The wide-eyed talk at the American Rental Association Show was Toroβs acquisition late last week of the Charles Machine Works, parent company of the Ditch Witch brand.
In a press conference at the ARA Show, the two companies discussed what prompted the buy and how the two companies plan to transition into one company.
About a year and a half ago, a discussion at an Association of Equipment Manufacturers meeting started the process that ended last week when Toro announced that it had bought CMW, says Toro Chairman and CEO Rick Olson. βWe basically told them if youβre ever interestedβ¦ .β
Although CMW had received several offers and inquiries in the past, says Rick Johnson, CMW CEO, βthis is the first time we took any of them seriously.β
Johnson continued: βWe echo the sentiments about this being an exciting time for both companies. It is a perfect fit.β
But the decision did not come without a great deal of heart searching for the family members, including Tiffany Sewell-Howard, executive chair of CMW, who took over the helm of the company from her grandfather and company founder Ed Malzhan in 2003.
βThe emotional roller coaster of selling the family business that had been in the family for 100 years was at times emotionally gut wrenching,β Johnson made clear. βIn the end, this is the right decision, and the future for Charles Machine Works as the βUnderground Authorityβ is bright.β
βOur intention is to manage all the brands of both the Charles Machine Works, including Ditch Witch, and the Toro brands in a dual-brand strategy, β says Rick Rodier, Toro vice president and general manager who will be assuming responsibilities for former CMW products in the transition. βThereβs no intention of taking current models away or making a model that is currently orange red and vice versa. Weβre thrilled to add Ditch Witch and the other brands to our portfolio of brands.β
βIt was an up and down process for the Malzahn family,β admits Johnson, βbut in the end they stood together, we feel that the Toro company could take it to a level that we probably couldnβt on our own in terms of access to capital and talent. We feel like this is the next chapter of Ditch Witch and Charles Machine Works.β
Reaching out to dealers
CMW reached out to its dealer network via a conference call the Friday morning of the announcement, Johnson tells Equipment World. βThey told us that they knew it probably was going to happen someday and they were glad we picked someone who need more distribution,β Johnson says.
Following the conference call, company executives also called each dealer individually to hear concerns about such things as dealer discounts and warrantees.
The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of July, which is also the end of Toroβs fiscal third quarter.
Our parent company, Charles Machine Works, has agreed to be acquired by The Toro Company. Our plant is staying right here in Perry, Oklahoma, and will become Toroβs largest manufacturing facility worldwide. #DitchWitch #StillOrangehttps://t.co/jVQN7l3JCg
β Ditch Witch (@ditchwitch) February 15, 2019
In an analystβs call on Friday, Rick Olson, chairman and CEO of Toro said that CMW and Toro had similar sales mix, with approximately 75 percent of sales domestically and 25 percent internationally. βOne of the things that matches up well between the two companies is the value placed on relationships with channel partners,β Olson said. The importance of dealers to success of company was conveyed βvery early onβ and offers βgreat alignment with how we feel about our channel as well,β Olson said.
CMW has a strong Ditch Witch brand presence in its dealer network, with dealers are typically identified as βDitch Witch of [location].β According to the company, Ditch Witch dealers operate in 175 locations in more than 100 countries.
Olson also said that current Ditch Witch CEO Rick Johnson would stay on board but will βtransition his responsibilitiesβ as a Toro person becomes responsible for the CMW brands.
Product mix of Toro, Ditch Witch
In examining the data from the 2018-19 Equipment World Spec Guide, itβs clear that the CMW buy gives Toro depth in both directional drills and trenchers, while Toro has strength in compact utility loaders, also called compact toolcarriers. Toro celebrated the 20thyear of the Dingo line with the introduction of Dingo TXL 2000 at last yearβs American Rental Association show.
The Ditch Witch SK line of compact utility loaders, however, is popular with Ditch Witch dealers.

In directional drills, Toro offers just two models: the 22,000-pound max pullback DD2226 and the 40,000-pound max pullback DD4050, introduced at the ICUEE show in 2013 and after the company bought the vibratory plow, trencher and small horizontal drill lines of Astec Underground from Astec Industries in 2012. Later in 2012, CMW bought the American Augers brand from Astec Industries, which gave it models above 100,000 pounds max pullback, The company currently offers models ranging from 5,000 to 1.1 million pounds max pullback.
The two companies have competed the longest in trenchers, where Toro has five models ranging from 16 to 121 horsepower. CMWβs offering was broadened by its acquisition of Trencor brand, also part of the 2012 buy from Astec, and the company now offers trenchers ranging from 11.7 horsepower to 950 horsepower.
Below are the comparison specs for Toroβs and CMWβs offerings in directional drills, compact utility loaders and trenchers from the 2018-19 Equipment World Spec Guide. (Note: Due to publication date, It does not include models introduced in the last five months of 2018.)
Directional Drills
Make | Model | Max pullback (lbs) | Max thrust (lbs) | Unit length of drill pipe (ft/in) | Operating weight (lbs) |
Up to <10,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT5 | 5,000 | 4,100 | 4β² 9β³ | 3,690 |
10,000 to <20,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT10 | 10,000 | 9,000 | 6β² 0β³ | 7,100 |
20,000 to <30,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT20 | 20,000 | 17,000 | 10β² 0β³ | 11,890 |
Toro | DD2226 | 22,000 | 22,000 | 10β² | 9,485 |
Ditch Witch | JT25 | 27,000 | 27,000 | 9β² 8β³ | 20,200 |
30,000 to <40,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT30 | 30,000 | 24,800 | 9β² 8β³ | 22,575 |
Ditch Witch | JT30 All Terrain | 30,000 | 24,800 | 9β² 8β³ | 22,655 |
40,000 to <55,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT40 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 15β² 0β³ | 28,750 |
Ditch Witch | AT40 All Terrain | 40,000 | 40,000 | 15β² 0β³ | 21,600 |
Toro | DD4050 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 10β² | 21,620 |
55,000 to <100,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT60 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 15β² 0β³ | 31,250 |
Ditch Witch | JT60 All Terrain | 60,000 | 60,000 | 15β² 0β³ | 31,250 |
100,000 to <200,000 lbs pullback |
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Ditch Witch | JT100 | 100,000 | 70,000 | 14β² 8β³ | 45,300 |
Ditch Witch | JT100 All Terrain | 100,000 | 70,000 | 14β² 1β³ | 47,260 |
American Augers | DD-110 | 110,000 | 110,000 | 20β² 0β³ | 47,000 |
200,000 to <500,000 lbs pullback |
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American Augers | DD-240T | 240,000 | 240,000 | 34β² 0β³ | 84,600 |
American Augers | DD-440T | 440,000 | 440,000 | 34β² 0β³ | 95,400 |
500,000 lbs pullback and over |
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American Augers | DD-660RS | 660,000 | 660,000 | 34β² 0β³ | 100,300 |
American Augers | DD-1100 RS | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 | 34β² 0β³ | 113,000 |
Compact Utility Loaders
Make | Model | Standard operating load at 50% of tipping load (lbs) |
Rated operating load (lbs) | Tipping load, standard (lbs) | Gross power (hp) | Operating weight (lbs) |
up to <601 lbs standard operating load @ 50% of tipping load |
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Toro | 323 Dingo | 515 | 515 | 1,030 | 23 | 1,567 |
Toro | 320D Dingo | 524 | 524 | 1,048 | 20 | 1,722 |
601 to <801 lbs standard operating load @ 50% of tipping load |
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Toro | TX 427 Narrow Track | 765 | 535 | 1,530 | 25 | 1,882 |
Toro | TX 427 Wide Track | 765 | 535 | 1,530 | 25 | 1,990 |
Toro | TX 525 Narrow Track | 790 | 553 | 1,580 | 23.3 | 1,904 |
Toro | TX 525 Wide Track | 790 | 553 | 1,580 | 23.3 | 2,013 |
801 to <976 lbs standard operating load @ 50% of tipping load |
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Ditch Witch | SK600 | 863 | 600 | 1,725 | 24.8 | 2,418 |
976 to 1,500 lbs standard operating load @ 50% of tipping load |
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Ditch Witch | SK800 | 1,233 | 860 | 2,465 | 24.8 | 2,926 |
Toro | TX 1000 Narrow Track | 1,428 | 1,000 | 2,857 | 24.9 | 2,610 |
>1,500 lbs standard operating load @ 50% of tipping load |
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Ditch Witch | SK1050 | 1,518 | 1,062 | 3,035 | 36.9 | 3,435 |
Toro | TX 1000 Wide Track | 1,535 | 1,075 | 3,071 | 24.9 | 2,790 |
Ditch Witch | SK1550 | 2,225 | 1,558 | 4,450 | 43.5 | 3,990 |
Trenchers
Make | Model | Gross engine power (hp) | Operating weight (lbs) | Max cutting depth (ft/in) | Cutting width, min-max (in) |
Under 14 gross hp | |||||
Ditch Witch | C12X | 11.7 | 1,360 | 2β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Ditch Witch | C14 | 13.5 | 1,191 | 2β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
14 to <18 gross hp |
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Ditch Witch | C16 | 16 | 1,528 | 2β² 6β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Ditch Witch | C16X | 16 | 1,895 | 3β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Toro | TRX-16 | 16 | 1,100 | 4β² 0β³ | 6β³ |
18 to <40 gross hp |
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Ditch Witch | C24X | 22 | 1,915 | 3β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Toro | TRX-26 | 26 | 1,248 | 4β² 0β³ | 8β³ |
Ditch Witch | Zahn R300 2WD | 30 | 1,048 | 3β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 8β³ |
Ditch Witch | Zahn R300 4WD | 30 | 1,290 | 4β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 12β³ |
Ditch Witch | C30X | 31 | 2,100 | 4β² 0β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Toro | ProSneak 365 | 35.5 | 2,930 | 3β² 6β³ | 4β³ β 6β³ |
Ditch Witch | ST37X | 37 | 4,110 | 3β² 0β³ | 6β³ β 16β³ |
40 to <51 gross hp |
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Ditch Witch | RT45 | 48.8 | 5,375 | 5β² 3β³ | 6β³ β 12β³ |
51 to <76 gross hp |
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Ditch Witch | RT55 | 62 | 12,000 | 5β² 2β³ | 6β³ β 12β³ |
Toro | RT600 | 65 | 8,500 | 6β² 0β³ | 6β³ β 16β³ |
Ditch Witch | RT80 | 74 | 20,370 | 7β² 8β³ | 6β³ β 24β³ |
Ditch Witch | RT80 Quad | 74 | 19,100 | 5β² 2β³ | 6β³ β 24β³ |
76 to <130 gross hp |
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Ditch Witch | RT105 | 107 | 22,000 | 8β² 1β | 6β³ β 24β³ |
Ditch Witch | RT125 | 121 | 22,000 | 8β² 1β | 6β³ β 24β³ |
Ditch Witch | RT125 Quad | 121 | 27,200 | 7β² 9β | 6β³ β 24β³ |
Toro | RT1200 | 121 | 13,750 | 7β² 0β³ | 6β³ β 16β³ |
300 to <400 gross hp |
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Trencor | T1060 | 350 | 90,000 β 110,000 | 12β² 0β³ | 12β³ β 36β³ |
Trencor | T1060 | 375 | 90,000 β 110,000 | 12β² 0β³ | 12β³ β 36β³ |
400 to <600 gross hp |
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Trencor | T13 | 475 | 127,000 β 173,000 | 18β² 0β³ | 16β³ β 48β³ |
Trencor | T13 | 509 | 127,000 β 173,000 | 18β² 0β³ | 16β³ β 48β³ |
600 hp & over | |||||
Trencor | T14 | 617 | 236,000 β 278,000 | 20β² 0β³ | 28β³ β 54β³ |
Trencor | T14 | 630 | 236,000 β 278,000 | 20β² 0β³ | 28β³ β 54β³ |
Trencor | T16 | 950 | 240,000 β 320,000 | 30β² 0β³ | 28β³ β 60β³ |
Trencor | T17 | 950 | 246,000 β 326,000 | 30β² 0β³ | 28β³ β 72β³ |