<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-5.1
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>a2055196zex-5_1.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EXHIBIT 5.1
<TEXT>
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                                                                     Exhibit 5.1


          [Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP Letterhead]


                                                  July 30, 2001

Terex Corporation
500 Post Road East
Westport, Connecticut 06880

                  Re:      Terex Corporation
                           Registration Statement on Form S-4
                           Filed on July 30, 2001
                           ----------------------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen:

                  We have acted as counsel to Terex Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the Company's Registration
Statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") filed today with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), relating to the proposed issuance of
up to 3,592,158 shares (the "Shares") of the common stock, par value $0.01 per
share, of the Company (the "Company Common Stock") in connection with the merger
of a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company with and into CMI Corporation, an
Oklahoma corporation ("CMI"), pursuant to the terms of an Agreement and Plan of
Merger, dated as of June 27, 2001 (the "Merger Agreement"), by and among CMI,
the Company and the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary.

                  In connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or
copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the
Registration Statement, (ii) the Merger Agreement, (iii) the Restated
Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company,
each as currently in effect; and (iv) certain resolutions adopted by the Board
of Directors of the Company relating to the issuance of the Shares and certain
related matters and (v) a specimen certificate evidencing the Company Common
Stock. We also have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise
identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Company and such
agreements, certificates of public officials, certificates of officers or other
representatives of the Company or others, and such other documents, certificates
and records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the
opinions set forth herein.

                  In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all
signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all
documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of
all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or


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photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such documents. In
making our examination of documents executed or to be executed, we have assumed
that the parties thereto, other than the Company, had or will have the power,
corporate or other, to enter into and perform all obligations thereunder and
have also assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or
other, and execution and delivery by such parties of such documents and the
validity and binding effect thereof on such parties. As to any facts material to
the opinions expressed herein that we have not independently established or
verified, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and
other representatives of the Company and others. We have also assumed that the
certificates evidencing the Shares will conform to the specimen examined by us.

                  Members of our firm are admitted to the bar of the State of
New York do not express any opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other
than the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

                  Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion
that the Shares have been duly authorized and, when delivered in exchange for
shares of CMI common stock, together with cash in lieu of fractional shares of
the Shares, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, will be validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

                  We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the
Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also consent to the
reference to our firm under the caption "Legal Matters" in the prospectus
forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not
thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is
required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations of
the Commission promulgated thereunder.

                                                   Very truly yours,


                                                   /s/ Robinson Silverman Pearce
                                                         Aronsohn & Berman LLP


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