The picturesque town of Dayton in Cattaraugus County, New York provides a quaint, small town America feel to its approximately 2,500 residents. As with many municipalities, Dayton is a budget conscious town. Town planners are always on the lookout for ways to stretch taxpayer dollars. Improving efficiency in road maintenance operations is one way the town has successfully minimized increasing costs, while maintaining its aesthetic appeal.
Historically, Dayton relied on the rental of a used tractor from Rogers and Sons, Inc. located in the neighboring town of Cherry Creek. The rental tractor was used to trim and maintain the roadsides comprising its 36 square mile town limits. A mower implement owned by the town was successfully mounted on and powered by the tractor during their twice a year, 3 week rentals. This formula worked well, was cost-conscious and made fiscal sense until it was time to replace the aging mower attachment.
After a quick budget evaluation, it was determined that eliminating the cost of the tractor rental each year from the budget and purchasing a new tractor and implement would be the most cost effective approach. Tractor ownership would also allow the town to keep the roadsides neatly trimmed year round, as well as help with snow removal and debris cleanup following storms.
After determining it was time to buy, the Town of Dayton put together a bid for the tractor purchase and began discussions with local equipment dealerships, including Clyde and Bob Rogers of Rogers and Sons, Inc.. Rogers and Sons quickly identified that the KIOTI DK90 easily met the specifications outlined in the bid.
As it turned out, KIOTI, well-known for their heavy-weight construction tractors, was the only tractor brand included in the bid that could meet the weight requirement necessary in the 90HP tractor class to run the new hydraulically driven parallel arm rotary mower attachment they had purchased. The mower, weighing 1,690 lbs. needed to be counterbalanced for proper and safe use on a tractor. With a 15′ reach from the center of the tractor, the weight of the tractor needed to support the implement when fully extended.
Tom Martell, Territory Manager for KIOTI Tractor Division, assisted Rogers and Sons with the government bid. Together, they determined that the KIOTI DK90 needed to be properly balanced with an additional 900 lbs. of weight on the front and 900 lbs. of weight on the right to counterbalance the implement, to keep it running at peak efficiency.
In addition to the 1800 lbs. of weight added to the tractor itself, 1100 lbs. of beet juice was added to each rear tire and 225 lbs. of beet juice to each of the front tires for greater stability and control. Beet juice was used because it’s heavier than water and doesn’t run the risk of freezing during New York’s bitter winters. Equal weight was added to both sets of tires so that when the unit was used without the mower it remained well balanced.
The Town of Dayton took delivery of their KIOTI DK90 tractor in the Spring of 2011. They currently mow the roadsides every 5 weeks between Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, keeping their roadsides in pristine condition. When winter weather arrives, the town uses the tractor to help with cleanup.
“We have been extremely pleased so far with the DK90. The tractor’s PTO efficiently powers the pump that runs the mower. Additionally, it’s extremely quiet and impressively fuel efficient considering all the extra weight added to this already heavy tractor,” states Don Lulas, Equipment Operator for the Town of Dayton.
Lulas ran the tractor trouble-free for approximately 150 hours in its first year of use. As such, he appreciated many of the standard comfort features built into the KIOTI DK90. “The cab is extremely comfortable with lots of legroom and large windows for optimal visibility in all directions. Its climate control makes operation of the tractor in both the winter and summer months a pleasure. I was never too cold or too hot which allowed me to concentrate on the work to be completed,” said Lulas.
“While we haven’t had any maintenance or repair issues, we did look at the ease of access to maintenance points when considering the purchase of the KIOTI DK90. KIOTI Tractor has placed these points in easy-to-access locations so routine maintenance can done directly in our shop. This helps us save precious budget dollars.”
“With only 4 full time employees and one part time employee, it’s critical that we have equipment that performs, dealers who are committed to minimizing downtime and partners like KIOTI who take the time to understand our needs and recommend the best equipment solution available. We are extremely happy with the DK90 and the excellent customer service received on all fronts before, during and after our purchase,” states Lulas. “We are a long-time, loyal customer of Rogers and Sons, Inc. Their sales and service is very good. They serve us well.”
Rogers and Sons, Inc. is a multi-generation, family owned and operated, full service equipment dealership in Cherry Creek, New York. They are an Authorized KIOTI Tractor Dealership and carry a full line of KIOTI tractors, the KIOTI MECHRON 2200 UTV and a full line of implements and attachments.
