Basis of Financial Statement Presentation	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Basis of Financial Statement Presentation [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Basis of Financial Statement Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011. The balance sheet at December 31, 2010, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. The accompanying statement of income reflects the correction of a misclassification of freight revenue for the prior period. Freight billed to customers was previously recorded as a reduction of cost of sales and has been reclassified to increase sales and cost of sales in accordance with ASC 605-45-45-20. The reclassification resulted in an increase in net sales and cost of sales of $4.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011, and was $3.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, with no impact on reported net income. For the six months ended June 30, the reclassification resulted in an increase in net sales and cost of sales of $7.8 million for 2011, and was $6.5 million for 2010, with no impact on reported net income. Revenue and cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 will be increased by approximately $14.0 million and $7.4 million, respectively, in future filings.

Basis of Financial Statement Presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Alamo Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulations S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011. The balance sheet at December 31, 2010, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

The accompanying statement of income reflects the correction of a misclassification of freight revenue for the prior period. Freight billed to customers was previously recorded as a reduction of cost of sales and has been reclassified to increase sales and cost of sales in accordance with ASC 605-45-45-20. The reclassification resulted in an increase in net sales and cost of sales of $4.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011, and was $3.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, with no impact on reported net income. For the six months ended June 30, the reclassification resulted in an increase in net sales and cost of sales of $7.8 million for 2011, and was $6.5 million for 2010, with no impact on reported net income. Revenue and cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 will be increased by approximately $14.0 million and $7.4 million, respectively, in future filings.