County approves $10,000 repair for truck 166, debates and okays new loader purchase

LaSalle County highway staff won board approval to proceed with a $10,000 repair to truck 166 and to purchase a replacement loader for the county fleet.

Highway department official (S2) reported two repair quotes to fix the box rails on truck 166: Hice Welding at $15,109.30 and American Machine in Mendota at $10,000. “So we’re looking for concurrence to take the truck to American Machine to have the box rails repaired,” the official said; the board approved moving forward with the lower quote.

Members discussed long-term equipment strategy and compared two loader quotes: Deere at $187,000 and Cat at a higher price. Staff noted Deere’s model has about 152 horsepower and a 3.0 cubic-yard bucket while the Cat model has about 168 horsepower and a 3.2 cubic-yard bucket; operating weights and lift capacity were described as similar. The department noted the loader budget was set at roughly $180,000 and recommended the Deere purchase. After discussion about horsepower, warranty and dealer service, a motion to proceed with the Deere purchase carried on a voice vote.

The department also proposed buying a power broom that mounts to a loader to replace current sweeping capability; two vendor quotes showed a wide price spread (about $29,000 vs $14,060). Staff recommended the lower-cost broom to provide redundancy and permit sweeping when the truck-mounted broom is unavailable. The board asked staff to confirm warranty terms and expected service life before final equipment ordering.

Next steps: staff will schedule truck repairs, finalize the loader procurement through source-well pricing, and verify warranty language and mounting compatibility for the power broom before purchase.