Wexagaw County purchases 1987 road grader from Lenawee for parts

WEXAGAW COUNTY — The Wexagaw County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to purchase a 1987 Caterpillar road grader from Lenawee County for $1,200, with the machine to be delivered in sections and used exclusively for parts.

The vote came after Commissioner Dale Huffman presented a three-page itemized list of compatible components during the board's regular monthly meeting. The grader, which has not operated since 2019, will provide parts for two county graders currently in service on township roads.

"The blade mount is identical," Huffman told the board. "The hydraulic pump fits our '89 unit. The cab heater works."

Commissioner Patricia Vonderheide voted against the purchase, citing storage concerns. "We don't have a place to put a grader in pieces," she said. "Even a grader that's already in pieces."

County Road Commission Superintendent Frank Kolenda said the machine would be stored behind the salt shed on County Road 12 until parts are removed as needed. He estimated the hydraulic pump alone would cost $3,400 if purchased new.

Transport scheduled for April

The grader will be transported from Lenawee County in early April on a county flatbed truck. Kolenda said the cab and blade assembly have already been removed by Lenawee road crews to facilitate loading.

Commissioner Ruth Ann Peltier asked whether the county would be responsible for disposing of the grader frame after parts are salvaged. Kolenda said the frame would likely be sold for scrap metal, with proceeds returning to the road commission budget.

The purchase was funded from the road commission's equipment maintenance line, which had a remaining balance of $8,100 as of February.

Commissioner Huffman noted that the grader's engine block is cracked and cannot be salvaged. "But the transmission's good," he said. "That's worth the whole $1,200 right there."

The county board will receive a final parts inventory at its April meeting.