Wed November 09, 2022 - Midwest Edition #23 Ruksana Hussain - CEG Correspondent

When Brad Mohns was frustrated at the delay in receiving a motorcycle hitch that he had ordered, he proceeded to build one in his farm shop in Minnesota. Other motorcycling enthusiasts saw the hitches that he had designed, and the orders soon piled up. That was 1990.

Today, Mohns is the owner and president of HitchDoc, a leading manufacturer of consumer and industrial products for agricultural, construction and heavy equipment industries. A lot has transpired in the three decades that the family-owned company has been in operation, including expanding to a 190,000-sq.-ft. facility in Jackson, Minn., that serves as the headquarters.

HitchDoc is known for its Dual Dozers, Sandpiper Spreaders and snowblowers, among other products. The HDS48MS and HDS60MS mini-skid steer snowblowers are the latest offerings and were just released in April.

"We do have a history of making larger pieces of equipment and attachments for a variety of industries. For us, this is similar territory to our current hydraulic blower lineup for skid steers and wheel loaders. The HDS48SS and HDS60SS were very specifically and intentionally designed for mini-skid steers, and that is being driven by the increased interest and demand in those types of machines," said Richard Lund, who joined the company in 2020 as a marketing specialist, bringing 17 years of experience in commercial and industrial scale manufacturing.

The snowblower does not have its own engine and is powered by the hydraulic system of the machine that it hooks on to instead of having a separate diesel engine.

"That makes it still heavy enough to be effective through snow but lighter and therefore more efficient for the machines that are pushing it," said Lund.

Standard features include 7-gauge auger ribbon flighting with cutting edge; 14-gauge blower shell with 12-gauge end plates; 270-degree hydraulic rotary chute with deflector; and 12-gauge fan housing with 7-gauge motor mount plate. The Mini-Skid Blower relies on a Quick-Tach mounting plate to attach to common machines and is available in widths of 48 in. and 60 in.

In 2018, HitchDoc introduced the all-hydraulic HDS9200 snowblower for 2- to 4-cu.-yd. wheel loaders with several benefits leading to reduced capital investment and yearly maintenance costs. Another priority was safety, which was addressed by eliminating the engine, gearbox and fuel tank, and improving balance, visibility and safety at transport speeds. Lesser noise pollution and no diesel emissions made it better for the environment and for use in public spaces.

HitchDoc also is known for the Dual Dozer which it has been manufacturing for more than 20 years. It features a dual-sided cutting edge and rear-mounted casters so operators can push or pull material and grade in any direction. This saves the operator time while providing a smooth, level finish without leaving tracks that need to be smoothed over manually.

Behind every product offering is an effort to provide a solution to address pain points experienced by manufacturers. New products are engineered with quality improvements and work efficiencies keeping in mind customer and industry needs. Seeing the quality of Mohns' work, HitchDoc's Contract Manufacturing Division was first established in 1994. Between that and its own manufactured products, the company has upgraded its facilities several times in the last 30 years, now serving more than 10 industries and boasting more than 140 employees.

Despite the 2008 recession, HitchDoc management added product lines through acquisition and development. One such acquisition included bringing Kwik-Way Manufacturing in Sioux Falls, S.D., under its umbrella in 2016. That now serves as a secondary location for the company with 20 employees and has many fabrication capabilities available. It also allowed HitchDoc to quickly expand its product offering in the dirt works area. The Jackson facility houses flat lasers, flame/plasma cutting, tube lasers, welding, machining, forming, parts finishing, paint line and full product stocking and assembly lines. The company is quality certified ISO9001:2015 and environmentally certified ISO14001.

Even through the pandemic, HitchDoc has witnessed busy days. While there wasn't a shutdown of operations, a slowdown was inevitable.

"Supply chain is the name of the game but as a company we were able to continue to move forward," said Lund. "We don't have a lot of need for chips so that hasn't necessarily had an impact but other commonly used pieces, electronics, hydraulic supplies … everybody swipes for the same limited supplies out there."

Confirmed product deliveries weren't possible during that time.

"It's hard to forecast or give customers a firm delivery date when your raw materials don't have firm delivery dates. That's been a challenge, but we've worked exceptionally hard with our suppliers and customers to keep our build schedule on track," he added.

The snowbelt is where HitchDoc has a stronger, higher concentration of customers and dealers but the company has representation nationwide and internationally, including as far as New Zealand. Dealer training is typically hosted at the dealer location upon request and HitchDoc is looking to strengthen its presence in other parts of the country too as it builds up business for 2023 and beyond.

HitchDoc is participating at ConExpo-Con/AGG in Las Vegas in March 2023 and a variety of other shows throughout the year.

For more information, visit hitchdoc.com. CEG

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