Frank G. Hough

Founder / Frank G. Hough Company / 1890 - 1965 / Inducted 1994

Frank G. Hough was largely responsible for the development of the first fully integrated rubber-tired wheel loader. The Model H.S. Payloader, introduced in 1939, provided speed, maneuverability and quick cycle times. Under his leadership and legacy, the Frank G. Hough Company produced a long list of achievements which have largely defined the modern wheel loader. They include, among others, the development of hydraulically actuated bucket control, four-wheel drive loaders, and wheel loaders with hydrostatic transmission. So established was Hough's payloader that it wasn't until 1954 that it faced significant competition.