In Cherokee, Iowa, two brothers, John and Gerhard Albers, developed a wind generator to recharge a six-volt storage battery. They called their invention "The Wincharger." It worked so well that friends and neighbors were soon asking the Albers brothers to build Winchargers for them. Their business grew and in 1935, Wincharger was incorporated as a business and manufacturing was moved to Sioux City, Iowa.
During World War II, the Dynamotor was developed and used in military aircraft and ships. After the war, the Dynamotor became the basis for the two bearing generator know today as the 2FS which is still sold in large quantities for pressure washers and man lift applications. Wincharger continued to expand its 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. This line of generators was designed to run off of the power takeoff drive of a tractor. A complete line of portable engine-driven generators was introduced for commercial and industrial applications in 1952. Research and development continued to produce important innovations. In 1955, their company introduced the first automatic idle control (conserver) for portable generators. Extended engine life, fuel conservation and reduced noise were all-important benefits to be derived from their invention which has set an industry standard for portable generators.
The Maxi-Watt and Full-Power generator designs were introduced in 1964. These designs vastly improved performance in heavy-duty motor starting applications and provided usable full capacity output at 120 volts, 240 volts, or both simultaneously. In 1970, their company introduced the Winco Automatic Power Systems - a complete line of packaged standby generators. Key to their success of the packaged standby generator was the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS). The ATS made it possible to automatically start their standby generator when normal electrical power was interrupted.
By the mid seventies, Winco had become a major supplier of generators to the rental and construction markets. In 1978, Winco began producing water-cooled generators. In the same year, Winco developed the first switchable voltage Mobile Power System to supply temporary and emergency power needs in the construction, industrial and government markets.
In 2000, a number of new Packaged Standby Systems were developed as well as some redesigns of existing models. In this new decade, Winco is looking forward to a number of new products and innovations.
Today, Winco customers continue to benefit from their 75 years of generator experience. Recent additions to their line-up include their new 10 & 12 KW Honda powered Home Standby systems, a rugged and powerful 12 KW portable model for the Construction and Roofing Market and a new 6KW Tri-Fuel portable for Home Standby that runs on gasoline, LP or natural gas. Across the board they are incorporating new technology to provide the cleanest and most reliable power in the industry. Winco generators are built with pride and their primary mission is quality.
