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                                                                   Exhibit 10.30

           COLUMBUS McKINNON CORPORATION EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN
                  AMENDMENT NO. 8 OF THE 1989 PLAN RESTATEMENT

         Columbus McKinnon Corporation (the "Corporation") hereby amends the
Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the "Plan"), as
amended and restated in its entirety effective April 1, 1989, and as further
amended by Amendment Nos. 1 through 7, as permitted under Section 11.1 of the
Plan, as follows:

                        Amendments Effective Before 2001

1.       Section 4.3, entitled "Allocation of Exempt Loan Stock", is amended
         effective April 1, 1989 by renumbering Paragraphs (2) and (3) of
         Section 4.3(c) as Paragraphs (3) and (4), and by adding new Section
         4.3(c)(2) to read as follows:

                           "(2) Dividends on Unallocated Stock Used to Make
                  Exempt Loan Payments. Exempt Loan Stock released from the Loan
                  Suspense Account on account of payment of the Exempt Loan with
                  funds taken from cash dividends paid with respect to
                  unallocated Exempt Loan Stock shall be allocated to the same
                  Participants and in the same manner that the Contributions for
                  such Plan Year would have been allocated under Section 3.4."

2.       Section 5.2, entitled "Allocation of Trust Income or Loss", is amended
         effective April 1, 1989 to change Section 5.2(b) to read as follows:

                  "(b) Determination of Income or Loss. The net income (or loss)
         of the Trust includes the increase (or decrease) in the fair market
         value of Trust assets (other than Stock), interest, dividends and other
         income and gains (or losses) attributable to Trust assets (other than
         dividends on Stock used to make payments on Exempt Loans) since the
         preceding Valuation Date, reduced by any expenses charged to the Trust
         assets for that Plan Year. The determination of the net income (or
         loss) of the Trust shall not take into account any interest paid by the
         Trust under an Exempt Loan."

3.       Section 7.4, entitled "Eligible Rollover Distribution", is amended
         effective January 1, 2000 by changing Section 7.4(a)(1) to read as
         follows:

                           (1) "Eligible Rollover Distribution." An eligible
                  rollover distribution is any distribution of all or any
                  portion of the balance to the credit of the distributee,
                  except that an eligible rollover distribution does not
                  include: any distribution that is one of a series of
                  substantially equal periodic payments (not less frequently
                  than annually) made for the life (or life expectancy) of the
                  distributee or the

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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 2 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


                  joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of the distributee
                  and the distributee's designated beneficiary, or for a
                  specified period of 10 years or more; any distribution to the
                  extent such distribution is required under Section 401(a)(9)
                  of the Code; effective after December 31, 1999, any hardship
                  distribution described in Code Section 401(k)(2)(B)(i)(IV);
                  and the portion of any distribution that is not included in
                  gross income (determined without regard to the exclusion for
                  net unrealized appreciation with respect to employer
                  securities).

4.       Section 13.2, entitled "Definitions and Rules of Interpretation", is
         amended effective April 1, 2000 by changing Section 13.2(c) to read as
         follows:

                  "(c) "Defined Benefit Plan"  [Deleted]"

5.       Section 13.2, entitled "Definitions and Rules of Interpretation", is
         amended effective April 1, 2000 by changing Section 13.2(g) to read as
         follows:

                  "(g) "Projected Annual Benefit"  [Deleted]"

6.       Section 13.2, entitled "Definitions and Rules of Interpretation", is
         amended effective April 1, 2000 by changing Section 13.2(i) to read as
         follows:

                  "(i) Aggregation of Section 415 Employer's Defined
         Contribution Plans. For the purpose of this ARTICLE 13, all Defined
         Contribution Plans (whether terminated or not) ever maintained by the
         Section 415 Employer shall be treated as one Defined Contribution
         Plan."

7.       Section 13.4, entitled "Participation in a Defined Benefit Plan", is
         amended effective April 1, 2000 to read as follows:

                  "13.4 "Participation in a Defined Benefit Plan"  [Deleted]"


                       Amendments Effective April 1, 2001

8.       Section 1.6, entitled "Annual Earnings", is amended effective April 1,
         2001 by amending Section 1.6(a)(2) to read as follows:


                  "(2) Specific Inclusions. "Annual Earnings" shall include all
         amounts that would have been paid to the Employee by the Corporation
         and each of its Affiliates during the Plan Year or other period but for
         any salary reduction agreement and that are excluded from the gross
         income of the

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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 3 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


         Employee under any one of the Code sections referred to in Code Section
         414(s)(2) (concerning 401(k) plans, cafeteria plans, qualified
         transportation fringes and certain other deferred compensation
         arrangements)."


                      Amendments Effective January 1, 2002

9.       Section 1.6, entitled "Annual Earnings", is amended effective April 1,
         2002 by changing Section 1.6(b) to read as follows:

                  "(b) Code Section 401(a)(17) Limit. In addition to all other
         applicable limitations set forth in the Plan, and notwithstanding any
         other provision in the Plan to the contrary, for any Plan Year or other
         12-month period beginning on or after January 1, 1989, the Annual
         Earnings of each Employee taken into account under the Plan shall not
         exceed the "Code Section 401(a)(17) Limit." If a Plan Year or other
         determination period consists of fewer than 12 months, the "Code
         Section 401(a)(17) Limit" shall be multiplied by a fraction, the
         numerator of which is the number of months in the Plan Year or other
         determination period and the denominator of which is 12.

                           (1) Limit Effective January 1, 1989. The "Code
                  Section 401(a)(17) Limit" for the Plan Year or any other
                  12-month period beginning in the 1989 calendar year or any
                  subsequent calendar year shall be $200,000 or such larger
                  amount as the Secretary of the Treasury may determine for such
                  calendar year under Code Section 401(a)(17).

                           (2) Limit Effective January 1, 1994. The "Code
                  Section 401(a)(17) Limit" for the Plan Year or any other
                  12-month period beginning in the 1994 calendar year or any
                  subsequent calendar year shall be $150,000 or such larger
                  amount as the Secretary of the Treasury may determine for such
                  calendar year under Code Section 401(a)(17).

                           (3) Limit Effective January 1, 2002. The "Code
                  Section 401(a)(17) Limit" for the Plan Year or any other
                  12-month period beginning in the 2002 calendar year or any
                  subsequent calendar year shall be $200,000 or such larger
                  amount as the Secretary of the Treasury may determine for such
                  calendar year under Code Section 401(a)(17)."


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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 4 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


10.      Section 7.4, entitled "Eligible Rollover Distributions", is amended
         effective January 1, 2002 by adding new Section 7.4(e) to read as
         follows:

         "(e) EGTRRA Amendment.

                           (1) Effective Date. This subsection (e) shall apply
                  to distributions made after December 31, 2001.

                           (2) Modification of Definition of Eligible Retirement
                  Plan. For purposes of the direct rollover provisions in this
                  Section 7.4, an Eligible Retirement Plan shall also mean an
                  annuity contract described in section 403(b) of the Code and
                  an eligible plan under section 457(b) of the Code which is
                  maintained by a state, political subdivision of a state, or
                  any agency or instrumentality of a state or political
                  subdivision of a state and which agrees to separately account
                  for amounts transferred into such plan from this Plan. The
                  definition of Eligible Retirement Plan shall also apply in the
                  case of a distribution to a surviving spouse, or to a spouse
                  or former spouse who is the alternate payee under a Qualified
                  Domestic Relation Order.

                           (3) Modification of Definition of Eligible Rollover
                  Distribution to Exclude Hardship Distributions. For purposes
                  of the direct rollover provisions in this Section 7.4, any
                  amount that is distributed on account of hardship shall not be
                  an eligible rollover distribution and the distributee may not
                  elect to have any portion of such a distribution paid directly
                  to an Eligible Retirement Plan.

                           (4) Modification of Definition of Eligible Rollover
                  Distribution To Include After-tax Employee Contributions. For
                  purposes of the direct rollover provisions in this Section
                  7.4, a portion of a distribution shall not fail to be an
                  Eligible Rollover Distribution merely because the portion
                  consists of after-tax employee contributions which are not
                  includible in gross income. However, such portion may be
                  transferred only to an individual retirement account or
                  annuity described in section 408(a) or (b) of the Code, or to
                  a qualified defined contribution plan described in section
                  401(a) or 403(a) of the Code that agrees to separately account
                  for amounts so transferred, including separately accounting
                  for the portion of such distribution which is includible in
                  gross income and the portion of such distribution which is not
                  so includible "


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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 5 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


11.      Section 13.1, entitled "Summary", is amended effective April 1, 2002 to
         read as follows:

         "13.1 Summary. The total contributions allocated to the Accounts of any
         Participant for a Limitation Year with respect to the Corporation and
         all Affiliates may not exceed the lesser of $40,000 (as adjusted) or
         100 percent of the Participant's Section 415 Compensation. If the
         Participant receives contributions under more than one defined
         contribution plan of the Corporation (and all Affiliates), all such
         contributions must be taken into account in applying this limitation.
         The rules applying this limitation are set forth in detail in the
         subsequent sections of this ARTICLE 13 and these sections override any
         inconsistent provision in this Section 13.1."

12.      Section 13.2, entitled "Definitions and Rules of Interpretation", is
         amended effective April 1, 2002 by changing Section 3.2(f) to read as
         follows:

                  "(f) "Maximum Dollar Amount" means for any Limitation Year,
         $40,000, as may be increased pursuant to Section 415(d) of the Code."

13.      Section 13.2, entitled "Definitions and Rules of Interpretation", is
         amended effective April 1, 2002 by changing Section 3.2(h) to read as
         follows:

                  "(h) "Section 415 Compensation" means with respect to a
         Limitation Year, "participant's compensation" as defined under Code
         Section 415(c)(3) and the Treasury Regulations thereunder. In no event
         shall a Participant's Section 415 Compensation for a Limitation Year
         beginning on or after April 1, 1989 exceed the applicable Code Section
         401(a)(17) Limit set forth in Section 1.6(b)."

14.      Section 13.3, entitled "Limitation on Annual Additions", is amended
         effective April 1, 2002 by inserting "100% of his Section 415
         Compensation" in place of "25% of his Section 415 Compensation".

15.      Section 14.8, entitled "Effective Date", is replaced effective April 1,
         2002 with a new Section 14.8 which shall read as follows:

         "14.8 EGTRRA Amendment.

                  (a) Effective date. This Section 14.8 shall apply for purposes
         of determining whether the Plan is a top-heavy plan under Section
         416(g) of the Code for Plan Years beginning after March 31, 2001, and
         whether the Plan satisfies the minimum benefits requirements of Section
         416(c) of the Code

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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 6 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


         for such years. This section shall govern over any contrary provision
         in this Article 14.

                  (b) Determination of Top-Heavy Status.

                           (1) Key Employee. Key Employee means any employee or
                  former employee (including any deceased employee) who at any
                  time during the Plan Year that includes the Determination Date
                  was an officer of the Employer having annual compensation
                  greater than $130,000 (as adjusted under section 416(i)(1) of
                  the Code for plan years beginning after March 31, 2002), a
                  5-percent owner of the employer, or a 1-percent owner of the
                  employer having annual compensation of more than $150,000. For
                  this purpose, annual compensation means compensation within
                  the meaning of section 415(c)(3) of the Code. The
                  determination of who is a Key Employee will be made in
                  accordance with section 416(i)(1) of the Code and the
                  applicable regulations and other guidance of general
                  applicability issued thereunder.

                           (2) Determination of Present Values and Amounts. This
                  Section 14.8(b)(2) shall apply for purposes of determining the
                  present values of accrued benefits and the amounts of account
                  balances of employees as of the Determination Date.

                                    (A) Distributions during year ending on the
                           determination date. The present values of accrued
                           benefits and the amounts of account balances of an
                           employee as of the Determination Date shall be
                           increased by the distributions made with respect to
                           the employee under the Plan and any plan aggregated
                           with the Plan under section 416(g)(2) of the Code
                           during the 1-year period ending on the determination
                           date. The preceding sentence shall also apply to
                           distributions under a terminated plan which, had it
                           not been terminated, would have been aggregated with
                           the Plan under section 416(g)(2)(A)(i) of the Code.
                           In the case of a distribution made for a reason other
                           than separation from service, death, or disability,
                           this provision shall be applied by substituting
                           5-year period for 1-year period.

                                    (B) Employees not performing services during
                           year ending on the Determination Date. The accrued
                           benefits and accounts of any individual who has not
                           performed services for

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                     Columbus McKinnon Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                              Page 7 of Amendment No. 8 of 1989 Plan Restatement


                           the Employer during the 1-year period ending on the
                           Determination Date shall not be taken into account.

                  (c) Minimum Benefits. Employer matching contributions shall be
         taken into account for purposes of satisfying the minimum contribution
         requirements of section 416(c)(2) of the Code and the Plan. The
         preceding sentence shall apply with respect to matching contributions
         under the Plan or, if the plan provides that the minimum contribution
         requirement shall be met in another plan, such other plan. Employer
         matching contributions that are used to satisfy the minimum
         contribution requirements shall be treated as matching contributions
         for purposes of the actual contribution percentage test and other
         requirements of section 401(m) of the Code."


         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this instrument of amendment has been executed by a
duly authorized officer of the Corporation this 26th day of March, 2002.

                                           COLUMBUS McKINNON CORPORATION


                                           By  /s/ Robert L. Montgomery
                                             -----------------------------------


                                           Title  Executive Vice President
                                                --------------------------------