# What happened to Frink snowplows



## Big Dog D (Oct 1, 2005)

What ever happened to Frink snowplows? They used to have a decent webpage and I havent been able to find them anywhere. Are they still in business? Do they go under a different name now???


----------



## BayviewLawn (Sep 16, 2005)

Frink snowplows were manufactured in Clayton Ny and have been out of buisness for about 5 years now.The building still sits empty with a faded Frink Plows sign over the door


----------



## gpin (Dec 5, 2003)

I have a Frink Vee Box spreader I bought 20 years ago, used. I left it outside for 5 years year round. I finally learned to respect it and I have kept it inside and maintained it. I still works great. It has to be at least 25 years old, it had alot of rust on it when I bought it. Up in New England you still see alot of Frinks on the big trucks.


----------



## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

Are you talking about FLINK? I knew it didn't sound right!

I'm looking at a picture of the tag on my spreader. It says: Flink Co. Streator, Ill.

Are you sure they are out of business? Or just that location? I found an ad for someone who sells them, and it was updated this time last year.

http://www.oghughes.com/snow/flink_snow_plows.htm


----------



## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

I thought they were still around? They were popular on Maine municipal trucks. http://www.wausau-everest.com/model...13&PHPSESSID=f48ac9490a0e55e6cf13f5a60b5007ee


----------



## lakeeffect (Nov 17, 2002)

The Frink factory is about 20 miles from me here in NY. They have been out of business for about 5 years. Beleive they are demolishing the factory this week. Frink is still sold in Canada but in name only. Not the same Frink plows that were built here. Frink had a major share of the plow market in the Northeast.Here is an interesting article.

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2002/mar/mar19b_02.html


----------



## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*Frink went out of business/Bankrupt then bought out.....*



lakeeffect said:


> The Frink factory is about 20 miles from me here in NY. They have been out of business for about 5 years. Beleive they are demolishing the factory this week. Frink is still sold in Canada but in name only. Not the same Frink plows that were built here. Frink had a major share of the plow market in the Northeast.Here is an interesting article.
> 
> http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2002/mar/mar19b_02.html


 Hi,as I heard it Frink was sitting on a major hazardous waste(super fund site) clean up, so they went bankrupt to get around it.Maybe why the building is sitting idle!
I believe the leftover stock and tools/patents etc where bought out by Everest(99% sure).So they are still being made just with someone elses name on it. 
Frink made a great product owned several plows and wings from them no complaints.


----------



## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

So I take it Flink and Frink are two different companies? LOL what are the chances, really, of two such oddball names being so similar?


----------



## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*They are,*



derekbroerse said:


> So I take it Flink and Frink are two different companies? LOL what are the chances, really, of two such oddball names being so similar?


 I had know of Frink for many years.Then I bought an Autocar with a stainless spreader and that is when I learned there was a Flink,I now also have a Flink snowplow, seems to be pretty rugged.


----------



## 84deisel (Dec 2, 2003)

flink has been around forever and is out of streater Il They also own baker plows and they were one of the first check them out at flinkco.com they have a good company history on thier homepage.


----------



## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*Thanks for the info*



84deisel said:


> flink has been around forever and is out of streater Il They also own baker plows and they were one of the first check them out at flinkco.com they have a good company history on thier homepage.


 Funny,I have had six or so Baker bottom trip plows threw the years and never knew that they where part of Flink.Great city plows by the way(Baker).
Thanks.


----------



## lakeeffect (Nov 17, 2002)

You are right Oshkosh Everest did buy the rights to the name and some products. I beleive that the only thing still remaining with a Frink name on it are airport plows built by Everest. They are superfund cleanup site , 
http://www.townofclayton.com/information.htm

frink left a very bad taste in the mouths of people in this area as they just came in one morning and said pack up your tools you are all done effective right now, no warning no severance pay nothing. The average worker at the plant had in the neighborhood of 25 years. Alot of skilled craftsmen that were the premire plow builders in America were out on the street. It is to bad, they were a good company, that made a good product.


----------



## Big Dog D (Oct 1, 2005)

I thought that they were out of business as Frink and suspected and now feel that they are running as American Snoplow. Even alot of the pictures in the literature that is on the http://www.wausau-everest.com/model...13&PHPSESSID=f48ac9490a0e55e6cf13f5a60b5007ee website are the same pics that Frink used, you can see in some of them where they just pasted American Snoplows over the Frink labels.


----------



## gpin (Dec 5, 2003)

I wish I could read. My old spreader is a Flink, not a Frink. Sorry for the eroneous post.


----------



## MBB (Oct 29, 2005)

I had a friend who got caught in the epa web, His dad had started the bus. years ago (40's). Some time in the mid 70;s a piece of property across the street came up for sale so they bought it as a site for whatever down the road ( orginal buildings very old to start with). Building codes changed plus a bunch of new osha rules ect, was not pratical to update old so the thought was to build new on other property then flatten old which would satisfy all the inspectors ect. Turns out when they went to get building permits ect. soil testing shows ground poluted ect. EPA gets into picture sues them for clean up, we are talking 10-20 mil. clean up cost. EPA says they are responsible no superfund or anything else available to defray cost. Epa tells them they would have to sue previous owners to recover costs ect (previous owners long gone, 6ft under ect.) Does all the legal stuff to no avail. Ended up having to go out of business & file bankrupcy because of epa suit, only way out. Put 150 people out work, removed taxpaying co. from tax roles ect. 
He works a 8-5 job at another co. now. Here you have your govt. at work!


----------



## sonjaab (Jul 29, 2001)

LAKE...........Your right about mgt. telling the workers to pack it
in NOW ! I was across the street that day at the bar !

The mgt. had the cops there so things wouldn't get ugly........

The workers, union, and mgt. had been feuding over wages and
such for over a year.

Frink had some innovative ideas tho. They had the first quick mount
pickup truck plow long before anyone else. They also had a flexible
blade for a pickup.
Not to mention their big hi-way plows...................

The waterfront factory site was supposed to have been purchased
by a developer for a new waterfront hotel. Now its a superfund
clean-up site...................Hmmmm...............geo


----------



## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*That pretty much sums it up.*



lakeeffect said:


> You are right Oshkosh Everest did buy the rights to the name and some products. I beleive that the only thing still remaining with a Frink name on it are airport plows built by Everest. They are superfund cleanup site ,
> http://www.townofclayton.com/information.htm
> 
> frink left a very bad taste in the mouths of people in this area as they just came in one morning and said pack up your tools you are all done effective right now, no warning no severance pay nothing. The average worker at the plant had in the neighborhood of 25 years. Alot of skilled craftsmen that were the premire plow builders in America were out on the street. It is to bad, they were a good company, that made a good product.


 Big business at its best.Feel sorry for all the hard workers!
General Electric filled allot of land around Massachusetts with PCB contaminated soil.The Springfield Ma area is having huge issues trying to figure out how to deal with this as allot of houses and schools have been built on the land that GE filled not to mention river frontage.Not much in the news about it but it is there.
Sad that it had to happen.


----------



## lakeeffect (Nov 17, 2002)

sonjaab said:


> LAKE...........Your right about mgt. telling the workers to pack it
> in NOW ! I was across the street that day at the bar !
> 
> The mgt. had the cops there so things wouldn't get ugly........
> ...


You are right, Frink had some very innovative designs that were 20 years ahead of their time. Ever attend the snowplow rodeo they used to hold every February?


----------



## bgjj (Oct 15, 2005)

http://flinkco.com


----------



## bgjj (Oct 15, 2005)

I believe this is who bought out Frink
http://www.viking-cives.ca


----------



## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*Wausau-Everest Took over Frink.*



bgjj said:


> I believe this is who bought out Frink
> http://www.viking-cives.ca


 Hello,It was Everest that took over patents and tooling of Frink as noted on this page.
Viking does make a nice plow,cool site.

http://www.wausau-everest.com/news.php?news_id=10


----------



## fire&ice (Nov 10, 2004)

(USA) Frink's drawings and patents were purchased by EVEREST. After a short legal battle, the FRINK brand name was changed to AMERICAN sno-plows for the road product and remained FRINK for airport use. both products are made in canada however only sold in the states. There is a FRINK Canada which is a different company making the same product. Confused? you should be. It is not easy anymore........ 

oh yeah EVEREST was also sold to the same company that owns WAUSAU


----------



## DWright (Nov 15, 2005)

Frink Snow Plows out of Clayton, NY is out of business. There is a Frink Canada now and is listed under Viking-Cives Snow Plows on their web site.
Their web site is Viking-Cives.com


----------



## TellGRBill (Oct 4, 2009)

*Who makes Frink Snowplows?*

Thanks for the previous posts! 
We just got back from Hartford, New York after picking up a Vplow that we purchased on Ebay. I wondered if these plows are still manufactured. I followed the Wausau-everest link that was posted and found an advertised Vplow that is a newer, smaller version of what we picked up in New Hartford. Our "new" Vplow is 8' wide at the base and 10' wide at the wings. It is 64" at the top of the wings. It's too large for our truck but it should work well on our tractor.
It was tough knowing how to tie it down on our 1 tom Dodge truck so it wouldn't shift and hang out too far! When I got into the truck after loading the plow, I said to my wife, "This is scary to me with this big plow on the back of the truck!" My wife said, "to me too." I was very nervous when we had to fit through tool booth lanes and cross the Canadian boarder.
After driving a couple of hundred miles, we stopped before going off the NY Tollway and when I checked the loaded plow, I found that it had shifted about a foot towards the drivers side. It was hanging pretty far out! After loosening the chains and some struggle with a pry bar, I was able to reposition it and make some changes in how it was fastened to the bed of the truck. It didn't move anymore during the rest of the trip.

We were blessed every step of the way though and even given a strong wind at our back on the way home. LaVerne even found a great motel with a hot tub, swimming pool, and a hot breakfast for a reasonable price. We celebrated the end of the trip by going to a small restaurant near home in Portland, where the rain stopped, sky cleared and the food was good. We got home feeling very good.

Bill

http://www.wausau-everest.com/model_selection.php?market_id=2&brand_id=4&category_id=16


----------



## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

DWright;240386 said:


> Frink Snow Plows out of Clayton, NY is out of business. There is a Frink Canada now and is listed under Viking-Cives Snow Plows on their web site.
> Their web site is Viking-Cives.com


Viking as far as I know purchased Frink and you can get parts from them. They are in Mount Forest. I own 2 Frink 14ft plows plows and have purchased parts from Viking.


----------

