Trailers and Running Gears
for Agriculture and Industry

Home  |  About  |  Ag Products  |  Industrial Products   |  Custom Products  |  Inventory  |  Fertilizer Distributors  |  Contact

 

 

DUO LIFT MANUFACTURING
2810 38th Street  |  Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 564-8023  |  (800) 243-2583 Toll Free
(402) 564-5385 Fax  |  sales@duolift.com
 


 

 


About Duo Lift®

  • 1943 Duo Lift® was founded in 1943 by Arthur Hellbusch when he began manufacturing a wagon lift in the family's milk barn. He designed a mechanism to slide between the wagon box and running gear, which, through a series of pulleys and cable, lifted the wagon box and allowed grain to be emptied out the back.
  • 1950's In the early 1950's, Art Hellbusch began to irrigate his farm by using irrigation pipe. He designed and manufactured a trailer to transport the irrigation pipe to and from the field as well as store the pipe during the winter. This idea became very popular and this product is still made today.
  • 1969 Jim Hellbusch, Art's son, joined the family business and began designing and manufacturing trailers for all types of machinery, irrigation engines, automobiles, and snowmobiles.
  • 1970's The company increased the volume of pipe trailers sold across the United States, as well as several foreign countries. The custom-built trailer line also expanded.
  • 1981 Art Hellbusch retired and Jim became President of Duo Lift®. Jim's wife, Connie, also joined the company.
    Duo Lift designed and manufactured its first running gear for the fertilizer industry. With the addition of distributor's, this product line expanded rapidly throughout the 1980's with running gears and trailers built for anhydrous ammonia tanks, liquid fertilizer tanks, and dry fertilizer tenders and spreaders.
  • 1988 Duo Lift's® first major plant expansion took place to accommodate additional sales.
  • 1990 Jim Hellbusch elected to the FEMA (Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association) Board of Directors. FEMA is a national organization for manufacturer's of short line farm equipment.
  • 1994 Duo Lift® was selected as Small Business of the Year by Columbus Telegram newspaper.
  • 1994 A second manufacturing plant expansion took place, as the irrigation, custom, and fertilizer trailer lines all remain strong entities for Duo Lift®.
  • 1995 Duo Lift® purchased the Evans-Plugge Company, known as E-P Trailers, a long-time manufacturer of commercial and industrial trailers. This enabled Duo Lift to offer a wider variety of trailers for industrial, construction, and specialized applications.
    A third manufacturing plant expansion took place to accommodate the additional E-P Trailer sales, and now Duo Lift    ® has over 40,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
  • 1998 Jim and Connie Hellbusch selected as the Agribusiness Pioneers of the Year by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
  • 1999 Jim Hellbusch elected President of FEMA (Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association)
  • 2001 Jim Hellbusch receives Columbus Chamber of Commerce Archway Award, Outstanding Businessman of the Year.
  • 2002 Duo Lift® diversifies and introduces a Salt Brinemaker to the market. This machine produces salt brine to exact proportions to be used for anti-icing and de-icing of roads and highways.
  • 2003 60th Anniversary Celebration: Duo Lift® celebrates 60 years of quality products and also introduces a new large capacity LB-2200 Lowboy wagon for anhydrous ammonia tanks and liquid poly tanks.
  • 2004 Expansion of Agricultural and Commercial sales territories. Connie Hellbusch named Chairman-elect of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
  • 2005 Connie Hellbusch elected Chairman of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The E-P division of Duo Lift® increases sales of utility trailers to construction companies and state departments.
  • 2006  Duo Lift® holds its Bi-Annual Distributor Meeting in Columbus, NE were two new liquid wagons are unveiled with promise that more new products are to come! Duo Lift® also expands its Sales Department with the addition of John Lehmkuhl and Ben Hellbusch to the Sales Department. Duo Lift® also continues to work with more utility companies and state governments.
  • 2007  The TD-1200-CB Tandem Cone Bottom, SLB-1200-CB-A Lowboy Cone Bottom, and the SLB-1010 Lowboy Drainable unveiled at last years Distributor Meeting are launched into the market. All of these wagons are available with an adjustable track.
    Duo Lift is named Large Business of the Year by the Columbus Telegram. Connie Hellbusch receives the Athena Award, Outstanding Business Woman of the Year, presented by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and Ernst Auto Center.
  • 2008  David Hellbusch was added to the Sales Department. Duo Lift expands into an additional 8,000 SQ. FT. building to be used as a warehouse, additional manufacturing and loading space. Duo Lift also expands 750 SQ. FT. to main plant for additional machine shop space. Duo Lift introduces the LB-3303 Low Boy wagon for (3) 1000 gallon NH3 tanks and the N-3303 a high clearance wagon for (3) 1000 gallon NH3 tanks along with the LB-4400 Low Boy Wagon for (2) 2000 gallon tanks. The SLB-3400-CB Liquid Low Boy wagon for (2) 1700 gallon cone bottom tanks are introduced. The SLB models are also available for (2) 1200 gallon cone bottom tanks, single liquid cone bottom tanks and other liquid tanks. Duo Lift celebrates their 65th anniversary.
  • 2009  Duo Lift named the Nebraska Small Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration.  Jim and Connie Hellbusch and family attended the SBA convention in Washington D.C. along with the other state winners.  They received their award from Karen Mills, the Director of the Small Business Administration.