Our History

 

The origin of Weiss McNair dates back to 1966, when Gary Weiss built his first run of 25 Weiss Orchard Sweepers.

The entire inaugural production run sold out at its first showing at the Colusa Farm Show, and Weiss Orchard Sweepers was off to a running start!

Across town just 2 years later Dan McNair was staffing up for his first production harvesters, known as the “Getzumall” because the first users of the prototype kept saying “Yep, it’s a good dependable machine, it sure Gets um all!” McNair Nut Harvesters was also off to the races.

Independently, Gary Weiss and Dan McNair kept improving their respective products with innovative designs, bigger engines, more powerful components and increased harvest capacities. In the early 1970s, both companies were acquired by the Gould Paper Corporation, as they diversified and expanded into new markets.

Throughout the 1970’s both companies grew consistently and gained worldwide recognition as their overseas markets expanded and export business significantly increased.

In 1983 Weiss and McNair merged into a single company, providing worldwide customers a combined harvester/sweeper equipment manufacturer, supporting customers with improved field service and replacement parts support. The merger also proved beneficial, as their combined engineering resources came together to create a formidable Research & Development Team.

Combining their resources also led to operational efficiencies, increasing the production volume by streamlining several key processes including fabrication, welding and assembly.

With Weiss McNair Inc. firmly established, the 1980s saw continuous innovations that were based on the feedback that was coming from an ever-growing group of loyal customers. R&D introduced modifications as well as continuing to provide “prototypes” for experimenting with each harvest season.

In 1996 Weiss McNair continued to grow as it acquired the Ramacher Manufacturing Company, based in Linden CA, bringing an expanded product line and extending its customer base into the San Joaquin Valley.

During the 80s and 90s the international market also continued to grow steadily for Weiss McNair and as they entered the new century, the burgeoning Australian market was looking for solutions to difficult ground conditions and hilly terrain. 

Weiss McNair sales representatives, working with Select Harvests, developed a lighter and more maneuverable, all-wheel drive sweeper in less than 8 weeks, delivering five units in time for the season’s harvest.

Responding to grower needs with innovative solutions for improved harvest efficiency has allowed the industry to grow.

With an exceptionally strong market position in Australia, international markets continued to expand, as solutions were developed and delivered to meet the emerging demand in Mexico, France, Italy, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Chile and South Africa.

After nearly 40 years in the same location on Country Drive, 2013 was a significant year for Weiss McNair as they moved into a brand new 65,000 square foot state of the art facility. At the same time, it made sense to update the look and feel of the company to celebrate the growth and clearly delineate the move and the ongoing momentum that Weiss McNair continues to have.

Accelerating this growth, in 2015, Gould Paper was acquired by Japan Pulp & Paper (JPP), a long time industry partner with interests in market leaders and self-directed companies who focus on customer service and sustainability. JPP is deeply invested in the success of Weiss McNair, and continues to provide the company with the resources to serve our customers, keep growing, and innovate and improve our product lines.

With ever changing technology, more restrictive environmental regulations, and new generations of growers, a lot has changed since 1966!

Our industry is focused on continuous improvement and requires faster, cleaner and more efficient products. Every season we are presented with new and challenging problems to solve for our customers, and we are excited to solve them!

Wherever the future takes us, at Weiss McNair our goal is to be there with you where it happens, when it is happening, and lead the way, just as we have done for over 50 years.