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Gilson tractor

D

Dunsmuir Red

New User
Hello everybody New member. First off I would like to say Merry Christmas to one and all.
My question is has anybody ever heard of a gilson tractor company. I believe I have I have the s twin 18 horsepower. I'm looking for a manual and some information on it. I picked one up the motor runs but it needs some assistance all the way around. And that'll give me something to do while I'm retired. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And again Merry Christmas to one and all.
 
If it is a garden tractor, then they were around in the 60s and 70s, maybe into the 80s? I have a 16 hp. It's pretty heavily built with a cast iron front axle and rear transaxle. They had a shaft drive to a gearbox that then had a belt drive to the transaxle. Belt drive for accessories off the front engine pulley. That is how mine is set up anyway. I have a rear mounted tiller on mine that is extremely heavy. I also have a Gilson walk behind, front tine tiller that my grandmother bought new in 1970 and is still operating just fine after thousands of hours tilling 2 huge gardens. Used to have 2 Gilson snowblowers that were well built. Gilson was also sold as Montgomery Ward.
 
The small tractor company has a long history and good reputation. Lawnboy purchased it in 1988, then Toro baught Lawnboy in 1989. There are still clubs and owners groups to join. Some support is still factory available i believe. Welcome to YT, there are many here with information and ideas. The link is only one of thousands of hits on line. Jim
Info.
 
Mine in a Montgomery Ward built by Gillson with a 16 HP twin flat head Briggs and Stratton engine. It was built about 1978. It is my main lawn mower and works very well.
 
It is the Gibson tractors that steer with a lever. They were a totally different company.

The Gilson lawn tractors were basic lawn mowers. (At least most of what I have seen have been lawn tractors.) Their lawn tractors were also lettered for other companies. I am pretty sure one of the Ford lawn tractor models was a Gilson.

Its been about 15 years since I worked on a Gilson product and I can't remember where we got parts, but they came from one of the Big Three-MTD (Everybody else), Briggs and Stratton (Formerly Murray, and NOMA), or Husqvarna (Formerly Electrolux, before that AYP).
 
We had a Gilson garden tiller. A good unit, drove it forever. As I remember, a Briggs 3.5 HP motor. Only complaint was that it was front tine. Found if I removed tail piece and controlled depth and penetration by pushing down or lifting on handles I cold control it well. I was a skinny lightweight teenager at the time. But a well built machine. They had a rear engine lawn tractor, which was unusual for the time.
 


John P. Gilson and his brother Michael Gilson were descendants of Theodore Gilson, who had emigrated to the United States from Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg and, in 1850, started what eventually became the Gilson Manufacturing Company. Brothers John and Michael, having both worked for that company, started the Gilson Brothers Company in 1911. At that time, the Gilson Brothers' main products were limestone grinders, feed cutters, and concrete mixers.[1][2]

In 1988, Gilson Brothers Co. was acquired by Lawn-Boy, which was itself acquired by the Toro company in the following year. It was at this point that production of Gilson-branded lawn and snow equipment ceased.

The Gilson line of concrete mixers was sold to the Cleform company of Missouri, which was acquired in 2010 by the Marshalltown Company of Marshalltown, Iowa. As of January 2011, that company still sells concrete mixers under the Gilson name.



There is more under Wikipedia. There is also a facebook page. There are many in my town because there was a local dealer for many years.
 
Thank you for your help. Do you know where on the machine the model number or serial number might be. And I'm sure with those two numbers I can get a heck of a lot more information than just guessing. And it is an 18 horsepower because all of the shrouding for the fan cooling has it and Briggs & Stratton all over it.
 
I would want to thank everybody for their replies regarding my post on the gilson tractor. I am wondering where the serial number and model number might be on this specific unit. I know where Briggs & Stratton puts theirs and a lot of other people's I just cannot and have not found a model number or serial number to get me started on parts. And again any help would be wonderfully accepted. And I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas.
 
(quoted from post at 15:12:51 12/26/23) I would want to thank everybody for their replies regarding my post on the gilson tractor. I am wondering where the serial number and model number might be on this specific unit. I know where Briggs & Stratton puts theirs and a lot of other people's I just cannot and have not found a model number or serial number to get me started on parts. And again any help would be wonderfully accepted. And I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Forums.

TractorData has a listing of Gilson lawn tractor models with engine horsepower. You can use that list to narrow the models your LGT might be. TractorData also has some info the different models if you search ''TractorData Gilson -----'' (use the model number(s) in the blanks) of the model numbers you find matching your engine HP.

This site has a Forum for garden tractors further down the index page, you might try posting about your tractor on that forum, someone might frequent that forum, but not this one, with info on Gilsons. Here is a link to it.

Garden Tractors
 
Sir. I thank you very much. I found the
model number on the fan shroud. As I would
say I got this lovely piece of machinery
in parts. And I'm learning as I go along.
 
My tractor is actually a Montgomery Ward branded machine. I have it stored in a barn at the moment. It is missing the hood and grill. It has a 16 hp Briggs and Stratton single cylinder and variable speed along with the 4 speed (if I remember right) transmission. If I get to the barn I can post a picture or 2.
 
Thank you for your reply. But I did finally find the model number. It is on the cooling shroud covering the engine. Just like B&S does
 
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