In 1927, John and Gerhard Albers from Cherokee, Iowa developed a wind generator called “The Wincharger” to recharge a six-volt storage battery which was used to power radios. Back then the radio was as important to the people as the internet and the television is important to us today. The Albers brothers were soon building Winchargers for their neighbors and friends. In 1935, Wincharger was incorporated as a business and manufacturing was moved to Sioux City, Iowa. Zenith Corporation purchased a controlling interest in Wincharger in late 1935. Purchasers of Zenith radios were able to buy a six-volt Wincharger for $10. In 1937, Zenith Radio Corporation purchased the remaing shares of Wincharger stock. The 12-volt, 32-volt, and 110-volt generators were developed to provide additional lighting capacity. Soon the company was known all over the world for the unfailing dependability of the Wincharger. The company played a huge role in World War II by developing the Dynamotor that was used in military aircraft and ships. The company received five Army-Navy “E” awards for excellence as a quality supplier. After the War, the Dynamotor became the basis for the two bearing generator known today as the 2FS which is still sold today for pressure washers and man lift applications. Wincharger expanded their product line by initiating new designs of Dynamotors, inverters, alternators, Winchargers, engine-driven generators, transistorized converters, ground electrical support equipment, and radio receiving sets. In 1950, the Winco line of Power Take Off (PTO) generators was born. The PTO generator was designed to run off of the power takeoff drive of a tractor. In 1952, commercial and industrial portable engine-driven generators were produced. Research and development continued to produce important innovations. Then in 1955, an industry standard for portable generators was set, the company had introduced the first automatic idle control (conserver) for portables generators. The key benefits from this invention were to extend engine life, fuel conservation, and reduce engine noise. The Maxi-Watt and the Full-Power generator designs were introduced in 1964. These unique designs vastly improved performance in superior heavy-duty motor starting applications and provided usable full capacity output at 120 volts, 240 volts, or both simultaneously. In 1968, Zenith sold Wincharger to AMICOR Corporation and AMICOR changed the Wincharger name to Winco. In 1970, Winco introduced a complete line of packaged standby generators called the Automatic Power Systems. The Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) made it possible to automatically start the standby generator when normal electrical power was interrupted. The ATS played a key role to the success of the PSS. There were a lot of changes for Winco in the 70s. The company moved from Sioux City, IA to Le Center, Minnesota and Winco became a major supplier of generators to the rental and construction markets.
History of Winco
In 1978, Winco began producing water-cooled generators and the first ever switchable voltage Mobile Power System. The Mobile Power System was used to supply temporary and emergency power needs in the construction, industrial, and government markets. The Dynamaxx generator line was developed in 1982. The generator included a Quick-Link voltage reconnection board and advanced technology microprocessor controls designed to efficiently provide standby and prime power for industrial and commercial needs. The Dyna Pro series, the Pro-X series, and the Tri-Fuel portable generators were introduced to the Winco family in 1987.
By the 1990s, a new line of consumer-oriented portables called the Dyna series was born along with a full line of Honda powered portable generators geared towards the construction market. The 90s also brought a number of new products to the consumers along with new improvements of the current products offered. New innovative light towers were introduced and a new Mobile Diesel line of generators were designed for quiet operation and remote start applications. A full line of Package Standby Systems were introduced from a range of 8,000 watts to 65,000 watts.
Since 2000, a number of new products and updates have been added to the Winco line of quality generators. The Dyna series introduced the DL6000I/IE called the “Advance Power.” These lightweight, reliable, and very affordable portable generators were perfect for the average homeowner. The HPS12000HE was added to the tri-fuel models. The Winco Industrial Series released the “Big Dog Series” which included the new WL18000VE, the largest portable that Winco offers. The Package Standby Series released the PSS15B and the PSS25.
Winco is now celebrating its 80th anniversary. For over eight decades, Winco has been setting the industry standard for building quality, dependable generators and manufactures the broadest line of generators among any manufacture in the industry. Winco has been and will continue to supply top of the line generators to our customers for years to come. Generators are what we do and we do them well.
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