Company Overview & History
Carlson Tractor & Equipment was founded in 1953 by Cliff Carlson. It was started to serve the agricultural community but quickly migrated to a more contractor-focused company. It was in the early years of the company that Carlson designed and assembled some of the first four-wheel drive, high-lift forklifts; a machine that proved popular with the large masonry contractors in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.
These forklifts are long gone, but the philosophy and principles that went into building them are still strong at Carlson Tractor & Equipment. As a family owned company, we are proud to have second and third generation family members working with the rest of our employees, many of whom have been with the company for almost as long as the current owners; Ron and Rich Carlson. Our company realizes that in order to be competitive in today’s market we have to stay in tune to changing technologies, stay ahead of future demands and be committed to providing customers with personal and professional service.
Today, Carlson Tractor & Equipment partners with suppliers who fit strategically into our focus of providing a complete solution of material handling and processing equipment. Suppliers who are dedicated to providing the equipment and the service that today’s contractor expects. Manufacturers such as Kawasaki, who dedicate themselves to research and development of some of the worlds best wheel loaders, and Kobelco who continues to build only one product; one of the highest-quality excavators in the industry. To fill out Carlson Tractors' complete product line they also represent New Holland Construction, Peterson Pacific wood processing equipment, CEC, Telsmith and McCloskey Screeners & Crushers, Manitou forklifts and many more.
Carlson Tractor & Equipment has a history of building lasting relationships with not only their customers, but their employees as well. We feel one of our strongest assets is the amount of knowledge and experience our employees are able to provide to the company and our customers. Excluding family members, we have combined experience with Carlson Tractor & Equipment of 100 years in sales, 50 years in parts, and over 190 years in our service department. Our company and employees are committed to expanding our knowledge base by continuously receiving training on all of the lines we carry.
