Our History
1910's - 30's
Schulte Industries’ origins started on April 17th, 1912, when Caspar Schulte acquired the (smithy) blacksmith business in Englefeld, Saskatchewan. Caspar’s oldest son John Schulte joined the business with his father in 1932, and like his father, was kept busy keeping customers happy. In 1938 John Schulte took over the blacksmith business on his own.
1910's - 30's
1940's
1940's
In 1942 John started building brush cutting and cleaning equipment. In 1947 John designed and built his first front mount snow blower that was purchased by the St. Gregor Snow Plow Club.
1950's and 60's
In 1963, John developed and patented the first and only conveyor type rock picker ever built. This unit was ground driven and was sold to three farmers from LeRoy, just South of the plant. This conveyor type design is still being built today in a larger and stronger hydraulic drive version, the RS320 Jumbo.
In 1964 the family business was incorporated under the title of Schulte Welding and Machine Ltd. 1964 Schulte began full scale production of rock pickers, front mounted rotary snow blowers and hydraulic earth scrapers. In 1967 Rockelator Sales Ltd. was formed with the selling rights to all Schulte products. Through Rockelator Sales Ltd. contacts were developed in the USA and around the world. Exporting quickly became and continues today to be core to the success and growth of Schulte.
1950's - 60's
1970's
1970's
The company name was changed in 1972 from Schulte Welding and Machine Ltd. to Schulte Industries Ltd. By this time the company work force had increased to fifty five full time shop and production personnel and seven front office and sales staff. Part time employees pushed the numbers of production personnel to seventy five in the winter months. Schulte Industries Ltd. moved to a new production and office facility in 1976 with additional warehouse space added two years later.
The years following 1976 saw the addition of many new products to Schulte’s line of equipment as well as the updating of John Schulte’s original designs. New products included a rock windrower, a new line of twin stage rotary snow blowers, and a reel type rock picker. In 1985 Rockelator Sales Ltd. changed its name to Schulte Sales Ltd. to more closely identify with the increasingly diversified line of Schulte products.
1980's
Schulte entered the roadside maintenance market with a line of rotary cutters introduced in 1987. In 1988, the company introduced an agricultural line of 15 ft. and 10-1/2 ft. rotary cutters, designed to work in the ag sector. These units have been successfully used for roadside maintenance, brush cutting as well as cutting and shredding of crop residue in corn, cotton, sunflower, grass seed and cereal grains.
1980's
1990's
1990's
In 1990, the company introduced a heavy duty 6′ rigid deck rotary cutter to its line of products, as well as the V-1280 V-cutter, specifically designed for use in shallow angle furrows found in citrus groves.
In 1992, the company introduced the 5026; a 26 ft. five rotor mower, the largest flex wing cutter available at this time making it an ideal implement for the large producer. In 1994, the company introduced the 3020 – 20 ft. Flex-Wing Cutter and the S70 – 7 ft. single decked medium duty rotary cutter. In 1995 the company introduced the F14 cotton special used primarily for cotton & corn shredding.
The production facility was completely re-vamped in 1995-1996, and additional production space and equipment were added. A new 6000 square foot office facility was constructed in 1996.
In 1996, the company introduced the 2500 Giant big bucket reel type rock picker.
In 1998, the F10 rotary cutter was introduced. This patented 10-1/2′ rotary cutter has the ability to hydraulically swing 15 1/2″ right or left from centre.
At this time Schulte USA Inc. was initiated which is based in Lake Wales, Florida along with a parts warehouse facility to service the growing market in SE USA.
In October of 1999 Schulte introduced the SRW -400 rock windrower. There was a need for a rock windrower that could pivot for easy transport in highly populated areas. Schulte Industries Ltd. received an ASAE award (the AE50) for outstanding innovations in product technology for this model in February 2001.
In 1999 Schulte Sales Ltd. was named the winner of both the Canadian Export Award for Canada and also the Provincial winner of the Sask Trade Export Partnership Award. Along with these two prestigious awards, Schulte also won the Western Region Export Award from Canadian Airlines.
2000's
2000's
On November 6, 2000, Schulte Industries Ltd. joined the Alamo Group of Seguin, Texas. This was positive and pivotal change for Schulte Industries Ltd. allowing for growth in all areas of the business. Capital funding by the Alamo Group has allowed Schulte to expand and update its production capabilities as well as to accelerate the design and marketing of innovative products.
In June 2003 Schulte introduced the patented FLX15 and FLX10 – Flex Arm product. When attached to a 10 or 15 foot rotary cutter the innovative offset design includes a strut arm to virtually eliminate the side draft found in competitive machinery. The other key patented feature is the non-directional castor wheels, which allow this unit to be backed up with ease in conjunction with the strut arm. Schulte’s won the Top Rollout award for this unit from Better Roads magazine in the fall of 2003.
In July of 2003 Schulte introduced the SRW 800, a 3pt rock rake designed for small farms and landscaper contractors to easily leave hooked to their tractors when trailering from job site to job site.
In August of 2004 Schulte’s came out with a first of its kind single domed deck 10.5’ rigid deck mower. The FX-210 replaced the model F10 and increased its offset capability to 16.5” left or right of center. The new domed top single deck set a bench mark for all other companies to follow.
In February of 2005 Schulte introduced the first five rotor, single domed top deck, 20’ Flex Wing rotary cutter in North America. Schulte saw a need for a better performing 20’ rotary cutter as it and other manufacturers struggled with performance challenges of three rotor units in areas such as cut speed and spread of material. The new FX-520 with its smaller rotors resolved these performance issues and added several more industry leading features. An AE50 award was also received for the innovative technology featured in the FX-520.
January 2006 saw the introduction of our third series of our most popular rotary cutter. The XH-1500 Series 3 with single domed deck has set the standard in the industry to which all other 15’ Flex Wing cutters will strive to attain. This engineering marvel eliminated the excess weight found on competitive double deck units and increased deck depth to provide exceptional flow through of material and increased cut performance while maintaining Schulte first in the industry features including deck protection rings and walking axles.
In February of 2006 Schulte Industries Ltd. received the award from Saskatchewan Business Magazine as the 2005 Saskatchewan Business of the Year. This recognized the hard work and determination to build better equipment and develop new markets for our high value equipment.
In October of 2006 Schulte Industries Ltd. Introduced the RDX-110 “Avalanche” snow blower which includes a unique rotating drum design which works exceptionally well in heavy wet snow where chute plugging could be a problem.
In 2006, 9000 sq ft of manufacturing space was added to the production facility
In January of 2007 the High Rise 8000 rock picker was introduced. This new model increased the hopper capacity by more than double the size of the old unit at a similar price. Other benefits include heavier axles, tires and rims than the previous design and the ability to easily ship to export markets. In June of 2007 Schulte Industries Ltd. began production of the largest rotary cutter the world. The new FX-742 (42’ unit) with a five plex folding design meets European road transport requirements being under 3 meters or 9’ 8” of width. This unit will reduce time in the field for larger operators, save on fuel (fewer tractors) and aid in keeping with conservation of the land and air quality by shredding crop residue where previously extensive tillage or burning was the normal practice.
2007 also saw the introduction of the SDX-960 and SDX-840 snow blowers suitable to tackle those bigger snow clearing jobs. With a 30” four paddle fan with an open center and cupped blade, these units were capable of throwing snow a greater distance.
New for 2008 was the FX-315 rotary cutter, billed as the ultimate 15′ rotary cutter. This machine features a residue distribution tailboard to maximize material flow underneath the cutter and optimize shredding and distribution.
New to the Schulte snow blower lineup in 2008 included the SDX-110 and RDX-960 models.
Schulte continued to meet it’s customer’s needs in 2008 with the introduction of the FX-180 rotary cutter. The FX-180 was built to be an economically priced rotary cutter while maintaining Schulte’s legendary toughness. This model was improved upon even further in 2009 in the form of the FX-1800 as a replacement.
2020's
2010's
2010 saw the re-design of the FM-300 quick attach frame for 3pt snow blowers. This unit allows the user to mount their 3pt snow blower on the front of the tractor instead of on the tractor’s rear 3pt hitch, allowing for greater visibility and ergonomics when matched with a Schulte snow blower.
Also new for Schulte in 2010 was the re-designed Flex Arm, re-introduced as the FLX-1510 Flex Arm. This versatile product allows the operator to travel on the road while his Schulte 10′ or 15′ rotary cutter cuts the ditch slope.
The FX-530 rotary cutter was released in 2011 and features a 30′ cutting width which can accommodate 30″, 32″, 36″ and 38″ row spacing.
In addition, Schulte released the SDX-117 and RDX-102 snow blowers in 2011. The SDX-117 features a 117″ wide cutting width with a side eject drum and 38″ five paddle fan. The RDX-102 snow blower boasts a rotating drum, which allows snow to be ejected out the left or right side or through the center chute. The Cyclone Deck Debris Fan Kit made it’s debut in 2011. This kit helps keep your cutter clean of debris and straw, reduces fire hazards, helps prevent weed and seed contamination from fields, and keeps workers mowing longer and not cleaning mower decks.
In 2012 were the SDX-102 snow blower and RDX-117 snow blower. The SDX-102 features a 102” wide cut and efficient twin stage design, ideally suited to 85-140 HP tractors. The RDX-117 snow blower features a rotating drum matched with a 117″ wide cutting width for unbeatable snow blowing capabilities.
In 2012, Schulte Industries celebrated 100 years in business and employs over 150 people to design, manufacture and market its diverse line of equipment to serve the farm, industrial and commercial sectors in all corners of the world.
In 2013, Schulte introduced our FX-318. This 18’ cutter provides for wider cutting than a 15’ at a similar horsepower rating. In 2013, our 20,000 square foot expansion was completed with a new inside loading facility, a new warehouse and additional production space.
In February 2014, we hosted a grand opening for our expanded facility. Also, in 2014 we introduced our SMR-800 Multi-Rake for windrowing, landscaping, sweeping and soil conditioning. Also introduced was our SV-10, 12 & 14 Folding V Blades. This articulating blade mounts on the Schulte FM-350 frame or a 3 point hitch. Clearing modes for the plows include V, scoop, angle, straight and anywhere in between.
In 2014, we expanded our international presence into China, Thailand and South Africa. We are continuing with a 7000 square foot expansion during 2014 in the Final Assembly area.
2015 saw five product releases at Schulte. The XH-1500 and XH-1000 Series 4 flagship Industrial Grade cutters were introduced. The FX-1800 Blue Grass Edition Cutter for use in horse pastures. The SMR-800 Multi-Rake landscape tool and the SV multi directional V blades.
In 2016 we renovated our staff lunch and locker areas. There were 5 more products introduced. The FM-115 Front Mount Frame, the FX-107 seven foot mower, the FX-209 nine foot mower, The SMR-600 six foot landscape rake and the Titan 5000 five cubic yard rock picker.
2017 saw the introduction of the SRW-1000 ,10′ WindRower, this unit is a less expensive and smaller version of the SRW-1400 and can be used by RM’s and Counties for gravel reclamation.
In 2018 Schulte entered the Tillage Market with the VTX-420 and the VTX-300 SoilStar Variable Tillage Units. The VTX 300 was named one of the top six ‘Bigest Newsmakers’ at The National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville KY by Farm Equipment Magazine. Later that year we introduced the DHX-600, 60′ SoilStar Disc Harrow. The DHX-600 won Innovation awards at both Canada’s Farm Progress Show and Ag in Motion.
The Schulte FX-212, 10′ Rotary mower was introduced in 2019. It’s the 10′ version of the FX-318 with one wing removed.
2020's
2020 Schulte introduced the GX-150 15’ Rotary Cutter and the TPX-318 18’ Rotary Cutter.
In 2021 the totally redesigned, XH-1500 Series 5 Industrial Grade Rotary Cutter was introduced.