DAYTON - Improving efficiency in road maintenance operations is one way the town of Dayton in Cattaraugus County has successfully minimized increasing costs.
Historically, Dayton relied on the rental of a used tractor from Rogers and Sons Inc. located in the neighboring town of Cherry Creek. The rental tractor was used to trim and maintain the roadsides comprising its 36-square-mile town limits. A mower implement owned by the town was mounted on and powered by the tractor during their twice-a-year, three-week rentals. This formula made fiscal sense until it was time to replace the aging mower attachment.
According to budget evaluations, it was determined that eliminating the cost of the tractor rental each year from the budget and purchasing a new tractor and implement would be the most cost-effective approach. Tractor ownership would also allow the town to keep the roadsides trimmed year round, as well as help with snow removal and debris cleanup following storms.
Article Photos
Pictured above is the new KIOTI DK90 tractor purchased by the town of Dayton.
After determining it was time to buy, the Dayton officials put together a bid for the tractor purchase and began discussions with local equipment dealerships, including Clyde and Bob Rogers of Rogers and Sons Inc. Rogers and Sons quickly identified that the KIOTI DK90 easily met the specifications outlined in the bid.
As it turned out, KIOTI was the only tractor brand included in the bid that could meet the weight requirement necessary in the 90 horsepower tractor class to run the new hydraulically driven parallel arm rotary mower attachment they had purchased. The mower, weighing 1,690 pounds needed to be counterbalanced for proper and safe use on a tractor. With a 15-foot reach from the center of the tractor, the weight of the tractor needed to support the implement when fully extended.
Tom Martell, territory manager for KIOTI Tractor division, assisted Rogers and Sons with the government bid. Together, they determined that the KIOTI DK90 needed to be properly balanced with an additional 900 pounds of weight on the front and 900 pounds of weight on the right to counterbalance the implement, in order to keep it running at peak efficiency.
In addition to the 1,800 pounds of weight added to the tractor itself, 1,100 pounds of beet juice was added to each rear tire and 225 pounds of beet juice to each of the front tires for greater stability and control. Beet juice was used because it's heavier than water and doesn't run the risk of freezing during New York's bitter winters. Equal weight was added to both sets of tires so that when the unit was used without the mower it remained well balanced.
The town took delivery of the KIOTI DK90 tractor in the spring of 2011. The town currently mows the roadsides every five weeks between Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. When winter weather arrives, the town uses the tractor to help with cleanup.
"We have been extremely pleased so far with the DK90. The tractor's PTO efficiently powers the pump that runs the mower. Additionally, it's extremely quiet and impressively fuel efficient considering all the extra weight added to this already heavy tractor," states Don Lulas, equipment operator for the town of Dayton.
"The cab is extremely comfortable with lots of legroom and large windows for optimal visibility in all directions," Lulas said. "Its climate control makes operation of the tractor in both the winter and summer months a pleasure. I was never too cold or too hot which allowed me to concentrate on the work to be completed. While we haven't had any maintenance or repair issues, we did look at the ease of access to maintenance points when considering the purchase of the KIOTI DK90. KIOTI Tractor has placed these points in easy-to-access locations so routine maintenance can done directly in our shop. This helps us save precious budget dollars.
"With only four full-time employees and one part-time employee, it's critical that we have equipment that performs, dealers who are committed to minimizing downtime and partners like KIOTI who take the time to understand our needs and recommend the best equipment solution available. We are extremely happy with the DK90 and the excellent customer service received on all fronts before, during and after our purchase."