NEWS RELEASE

    CONTACT:
    Karen L. Howard, Vice President and Interim Chief Financial Officer
    Phone:  716.689.5550
    KAREN.HOWARD@CMWORKS.COM

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Columbus McKinnon Corporation Commences Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation
                     For Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2008

Amherst,  New York,  August 5, 2005 - Columbus McKinnon  Corporation  ("Columbus
McKinnon")  (Nasdaq:  CMCO)  announced today that it has commenced a cash tender
offer and consent  solicitation for any and all of the $142,400,000  outstanding
principal  amount of its 8 1/2%  Senior  Subordinated  Notes Due 2008 (CUSIP No.
199333AC9 and ISIN US199333AC95). The noteholder consents are being solicited to
eliminate substantially all of the restrictive and reporting covenants,  certain
events of default  and  certain  other  provisions  contained  in the  indenture
governing the notes.

The  tender  offer and  consent  solicitation  is being  made upon the terms and
conditions  in the Offer to Purchase  and  Consent  Solicitation  Statement  and
related  Letter  of  Transmittal  dated  August 5,  2005.  The  tender  offer is
scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on September 1, 2005,
unless extended or earlier  terminated.  Noteholders who provide consents to the
proposed  amendments  will  receive  a consent  payment  of  $10.00  per  $1,000
principal  amount of notes  tendered and  accepted for purchase  pursuant to the
offer if they  provide  their  consents on or prior to 5:00 p.m.,  New York City
time, on August 15, 2005, unless such date is extended.  The total consideration
to be paid for each note validly tendered prior to the Consent Date and accepted
for  purchase  will be  $1,016.67  per $1,000  principal  amount of notes,  plus
accrued and unpaid interest,  if any, from the last interest payment to, but not
including, the payment date.

Columbus  McKinnon  intends to fund the tender offer and consent  payments,  and
related  costs,  with proceeds from a private  placement of senior  subordinated
notes  together with other  available  funds.  The new notes to be sold have not
been and will not be registered  under the Securities Act of 1933 and may not be
offered or sold in the United States absent  registration  under the  Securities
Act of 1933 or an applicable exemption therefrom.

The  obligations to accept for purchase and to pay for notes in the tender offer
are conditioned on, among other things,  the consummation of the new offering of
senior  subordinated  notes, the receipt of consents to the proposed  amendments
from the holders of at least a majority  of the  aggregate  principal  amount of
outstanding  notes,  and  the  execution  of a  supplemental  indenture  to  the
indenture governing the notes.

Requests for documents may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the Information
Agent,  at (888)  628-1041 (US  toll-free).  Questions  regarding the tender and
consent  solicitation may be directed to Credit Suisse First Boston LLC at (800)
820-1653 (US toll-free) or +1 (212) 325-7596.


                                     -more-




Columbus McKinnon is a leading worldwide designer,  manufacturer and marketer of
material  handling  products,   systems  and  services,  which  efficiently  and
ergonomically  move,  lift,  position or secure  material.  Key products include
hoists,  cranes,  chain and  forged  attachments.  The  Company  is  focused  on
commercial  and  industrial  applications  that  require  the safety and quality
provided  by  its  superior  design  and  engineering  know-how.   Comprehensive
information   on   Columbus   McKinnon   is   available   on  its  web  site  at
HTTP://WWW.CMWORKS.COM.

This  announcement  is not an offer to purchase,  a solicitation  of an offer to
purchase,  or a  solicitation  of  consent  with  respect  to the 8 1/2%  Senior
Subordinated Notes Due 2008. The tender offer and consent  solicitation is being
made solely by the Offer to Purchase and Consent  Solicitation  Statement  dated
August 5, 2005.

Safe Harbor Statement
The  information   contained  in  this  news  release,   other  than  historical
information,  consists of  forward-looking  statements within the meaning of the
Private  Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve
risks and  uncertainties  that could cause actual  results to differ  materially
from those described in such statements.  Although Columbus McKinnon Corporation
believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking  statements are
reasonable,  it can give no assurance that such  expectations will prove to have
been correct.