                                                                    NEWS RELEASE

                                                                        CONTACT:
                                                                Robert R. Friedl
                                      Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
                                                   Columbus McKinnon Corporation
                                                                    716-689-5479

                    COLUMBUS MCKINNON NAMES TWO NEW DIRECTORS
   LINDA GOODSPEED, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER OF LENNOX INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND
     STEPHEN RABINOWITZ, RETIRED CHAIRMAN AND CEO, GENERAL CABLE CORPORATION
                          JOIN CMCO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

          AMHERST,  N.Y.,  October 20,  2004 --  Columbus  McKinnon  Corporation
(Nasdaq:  CMCO),  a leading  designer  and  manufacturer  of  material  handling
products,  today  announced  that its  Board  of  Directors  appointed  Linda A.
Goodspeed,  Executive  Vice  President  and Chief  Technology  Officer of Lennox
International, Inc. and Stephen Rabinowitz, retired Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of General Cable Corporation, as Directors of the Company. Ms. Goodspeed
joined Lennox, a global supplier of climate control solutions, in 2001. Prior to
that,  Ms.  Goodspeed  served  as  President  and  Chief  Operating  Officer  of
PartMiner,  Inc., a global supplier of electronic components.  She has also held
management  positions  in  product  management  and  development,  research  and
development and design engineering at General Electric Appliances,  Nissan North
America,  Inc. and the Ford Motor Company.  Mr. Rabinowitz  retired in 2001 from
his  position  as  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive   Officer  of  General  Cable
Corporation,  a leading  manufacturer of electrical,  communications and utility
cable.  Prior to joining General Cable as President and Chief Executive  Officer
in 1994, he served as President and CEO of  AlliedSignal  Braking  Systems,  and
before that as President and CEO of General Electric's  Electrical  Distribution
and  Control  business.  He also  held  management  positions  in  manufacturing
operations  and  technology at the General  Electric  Company and the Ford Motor
Company.  Mr. Rabinowitz is a Director of Energy Conversion  Devices,  Inc., JLG
Industries, Inc. and the Nanosteel Company.
          Columbus  McKinnon  President and Chief Executive  Officer  Timothy T.
Tevens  commented,  "Linda and Steve are outstanding  additions to our Board who
have  significant   executive  and  operational   experience  in  manufacturing,
engineering,  and product  development for leading  multinational  manufacturing
companies.  They  bring to the Board  skill sets that are ideal as we refine our
product line in order to further reduce costs,  expand our position as a leading
manufacturer  of material  handling  products in North  America and increase our
share in higher growth global markets. Their expertise and perspective will also
be valuable as we continue the  implementation  of our strategic plan to further
increase Columbus McKinnon's profitability and value."


<PAGE>

COLUMBUS MCKINNON NAMES TWO NEW DIRECTORS, PAGE TWO

          Their appointments increase the number  of directors currently serving
on Columbus  McKinnon's  Board of  Directors  to eight.  Ms.  Goodspeed  and Mr.
Rabinowitz  will stand for election by shareholders at the Company's next annual
meeting to be held in August 2005.

     ABOUT COLUMBUS MCKINNON

     Columbus  McKinnon is a leading  worldwide  designer  and  manufacturer  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.

     SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

         This press release  contains  "forward-looking  statements"  within the
         meaning of the Private  Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
         statements  include,  but are not  limited  to,  statements  concerning
         future   revenue  and  earnings,   involve  known  and  unknown  risks,
         uncertainties  and other factors that could cause the actual results of
         the Company to differ  materially from the results expressed or implied
         by such statements, including general economic and business conditions,
         conditions  affecting  the  industries  served by the  Company  and its
         subsidiaries,   conditions   affecting  the  Company's   customers  and
         suppliers, competitor responses to the Company's products and services,
         the overall  market  acceptance  of such  products  and  services,  the
         ability of the Company to sell less synergistic assets and surplus real
         estate,  the  likelihood  that the Company  can  utilize its NOLs,  the
         effect  of  operating  leverage,and  other  factors  disclosed  in  the
         Company's  periodic  reports  filed with the  Securities  and  Exchange
         Commission.   The  Company   assumes  no   obligation   to  update  the
         forward-looking information contained in this release.

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