The bid from Thompson Machinery of Jackson was the highest of the four received. But Jones said he believes the county will recoup the price difference when it sells the graders in another four or five years.

Jones had reserved the right to select the lowest and/or best bid. On Monday, he opted for what he believed was the best bid for Dyer County.

Jones explained that Caterpillar equipment consistently brings higher re-sell prices than any other brand of equipment. He pointed to used-equipment prices for Machinery Trader, an online equipment seller. The lowest auction prices for comparable used graders were $45,000 higher for Caterpillar than for John Deere.

Stribling Equipment of Jackson offered John Deere motor graders for $174,925 each. Territory Manager Rodney Walker said his bid met all of the county's specifications except for one: the John Deere graders do not have joystick controls.

Sure, Jones said, each Caterpillar grader costs $10,000 more than a John Deere grader. But, he said, the county will more than recover that cost when it sells these graders.

Two more companies submitted bids, but those bids did not receive much consideration. Neither had a service center within 50 miles of Dyersburg, and Jones believed that was a critical issue.

The lowest bid came from Scott Construction Equipment of Memphis, which offered Volvo motor graders for $164,940 each.

Power Equipment of Memphis offered four Komatsu motor graders ranging in price from $172,836 to $175,258. Territory Manager Jimmy Spence said these particular motor graders didn't meet the county's specifications, but they were in stock and could be delivered immediately.

After opening the bids, Jones and Alan Burchfiel, chairman of the Dyer County Commission's Transportation Committee, discussed the pros and cons of each bid.

"The service just about kicks these two out," Jones said, holding the bids from Scott Construction Equipment and Power Equipment. "I know they've got (technicians), but techs get spread thin."

Jones said Caterpillar and John Deere both make good equipment, but his decision comes back to re-sale values. "Ten thousand dollars is the difference between the prices (on the front end) but $45,000 is the difference in resale prices between a John Deere and a Caterpillar," he said.

Burchfiel agreed. "That re-sale value means a whole lot," he said.

"I just don't see any way of getting around the obvious, and that's getting our money back," Jones said.

In addition to purchasing the new motor graders, the county highway department plans to sell its current motor graders. Jones accepted bids for four used motor graders on Wednesday, Sept.24.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers of Lebanon, Tenn., easily won that bid, offering $522,500 for the used graders. Then, the company sweetened the pot by offering to give the county 80 percent of the additional proceeds if the graders brought more than $580,000 at auction.

For comparison, Collins Equipment Co. of Lexington offered $437,350 and Jim Rice Equipment Co. of Friendship offered $419,000.

Motor graders are used to blade gravel roads and shoulders and to lay base rock for tar-and-chip roads.