Claremore Daily Progress

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  • Rogers County Commissioner Mike Helm highlights the capacity of the eight foot Asphalt Zipper machine. Salesha Wilken

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November 22, 2012

Commissioners benefit from test drive

Salesha Wilken Staff Reporter

CLAREMORE — The Rogers County Commissioners met Monday with another lite agenda in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Discussion was limited yet the board approved the purchase of four pieces of equipment, approved three utility permits and appointed Michael Washburn to the Rogers County Board of Adjustments.
Commissioner Mike Helm added three new pieces of equipment, a backhoe, small track hoe and a portable asphalt-reclaiming machine.
The track hoe and backhoe will be purchased from Yellowhouse Machinery.
Asphalt Zipper, a Utah based company has already supplied the asphalt zipper to Rogers County District 2.
Both the asphalt reclaiming machine and the small track hoe were provided for testing by the vendor prior to the purchase.
This is a common practice according to the Commissioners.
Helm has been using the equipment on a test basis for the past three to four month, he said.
“We are the guinea pig,” Helm said.
The equipment is unique, it is 8ft wide instead of the standard 4 feet.
Company representative Clarice Christensen said that not many customers have equipment big enough to pull the equipment.
The company has been producing the item for two years, according to Christensen.
Helm received a used machine that has been tested in locations across the country, she added.
Part of the test process allows customers to determine if they like the product and discover any issues, according to Helm.
Helm discovered such an issue with the trailer that hauls the equipment.
An engineer with Asphalt Zipper came to District 2 to review the faulty trailer, according to Christensen.
Once a solution was determined Helm fixed the trailer and continued using the equipment on a trial basis, according to Christensen.
“Mike went ahead with our permission to add what he wanted to the trailer and we compensated him for those repairs,” Christensen said.
The Rogers County Clerk has no record of the repair work and the Rogers County Treasurer has no record of the compensation.
Helm provided no comment regarding the compensation or the repairs that he completed.

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