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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.14


July 18, 2000


PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

James H. Woodward
67 Foxgate Circle West
Bowling Green, OH  43402

Dear Jim:

         We are pleased to confirm to you our offer of employment with JLG
Industries, Inc. (the "Company") according to the terms set forth in this
letter:

Title:                         Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
                               Officer.

Commencement Date:             September 1, 2000 (the "Commencement Date").

Base Salary:                   $280,000 per annum, payable semi-monthly.

Signing                        Bonus: You will receive a signing bonus of
                               $115,000 payable on the Commencement Date and on
                               the Commencement Date you will receive 15,000
                               Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the
                               Company's Stock Incentive Plan (the "Stock Plan")
                               and evidenced by a separate Restricted Share
                               Agreement. The Restricted Shares will vest in
                               three equal installments on the third, fourth and
                               fifth anniversaries of the Commencement Date.

Incentive                      Plan: You will participate in the Company's
                               Annual Management Incentive Plan (the "MIP"). The
                               MIP is designed to offer "performance based
                               compensation" in compliance with Internal Revenue
                               Code Section 162(m). Accordingly, your
                               participation will be evidenced by a separate
                               award letter pursuant to the terms of the MIP.

                               The final amount awarded each year will be
                               determined by the Company's Compensation
                               Committee typically based upon a percentage of
                               your base salary, multiplied by factors
                               determined by reference to the level of
                               achievement of your personal performance
                               objective(s), and the applicable Company
                               performance modifier for the year, with the
                               resulting amount subject to reduction based on
                               other subjective criteria at the discretion of
                               the Committee.

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                               For fiscal 2001, your award, before exercise of
                               the Committee's discretion, will range from $0 to
                               $405,000 based upon 60% times your prorated (11
                               months) base salary for the year, multiplied by a
                               percentage of up to 150% based upon achievement
                               of your personal performance objective(s) and by
                               a percentage ranging up to 175% for
                               "distinguished" Company performance based on a
                               matrix of fully diluted earnings per share and
                               free cash flow outcomes for fiscal 2001.

Stock Options:                 On the Commencement Date, you will receive stock
                               options to purchase 43,500 shares of Common
                               Stock of the Company. Subject to your continued
                               employment with the Company, they will vest in
                               three equal installments on the third, fourth
                               and fifth anniversaries of the Commencement
                               Date. The options will be granted pursuant to
                               the Stock Plan and will be evidenced a stock
                               option agreement entered into pursuant to the
                               Stock Plan. The exercise price of the options
                               will be the mean average of the high and low
                               prices at which the Company's shares are traded
                               on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on the
                               trading day immediately preceding the
                               Commencement Date. Unexercised options,
                               including any unvested options, will cease to be
                               exercisable on the tenth anniversary of the
                               Commencement Date.

Change in Control:             All options and Restricted Shares will vest and
                               become fully exercisable immediately upon a
                               "Change in Control" as defined in the Stock Plan.

Other Benefit Plans:           You will be eligible for the standard retirement
                               and other benefit programs provided for officers
                               of the Company. Without limiting the generality
                               of the foregoing, these benefits include: (i)
                               participation in the Company's 401(k) plan which
                               currently provides for Company matching of 50%
                               of the first 5% of Eligible Compensation
                               contributed to the plan and a discretionary
                               profit sharing contribution by the Company which
                               typically has been approximately 5% of Eligible
                               Compensation not in excess of the Social
                               Security wage base plus 10% of Eligible
                               Compensation in excess of the Social Security
                               wage base, (ii) participation in the Company's
                               Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan ("SERP")
                               which, for Senior Vice Presidents at full
                               vesting after five years of service currently
                               provides a retirement benefit of 55% of the
                               average highest two-year salary plus MIP award
                               reduced principally by (a) all defined benefit
                               or cash balance plan amounts received from JLG
                               contributions or from other employers, (b) all
                               other defined contribution balances received
                               from JLG contributions or other employers, and
                               (c) 50% of

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                                social security benefits (SERP benefits vest 25%
                                per year commencing with the second anniversary
                                of the Commencement Date until fully vested),
                                (iii) participation in the Company's Executive
                                Deferred Compensation Plan which permits
                                participants to elect to defer receipt of a
                                portion of salary and MIP award and to direct
                                the investment of deferred amounts among the
                                investment options available under the Company's
                                401(k) plan, (iv) participation in the Company's
                                medical insurance plan and supplemental
                                executive medical benefit program, (v) term life
                                insurance which currently provides a death
                                benefit equal to two times annual base salary,
                                and (vi) four weeks of paid vacation per year
                                (not including public or Company holidays). In
                                addition, the Company will reimburse you for the
                                reasonable, annual cost of tax preparation and,
                                to facilitate appropriate business
                                entertainment, during the term of your
                                employment, the Company will pay reasonable
                                membership initiation fees and annual dues for
                                your admission as a member of a country club
                                located within a 50 mile radius of the Company's
                                headquarters.

Transition Benefits:            In accordance with the Company's relocation
                                policy, the Company will reimburse you for all
                                reasonable and necessary expenses that you incur
                                in connection with your relocation within 12
                                months following the Commencement Date from your
                                current principal residence to a new principal
                                residence within a 50 mile radius of the
                                Company's headquarters, including associated
                                commuting expense and temporary living
                                arrangements prior to relocation of your
                                principal residence.

Separation:                     Your employment will be "at will". Either you or
                                the Company may terminate your employment at any
                                time for any reason. Promptly upon termination
                                of your employment, you will return to the
                                Company all documents, papers, materials and
                                other property of the Company relating to its
                                affairs or containing proprietary information of
                                the Company that are then in your possession or
                                under your control. Pursuant to a separate
                                agreement, you shall be entitled to severance
                                benefits under the Company's Executive Severance
                                Plan, as and to the extent your employment is
                                terminated during the first 2 years of
                                employment, which currently provides for any
                                "Dismissed" participant a "Severance Benefit"
                                equal to an "Applicable Percentage" of then
                                current base salary plus MIP awards for the 12
                                months preceding the termination date. In the
                                case of termination due to a "Change in Control"
                                the MIP award is deemed to be the then current
                                year "target" award. Your "Applicable
                                Percentage" will be 100%.

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Confidentiality:                You agree not to disclose to anyone (except to
                                the extent reasonably necessary for you to
                                perform your duties) any confidential or
                                proprietary materials, documents, records or
                                other confidential or proprietary information
                                concerning the business or affairs of the
                                Company or any affiliates thereof which you may
                                have acquired in the course of or as an incident
                                to your employment with the Company or any
                                affiliates thereof.

                                You represent and warrant that there are no
                                contractual impediments which restrict your
                                acceptance of this employment and that you will
                                not bring to your employment or use in
                                connection with such employment any confidential
                                or proprietary information that you used or had
                                access to by reason of any previous employment
                                that is the property of any previous employer.

Non-Compete:                    During the term of your employment with the
                                Company and for a period of two years
                                thereafter, you will not, without the prior
                                written consent of the Board of Directors of the
                                Company, directly or indirectly engage in or
                                assist any activity which is competitive with
                                the business of the Company (other than on
                                behalf of the Company) including, without
                                limitation, whether such engagement or
                                assistance is an officer, director, employee,
                                partner or investor (other than as a holder of
                                less than 5% of the outstanding capital stock of
                                a publicly traded corporation), anywhere in the
                                world that the Company has been engaged. For a
                                period of two years after the termination of
                                your employment, you will not solicit for
                                employment any employees of the Company. You
                                agree that if the scope of these obligations are
                                determined to exceed that which may be
                                enforceable under applicable law, the scope of
                                these obligations shall be reformed to provide
                                for enforcement to the maximum extent permitted
                                under applicable law.

Intellectual Property
Rights:                         You agree that any developments by way of
                                invention, design, copyright, trademark or other
                                matters which may be developed or perfected by
                                you during the term of your employment, and
                                which relate to the business of the Company,
                                shall be the property of the Company without any
                                interest therein by you, and you will, at the
                                request and expense of the Company, apply for
                                and prosecute letters patent thereon in the
                                United States or in foreign countries if the
                                Company so requests, and will assign and
                                transfer the same to the Company together with
                                any letters patent, copyrights, trademarks and
                                applications therefor; provided, however, that
                                that foregoing shall not

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                                apply to an invention that you develop entirely
                                on your own time without using the Company's
                                equipment, supplies, facilities or trade secret
                                information.

Assignment; Successors:         This letter agreement is personal in its nature
                                and none of the parties hereto shall, without
                                the consent of others, assign or transfer this
                                letter agreement or any rights or obligations
                                hereunder, provided that, in the event of the
                                merger, consolidation, transfer, or sale of all
                                or substantially all of the assets of the
                                Company with or to any other individual or
                                entity, this letter agreement shall, subject to
                                the provisions hereof, be binding upon and inure
                                to the benefit of such successor and such
                                successor shall discharge and perform all the
                                promises, covenants, duties, and obligations of
                                the Company hereunder, and all references herein
                                to the "Company" shall refer to such successor.
                                The Company will require that any successor
                                (whether direct or indirect, by purchase,
                                merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or
                                substantially all of the business or assets of
                                the Company to assume expressly and agree to
                                perform this letter agreement in the same manner
                                and to the same extent that the Company would be
                                required to perform it if no such succession had
                                taken place.

         This letter agreement is governed by and is to be construed and
enforced in connection with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and any
action commenced hereunder must be brought in a court located in the such
Commonwealth. The obligations of the Company set forth in this letter agreement
are subject to approval of this letter agreement by the Company's Board of
Directors. This letter agreement, including the various separate agreements
referred to herein, embodies our entire understanding and supersedes all prior
understandings, whether oral or written, relating to this offer. This letter
agreement cannot be amended or otherwise modified except by a writing signed by
you and the Company.

         We look forward to welcoming you to the Company.

                                          Sincerely yours,

                                          JLG INDUSTRIES, INC.



                                          L. David Black
                                          Chairman of the Board
                                          and Chief Executive Officer


Employment Offer Accepted:_____________________________

Employment Date:_______________________________________


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