New division focuses on hydraulic drive axles

Reflecting a growing demand among new market sectors, Mud Hog is being given its own, separate division within Tuthill Corporation.

Reflecting a growing demand among new market sectors, Mud Hog - the global leader in steerable hydraulic drive axles for agricultural equipment - is being given its own, separate division within Tuthill Corporation.

Chief Operating Officer Tom Carmazzi announced that Tuthill Drive Systems will be the newest of nine business lines of Burr Ridge, Illinois-based Tuthill Corporation, and further revealed that 25-year Tuthill veteran Randy Minier will be the new line's President.

The move will allow the new division to focus its undivided attention on selling and supporting Mud Hog brand products and handling emerging opportunities.

"Both this new business line and Randy Minier's promotion reflect the significant potential I see for Mud Hog's growth in new market sectors", said Carmazzi.

With more than 100 distinct models, the Mud Hog line has been first in rear-wheel drive technology in the agricultural market since 1976, and it continues to be the most widely preferred rear-wheel drive solution for cotton pickers, combines, and other self-propelled farm equipment in both the original equipment manufacturer and after-market applications.

For decades, Mud Hog has provided four-wheel drive mobility and performance enhancement for self-propelled farm equipment in wet, rugged and sharply inclined terrain conditions that would typically bog down traditional drive systems.

With Tuthill's firm grasp already on the agricultural market, Carmazzi has placed Minier and his Brookston, Indiana, team in charge of pinpointing and nurturing both existing and emerging opportunities for Mud Hog applications.

"Our research has identified a number of target markets where applications for our steerable hydraulic drive axle systems will benefit original equipment manufacturers and, more importantly, their customers", said Minier.

"These sectors include construction, commercial turf care, materials handling and other industrial-related handling, to name a few".

"We're starting to do for them what we've been doing for the agricultural marketplace for 30 years".

"Agricultural equipment manufacturers from around the world, including John Deere, Case New Holland, Jacobson/Textron, Agco Corporation and Claas, have all turned to Mud Hog when they've needed innovative steerable hydraulic drive axles", explained Darren Foster, Director of Sales/Customer Service for Tuthill Drive Systems.

"Instead of diverting their own precious resources to engineering and manufacturing, Tuthill became their outsource partner".

"We have a program and a designated committee whose job it is to focus not only on our customers, but on our customer's customer, the end-user".

"We call our programme 'Forward Focus First', and it helps our OEM partners first anticipate and meet not only their needs, but the needs of their customers as well".

"What we do for our customers is improve the quality of their products, differentiate them from their competition with steerable hydraulic drive axles, and give them better control over their engineering, manufacturing and procurement costs", said Minier.

"In a fast-paced, global marketplace, that's the difference in making it or not", he continued.

"This concept is universally attractive to our customers whether they're in the Americas, Europe or the former Eastern Block countries".

With the emergence of Tuthill Drive Systems, Randy Minier has the opportunity to call on a seasoned pool of talent to lead the new division into the future as it reaches into new markets, while continuing to dominate the agricultural market, according to Foster.

"My folks understand this product inside and out, and they recognise its potential applications".

"Now they're free to make it happen in these new markets, just like they did in ag", Minier said enthusiastically.

"Right now", Minier explained: "strong Mud Hog sales reflect what's just happened with America's farmers".

"Instead of struggling against late-season torrential rains, those with Mud Hogs got their crops out of the field".

"A Mud Hog enables combines, cotton pickers, harvesters and other farm-essential equipment to navigate highly saturated, and otherwise impassable fields".

"It's easy to get your combine into a wet field".

"It's getting out that's usually the problem", he said.

According to Foster, in addition to agriculture, Mud Hogs can make a competitive difference for manufacturers of heavy equipment such as pavers, motor graders, aerial work platforms, commercial mowers, off-road forklifts, mobile cranes, aircraft tow tractors and cargo loaders, plus marine, mining and forestry machinery.

Rather than such equipment manufacturers devoting resources to designing, engineering or manufacturing their own hydraulic axle solutions, they can rely on Tuthill Drive Systems to bring its considerable knowledge, focus and engineering expertise to bear on each manufacturer's unique drive initiative applications.

"In computer technology, the IBMs, Dells and Gateways use another company's processor because it's not economical to use resources to develop those processors on their own, nor is it their core business".

"Why do in-house what can be done better and cheaper by outsourcing with a proven partner?" said Minier.

"The bottom line is, it's a very competitive world out there for a lot of industries", said Minier.

"We can improve the quality and value of the products our customers manufacture, and help them better control their engineering and procurement costs, which gives them a real advantage over their competitors".

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