With the help of new legislation and a creative purchasing program, Washington County, AR, recently purchased a new fleet of Caterpillar equipment from E. A. Martin. The deal is expected to reduce the costs associated with replacing equipment.

The purchase included 15 Caterpillar motorgraders that will replace the county’s old fleet, which included seven John Deere 670 and seven Caterpillar 130 graders.

The new fleet features 14 140H and one 143H motorgrader. The machines were sold and delivered on July 19 and the county will divide the 15 new machines among its nine districts, where they will be deployed for regular scheduled maintenance on county roads.

A large part of the county’s ability to make the deal was E. A. Martin’s three-year guaranteed buyback, which allows the county to sell the equipment back to E. A. Martin after three years of service.

“[E. A. Martin] uses buyback to show retail value,” said Michael Burton of . A. Martin. “If [the customer] executes the buyback they can actually reduce fiscal and maintenance responsibility.”

Frank Ditmars, road department supervisor, and Bill Vault, assistant road department supervisor, both of Washington County, were integral in the decision to purchase the Caterpillar equipment.

“I think the county got a good deal from E. A. Martin,” said Vault.

Washington is one of the first counties to take advantage of a newly passed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution which makes it possible for the county to borrow money to replace its fleet.

Amendment 78, also known as the City and County Government Redevelopment Bond and Short Term Financing Amendment, also eliminated the restriction that did not allow governments to obligate tax dollars for more than one year, which put an obvious strain on their ability to lease.

The Caterpillar 140H features the Cat 3306 engine, direct-drive power shift transmission and load-sensing hydraulics that are designed to work together to deliver increased productivity in almost all applications.

The 140H also features165 hp (123 kW) standard – 185 hp (138 kW) with optional gears 4 through 8, an operating weight of 32,460 lb. (14,724 kg) and is 28.3 ft. (8.6 m) in length.

The143H features the same power availability from the Cat 3306 in an all-wheel drive application with an operating weight of 33,120 lb. (15,023 kg).

The unit also is capable of a top forward speed of 25.5 mph (41.1 kph) and a top reverse speed of 20.2 mph (32.4 kph).

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