Hi Kori, that's right in a sense mate, TORO took over Whirlwind in 1948. Here is some of the history.
The Bull Tractor Company of Minneapolis, MN, sells more farm tractors than any other brand but has trouble finding a reliable source of engines.
The Toro Motor Company is founded on July 10,
1914 to build tractor engines for The Bull Tractor Company. Although established as an independent company, the name �Toro� is chosen due to the company�s
association with Bull Tractor. Toro co-founder, John Samuel Clapper, becomes the company�s first president. Clapper goes on to serve as president
for 29 years (1914-1943), leading the company through challenging times including a devastating farm depression in the early 1920�s, the Great Depression, and both World Wars. Clapper is active in all phases of the business and earns 16 patents. Under his stewardship, Toro becomes a world leader in the golf and industrial turf management business and begins to tap into the fledging homeowner market.
1945An investment group led by three young World War II veterans and former Dartmouth classmates � David Lilly, Bob Gibson and Whit Miller � purchase Toro. Long-time Toro vice-president and sales manager Kenneth Goit is named president of the company.
1948In a move David Lilly would later describe as �one of the best business decisions we ever made,�
Toro acquires Whirlwind of Milwaukee, WI, a manufacturer of rotary lawn mowers. Toro engineers design a safer, enclosed rotary mower deck that boosts consumer acceptance and and purchases of the new rotaries.
