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County approves purchase of John Deere motor grader; board weighs warranty options
Summary
Stevens County authorized buying a John Deere 770G motor grader as the lower-priced bid; staff discussed warranty length, trade-in history and operational considerations.
Stevens County commissioners approved the purchase of a John Deere 770G motor grader, accepting a staff recommendation to buy the lower-priced unit through RDO Equipment for the county's 2026 fleet plan.
Road staff said they had compared makes and features — noting John Deere's larger front windshield and joystick/steering differences compared with Caterpillar — and recommended the John Deere 770G as the best fit and the lower-priced option. "I think our recommendation would be to purchase the John Deere 770 G from RDO equipment, which is the lower of the 2 price machines," the road director said.
The bidders included standard warranty packages. Staff noted the county customarily purchases a five-year/5,000-hour comprehensive warranty; the longer seven-year/7,000-hour warranty quote increased the cost by roughly $22,000. Officials discussed past transmission repairs and trade-in conversations and concluded the board would proceed with the base five-year warranty included in the bid. A motion to approve the purchase passed by voice vote.
Staff explained the county has been ordering motor graders to keep replacements on a steady cycle and recommended purchasing one this year to avoid price increases and supply delays. Commissioners discussed prior repair experiences and the trade-in economics but did not delay the purchase after the discussion.
