HR0043LRB098 07097 MST 37158 r


  
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, In 1946, Keith, Mervel, and Leonard Wood chose the 
3City of Oregon, Illinois, along
the banks of the Rock River to 
4build their new venture, Wood Brothers Manufacturing Co.; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, The brothers' produced the first successful 
6tractor-mounted rotary cutter and
developed several 
7innovations, such as the patented single v-belt drive system, 
8single attachment
pin blade system, and various designs that 
9led to today's standard three-point hitch for
agricultural 
10tractors; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The innovations of Wood Brothers Manufacturing 
12Co., now Woods Equipment
Company, and its drive for new product 
13development established Woods as a pioneer in the
creation of 
14the agricultural equipment "short line" industry - which today 
15includes hundreds of
attachment manufacturers; and
  
 
16    WHEREAS, In the late 1950s, 2 Woods engineers began 
17sketching concepts for a flexible
wing cutter with an 
18innovative drive system and decks hinged in 3 pieces to better 
19conform
to the rolling terrain; with the introduction of the 
20Batwing rotary cutter in the autumn of 1963,
the Batwing took 
21flight and has significantly affected the overall growth of the 
22flex-wing
mower product category; and
  
 
 
 
HR0043- 2 -LRB098 07097 MST 37158 r

1    WHEREAS, Hours of testing in extreme conditions, the rugged 
2sub-structure and the industry leading
welding and paint 
3standards has assured the success and quality of the Batwing; 
4and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Batwing rotary cutters are prevalent on farms, 
6roadsides, campuses, estates, and
homes throughout the United 
7States and exported to countries around the world; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, Woods Equipment Company and the city of Oregon are 
9celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the Batwing throughout 
102013; therefore, be it
  
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
12NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
13we
congratulate Woods Equipment Company on the 50th anniversary 
14of the
Batwing; and be it further
  
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
16presented to Woods Equipment Company
as a symbol of our respect 
17and esteem.