The picturesque town of Dayton in Cattaraugus County, N.Y., provides a quaint, small town America feel to its approximately 2,500 residents. As with many municipalities, Dayton is a budget conscious town. Town planners are always on the lookout for ways to stretch taxpayer dollars. Improving efficiency in road maintenance operations is one way the town has successfully minimized increasing costs, while maintaining its aesthetic appeal.
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 sq mile town limits. A mower implement owned by the town was successfully mounted on and powered by the tractor during their twice a year, three week rentals. This formula worked well, was cost-conscious and made fiscal sense until it was time to replace the aging mower attachment.
After a quick budget evaluation, 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 neatly trimmed year round, as well as help with snow removal and debris cleanup following storms.
After determining it was time to buy, the Town of Dayton 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, well-known for their heavy-weight construction tractors, was the only tractor brand included in the bid that could meet the weight requirement necessary in the 90-hp tractor class to run the new hydraulically driven parallel arm rotary mower attachment they had purchased. The mower, weighing 1,690 lbs needed to be counterbalanced for proper and safe use on a tractor. With a 15-ft reach from the center of the tractor, the weight of the tractor needed to support the implement when fully extended.
“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,” stated Don Lulas, equipment operator for the Town of Dayton.
The Town of Dayton took delivery of their KIOTI DK90 tractor in the Spring of 2011. They currently mow the roadsides every five weeks between Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, keeping their roadsides in pristine condition. When winter weather arrives, the town uses the tractor to help with cleanup.
“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,” stated Lulas. “We are a long-time, loyal customer of Rogers and Sons Inc. Their sales and service is very good. They serve us well.”
August 15th, 2012 // By fastessays.co.uk