Ditch Witch
Encyclopedia
Ditch Witch is an American brand of underground construction equipment built by The Charles Machine Works, Inc., which has been in operation under the current name since 1949. The company is based in Perry, Oklahoma
.
Ditch Witch machines started in the 1940s when a compact trenching machine was created to replace the pick
and shovel
for installation of some residential services.
The Ditch Witch organization specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality underground construction equipment. The company is a source for trenchers
, vibratory plows, backhoes, electronic guidance and locating tools, horizontal directional drilling systems, drill pipe, downhole tools, chain, teeth and sprockets, vacuum excavators, excavator-tool carriers, and compact utility machines.
, moved his family to Perry, Oklahoma
, and opened a blacksmith
shop with his sons, Charlie and Gus. The business prospered, and several years later, with the advent of an oil boom, it became Charlie’s Machine Shop, specializing in repairs for the nearby oil fields.
Ed Malzahn, Charlie’s son, learned from his elders the process of adapting a business to meet changing demand. In the late-1940s, he began to apply his mechanical engineering degree to a device that he believed would simplify the process of installing residential utility services—electric, gas, and plumbing lines—which at that time involved slow, tedious pick-and-shovel labor. Working together, Ed and his father Charlie spent months in the family machine shop creating the prototype of the first compact trencher
. They would call it the DWP, which stood for Ditch Witch Power.
The first commercial DWP was introduced in 1949. It was the first mechanized, compact service-line trencher developed for laying underground water lines between the street main and the house. Not only did the DWP solve an age-old problem for utility contractors of its day, but it also paved the way for the creation of the compact trencher industry and a more efficient way of installing all types of underground utilities.
With the growing popularity of the Malzahns’ trencher, Charlie’s Machine Shop became The Charles Machine Works, Inc., which still maintains its headquarters in Perry, Oklahoma, a town of about 5,000 residents in the north-central part of the state. In addition to trenchers, the company today designs and manufactures a wide variety of underground construction equipment bearing the Ditch Witch name.
Tiffany Sewell-Howard, Ed Malzahn’s granddaughter, became CEO of The Charles Machine Works, Inc., in 2005. Now in his mid-80s, founder Ed Malzahn still serves as company president and chairman of the board.
The Perry, Oklahoma, headquarters of the Ditch Witch organization is on an expansive campus that contains the company’s 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) manufacturing plant and training, testing, research and product development facilities. Ditch Witch worldwide headquarters employs more than 1300 people.
The Ditch Witch compact trencher has twice been named “one of the 100 best American-made products in the world” by Fortune magazine
. In 2002, the DWP was designated a historical mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Perry, Oklahoma
Perry is a city in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,126. It is the county seat of Noble County.-19th century:...
.
Ditch Witch machines started in the 1940s when a compact trenching machine was created to replace the pick
Pickaxe
A pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a flat end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but most people use the words to mean the same thing.The head is...
and shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
for installation of some residential services.
The Ditch Witch organization specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality underground construction equipment. The company is a source for trenchers
Trencher (machine)
A trencher is a piece of construction equipment used to dig trenches, typically for laying pipes or cables, or for drainage. Trenchers may range in size from walk-behind models, to attachments for a skid loader or tractor, to very heavy tracked heavy equipment.-Types:Trenchers come in different...
, vibratory plows, backhoes, electronic guidance and locating tools, horizontal directional drilling systems, drill pipe, downhole tools, chain, teeth and sprockets, vacuum excavators, excavator-tool carriers, and compact utility machines.
History
In 1902, Carl Frederick Malzahn, a German immigrant seeking to escape the harsh winters of MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, moved his family to Perry, Oklahoma
Perry, Oklahoma
Perry is a city in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,126. It is the county seat of Noble County.-19th century:...
, and opened a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop with his sons, Charlie and Gus. The business prospered, and several years later, with the advent of an oil boom, it became Charlie’s Machine Shop, specializing in repairs for the nearby oil fields.
Ed Malzahn, Charlie’s son, learned from his elders the process of adapting a business to meet changing demand. In the late-1940s, he began to apply his mechanical engineering degree to a device that he believed would simplify the process of installing residential utility services—electric, gas, and plumbing lines—which at that time involved slow, tedious pick-and-shovel labor. Working together, Ed and his father Charlie spent months in the family machine shop creating the prototype of the first compact trencher
Trencher (machine)
A trencher is a piece of construction equipment used to dig trenches, typically for laying pipes or cables, or for drainage. Trenchers may range in size from walk-behind models, to attachments for a skid loader or tractor, to very heavy tracked heavy equipment.-Types:Trenchers come in different...
. They would call it the DWP, which stood for Ditch Witch Power.
The first commercial DWP was introduced in 1949. It was the first mechanized, compact service-line trencher developed for laying underground water lines between the street main and the house. Not only did the DWP solve an age-old problem for utility contractors of its day, but it also paved the way for the creation of the compact trencher industry and a more efficient way of installing all types of underground utilities.
With the growing popularity of the Malzahns’ trencher, Charlie’s Machine Shop became The Charles Machine Works, Inc., which still maintains its headquarters in Perry, Oklahoma, a town of about 5,000 residents in the north-central part of the state. In addition to trenchers, the company today designs and manufactures a wide variety of underground construction equipment bearing the Ditch Witch name.
Tiffany Sewell-Howard, Ed Malzahn’s granddaughter, became CEO of The Charles Machine Works, Inc., in 2005. Now in his mid-80s, founder Ed Malzahn still serves as company president and chairman of the board.
The Perry, Oklahoma, headquarters of the Ditch Witch organization is on an expansive campus that contains the company’s 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) manufacturing plant and training, testing, research and product development facilities. Ditch Witch worldwide headquarters employs more than 1300 people.
The Ditch Witch compact trencher has twice been named “one of the 100 best American-made products in the world” by Fortune magazine
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
. In 2002, the DWP was designated a historical mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
External links
- Company website
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Ditch Witch
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Ed Malzahn. First person interview conducted with Ed Malzahn, founder of Ditch Witch, on April 14, 2011. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.