Toro sells auger boring business, Trencor brand

The D72-1.5 auger boring machine. (Photo: Michael Byrne Mfg.)

The Toro Company announced the sale of its Trencor equipment brand and the auger boring product category, a subset of the American Augers brand. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Also not yet publically disclosed was the new owner of the Trencor brand.

Ohio-based Michael Byrne Manufacturing acquired the assets of American Augers.

“We are excited to bring the American Augers’ auger boring legacy under the Michael Byrne banner,” said Jim Weist, president of Michael Byrne Manufacturing. “This move allows us to expand our product offerings, enhance our customer support, and honor the heritage of two respected brands in the trenchless industry.”

With the divesture of the auger boring product category, Toro said it will continue to manufacture American Augers’ line of underground equipment including large horizontal directional drills, pumps and fluid cleaning systems at its West Salem, Ohio, USA, location.

The divesture of Trencor includes assets specific to the full line of large-track trenchers and mining equipment.

“Today’s announcement within our construction portfolio places additional focus on the core underground categories that will provide the greatest growth opportunity and best position our business for future success,” said Peter Moeller, group vice president, Construction Businesses at The Toro Company. “Supported by demand in the pipeline, water and energy transmission sectors, we are excited about the near and long-term prospects for our underground construction business and our ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions to meet the needs of our customers.”

Toro said the transactions represent represents an opportunity for it to remain competitive in its core underground construction markets with a focus on efficiency improvements and synergy gains. Revenue for each business component have historically been included in the company’s professional segment results.

Trencor and American Augers became part of Toro through the acquisition of Charles Machine Works in 2019, which included Ditch Witch and other underground construction brands.