Crary
Crary Industries manufactures agricultural harvesting attachments (air reels, wind systems, cutting systems) and water management equipment (ditchers, tile plows, trench fillers) for commercial and small-scale farmers across North America, sold exclusively through a nationwide authorized dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersWest Fargo, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Crary does
Crary Industries, Inc. is a privately held agricultural equipment manufacturer headquartered in West Fargo, North Dakota, founded in 1979 and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of ECHO Incorporated since 2005. The company designs and manufactures mechanical harvesting attachments and water management equipment, with a primary product family centered on combine header air systems (the Crary Air Reel® and Crary Wind System™) that use high-velocity air streams to reduce shatter loss and improve crop feeding. Additional product lines include the GOLD'NCUT™ cutting attachment, Big Top™ combine hopper extensions, and a water solutions portfolio comprising the Revolution Ditcher™ (which holds U.S. Patent #11,952,744 B2 for its Cross Auger design), Tile PRO® Plow, Trench PRO™, and Crary Stringer Trailers. Crary also produces LOCKWOOD-branded potato equipment (planters, harvesters, sizers) acquired in 1999, and is the licensed U.S. distributor of Michel's Industries' hopper covers and crop catchers.
Crary generates revenue through one-time hardware sales of attachments and equipment, sold exclusively through an authorized dealer network across the United States and Canada, with a Saskatchewan warehouse and Ontario distributor supporting Canadian demand. Marketing is conducted through a nationwide trade show circuit (Commodity Classic, National Farm Machinery Show, Farm Progress, Big Iron, and others), social media channels, content marketing, and a "Pro Team" influencer program featuring YouTube farming personalities. Promotional mechanisms include periodic factory rebate programs (e.g., a 2026 Summer Cash Back offering $1,000 plus free freight on Wind System and Air Reel purchases) and a Value Shed program that sells overstock units at discount. The customer base consists of commercial and small-scale row crop and specialty crop farmers growing soybeans, wheat, lentils, sesame, canola, and other grains, with the company also reporting international end users in South Africa and Brazil. Manufacturing is consolidated in a ~200,000 square-foot West Fargo facility, and the company employs 251-500 people.
Crary firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crary
- Legal name
- Crary Industries, Inc.
- Website
- https://crary.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Crary Industries manufactures agricultural harvesting attachments (air reels, wind systems, cutting systems) and water management equipment (ditchers, tile plows, trench fillers) for commercial and small-scale farmers across North America, sold exclusively through a nationwide authorized dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crary industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Equipment & Farm Machinery
- NAICS
- Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Material Handling & Loader Attachments (Front Loaders, Telehandlers, Bale Handlers, Forks) (AFAAAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Potato & Specialty Crop Planters (Potato, Garlic, Sugarcane) (AFAAABAJ), Bulk Handling & Conveying for Processing Lines (Augers, Elevators, Conveyors) (AFAAAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Crary is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Fargo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Crary business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Agricultural Equipment Sales: Crary generates revenue through the sale of agricultural harvesting attachments and equipment including air systems, combine accessories, water management tools, and related accessories sold through a dealer network.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Value Shed Overstock Units |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Cash Back Promotion |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Crary product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crary Industries designs, manufactures, and sells agricultural harvesting attachments and water management equipment through an authorized dealer network. Core products include combine header air systems (Crary Air Reel, Crary Wind System), cutting attachments (GOLD'NCUT), hopper extensions (Big Top), surface and subsurface drainage equipment (Revolution Ditcher, Tile PRO Plow, Trench PRO, Stringer Trailers), and licensed distribution of Michel's hopper covers and crop catchers. The company also manufactures LOCKWOOD-branded potato planters, harvesters, and sizers from its West Fargo, ND facility.
Product overview
Crary Industries manufactures agricultural harvesting attachments and outdoor power equipment. The product portfolio centers on four main categories: (1) Air Systems including the Crary Air Reel® and Crary Wind System™ that add high-velocity air to combine headers to reduce shatter loss and improve feeding; (2) Cutting equipment including GOLD'NCUT™ for precision cutting; (3) Harvest accessories including Big Top™ combine hopper extensions for extended run times; and (4) Water Solutions including the Revolution Ditcher™, Tile PRO® Plow, Trench PRO™, and Stringer Trailers for surface and subsurface water management. Crary also distributes Michel's Products (hopper covers and crop catchers) under a licensing agreement. The company operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of ECHO Incorporated and serves customers through a nationwide dealer network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Crary® Air Reel®: Replacement reel for combines that adds the power of air to headers.
- Crary® Wind System™
- GOLD'NCUT™
- BIG TOP™
- Revolution Ditcher™
- Tile PRO® Plow
- Crary® Trench PRO™
- Crary® Stringer Trailers
- Michel's Products
Products and services
- Crary Air Reel Air reel system that replaces existing combine reels to add the power of air for improved crop feeding and reduced harvest loss; targeted at combine operators harvesting grain crops.
- Crary Wind System (CWS) High-velocity air system added to existing reels to push crops toward the auger or draper belt, reducing shatter loss and improving feed efficiency on combine headers.
- GOLD'NCUT Cutting attachment marketed as providing a sharp cut for efficient harvest on combine headers.
- Big Top combine hopper extension Combine hopper extension that provides more room in the hopper to allow operators to go longer before dumping.
- Revolution Ditcher Surface water management equipment for creating and maintaining ditches, waterways, and terraces, featuring a 5-foot flat bottom cut, throwing dirt up to 165 feet, and incorporating a patented Cross Auger design.
- Tile PRO Plow Frame-mounted commercial-grade tile plow for subsurface water management, achieving active weight transfer for superior traction and efficient tile installation.
- Crary Trench PRO Trench filling and leveling attachment that works with tile plows to fill trenches left by tiling operations, promoting proper soil settling; grooms trenches at 7-10 miles per hour.
- Crary Stringer Trailers Trailers for transporting tile rolls to the field during tiling operations, available in single-axle, dual-axle, and 3-point models with table diameters up to 11 feet.
- Michel's Harvest Pro-Tech combine hopper cover Electric combine hopper cover distributed under license from Michel's Industries that protects harvested crop from weather conditions, operating with a flip of a switch.
- Michel's Crop Catcher III Header attachment with UV scratch-resistant glass that reduces grain loss from shattering by retractable fingers; saves up to 1/4 bushel per acre on canola.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2-3 bushels per acre average yield increase with Wind System
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Crary
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Crary technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Crary partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Michel's IndustriescoreCrary is the officially licensed U.S. distributor of Michel's Products, including Michel's Hopper Covers and Crop Catchers. These products are distributed through Crary's dealer network alongside their own product lines.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Crary competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- John Deere: John Deere is the dominant North American combine OEM and increasingly offers factory-integrated air reel and wind-system functionality on premium header trims, directly competing with Crary's flagship Air Reel and Wind System in the same end market of soybean, wheat, and edible bean growers.
- AGCO Corporation: AGCO's Fendt, Massey Ferguson, and Gleaner combine lines compete for the same row-crop and specialty-crop farmers Crary serves, and AGCO's harvesting header portfolio is a structural competitor to Crary's aftermarket attachments including Air Reel, Wind System, and GOLD'NCUT.
- Case IH (CNH Industrial): Case IH is a major combine OEM with factory header offerings that overlap Crary's aftermarket harvesting-attachments business, and Case IH's axial-flow combines are a common platform onto which Crary Air Reel and Wind System are installed.
- Vermeer Corporation: Vermeer is a larger Iowa-based family-owned manufacturer of agricultural and industrial equipment including hay/forage and specialty harvesting products, comparable to Crary as a privately held, dealer-distributed Midwest ag equipment manufacturer with adjacent harvesting-equipment exposure.
Emerging players
- Michel's Industries: Michel's is both a Crary distribution partner (officially licensed US distributor of Michel's Hopper Covers and Crop Catchers) and an adjacent competitor in combine header accessories, with product lines that overlap Crary's Big Top hopper extensions and crop-loss-reduction attachments.
- Loftness Specialized Equipment: Loftness is a privately held Minnesota-based manufacturer of agricultural and industrial equipment including grain baggers, spreaders, and attachments, comparable to Crary as a Midwestern, dealer-distributed specialty ag equipment OEM of similar scale.
Direct peers
- Unverferth Manufacturing: Unverferth is a closely comparable family-owned ag equipment manufacturer producing grain handling, tillage, and header accessory products sold through similar dealer channels, directly overlapping with Crary's Big Top hopper extensions and harvester accessory business.
- Honey Bee Manufacturing: Honey Bee is a Canadian harvesting-equipment manufacturer specializing in draper headers and combine header accessories, competing with Crary for the same row-crop and specialty-crop grower customer and dealer network in North America.
- Kinze Manufacturing: Kinze is a privately held Iowa-based manufacturer of planters, grain carts, and tillage equipment, directly comparable to Crary as a family-scale, dealer-distributed ag equipment OEM serving row-crop farmers with adjacent product categories including LOCKWOOD-style planters.
- Orthman Manufacturing: Orthman is a Nebraska-based agricultural equipment manufacturer specializing in tillage, fertilizer application, and water management products, directly comparable to Crary's Revolution Ditcher and Tile PRO water management product lines and serving a similar Upper Midwest dealer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Crary social profiles
Digital presenceCrary financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crary leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Crary subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Crary funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crary M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Crary
What does Crary do?
Crary Industries designs, manufactures, and sells agricultural harvesting attachments and water management equipment through an authorized dealer network. Core products include combine header air systems (Crary Air Reel, Crary Wind System), cutting attachments (GOLD'NCUT), hopper extensions (Big Top), surface and subsurface drainage equipment (Revolution Ditcher, Tile PRO Plow, Trench PRO, Stringer Trailers), and licensed distribution of Michel's hopper covers and crop catchers. The company also manufactures LOCKWOOD-branded potato planters, harvesters, and sizers from its West Fargo, ND facility.
Is Crary a public or private company?
Crary is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Crary founded?
Crary was founded in 1979. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Crary based?
Crary is headquartered in West Fargo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Crary make money?
One revenue line is on record: agricultural Equipment Sales.
Who are Crary's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are John Deere, AGCO Corporation, Case IH (CNH Industrial) and Vermeer Corporation. Emerging players are Michel's Industries and Loftness Specialized Equipment. Direct peers are Unverferth Manufacturing, Honey Bee Manufacturing, Kinze Manufacturing and Orthman Manufacturing.
Does Crary have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crary.
What industry is Crary in?
Crary's product category is Agricultural Equipment & Farm Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAAAC, Material Handling & Loader Attachments (Front Loaders, Telehandlers, Bale Handlers, Forks), with a secondary code of AFAAABAJ, Potato & Specialty Crop Planters (Potato, Garlic, Sugarcane). Its NAICS code is 333111 and its SIC code is 3523.