Questions sent to Ron Williams Updated with Answers

I sent the following questions over to Ron Williams regarding a new tractor/skid steer the city purchased or was considering to purchase.

My notes show the machine we were looking to buy was $39,0000 and our trade-in was valued at $10,000. I do not know if that purchase price was taking into account our trade-ins value. When the council voted on it I have in my notes that Oberkfell abstained.

The minutes from the February 16 meeting show the actual purchase price was $34,190.64.

Here are the questions I sent over to Ron Williams Friday March 27th. Included now are his answers he provided to me this morning Wednesday April 1st. We had correspondence throughout this time period and Ron provided great answer to some tough questions on expenditures in his department. The answers were worth the wait.

What model did we buy?

The model purchased was a Bobcat T-250. There are six models in this Bobcat product line and this is the fourth one. Three models are lower and two models are higher.

What did we get on our trade-in?

The trade-in allowance on the purchase of the Bobcat T-250 was $10,250. There were four bidders on this piece of equipment and the other trade-in allowances were $11,000, $10,500 and $13,000.

What will this machine be used for?

The compact track loader will be utilized for general grading work in yard areas, general grading on street excavations, snow removal activities and general loading in the yard. These are the same activities the previous skid loader was performing.

Is a tracked machine the best choice for our application? Would a tractor with tires have been better suited for the application, even if they were foam filled as to not have puncture issues?

We believe the tracked machine to be the best choice. A loader with tires will cause substantially more damage that has to be repaired especially in yard areas. The tracked machine is also felt to have greater stability particular when working with certain attachments and lifting of loaded buckets or materials. In watching the construction work on City projects performed by Contractors it appears more and more tracked machines are being utilized. Both Veile Construction on the Old Town project and Hank’s Excavating on the Legion Street project are using compact track loaders. To be honest we did not explore foam filled tires and the Public Works Department did not have a great deal of information or experience with foam filled tires.

What the life expectancy on tracks in our application compared to tires and whats the replacement costs for each?

The life expectancy of the tracks is expected to be 800 to 2500 hours or 8 to 12 Years depending on the type of usage. The cost to replace the tracks is expected to be around $1,500. The cost to replace the tires on the previous skid loader was $1,000.

What features and attachments did we get for the machine? (Heat, A/C, radio, enclosed cab, buckets, jackhammer, forks?) Were any of our old attachemnts able to be used with this tractor? Was every feature required?

As far as features, the base model T-250 came equipped with what was called the A91 option package that includes cab enclosure with heat and air conditioning, high flow hydraulics, sound reduction, hydraulic bucketing positioning, power tach, deluxe instrument panel, horn, backup alarm, engine block heater, attachment control kit and cab accessory harness. The enclosed cab with heat was desired as we use the compact loader for snow removal activities. If you get the enclosed cab option, heat and air conditioning are included in the package. Also purchased with the machine were two buckets, one smooth and one toothed. The fork lifts from the previous machine can be utilized with the new machine.

There are over 20 attachments for this particular machine and it is desired to purchase some of the attachments at some point and time. Due to budgeting constraints it was not desired to purchase attachments with the new machine. It does not look favorable to be able to purchase attachments in the upcoming fiscal year as well. Was every feature required? The answer is probably no since the machine will perform the work without the A91 option package. It was desired at the very least to have the machine equipped with the high flow hydraulics in order to adequately operate any attachment desired, the horn and back up alarm for safety purposes and the engine block heater since the machine will be operated in cold weather. In retrospect any of the options desired could have been bid separately although like vehicles and other equipment option packages are recommended as the manufacturers prefer to install option packages and readily market the machines with the options and the option packages are cheaper than adding the various options separately. The machine purchased was actually already manufactured and available as specified and bid.

How many years will this tractor last the city?

It is anticipated the compact track loader should last between 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance.

Could there have been a cheaper alternative?

There are always alternatives with equipment just the same as with vehicles or other equipment. As stated previously there were three lesser models in this particular line of compact track loaders and two above it. The Bobcat T-250 is rated for 2,500 pounds operating capacity, has an 81 horsepower diesel engine, has an operating weight of 9,347 pounds, is 80 inches wide and has a hydraulic flow of 21/37 gallons per minute. The two machines rated above the T-250 are larger machines with more operating capacity and operating weight. The important factor is the fact the T-250 has the same width, horsepower and hydraulic flow as the two larger machines. The horsepower and hydraulic flow are desired for general operation of the machine and operation of attachments.