With the winter months just around the corner, Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW) is looking forward to as much snow falling as possible.

Based in Milwaukee, Douglas Dynamics is one of the many small- and micro-cap companies reporting very good earnings based on solid domestic demand.

This company manufactures commercial snow plowing equipment and parts that attach to vehicles.

Not only did Douglas Dynamics report a record third quarter for 2014, but the company also beat Wall Street consensus on revenues and earnings, and it guided both revenues and earnings per share for all of 2014 above consensus.

The company reported that its quarterly net sales improved a whopping 52% over the third quarter of 2013.

Citing stronger than expected preseason shipments of equipment and parts, the company’s sales hit a record $78.8 million.

And earnings improved substantially, growing to $10.8 million, or $0.47 per diluted share, up from $0.6 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the same quarter last year.

With the expectation of an average snowfall this season, the company boosted its full-year guidance with total sales expected to be a record, falling between $265 and $295 million with earnings per share between $1.40 and $1.75.

Douglas Dynamics broke out on the stock market last winter due to the heavy snowfall, and the company looks to have continued momentum.

Stocks like these, however, live and die on the weather, and share price momentum for this company is a direct result of truck sales and snowfall.

Another unique business we looked at in these pages that’s a little more diversified than Douglas Dynamics is The Toro Company (TTC).

I view this enterprise as a special situation with a multifaceted product line serving the landscaping, golf course, and snow removal industries.

Toro just announced that it will purchase the privately held “BOSS”-branded snow and ice removal equipment manufacturer for $227 million in cash. The company expects the acquisition to be slightly accretive to earnings in fiscal 2015.

Toro had a good third quarter, beating Wall Street consensus on earnings. (See “Off-the-Radar Company Delivering Attractive Earnings.”)This is a business with a proven track record of growth and wealth creation for shareholders.

Wall Street earnings estimates for the company have gone up across the board for 2015. I think this is the type of stock that long-term investors can consider when its down.

The company pays a dividend (currently yielding approximately 1.3%), and its third-quarter financial results were a record.

Esoteric companies like Douglas Dynamics and Toro aren’t typically headline news. But if they are old economy, they certainly shouldn’t be omitted from consideration in the universe of stocks.

Toro, in particular, has a track record of executing its business plan well and providing modest but consistent growth. The stock is up about six-fold from the March 2009 low and can be considered fully priced at this time.

Toro is a good business with good brands that are consistently in demand. It is a company worth watching now.