SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                           Top Air Manufacturing, Inc.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

             IOWA                                       42-1155462
(State or other jurisdiction of                      (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                     Identification No.)

      317 Savannah Park Road
         Cedar Falls, Iowa                                50613
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                (Zip Code)

                  Top Air Manufacturing, Inc. Stock Option Plan
                            (Full title of the Plan)

                                 Steven R. Lind
                      President and Chief Executive Officer
                           Top Air Manufacturing, Inc.
                             317 Savannah Park Road
                             Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (319) 268-0473
                        (Telephone number, including area
                           code, of agent for service)

                        Copies of all correspondence to:
                             Robert H. Wexler, Esq.
                            Gallop, Johnson & Neuman
                             Interco Corporate Tower
                              101 South Hanley Road
                            St. Louis, Missouri 63105


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                                                Proposed         Proposed
Title of                                        maximum          maximum
securities      Amount          Offering        aggregate        amount of
to be           to be           price           offering         registra-
registered      registered(1)   per share(2)    price            tion fee
- ----------      ----------      ---------       -----------      --------

Common Stock    175,000         $1.59            $278,250         $84.32
no par value

(1)     Represents maximum number of new shares available for issuance under the
        Plan.
(2)     Estimated  solely for the purpose of calculating the  registration  fee.
        Such estimate has been  calculated in accordance  with Rule 457(h) under
        the Securities Act of 1933 and is based upon the average of the high and
        low prices per share of the Registrant's Common Stock as reported by the
        National  Association of Securities  Dealers Automated  Quotation System
        (Small-Cap Market) on March 24, 1997.




                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

         Pursuant  to  Instruction  E to this  Form  S-8,  the  contents  of the
previous   registration   statement   on  Form  S-8  relating  to  the  Top  Air
Manufacturing, Inc., Stock Option Plan (File #33-74378) are
incorporated herein by this reference.

Item 8.  Exhibits

         The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement
or incorporated by reference herein.

Exhibit
Number                                  Description

4.1            Top Air Manufacturing, Inc., Stock Option Plan, effective
               November 6, 1992 (incorporated herein by reference to Form
               S-8 dated January 24, 1994 -- File No. 33-74378).

4.2            Amendment to Stock Option Plan dated October 1, 1995.

4.3            Amendment No. 2 to Stock Option Plan dated March 4, 1997.

5.1            Opinion of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C.

23.1           Consent of McGladrey & Pullen, Independent Accountants.

23.2           Consent of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C. (included in
               Exhibit 5.1).

24             Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the
               registration statement).

Item 9.  Undertakings

        (a)     The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                (1) To file,  during  any  period  in which  offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                              (i) To include  any prospectus required by Section
                         10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

                             (ii) To  reflect  in the  prospectus  any  facts or
                         events   arising  after  the  effective  date  of  this
                         registration    statement    (or   the   most    recent
                         post-effective amendment hereof) which, individually

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                         or in the aggregate,  represent a fundamental change in
                         the   information   set  forth  in  this   registration
                         statement statement;

                            (iii)  To  include  any  material  information  with
                         respect  to the  plan of  distribution  not  previously
                         disclosed  in  this   registration   statement  or  any
                         material   change   to   such   information   in   this
                         registration statement;

provided,  however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
registration  statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8, and the information required
to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed by the registrant  pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934  that are  incorporated  by  reference  in the
registration statement.

                (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such  securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

                (3) To remove  from  registration  by means of a  post-effective
amendment  any of the  securities  being  registered  which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

        (b) The undersigned  Registrant  hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining  any liability  under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's  annual  report  pursuant to Section  13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934  (and,  where  applicable,  each  filing of an
employee  benefit  plan's  annual  report  pursuant  to  Section  15(d)  of  the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934) that is  incorporated  by  reference  in this
registration  statement  shall  be  deemed  to be a new  registration  statement
relating to the securities offered therein,  and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (c)-(g)  Not Applicable.

        (h)  Insofar  as  indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under  the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors,  officers and  controlling
persons of the Registrant  pursuant to the foregoing  provisions,  or otherwise,
the  Registrant  has been  advised  that in the  opinion of the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission such  indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Securities  Act of 1933 and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the event
that a claim  for  indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than the

                                      II-2





payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
controlling  person of the Registrant in the  successful  defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director,  officer or controlling person
in connection with the securities being registered,  the Registrant will, unless
in the  opinion  of its  counsel  the matter  has been  settled  by  controlling
precedent,  submit to a court of appropriate  jurisdiction  the question whether
such  indemnification  by it is  against  public  policy  as  expressed  in  the
Securities  Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final  adjudication  of such
issue.

        (i)     Not Applicable.


                                      II-3





                                   SIGNATURES


        The  Registrant.  Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it
meets all of the  requirements  for filing on Form S-8 and has duly  caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,  thereunto
duly authorized in the City of Cedar Falls, State of Iowa, on March 26, 1997.


                                       TOP AIR MANUFACTURING, INC.



                                       By:  /s/ Steven R. Lind
                                            --------------------------
                                            Steven R. Lind
                                            President and Chief Executive
                                            Officer



                                POWER OF ATTORNEY


        We, the  undersigned  officers and  directors of Top Air  Manufacturing,
Inc.,  hereby severally and  individually  constitute and appoint Steven R. Lind
and Robert H. Wexler and each of them, the true and lawful  attorneys and agents
of  each  of  us to  execute  in  the  name,  place  and  stead  of  each  of us
(individually  and in any capacity  stated below) any and all amendments to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8 and all instruments necessary or advisable in
connection  therewith  and to file the same  with the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission,  each of said  attorneys and agents to have the power to act with or
without the other and to have full power and  authority to do and perform in the
name and on behalf of each of the undersigned every act whatsoever  necessary or
advisable to be done in the premises as fully and to all intents and purposes as
any of the  undersigned  might or could do in person,  and we hereby  ratify and
confirm our  signatures  as they may be signed by our said  attorneys and agents
and each of them to any and all such amendments and instruments.

        Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  this
registration  statement  has  been  signed  by  the  following  persons  in  the
capacities and on the dates indicated.



                                      II-4






     Name                         Title                       Date
     ----                         -----                       ----


/s/ Steven R. Lind            President and Chief         March 21, 1997
Steven R. Lind                Executive Officer
                              and Director

/s/ Thaddeus P. Vannice       Principal Financial         March 24, 1997
Thaddeus P. Vannice           Officer and Director


/s/ Wayne C. Dudley           Director                    March 26, 1997
Wayne C. Dudley


/s/ Dennis Dudley             Director                    March 21, 1997
Dennis Dudley


/s/ Frankline A. Jacobs       Director                    March 24, 1997
Franklin A. Jacobs


/s/ S. Lee Kling              Director                    March 24, 1997
S. Lee Kling


/s/ Robert J. Freeman         Director                    March 24, 1997
Robert J. Freeman


/s/ Sanford W. Weiss          Director                    March 24, 1997
Sanford W. Weiss




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                                    FORM S-8

                           TOP AIR MANUFACTURING, INC.


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number                           Description                              Page
- ------                           -----------                              ----


4.1             Top Air Manufacturing, Inc. Stock Option Plan
                (incorporated herein by reference to
                Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed 
                January 24, 1994)..........................................

4.2             Amendment to Stock Option Plan dated
                October 1, 1995)...........................................

4.3             Amendment No. 2 to Stock Option Plan dated
                March 4, 1997..............................................

5.1             Opinion of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C...................

23.1            Consent of McGladrey & Pullen, Independent
                Accountants................................................

23.2            Consent of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C.
                (included in Exhibit 5.1)..................................

24              Power of Attorney (included on signature
                page of the registration statement)........................






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