Summers Disk-Chisel - Manual (Page 118)

History of Summers Manufacturing Co., Inc.
1965 – Summers Manufacturing is founded by Harley Summers, who purchases patent rights for Goebel truck and pickup hoists from
the Goebel Brothers of Lehr, ND. These hoists, produced in Harley Summers’ blacksmith shop the fi rst year, were distributed
nationwide by a Cincinnati, Ohio, dealer. With increasing sales, the company soon outgrows the small shop. Summers wins
the Herman harrow contract, beginning the company’s Herman culti-harrow line. Summers builds a 7,200 square-foot factory
in Maddock to meet the demand for truck and pickup hoists, as well as Herman harrows.
1969 – Firm incorporates and becomes offi cially known as Summers Manufacturing Company, Inc.
1970 – Summers purchases rights to manufacture/market the Herman Harrow.
1973 – Company builds new 20,000 square-foot plant and offi ces in Maddock, adding a 20,000 square-foot assembly plant in the
fall of 1975 (completed in January 1976), bringing total square footage of Maddock factories to 47,000.
1977 – Summers introduces the Agri-sprayer, used in conjunction with the Herman culti-harrow to incorporate herbicides and liquid
fertilizer.
1980 – Company purchases manufacturing and distributing rights to Crown rockpickers from Crown Manufacturers of Regina,
Saskatchewan. This forces another expansion project – a 26,000 square foot factory on a 24 acre site in Devils Lake, ND
Industrial Park.
1981 – Company establishes a branch facility in Regina, Saskatchewan.
1982 – Devils Lake plant begins operations in January, manufacturing supersprayers and rockpickers. The Maddock factory begins
producing the Superweeder, a combination cultivator and harrow.
1983 – Summers buys manufacturing and distributing rights to the Fargo Field Sprayer line from Mid America Steel (formerly Fargo
Foundry), Fargo. This fi eld sprayer line is manufactured at the Devils Lake plant. Harley Summers is selected North Dakota’s
small-businessman of the year by the Small Business Administration.
1984 – Herman Diamond Disk, a disk harrow made in a diamond shape to reduce blade breakage from rocks, comes off the as-
sembly line.
1985 – Summers signs a contract with Melroe Company of Bismarck to obtain exclusive manufacturing rights to the Melroe harrow
line.
1989 – Summers purchases TorMaster Company of Hordean, Manitoba, giving the company a line of rolling packer equipment,
comprised of harrow packers and hydraulic fold coil packers.
1992 – A new engineering offi ce/parts department is added to the Devils Lake factory.
1993 – Company adds two new products: a pickup-mounted sprayer with booms of 80 and 90 feet, and the Summers Superharrow,
an extra-heavy-duty residue-management tool designed for the minimum and no-till farmer.
1994 – a 50 by 125 foot addition to the Maddock factory is completed. Construction begins on a 24,576 square-foot addition to the
Devils Lake factory, which enables the company to increase production of truck-mounted and pull-type supersprayers and
rockpickers.
1996 – 1500 square foot offi ce area added to the Maddock plant. Company introduces Chisel Plow with fl oating hitch and 700# trip
assembly.
1997 – 16,800 square foot warehouse in Maddock purchased from local business.
1999 - Company introduces the Ultimate suspended boom trailer sprayer with hydraulic folding booms. Additional sizes added to
the Chisel Plow line, now ranging from 28’ to 54’.
2000 - Company introduces the Supercoulter, the innovative solution for excessive fi eld residue management on no-till, minimum-
till, and conventional-till farming operations.
2001 - Cold storage building completed at Devils Lake. Company extends boom lengths up to 110 feet on the Ultimate Super-
sprayer.
2002 - Company adds a warehouse and service man in Aberdeen, SD.
2003 - Company introduces the Ultimate NT Supersprayer featuring a bolt on axle for easier adjustment, and a new family of tanks
that feature a drainable sump and a common width dimension.
2004 - A 124 ft. x 310 ft. addition is added onto the current Devils Lake plant.
2005 - The Summers Superroller is added to the “Field Tested Tough” product line. Additional sizes of 56’, 58’ and 60’ are added to
the Superchisel line. Ultimate-Ultra NT Supersprayer introduced featuring 120’ & 133’ booms.
2006 - The Summers Coulter-Chisel, Rolling Choppers and 30’ Superroller were included in product line.
2007 - 62’ & 84’ 5 Section Landrollers and a 20’ Coulter-Chisel were introduced.
2008 - Disk-Chisels, ranging from 16’ to 40’ widths, are added to product line.
Summers distributes on a wholesale level to dealers and distributors throughout markets in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,
Montana, Iowa, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta,
British Columbia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Australia, making it an international company.