The Road to Anvil Attachments: The History of Our Clamshell Buckets and Grapples

Anvil Attachments is one of the oldest suppliers of grabs, grapples, and clamshell buckets for bulk material handling and is the only US manufacturer of clamshell buckets that has passed a 2-year testing program of the US government for quality and strength.

Over its history, Anvil and its brands have the unique distinction of building clamshell buckets and grapples which are considered to be the largest of their type to have ever been built. These accomplishments symbolize Anvil's design and manufacturing capabilities and represent the company's "can-do" attitude when an industry has unique requirements.

It’s no surprise then that Anvil Attachments' superb history of grab manufacturing dates back over 100 years! Anvil owns and builds grabs based on several brand names dating back to the early 1900s. These brands include Owen, Yaun-Williams, Drott, Pro-Line, and Hawco. 

But how did we get here exactly? Let’s connect the dots through history.

Owen Bucket Company was formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1908, and that’s where the story begins.

Only a few years later in 1916, in his hometown of Butternut, Wisconsin, Edward Drott founded Drott Tractor Company. It was moved to Wausau, Wisconsin, in 1923. Drott was well known for their 4-in-1 Bucket.

Here in Louisiana, Yaun Welding and Dragline Buckets were formed in Baton Rouge in 1946.

In 1968, also in Louisiana, Hawco was established in Slaughter, as a rebuilder of clamshell buckets and grapples. As Hawco's customer base and revenues grew, the company hired experienced engineers and began designing and fabricating new cable-driven clamshell buckets and grapples. By the early 1980s, Hawco was well established as one of the leading manufacturers of grabs in North America. During the mid-1980s, Hawco expanded its product line by adding hydraulic and electro-hydraulic designs. Since then, Hawco has grown to be North America's largest supplier of clamshell buckets and grapples.

In 1976 a merger took place between the Williams Bucket Division of Atlas Car Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio and Yaun Manufacturing of Baton Rouge. This merger was called Yaun-Williams Bucket Co. which was formed in Louisiana.

In that same year, Anvil Attachments Industries was formed in Ohio—the same state where the Owen Bucket Company was formed in 1908 at the beginning of our story— and Owens was sold to Anvil two years later in 1978.

Over ten years later, in 1989, Pro-Line Buckets and Grapples was founded in Houston, Texas.

In 1992 D&S Manufacturing Co., in Black River Falls, Wisconsin acquired the Anvil Attachments division of Intergy Inc. Just six years later, in 1998, Pro-Line Machine & Repair Co., of Houston, purchased the Anvil Attachments line from D&S Manufacturing Co., with plans to manufacture various new products under the Anvil name. In the purchase, Pro-Line acquired the brands Yaun-Williams and Owens.

In 2002, Pro-Line Buckets & Grapples of Houston and Hawco Manufacturing Co. LLC, of Slaughter, Louisiana merged to form a larger clamshell bucket and grapple manufacturing firm. The new company used the name Anvil Attachments, choosing an existing Pro-Line brand as its corporate name. And that brings us to the present day, where Anvil Attachments operates out of Slaughter, Louisiana.

Anvil Attachments continues to provide superior parts, service, and engineering of new units under the names Anvil, Pro-Line, Hawco, Owen, Yaun, Williams, and Drott. These product lines offer a broad array of attachments for cable, hydraulic, and electro-hydraulic operated units. New units, repairing and servicing older units, and supplying parts are all part of what we do. We also provide re-engineering on your off-brand bucket for greater performance.

For more information on rentals, repairs, or any of our products and services, visit www.anvilattachments.com.