MG Welding
Montebello, California
Half-pack front loader believed to have been built by M.G. Welding of Montebello, CA
Manuel Castillo spent the 1960s at Bemars, where he worked his way up from the assembly shop, eventually taking the reins of the service department. While at Bemars, he is credited with devising a scissor-type latch for front loader barn doors which was widely adopted throughout the industry.
Along with his wife Gail, Castillo founded M.G. Welding in 1971, building his own front loaders and stationary compactors. Half, full and top pack models were produced using COR-TEN steel for lighter weight and durability. His products caught the attention of the Heil Company, which was modernizing its own product line in the late 1970s. Manuel Castillo worked as a consultant to Heil, helping to design what would become the first-generation Half/Pack front loader in the early 1980s.
With the high relative costs of running an independent shop, and increasing competition in the front loader field, M.G. Welding ceased production after about a decade. Castillo then formed Deluxe Enterprises Inc. (Whittier, CA) in 1981, concentrating on the manufacture and service of stationary packers.
Information for this article was provided by Zachary Geroux, from interviews with Manuel Castillo
6/2/18
© 2018
All Rights Reserved
Photo courtesy of Zachary Geroux
Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers
|
| |