Polaris celebrates 70 years of Taylor-Dunn

News Story
- 12 Sep 2019 ( #940 ) - Minneapolis, MN, United States
2 min read
Taylor-Dunn C-425 in action
Taylor-Dunn C-425 in action
Taylor-Dunn, part of Polaris Inc., is celebrating its 70th anniversary, harking back to the garage of RD Taylor who designed and built his first electric-powered cart to help him drive new efficiencies across his small poultry supply business in 1949.

What started as a backyard creation 70 years ago turned out to be a new class of vehicles that would revolutionise material movement and transportation across industries. Today, the company has one of the largest portfolios of commercial and industrial vehicles, customers and retailers across the globe.

"Both Taylor-Dunn and Polaris were founded by men who saw a need, had the ingenuity and determination to build something to meet that need, and went on to establish an industry around their invention," says Polaris chairman and CEO Scott Wine. "So, we share a history - and a culture - of innovation, and while our respective founders could not have foreseen where that drive to create would take us, I am confident they would have seen Polaris and Taylor-Dunn as kindred spirits. Along with the rest of Polaris, I commend Taylor-Dunn for their rich history of success, and look forward to what we will accomplish together over the next seven decades."

Taylor-Dunn was officially incorporated in 1951, when Taylor's son-in-law, Fred Dunn, signed on as partner of the company, and they began selling carts to ranchers and nurseries across the area.

In 1955, the company sped up a round of golf and simplified neighbourhood shopping trips with its three-wheeled, 24 v electric golf cart. Eventually, Taylor-Dunn moved away from the golf cart industry to focus purely on its commercial and industrial lines.

Over the years, the company has streamlined closed-campus goods movement with the Bigfoot utility vehicle line-up, and added additional flexibility and manoeuvrability to its line of commercial warehouse vehicles with the TT-316 tow tractor.

In 2016, Polaris acquired Taylor-Dunn to increase its comprehensive line-up of commercial and industrial vehicles, as well as to continue developing Taylor-Dunn vehicles. This has included leveraging Polaris' engineering expertise to co-develop the G-100 in 2017, Taylor-Dunn's first off-road utility vehicle.

"At Taylor-Dunn, we're never happy with the status quo and constantly working to create the best of the best across industries. And as I look back on the past 70 years, I couldn't be prouder of how far this company has come," says Polaris commercial and government vice president and general manager Keith Simon. "Our success can be attributed to the mindset and work ethic of our employees, great retailers and industry partners, and our loyal customers that are constantly inspiring us to do more."
Briefs
Briefs 3 Jul 2025 - 1 min read
Briefs
Briefs 26 Jun 2025 - 1 min read
Toyota Material Handling celebrates 40th anniversary in South Africa
Toyota Material Handling celebrates 40th anniversary in South Africa 19 Jun 2025 - Johannesburg, South Africa - 1 min read
Previously about:
More incentives in the wake of COVID-19 News Story - 23 Jul 2020 - 4 min read
Manufacturers offer finance, support News Story - 25 Jun 2020 - 2 min read
Eastern Lift Truck adds Polaris News Story - 30 Jan 2020 - Maple Shade, NJ, United States - 1 min read
Waev launches Bigfoot S News Story - 6 Oct 2022 - Anaheim, CA, United States - 1 min read
Waev buys GEM and Taylor-Dunn News Story - 13 Jan 2022 - Anaheim, CA, United States - 2 min read
Debuts at MODEX 2020 News Story - 19 Mar 2020 - Atlanta, GA - 3 min read
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here

Even the heaviest lifts must be easy to handle. That’s why N.C. Nielsen raises the bar in lifting capacity, maneuverability, operator comfort, flexibility and technical capabilities.
Heavy duty reach stackers – lifting capacity from 85 to 180 tons.
VIEW ALL OUR CUSTOM-BUILT HEAVY DUTY REACH STACKERS

Contact us now: +45 99 83 83 83 - www.nc-nielsen.com

Words of support …

After advertising with Forkliftaction.com, we got many enquiries regarding interest to be our distributor. Mostly from Europe and USA but including a few in ASEAN. We feel that the advertisement was useful and good for market expansion.

Lawrence Xu, Assistant Sales Manager

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

We’re excited to launch a major upgrade to the Forkliftaction forums, packed with new features and improvements. Here’s what’s new:

  • You can now add up to two photos to your posts
  • New search & navigation - find what you need easier
  • Smart brand/model tagging across all forums
  • Top contributors recognised for their efforts!

 Head over to the forums to check it out!

Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading

PREMIUM business

GemOne
Telematics for industrial fleets. Fleet & safety management solutions: track vehicles, boost efficiency, operate safer, & avoid unexpected downtime.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Even the heaviest lifts must be easy to handle. That’s why N.C. Nielsen raises the bar in lifting capacity, maneuverability, operator comfort, flexibility and technical capabilities.
Heavy duty reach stackers – lifting capacity from 85 to 180 tons.
VIEW ALL OUR CUSTOM-BUILT HEAVY DUTY REACH STACKERS

Contact us now: +45 99 83 83 83 - www.nc-nielsen.com