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Personality Profi le of Woods Equipment


Woods Equipment Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Batwing®


In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Batwing® Rotary Cutter rotary cutter,


Woods Equipment is celebrating the contributions this iconic product has made to the company and the industry.


Corporate Headquarters: Woods Equipment Company 2606 South Illinois Route 2 Post Offi ce Box 1000 Oregon, Illinois 61061 Phone: (815) 732-2141 Fax: (815) 732-7580


In 1946 Keith, Mervel and Leonard Wood chose Oregon, Ill., along the banks of the Rock River to build their new venture, Wood Brothers Manufacturing Co. and produced the fi rst successful tractor-mounted rotary cutter. Known for hard work and innovation, the brothers continued to invent new products to help farm- ers and maintenance workers cut brush and mow grass.


The development of the Batwing started with initial concepts sketched in


the late 1950s and progressed to the fi rst shipments in 1963. Three years later, in 1966, the brothers fi led for a patent on the unique drive arrange- ment for transmitting power between the sections of the hinged-wing design. In 1970, inventor Keith S. Wood was awarded patent number 3,527,032 for “Cutter Section for Multisection Mower.” The Wood brothers’ drive arrangement allows the shaft to expand to accommodate changes in distance between the gearboxes, while two uni- versal joints enable the shafts to transmit power as the relative positions of the gearboxes change. This same basic design is used on virtually every fl ex- wing cutter manufactured today.


This and subsequent innovations have signifi cantly affected the overall growth of the fl ex-wing mower product category. Today, Batwing cutters are prevalent on farms, roadsides, campuses, estates and homes throughout the United States and also exported to countries around the world. To kick-off the commemorative year, the city of Oregon, Ill., where Woods is headquartered, proclaimed 2013 “The Year of the Woods Batwing” and Mayor Tom Stone ceremoniously renamed the main thoroughfare, “Batwing Blvd.” Illinois General Assembly Representative Tom Demmer passed a resolution (HR0043), in which the Illinois House of Representatives offi cially congratulated Woods on the anniversary of the Batwing. In addition, Woods created a special display for the National Farm Machinery Show, produced a commemorative line of logo merchandise avail- able at woodsgearonline.com, conducted original art and photography con- tests, developed a 2013 Batwing calendar, and is applying 50th anniversary decals to all Batwing cutters shipped this year. The company is also planning employee events, celebrations at dealer training meetings and other special activities throughout the year.


For more information on the Batwing or any Woods product, please call customer service at 800-319-6637 or visit woodsequipment.com.


16 RURAL LIFESTYLE DEALER  SPRING 2013


Visit RuralLifestyleDealer.com/RS and indicate No. 135


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