the other sleeps, no Hotel rooms, and I would help him to unload it and I wanted him to put me on the next plane to RI at his expense. He said absolutely not, forget the whole deal, let Mom sell the tractor.
Mom did sell the tractor to the next door neighbor for $2800 - he had it for 2 years..... then he died.
I do not know what ever became of the tractor BUT I have had people tell me that with the history of it I should have made sure my Brother in law got it !!!
True but sad, sad but true...
Bill
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