Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works

TO:	Mark Thiel
FROM:	Tom Orzulak
Date:	4/9/2009
RE:	Heavy Duty Truck Tractor – purchase and information

A new truck tractor was appropriated in the 2009 Storm Water budget. The cost of this equipment is estimated at $90,000. This piece of equipment is needed to pull a heavy duty drop deck low boy trailer that was purchased last year. The new trailer was bought to haul the Division’s excavator and track loader used for clearing large open drainage ways in town and on the levee.

We currently have one truck tractor, two low boy trailers and one heavy duty dump trailer. One low boy is used as mentioned for our track machines and the other is used to haul our paving equipment. The dump trailer is used for hauling stock pile materials such as rock, sand, fill dirt and transferring winter materials to our satellite facility on Wakarusa Dr. 

This new truck will be an addition to the Public Works fleet. This second tractor is needed because often work has to be delayed because we can not get the equipment to job sites efficiently with only one truck for 3 trailers. There are many times per week that delays in work are created by having only one truck to pull equipment trailers to and from job sites. For example on an average week either the storm water or asphalt crew must wait while the equipment for one crew is being delivered to their work site. This creates a 2 to 3 hour delay for the other crew resulting in wasted time and unnecessary expenses.

The new truck will also be able to be fitted with a snow plow and spreader and utilized during snow removal as a spare. We currently have only 1 spare big truck for snow removal that in service during most prolong events. And second spare will provide added security for uninterrupted service. We already have a spreader and snow plow which can be utilized with no additional cost.

The hydraulic system for this truck will be bid separately.