Gilson Brothers Co.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Industry | Consumer durables |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | John P. Gilson and Michael Gilson |
| Products | Outdoor power equipment and recreational equipment |
Gilson Brothers Co. was a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of outdoor power equipment and recreational equipment. It operated independently between its inception in 1911 until acquisition by Lawn-Boy in 1988. The company was probably most well known for its garden tillers, snowblowers and garden tractors produced from the 1960s through the 1980s.
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.
