Balloons in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade have been a tradition since the 1930s and for the last 16 years utility vehicles from Bloomington-based Toro have helped move the balloons down the parade route in New York City.
The Storr Tractor Co., a Toro distributor in Branchburg, N.J., supplies the parade with 37 Toro utility vehicles to help manage the balloons along the 2.5 mile long parade route.
To help the handlers and keep the balloons from flying off 37 Toro Workman, GTX, HDX and MDX utility vehicles will be weighed down with 19 tons of ballast to serve as mobile anchors for the balloons.
The Toro Workman vehicles are durable, versatile and easy to operate which helps when there are as many as 90 handlers per giant balloon. Some balloons can be as high as a five- or six- story building and as wide as seven- or eight-taxi cabs.
"We are thrilled to support the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," said MaryLou Des Champs, president and CEO of Storr Tractor Co. "Its special to be part of this historic parade."
This year a Toro Workman MDE utility vehicle will also power the Aflac duck "ballonicle" which is part cold air balloon and part vehicle.
