Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation and Presentation — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Oshkosh and all of its majority-owned or controlled subsidiaries and are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company accounts for its 50% voting interest in RiRent, its 49% interest in Mezcladores and its 45% interest in McNeilus Brazil under the equity method.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition — The Company recognizes revenue on equipment and parts sales when contract terms are met, collectability is reasonably assured and a product is shipped or risk of ownership has been transferred to and accepted by the customer. Revenue from service agreements is recognized as earned when services have been rendered. Appropriate provisions are made for discounts, returns and sales allowances. Sales are recorded net of amounts invoiced for taxes imposed on the customer such as excise or value-added taxes.

Sales to the U.S. government of non-commercial whole goods manufactured to the government’s specifications are recognized using the units-of-delivery measure under the percentage-of-completion accounting method as units are accepted by the government. The Company invoices the government as the units are formally accepted. Deferred revenue arises from amounts received in advance of the culmination of the earnings process and is recognized as revenue in future periods when the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met. Due to a shortage in tires at one of the Company's suppliers, the defense segment was unable to complete production of certain vehicles sufficiently to recognize revenue at September 30, 2012 and has deferred revenue on these vehicles. Revenue will be recognized once tires are obtained and added to the defense vehicles such that the earnings process is complete.

The Company includes amounts representing contract change orders, claims or other items in sales only when they can be reliably estimated and realization is probable. The Company charges anticipated losses on contracts or programs in progress to earnings when identified. Bid and proposal costs are expensed as incurred.

Shipping and Handling Fees and Costs — Revenue received from shipping and handling fees is reflected in net sales. Shipping and handling fee revenue was not significant for all periods presented. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of sales.

Warranty — Provisions for estimated warranty and other related costs are recorded in cost of sales at the time of sale and are periodically adjusted to reflect actual experience. The amount of warranty liability accrued reflects management’s best estimate of the expected future cost of honoring Company obligations under the warranty plans. Historically, the cost of fulfilling the Company’s warranty obligations has principally involved replacement parts, labor and sometimes travel for any field retrofit campaigns. The Company’s estimates are based on historical experience, the extent of pre-production testing, the number of units involved and the extent of features/components included in product models. Also, each quarter, the Company reviews actual warranty claims experience to determine if there are systemic defects that would require a field campaign.

Research and Development and Similar Costs — Except for customer sponsored research and development costs incurred pursuant to contracts, research and development costs are expensed as incurred and included in cost of sales. Research and development costs charged to expense amounted to $109.1 million, $99.9 million and $92.4 million during fiscal 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Customer sponsored research and development costs incurred pursuant to contracts are accounted for as contract costs.

Advertising — Advertising costs are included in selling, general and administrative expense and are expensed as incurred. These expenses totaled $13.1 million, $15.5 million and $15.4 million in fiscal 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Environmental Remediation Costs — The Company accrues for losses associated with environmental remediation obligations when such losses are probable and reasonably estimable. The liabilities are developed based on currently available information and reflect the participation of other potentially responsible parties, depending on the parties’ financial condition and probable contribution. The accruals are recorded at undiscounted amounts and are reflected as liabilities on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Recoveries of environmental remediation costs from other parties are recorded as assets when their receipt is deemed probable. The accruals are adjusted as further information develops or circumstances change.

Stock-Based Compensation — The Company recognizes stock-based compensation using the fair value provisions prescribed by Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation. Accordingly, compensation costs for stock options, restricted stock and performance shares are calculated based on the fair value of the stock-based instrument at the time of grant and are recognized as expense over the vesting period of the stock-based instrument. See Note 17 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s stock-based incentive plans.

Income Taxes — Deferred income taxes are provided to recognize temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the income tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities using currently enacted tax rates and laws. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

The Company evaluates uncertain income tax positions in a two-step process. The first step is recognition, where the Company evaluates whether an individual tax position has a likelihood of greater than 50% of being sustained upon examination based on the technical merits of the position, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. For tax positions that are currently estimated to have a less than 50% likelihood of being sustained, zero tax benefit is recorded. For tax positions that have met the recognition threshold in the first step, the Company performs the second step of measuring the benefit to be recorded. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from the Company’s estimates. In future periods, changes in facts and circumstances and new information may require the Company to change the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recorded in results of operations and financial position in the period in which such changes occur.

Approximately 8% of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2012 was located outside the United States. Income taxes are provided on financial statement earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries expected to be repatriated. The Company determines annually the amount of undistributed non-U.S. earnings to invest indefinitely in its non-U.S. operations. As a result of anticipated cash requirements in foreign subsidiaries, the Company currently believes that all earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries will be reinvested indefinitely to finance foreign activities. Accordingly, no deferred income taxes have been provided for the repatriation of those earnings.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments — Based on Company estimates, the carrying amounts of cash equivalents, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximated fair value as of September 30, 2012 and 2011.

Cash and Cash Equivalents — The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents at September 30, 2012 consisted principally of bank deposits and money market instruments.

Receivables — Receivables consist of amounts billed and currently due from customers and unbilled costs and accrued profits related to revenues on long-term contracts with the U.S. government that have been recognized for accounting purposes but not yet billed to customers. The Company extends credit to customers in the normal course of business and maintains an allowance for estimated losses resulting from the inability or unwillingness of customers to make required payments. The accrual for estimated losses is based on the Company’s historical experience, existing economic conditions and any specific customer collection issues the Company has identified.

Concentration of Credit Risk — Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash equivalents, trade accounts receivable and guarantees of certain customers’ obligations under deferred payment contracts and lease purchase agreements.

The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents, and other financial instruments, with various major financial institutions. The Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these financial institutions and limits the amount of credit exposure with any institution.

Concentration of credit risk with respect to trade accounts and leases receivable is limited due to the large number of customers and their dispersion across many geographic areas. However, a significant amount of trade and lease receivables are with the U.S. government, with rental companies globally, with companies in the ready-mix concrete industry, with municipalities and with several large waste haulers in the United States. The Company continues to monitor credit risk associated with its trade receivables, especially during this period of continued global economic weakness.

Inventories — Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost has been determined using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method for 78.6% of the Company’s inventories at September 30, 2012 and 85.4% at September 30, 2011. For the remaining inventories, cost has been determined using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method.

Performance-Based Payments — The Company’s contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) to deliver heavy-payload tactical vehicles (Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles and Logistic Vehicle System Replacement) and medium-payload tactical vehicles (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement), as well as certain other defense-related contracts, include requirements for “performance-based payments.” The performance-based payment provisions in the contracts require the DoD to pay the Company based on the completion of certain pre-determined events in connection with the production under these contracts. Performance-based payments received are first applied to reduce outstanding receivables for units accepted in accordance with contractual terms, with any remaining amount recorded as an offset to inventory to the extent of related inventory on hand. Amounts received in excess of receivables and inventories are included in liabilities as customer advances.

Property, Plant and Equipment — Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets using accelerated and straight-line methods. The estimated useful lives range from 10 to 40 years for buildings and improvements, from 4 to 25 years for machinery and equipment and from 3 to 10 years for capitalized software and related costs. The Company capitalizes interest on borrowings during the active construction period of major capital projects. Capitalized interest is immaterial for all periods presented. All capitalized interest has been added to the cost of the underlying assets and is amortized over the useful lives of the assets.

Goodwill — Goodwill reflects the cost of an acquisition in excess of the aggregate fair value assigned to identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized; however, it is assessed for impairment at least annually and as triggering events or “indicators of potential impairment” occur. The Company performs its annual impairment test in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year. The Company evaluates the recoverability of goodwill by estimating the fair value of the businesses to which the goodwill relates. Estimated cash flows and related goodwill are grouped at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or, under certain circumstances, a component of an operating segment that constitutes a business. When the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value of the reporting unit, a further analysis is performed to measure and recognize the amount of the impairment loss, if any. Impairment losses, limited to the carrying value of goodwill, represent the excess of the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s goodwill over the implied fair value of that goodwill. In fiscal 2011 and 2010, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $4.3 million and $16.8 million, respectively, of which $2.3 million and $16.8 million, respectively, related to discontinued operations. See Note 8 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of these charges.

In evaluating the recoverability of goodwill, it is necessary to estimate the fair value of the reporting units. The Company evaluates the recoverability of goodwill utilizing the income approach and the market approach. The Company weighted the income approach more heavily (75%) as the income approach uses long-term estimates that consider the expected operating profit of each reporting unit during periods where residential and non-residential construction and other macroeconomic indicators are nearer historical averages. The Company believes the income approach more accurately considers the expected recovery in the U.S. and European construction markets than the market approach. Under the income approach, the Company determines fair value based on estimated future cash flows discounted by an estimated weighted-average cost of capital, which reflects the overall level of inherent risk of a reporting unit and the rate of return an outside investor would expect to earn. Estimated future cash flows are based on the Company’s internal projection models, industry projections and other assumptions deemed reasonable by management. Rates used to discount estimated cash flows correspond to the Company’s cost of capital, adjusted for risk where appropriate, and are dependent upon interest rates at a point in time. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and management’s judgment in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment. Under the market approach, the Company derives the fair value of its reporting units based on revenue and earnings multiples of comparable publicly-traded companies. It is possible that assumptions underlying the impairment analysis will change in such a manner that impairment in value may occur in the future.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets — Property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Non-amortizable trade names are assessed for impairment at least annually and as triggering events or “indicators of potential impairment” occur. If the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the related asset or group of assets, a loss is recognized for the difference between the fair value and carrying value of the asset or group of assets. Such analyses necessarily involve significant judgment. In fiscal 2011 and 2010, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges related to purchased intangible assets of $0.5 million and $8.8 million, respectively, of which $0.5 million and $6.5 million, respectively, related to discontinued operations.

Floor Plan Notes Payable — Floor plan notes payable represent liabilities related to the purchase of commercial vehicle chassis upon which the Company mounts its manufactured vehicle bodies. Floor plan notes payable are non-interest bearing for terms ranging up to 120 days and must be repaid upon the sale of the vehicle to a customer. The Company’s practice is to repay all floor plan notes for which the non-interest bearing period has expired without sale of the vehicle to a customer.

Customer Advances — Customer advances include amounts received in advance of the completion of fire & emergency and commercial vehicles. Most of these advances bear interest at variable rates approximating the prime rate. Advances also include any performance-based payments received from the DoD in excess of the value of related inventory. Advances from the DoD are non-interest bearing. See the discussion above regarding performance-based payments.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) — Comprehensive income (loss) is a more inclusive financial reporting method that includes disclosure of financial information that historically has not been recognized in the calculation of net income. The Company has chosen to report comprehensive income (loss) and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), which encompasses net income (loss), cumulative translation adjustments, employee pension and postretirement benefits, and unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Equity.

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) were as follows (in millions):



	Cumulative Translation Adjustments			Employee Pension and Postretirement Benefits, Net of Tax			Gains (Losses) on Derivatives, Net of Tax			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Balance at September 30, 2009	$	41.2		$	(84.3	)	$	(31.6	)	$	(74.7	)
Fiscal year change	(26.1		)	(12.6		)	(5.6		)	(44.3		)
Amounts reclassified to income	(0.8		)	—			26.6			25.8
Balance at September 30, 2010	14.3			(96.9		)	(10.6		)	(93.2		)
Fiscal year change	(4.8		)	(33.8		)	(1.4		)	(40.0		)
Amounts reclassified to income	—			—			10.6			10.6
Balance at September 30, 2011	9.5			(130.7		)	(1.4		)	(122.6		)
Fiscal year change	(10.6		)	31.1			—			20.5
Amounts reclassified to income	(0.7		)	—			1.4			0.7
Balance at September 30, 2012	$	(1.8	)	$	(99.6	)	$	—		$	(101.4	)

Foreign Currency Translation — All balance sheet accounts have been translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Income statement amounts have been translated using the average exchange rate during the period in which the transactions occurred. Resulting translation adjustments are included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).” Foreign currency transaction gains or losses are included in “Miscellaneous, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company recorded net foreign currency transaction gains (losses) related to continuing operations of $(5.1) million, $0.3 million and $1.4 million in fiscal 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Derivative Financial Instruments — The Company recognizes all derivative financial instruments, such as foreign exchange contracts, in the consolidated financial statements at fair value regardless of the purpose or intent for holding the instrument. Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments are either recognized periodically in income or in equity as a component of comprehensive income depending on whether the derivative financial instrument qualifies for hedge accounting, and if so, whether it qualifies as a fair value hedge or cash flow hedge. Generally, changes in fair values of derivatives accounted for as fair value hedges are recorded in income along with the portions of the changes in the fair values of the hedged items that relate to the hedged risks. Changes in fair values of derivatives accounted for as cash flow hedges, to the extent they are effective as hedges, are recorded in other comprehensive income, net of deferred income taxes. Changes in fair value of derivatives not qualifying as hedges are reported in income. Cash flows from derivatives that are accounted for as cash flow or fair value hedges are included in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows in the same category as the item being hedged.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements — In June 2011, the FASB amended ASC Topic 220, Comprehensive Income, to require all non-owner changes in shareholders’ equity to be presented in either a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. Under this amendment, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. An entity is required to present on the face of the financial statements reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement(s) where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. An entity will no longer be permitted to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity. The Company will be required to adopt the new presentation requirements as of October 1, 2012. The adoption of the new presentation will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.