Grady OKs excavator purchase

Published 3:02 pm Monday, February 25, 2019

CAIRO — The Grady County Board of Commissioners approved the $138,000 lease of a new land excavator laat Tuesday.

Road department superintendent Stanley Elkins said repairing the county’s existing 17-year-old excavator, which has nearly 8,000 hours of use, would cost more than $60,000.

Elkins said the aging machine had an “extensive breakdown” last week after spending the past five to six years mainly working on the Tired Creek Lake bed.

The superintendent said he received three quotes for new machines from Caterpillar and Flint John Deere before accepting the latter, which he said was the lowest and best price for the county’s needs.

Kevin Hester, a John Deere representative with Flint Equipment Company who was present at the commission meeting, said the actual value of the vehicle was closer to $180,000.

“We’re getting a little bit of a trade-in value on our old machine, which will help a lot,” Elkins said.

The agreement with John Deere allows the new unit, a 2018 Hitachi Zaxis 210 LC-6 excavator with 647 hours of use, to be used at a rate equaling $60.72 per hour of use.

Elkins said the vehicle was nearly identical to a high-quality John Deere model with only slight variations.

“It’s just like a John Deere, it’s just that the paint is a different color,” Elkins said. “The engine is a little different, but everything else is the same.”

The vehicle will also come with a warranty that expires in 2022, though Hester said he could likely extend it until 2023.

Hester said the vehicle should have a lifespan of approximately 12 to 15 years.

The new excavator will be leased over the course of 60 months with the county making $2,529.93 monthly payments.