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                                                                      Exhibit 99

                Cautionary Statements Pursuant to the Securities
                          Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The Company wishes to inform its investors of the following important factors
that in some cases have affected, and in the future could affect, the Company's
results of operations and that could cause such future results of operations to
differ materially from those expressed in any forward looking statements made by
or on behalf of the Company. Disclosure of these factors is intended to permit
the Company to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Many of these factors have been
discussed in prior SEC filings by the Company. Though the Company has attempted
to list comprehensively these important cautionary factors, the Company wishes
to caution investors that other factors may in the future prove to be important
in affecting the Company's results of operations.

DEMAND VARIABILITY -- Demand for new equipment manufactured by the Company tends
to be cyclical, responding historically to varying levels of construction and
industrial activity, principally in the United States and, to a lesser extent,
in other industrialized nations. Other factors affecting demand include the
availability and cost of financing for equipment purchases, the market
availability of used equipment and alternatives to purchases such as equipment
leases directly from the Company. Company management regularly monitors these
and other factors that affect demand for the Company's equipment. However,
predicting levels of demand beyond a short term is necessarily imprecise and
demand may at times change dramatically.

CONSOLIDATING CUSTOMERS BASE; RENTAL COMPANIES -- The principal customers for
the Company's new equipment are independent equipment rental companies that rent
the Company's products and provide service support to equipment users. In recent
years, growth in sales to equipment rental companies has outpaced growth in
direct sales to end-users, resulting in equipment rental companies comprising a
larger share of total sales. At the same time, there has been substantial
consolidation in ownership among rental companies, resulting in a more limited
number of major customers comprising a substantial portion of total sales. A
change in purchasing decisions by any of these major customers could materially
affect overall demand for the Company's products and the Company's financial
performance. More generally, during recessionary conditions, demand for
equipment by equipment rental companies typically declines more sharply than
demand for equipment purchased by end-users.

MANUFACTURING CAPACITY -- Given the cyclical nature of demand, the Company must
periodically expand and contract its manufacturing facilities. Capital
investment to acquire additional manufacturing facilities involves significant
risks. Excess manufacturing capacity adversely affects profitability because
higher fixed costs are spread over a lower sales volume. Insufficient capacity
adversely affects profitability as long lead-times required to fill customer
orders may impair the Company's ability to compete for new business and
subcontracting costs incurred to increase capacity affect profitability.

PRODUCT LIABILITY -- Use of the Company's products involves risks of personal
injury and property damage and liability exposure for the Company. The Company
insures against this liability through a combination of a self-insurance
retention and catastrophic insurance coverage in excess of the retention. The
Company monitors all incidents of which it becomes aware involving the use of
its products that result in personal injury or property damage and establishes
accrued liability reserves on its financial statements based on liability
estimates with respect to claims arising from such incidents. Future or
unreported incidents involving personal injury or property damage or
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unanticipated variances between actual liabilities for known incidents and
Company estimates may adversely affect the Company's financial performance.

AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCT COMPONENTS -- The Company obtains raw materials and
certain manufactured components from third-party suppliers. To reduce material
costs and inventories, the Company relies on supplier partnership arrangements
with preferred vendors as a sole source for "just-in-time" delivery of many raw
materials and manufactured components. Because the Company maintains limited raw
material inventories, even brief unanticipated delays in delivery by suppliers,
including those due to capacity constraints, labor disputes, Year 2000
readiness, impaired financial condition of suppliers, weather emergencies or
other natural disasters, may adversely affect the Company's ability to satisfy
its customers on a timely basis and thereby affect the Company's financial
performance.

FOREIGN SALES; CURRENCY RISKS -- A growing component of the Company's business
has been export sales to Europe, Australia, Latin America and Asia. Maintenance
and continued growth of this segment of the Company's business may be affected
by changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies, laws and regulations of the
United States and other trading nations and by foreign currency exchange rate
fluctuations and the ability or inability of the Company to hedge against
exchange rate risks.

COMPETITION; CONTINUED INNOVATION -- The Company faces substantial competition
in the market for its products. Product line expansion by existing competitors
and potential entry by new competitors also may affect the Company's market
position. Throughout its history, the Company has devoted substantial resources
to product development and has generally succeeded in being a market leader in
introducing new products or incorporating new features and functions into
existing products. Successful product innovation by competitors that reach the
market prior to comparable innovation by the Company or that are amenable to
patent protection may adversely affect the Company's financial performance.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS -- The Company intends to pursue strategic acquisitions
as a means of increasing sales and earnings and promoting shareholder value.
Acquisitions generally may involve a number of risks that may affect the
Company's financial performance including increased leverage, diversion of
management resources, possible shareholder dilution, assumption of liabilities
of acquired businesses and corporate culture conflicts. In addition, specific
acquisitions may involve other risks unique to the acquired business. Finally,
there is no assurance that the Company will be able to conclude satisfactory
agreements to acquire any businesses as a means to increase sales and earnings.

UNANTICIPATED LITIGATION -- The Company occasionally has faced unanticipated
intellectual property and shareholder litigation which has involved significant
unbudgeted expenditures. The costs and other effects of any future,
unanticipated legal or administrative proceedings may be significant.

DEPENDENCE UPON KEY PERSONNEL -- The Company believes that it has developed a
strong management team, which intends to continue the Company's growth and
profitability. However, the loss or unavailability of certain key management
personnel, principally L. David Black, the Company's Chairman of the Board,
President and Chief Executive Officer, could adversely affect the Company's
business and prospects.


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