In 1947 Waino J. Holopainen and Roy E. Handy Jr. developed and patented the world’s first all-hydraulically operated swing-frame backhoe in the small town of Hubbardston, Massachusetts. This revolutionary invention could dig and dump materials with the ability to swing the load side to side without having to move the machine it was mounted on. Nearly seventy-one years ago Waino and Roy formed the Wain-Roy Corporation which held it’s headquarters on Old Boston Turnpike (Rte 62) near Comet Pond in Hubbardston. Throughout the existence of the company their grass-roots innovation lead to twenty-six major backhoe related designs including the tractor-loader-backhoe concept (TLB) and hydraulic thumb, which are still in use today world-wide. The credit for the invention of the backhoe is often given to larger outfits like J.I. Case (Case) or J.C. Bamford (JCB) in England. Authors Lee Horton of Jefferson and Dave Willens of Paxton, two engineers from central Massachusetts wanted to make sure the fascinating history of the Wain-Roy Corporation and its contributions to the earth moving industry were captured before being lost to time. Their book, Wain-Roy and Invention of the Backhoe was published early last year. August 11, 2019 2pm Princeton Senior Center Worcester Rd Come meet the authors, get your personalized signed copy of the book, and see the world’s first production backhoe built by the Wain-Roy Corporation in 1948. View Event Summary
