SafTCart, synonymous with cylinder carts sold in America, started behind Walker Welders in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Jimmy Walker, Sr. had an idea for a self-contained cutting torch outfit that would protect the gauges while keeping them secure from theft.
The idea was hard to sell to other manufacturers, who just weren’t interested in building the cart for Walker. Therefore, Walker started buying used equipment at local auctions and started building the cart himself. Walker’s construction of that first cart — the 1324 IIE — was the beginning of what would become a major employer in Coahoma County, Mississippi, and a company that galvanized a brand in the welding industry for years to come.
The first carts were produced in a back corner of a gas distributor, with one area set aside for welding and the other for wet painting. The carts were hung to dry until they were ready for wheels and then shipped to different locations. “Big Jimmy” Walker took care of the sales of the carts, peddling his Metal Fab Division the same way he sold packaged gases — door to door — only this time he called on gas distributors.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
