It’s not every day that a public works director gets the go-ahead to order a new piece of machinery, so Warwick Township Director of Public Works Lorenzo Cuoci was overjoyed to be able to add a Case 580 backhoe loader, purchased from Eagle Power & Equipment of Montgomeryville, Pa., to his fleet.
This was not the township’s first experience with Case backhoe loaders.
“We had a 580 and 590 already here when I came. It is very versatile,” Cuoci said. “We decided not to sell or trade in the oldest machine, which has 5,200 hours on it, because it is the one we load salt with. We are going to keep it for that and for a yard machine if we need to load a little bit of top soil or stone within the yard. When we get a severe storm or hurricane or things like that and we have backhoes at both ends of the township trying to deal with downed trees, sometimes we need something in here.”
Warwick expects its new 580 to last 12 to 15 years, which is how long the township has been operating its existing machine.
“We were coming to the point where it was time to reinvest and buy a new piece of equipment,” explained John Cox, Warwick Township vice chairman of the board of supervisors.
“The thing that convinced me the most was some of the advantages as the quick connects and all the things this thing can do without having a two-man crew to hook a plow on it or a bucket on it. You can do this with a single operator. It’s a saver in the long run.”
Eagle Power & Equipment’s Jim Lutz, sales representative, and Tom Kelly, product support specialist, worked with Cuoci to ensure a smooth transaction, both before and after the sale.
“Jim [Lutz] made sure everything was prepared correctly,” Cuoci said. “He understood my need to utilize municipal financing so that this program would work. He went out and helped me understand it better, so I could help the board understand it better.”
Keeping It Busy
“This new machine will not be used for salt,” Cuoci said.
“We are going to utilize the benefit of keeping our swales clean with the HELAC Power Tilt Attachment. We added a Daniels power angle snowplow to the unit. To help us out with the speed of doing a parking lot, instead of having the smaller loader bucket, we will use the front coupler and put the Daniels plow on it,” Cuoci said.
The 580 also will be used for paving and pipe drainage work.
Warwick Township
Warwick Township has approximately 60 road mi. and nine bridges in its jurisdiction. The township operates on a budget of approximately $750,000 a year, which covers roadways, salaries, operating expenses and vehicle maintenance.
The staff consists of parks and recreation employees and public works, but all employees serve in every capacity, according to Cuoci.
“We do have a parks and rec director, who is in charge of the programs and operations of it. We do not do leaf pick-up. We do not do trash pick-up. We basically maintain our lawns, our basins, our swales, pipework and roadways. Oil and chip is still done in the township, and we do potholes and pipe replacement, depending on the size and capacity.”
Public works also is responsible for plowing in the township, including the township building, the department of public works building and parks. “[The Case 580] is going to help us out in intersections, pushing back the intersections to get them open. It will help us out in our cul de sacs. Just like a truck. It’s faster with a power angle plow.”
Warwick Township does not have mechanic technicians on staff, but “does the best we can to maintain our own equipment. Like in the middle of a snowstorm, cutting edges break. We get in here and do the best we can to put that together. Vehicle inspections are done outside by other services and the major vehicle maintenance is done outside.”
Some Case Super N 580 Features
According to Jim Lutz of Eagle Power & Equipment, the Case Super N 580 offers the same versatility and jobsite agility as its predecessors.
“Case continues to focus on ease of maintenance and operator comfort,” said Lutz. “All main checkpoints can be accessed from ground level. The interior offers great visibility and comfort features, such as ergonomically friendly loader controls and adjustable wrist rests while in the backhoe digging position. The biggest changes are in the machines lifting and digging abilities. The Power Lift feature has increased the backhoe’s lifting ability by up to 65 percent, while larger loader cylinders have increased the capacities from the loader end by up to 40 percent.”
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