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The Green Outdoors (December 14, 2009)
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This site is in no way affiliated with any of the products or companies mentioned or depicted within except as noted. | ||
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If you have found the material on this site or any correspondence helpful you are welcome to show
your appreciation by making a donation to help further this hobby. I am always searching for reference materials and other items that tell the Gilson Snowblower story to make this site more informative and interesting. Without your support I cannot purchase these resources to preserve and share.
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If you live in or near Southern Maine and have a Gilson you're ready to part with don't scrap it, contact me instead! I do pay cash depending on condition, completeness and how it fits into my collection. This being a hobby my budget is limited but I can offer your machine a good permanent home. Donors of free machines are listed on my "Friends of the Gilson Snowblower Shop" page. I do not resell machines. Dealers welcome. My collection is limited to Gilsons and machines Gilson built under the many brand names shown here. |
Yes that's right I collect snowblowers! It all started in the seventies when I worked at a local
hardware store. Among my duties was setting up and servicing snowblowers. These weren't just any
snowblowers, they were GILSON's, nice sturdy machines built in Plymouth, Wisconsin. As time
went on I changed jobs and eventually found myself with a driveway to clear. There was an older
Gilson at my folks house that was not being used, I acquired it and put it back to work. Years of
in town use including curbstones and road salt left it in pretty sorry shape. After two years, in
1989 I tore it down completely and refurbished it. It has seen service every winter since.
It wasn't long after that I came across another model in the "graveyard" of a local equipment
dealer. I acquired the machine and got it into tip top shape. It's a 1971 (37 years old!) and being
my favorite is my most frequent choice. From there the hobby grew. Over the years I have taken in over 70 Gilson built snowblowers (Oct. 2010). Of these, 13 are working front line machines, as seen in my gallery The Gilsonian Institute. Dozens are operable or at least candidates for restoration and some that came to me beyond salvage have been
parted down to support the collection. There are still many models that I'd like to acquire.
Along the way I also became interested in Web-site creation with my Family Camping Site an early project. That project had pretty much run it's course as the Gilson's began to fill the garage and I soon found myself sharing this new hobby with the world. Through the Internet I began sharing information that I thought owners would find helpful. The sale of an occasional surplus used part allowed me to invest in archival materials as former dealers cleaned house. Things snow-balled (no pun intended!) and as critical parts became discontinued I began applying my engineering skills to bring some items into small scale production. In addition to what I now offer for parts I have a number of new items in the pipeline and I am always monitoring common wear items for availability. I continue to acquire and refurbish machines. I hesitate to use the term restore since mine is a working collection.
One of the most gratifying aspects it the discovery of the heirloom Gilson. An amazing number of machines that belonged to a father, grandfather or spouse are being kept in service in loving tribute. It's especially rewarding to help these owners. It's a pleasure to work with Gilson owners here in the United States, Canada and all across Europe. I have found that Gilson exported many more units than the records suggest. I can tell who is having a rough winter just by watching my inbox!
One of the interesting things about Gilson is that they were a brand name in and of themselves,
but they also did a tremendous amount of private brand work. The features of the private brands
typically lagged the Gilson machines by a year or so, giving the Gilson dealers some advantage. Some of the brands built by Gilson included; LAWN-BOY, Montgomery Ward / Garden Mark, plymouth (after their home town of Plymouth Wisconsin), Senator, WIZARD sold by Western Auto stores, Mor.power and Mastercraft both sold by Canadian Tire Corporation, BEAVER sold by Beaver Lumber of Canada, TECO sold by Eaton's Department Stores (Thomas Eaton Company) of Canada, BRENTWOOD , MARSHALL-WELLS , ARTISAN, FORD, TOYOTA. and New Holland. See them all here.
I am still looking to pick add PLYMOUTH, Mor.power, ARTISAN, BRENTWOOD, MARSHALL-WELLS and
NEW HOLLAND machines. I can't help but believe that there are other Gilson built brands that I've
yet to identify, if you have such a machine be sure to Report a Gilson Sighting.
Gilson snowblowers are commonly found in the United States, Canada and the Scandinavian countries.
Many Gilson snowblowers are assuming the role of family heirloom as I frequently hear from third
generation users seeking to keep machines from parents or grand parents in operation. I still have my dad's Gilson in service.
In 1988 Gilson was acquired by LAWN-BOY. In 1989 LAWN-BOY was acquired by TORO. Currently LawnBoy
is handling the GILSON parts and archives. The LawnBoy dealer network is your source for OEM parts.
See my FAQ for more info on locating parts. This site is dedicated to providing the resources needed to keep these machines working. You will find resources pertaining to parts and service procedues along with historical information.
MY SNOWBLOWER COLLECTION
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Click here to E-mail me about your snowblower.
Updated 9/10/11