Manitou Americas celebrates 50 years of Mustang skid-steer loaders this year. In 1965, Owatonna Manufacturing, today part of Manitou Americas, began designing and manufacturing its own line of skid-steer loaders, starting with the Owatonna Mustang Series 1000. They were the second manufacturer to develop skid-steers, known at the time as self-propelled, four-wheel-drive units.