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Saline County approves purchase of two motor graders after debate over trade‑ins and lifecycle
Summary
After extensive questioning about warranties, trade‑in values and whether older graders could be kept in service longer, the Saline County Board of Commissioners approved purchase of two new motor graders by a 4‑1 vote. Staff recommended accepting Murphy Tractor's bid for $614,000 net of trade‑ins.
The Saline County Board of Commissioners voted 4‑to‑1 on Feb. 3 to approve purchasing two new motor graders for road maintenance after a lengthy discussion over warranty terms, trade‑in valuations and equipment life cycles.
Road and Bridge Administrator Darren Fischel told the commission sealed bids were opened Jan. 12 and staff recommended accepting Murphy Tractor’s offer. Murphy’s bid, after a trade‑in allowance, results in a net purchase price of $614,000 for the two graders, Fischel said. He described the county’s equipment rotation and warranty structure: dealers provide warranties that extend up to 6 years or 7,500 hours, whichever comes first, and major rebuilds typically occur around 8,000–10,000 hours.
Commissioners pressed staff on how the county determines when to retire machines, how trade‑in values are assessed and whether the county should experiment with running older units longer to “see if we aren’t leaving some money on the table.” One commissioner explicitly proposed keeping two older graders in service longer and selling them at auction later to test remaining life; Fischel offered to provide past maintenance records and trade‑in assessments to inform that experiment.
A member of the public urged the county to consider alternative fuels for heavy equipment. Commissioners also discussed that relatively few dealers offer the 6‑year/7,500‑hour warranty that the county seeks, which limits competitive options.
The motion on RFA 2026‑17 passed 4‑1; the transcript records a single dissent but does not name the dissenting commissioner. The approved purchase will be funded from the Road & Bridge capital outlay account, which staff said had an unencumbered balance sufficient to cover the $614,000 cost and leave an estimated balance of about $144,000.
Next steps include finalizing procurement paperwork and scheduling delivery; staff said one unit is already delivered and the other is on order with expected delivery in the coming months.
