In 1936 our predecessor company, West Virginia Tractor & Equipment Co., evolved from Basham Equipment Co. The founder and president was L.C. Basham, who continued to operate the business until his death in 1968. His four sons, Calvin, Donald, Burke and Harry, operated the business until they retired in 1982, when the third generation formed West Virginia Tractor Company.

The primary focus of our predecessor companies was selling and servicing construction and mining equipment throughout West Virginia. In the 1950’s the company began representing some of the top municipal equipment manufacturers.

The late 1970’s and the early 1980’s were very difficult times in the mining and construction equipment fields. So, West Virginia Tractor began to focus on governmental sales with Elgin street sweepers, Leach refuse packers, and Vactor sewer cleaners as the primary accounts.

In 1982 the third generation took over the business and shortened the name of the company to West Virginia Tractor. Gary Grady, son-in-law of Donald Basham became the president, Steve Basham, son of Harry Basham, became vice president, Ed Basham, son of Burke Basham, became vice president, and Susan Martin, became secretary and treasurer.

When our customers who use construction equipment began to update their equipment fleets in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, we took on new construction equipment lines.

West Virginia Tractor Company moved to a more modern facility a few blocks from the intersection of three Interstate highways in 1992. Throughout our nearly three quarters of a century, we have always been headquartered in Charleston, the capital and center of commerce of West Virginia.

Some of the equipment lines we represent include, Elgin sweepers, Vactor sewer cleaners, Hyundai Construction Equipment, LBX excavators, Allied Construction Products, American Road Machinery leaf loaders, Dur-A-Lift aerial devices, E.D. Etnyre asphalt equipment, G-S Products recycling equipment, Galbreath/Wastequip roll-of equipment, Hi-Way material spreaders and plows, Mauldin asphalt equipment, L.T.&E. vacuum tanks, Rogers trailers, Root plows and scrapers, Sewer Equipment Co. of America sewer cleaners, Sweepster/FFC  brooms and hydraulic attachments, Viking plows, Leach/Labrie refuse packers, New-Way refuse packers, Western plows and spreaders, Altec brush chippers and aerial devices, and Stahl service bodies.

Current employees are: Gary Grady, president; Steve Basham, vice president; Michael Grady, vice president; Marshall Williams, parts; Scott Shreve, parts; Henry Shreve, service; Mark Cast, service.

Our area of service for most of our accounts is the state of West Virginia, except for the northern panhandle.  For some of our accounts we also serve the northern panhandle of West Virginia.