Come Grow with Us: Toro Continues to Acquire Innovative Solutions for Outdoor Environments
The Toro Co. is always eyeing the landscape, looking for complementary equipment to add to its portfolio. Almost every year now, the famous red landscape, golf, irrigation and construction machine maker buys a new company. Toro did not wait long in 2020, announcing in January an agreement to acquire Venture Products Inc., the Ohio-based manufacturer of Ventrac products, which includes that gnarly articulated tractor with eight wheels pictured.
The Venture purchase is just the latest Toro power move but certainly not the biggest. In 2019, Toro captured a whale with its purchase of Charles Machine Works, parent company of Oklahoma’s famed Ditch Witch brand (among others). Ditch Witch makes a lot of the same style construction machines as Toro — trenchers, compact tool carriers and HDD rigs for starters — but with a utility construction bent. In 2018, Toro acquired Indiana-based L.T. Rich Products, a maker of commercial zero-turn spreaders/sprayers, aerators and snow machinery. Before that came Regnerbau Calw GmbH’s irrigation products in 2016, Boss’ snowplows in 2014, Xiamen Xiangfeng Water Saving Equipment’s irrigation products in 2013 and Unique Lighting Systems’ low voltage outdoor systems in 2011.
I could go on, but the Ventrac brand is worth highlighting specifically. A hybrid between a skid steer, tractor and wheel loader, Ventrac’s all-wheel drive compact tractors connect to over 30 attachments to perform applications from trenching to snowthrowing. These Ventrac units are popular with property managers and golf courses because of their hillside capabilities and light footprint.
The company’s main unit is the Ventrac 4500, which touts all-wheel drive and floatation tires which help the tractor move across the turf without creating ruts. Similar to a wheel loader, these tractors have an articulating and oscillating “FlexFrame,” which keeps all four tires in contact with the ground, minimizing footprint and restoration. There is a sweet dual wheel kit that spreads the unit’s weight out even further with the crazy-looking eight tires you see above. Venture also makes the Ventrac SSV, a cool dedicated sidewalk snow removal machine. In 2019, Ventrac generated net sales of approximately $100 million.
Making this purchase even more interesting is that Doosan Bobcat officially acquired the assets of similarly named Bob-Cat Mowers last month, which includes a similar articulating tractor tool-carrier brand also based in Ohio called Steiner. Two giant equipment brands are now invested in this unique machine category.
Keith Gribbins, Publisher
kgribbins@benjaminmedia.com
