In the Cars thread, i had occasion to reflect on 'Borrowing' a very large piece of machinery to move a dead car. It got me to remembering some other items i have 'borrowed' in my life, and thought it might be interesting to find out if any RHP'ers have done things like this.
In October 1952, just 2 months before I turned 5 years old I 'borrowed' my grandpa's TD-6 International Crawler. I had watched my uncles start and operate it, so upon being left alone with my older sister, I shut off the radiator pet-cock, filled the radiator with water with a tea-kettle, put it in neutral, set the throttle up a bit, and turned on the switch. The secret to that old cat was that the starter had a shot bendix spring, so you had to arc the Hot post on the starter motor onto the engine with a screw driver to start it. I stood on the track on the left side and fired up the engine. About this time, my sister was calling the neighbors for help. I get the crawler into second gear and headed down out of the barn yard to the road. The barrow-pit was quite steep, so pulled full left clutch and brake, and pivoted in the middle of the road, lowered the dozer blade and backed down off into the pasture belonging to grandpa's neighbor. I proceeded to tear down about a half mile of fence, pushed over Barney's chicken coop and generally had a hell of a good time. I pulled back up into the barn yard and managed to get the crawler exactly back where it had been parked. I lowered the dozer blade, turned off the tractor and drained the radiator pet-cock, just as grandpa drove up. I said grandpa, you won't hit me., as he very slowly trimmed a switch from the willow tree by the north side of the house. He gave me two swats with the willer, but i thought that was a very good price indeed for such a grand adventure.
In 1964 I borrowed a forest service allis chalmers HD-5 up stump creek when i got a logging truck stuck in about three feet of snow. (need of the one outweighs the tractor of the many)
I borrowed my brother-in-laws cessna 180 to take a girl on a ride after school one night. Never got caught on that one. Which is always good.
I once borrowed a piper PA-21 from a guy at the afton airport who was flying as a crop duster up in idaho. I told him later, and paid for the gas and oil. He didn't care. A friend and i flew to Blackfoot on a saturday to take our first parachute jump. (Long story. The guy forgot we were coming and we never did get to jump)
Oh, and one time after thanksgiving dinner i borrowed my cousins new (1960 or 61?) Honda 150 Motorbike and road from Afton to Ririe Idaho (about 70 miles) in a blizzard to see a girl friend. When i got to Ririe, I went to my sisters house to warm up, but she and her husband were gone. I traded the Honda for my brother-in-laws new Triumph bike and went and saw my girl friend on that. It was much more presentable than the 150...
Note: Once i made it past 6 years old, i never damaged anything I ever borrowed!
Curious to see if anyone else has had occasion to Borrow?