A Family Business....

In 1952, Bob Paugh founded Paughco Tool and Die to provide cutting edge technical and component support for the Department of Defense and aerospace industries. In fact, Paughco Tool and Die, as part of the Apollo Space program, had extremely advanced, top secret little gad-gets and gizmos cruising around on the moon by the late 60’s.

While Bob was pushing back the boundaries of space, young Ron Paugh was raising hell and making a name for himself in So. Cal. customizing Harley motorcycles at the very dawn of the Southern California Chopper scene. Boyd DeFrance, owner of the original D&D Cycle, one of Ron’s hangouts in San Fernando, asked Ron if Paughco Tool & Die could reproduce the early HD stamped inner primary covers, that were notorious for cracking. This was no small feat, as it required sophisticated tooling and stamping procedures that few companies had the capability to handle. Bob took the challenge and produced a replacement primary that far surpassed what anyone had hoped for, and he could produce it quickly and in large quantities. One part lead to another and in 1968, Paughco Inc. was founded and dedicated 100% to the production of Chopper and replacement parts for classic Harley-Davidsons.

When Bob Paugh told Ron that he could produce virtually anything a chopper enthusiast could want, it was no idle boast. And it wasn’t long before Paughco was producing handlebars, sissy bars and other bolt-ons, followed by what was and remains today, the industry standard for Springer front ends and custom frames. A short time later, Bob also made a deal with Boyd to purchase D&D. This was noteworthy in that D&D had been making parts on a limited basis for Jammer Cycle which was co-owned, in part, by Joe Teresi, one of the original founders of and current owner of Easyriders.

With the husband and wife team of Robert and Ruth Paugh at the helm, Paughco was on the move. And by the early 80’s, the company was manufacturing thousands of unique products, becoming the number one choice of consumers worldwide.

Bursting at the seams, Paughco needed room for expansion. So in 1983, the company opened a massive, self-contained complex in Carson City, Nevada. At the new site, virtually all business operations are handled under one roof. The close proximity allows for unprecedented quality control and face-to-face collaboration between designers, tool and die makers, manufacturing, inventory control, sales, shipping, marketing, purchasing and new product development. Engineering teams work with the latest in CAD technology while state-of-the-art CNC machines work alongside irreplaceable punch press, stamping and metal forming hardware. An on-site tool and die fabrication group works hand-in-hand with full-time bike builders and product testing teams, as well as the trained metallurgists operating Paughco’s legendary in-house chrome plating lab.

Shortly after completion of Paughco’s new world headquarters, the legendary Bob Paugh took his final ride, and operations were transferred to Ron. At the same time, a third generation Paugh, Ron’s son Bob, picked up much of the weight, and continues to keep Paughco on the cutting edge of modern technology and computer integration.

As Paughco celebrates its 40th anniversary, the company remains dedicated to the production of an ever-expanding line of products to meet the needs of young and old riders alike. With well over one thousand frame combinations and more than two hundred Springer variations to choose from, Paughco is unchallenged as the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of replacement and custom HD frames, Springer front ends, and ‘Old School’ Chopper parts. Combine these hard-core Chopper parts with our rapidly expanding line of contemporary products, and you’ll see why Paughco remains the undisputed ‘Godfather’ of the Chopper industry.

Every day that we open the doors and crank up the machinery, we recognize how fortunate and honored we are, to have served the needs of Chopper and HD restoration enthusiasts around the world. Thanks to you, it has been a great ride, and we look forward to serving your needs for at least another 40 years.