Winneshiek County unanimously approves purchase of Caterpillar motor grader after vendor presentations

Winneshiek County supervisors voted unanimously to purchase a Caterpillar 140 motor grader equipped with the high-performance circle and accept the dealer's trade-in offer, following vendor presentations and an internal price-and-service comparison.

County engineering staff brought forward quotes from two vendors, including a John Deere 772 configuration and a Ziegler (Caterpillar) 140. Sean Raimler, identified in the meeting as a Deere representative, outlined Deere features and a 60-month/5,000-hour extended powertrain and hydraulics warranty. Jared Boxa, identified as a Ziegler representative, emphasized dealer service and parts commitments, saying, "We're guaranteeing to you guys that we are gonna be here for you when you need us." (speaker quote)

The most immediate financial factor cited by staff was trade-in value. County staff presented a spreadsheet showing Deere and Cat list prices and trade-in offers; Ziegler's trade-in allowance for the county's machine was reported at $80,000 versus Deere's roughly $50,000. After applying trade-in amounts, staff reported a net price gap of about $26,975 in favor of the county's recommended option when factoring the higher Cat trade-in.

Staff also described operational considerations: the county's mechanics said they favored Cat for in-house diagnostic capability and proximity of parts service, and staff noted that maintenance- and secondary-market differences could be highly operator- and environment-dependent. A staff member summarized the recommendation: "We're internally recommending the board purchase the CAT motor grader this time." (staff summary)

A motion to approve the purchase and accept the Cat trade-in was made and seconded; the chair called the voice vote and stated, "Motion carries unanimously." The board thanked the vendor representatives for their presentations and moved on to the next agenda items.

The purchase will proceed under the terms reviewed in the meeting packet; staff said additional contract details and final invoices will follow in the procurement process and that trade-in logistics and delivery scheduling will be handled by the vendors and county fleet staff.