LIVERMORE — Selectmen unanimously voted Monday night to purchase an excavator to replace a backhoe that was taken out of service in the spring.

Voters at the June town meeting approved seeking financing for up to $135,000 to purchase equipment to replace the 1995 Case backhoe.

Road foreman Roger Ferland and highway worker Ron Greenwood have been looking at makes and models and recommended the Linkbelt.

“I’m stuck on the Linkbelt. It has a lot of good points,” Ferland said.

The cost of the machine is $120,815. The machine is $92,755, mulching attachment $21,000 plus $5,560 for installation, and a diverter valve is $1,500.

Ferland said an additional cost will be the installation of safety glass that can be removed when the mulching attachment isn’t in use. A safety cage would cost about $1,900.

The Linkbelt can chip brush and trees into fairly small pieces. Greenwood said the Linkbelt doesn’t shred materials the way flail mowers do. It also has a hook which allows a tree to be picked up and loaded onto a truck instead of chipping it.

“The Linkbelt is very environmentally friendly,” Greenwood said. It is seeing a lot of use in logging operations because it makes it possible to stay out of brooks and streams.

The Linkbelt comes with a three-year, 3,000-hour no-touch extended warranty. Heavy Machinery in Skowhegan carries parts if they are needed.

Ferland said Caterpillar had lower-priced options, but they don’t have any available until fall.

“We couldn’t even try one out,” he said.

Selectperson Megan Dion asked if the Linkbelt was big enough for ditching work. She was concerned that it might be too small for some projects.

Greenwood said, “The Linkbelt handled some pretty big rocks. It did a 4-foot culvert today.”

Ferland will schedule a meeting with the Linkbelt dealer and town Treasurer Amy Byron to work out the financing details.

Ferland asked if it would be possible to use leftover money to buy a box sweeper to put on the JCB backhoe. Having the sweeper would make it possible to recover more sand from roadsides.

After referring to the wording of the town meeting warrant article, the board agreed that the purchase didn’t fall under the guidelines of the town meeting vote.

Ferland was told to bring it to the Budget Committee next year rather than calling a special town meeting this year.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net

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