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Solid Waste seeks new excavator for transfer station; county staff say replacement is more cost-effective than major repair
Summary
Public Works requested authority to purchase a new John Deere excavator for the Elma/Belfair transfer-station operations, citing more than 10,000 hours on the current machine and high estimated repair costs; the new purchase price after trade-in was stated as about $243,345.
Public Works and Solid Waste managers asked commissioners on Jan. 27 for approval to buy a replacement John Deere 130P excavator for the Elma/Belfair transfer-station operations, citing heavy daily use and high repair costs on the existing machine.
Solid Waste staff said the existing excavator exceeded 10,000 operating hours—well beyond the 7,000–10,000-hour life guideline from the manufacturer—and is experiencing significant wear. The department provided an estimated repair cost of $196,805.58 and said running a replacement through repairs would require monthly rental or replacement-unit costs of about $9,700 during the repair period.
Public Works said the John Deere 130P price is $273,430.08 and that a $50,000 trade-in allowance for the existing machine would reduce the purchase total, including tax and delivery, to $243,345.07. The new unit would include automatic greasing and use attachments already owned by the county that were purpose-built for the model, officials said.
Solid Waste staff described heavy utilization: the machine operates seven days a week during open hours and the current unit logged roughly 11,000 hours. Commissioners asked about procurement process and sole-source sourcing; staff said the purchase would proceed through an existing cooperative purchasing contract (Sourcewell/Pape Machinery) and that compatibility with existing attachments and dealer support are material considerations.
Commissioners indicated support for replacement given the machine’s age, utilization and the comparative cost of repair, and staff said they will proceed with the purchase process and trade-in as presented.
