Gilson Snowblower The Reputation that Lasts A Lifetime
Gilson snowblower may not be a popular choice, but it is one brand you can rely on. Boasting of an unparalleled longevity, a snowblower with the Gilson brand on it may have the rave popularity of today’s top snow equipments, but it sure has the reputation and genuine trustworthiness of a true snowblower.
A lot of people who owned Gilson snowblowers from several years ago still update their machines with new parts and components. Some, however, simply keep the machines much like collectors’ items. To find out what built the name of Gilson, take a look at how it all started.
How It All Began
The legacy that backs Gilson snowblowers began back in 1855, when a man named Theodore Gilson came to Milwaukee and began a small company called Gilson Manufacturing. His business merely consisted of making parts and other shapes out of cast iron.
Most of the early Gilson products were stoves, furnaces, cooking utensils, and farm plows. As the years passed, however, Gilson eventually started expanding. First, it was kitchen appliances, and soon enough, the company moved to farm machineries and equipments.
In 1955, the snowblower became one of the new Gilson products when the company eventually moved to outdoor power equipments. Gilson came up with the innovative UniTrol snowblowers transmission system, and received great publicity with its Super-8 lawn tractor, which was introduced in 1972. Its snowblowers, however, continuously became popular, until an undoubted reputation was formed.
Gilson’s Best Three
GIL-478A Gear Drive Snowblower
One of the earliest and most reputable snowblowers built by Gilson is the GIL-478A, a Garden Mark machine introduced during the 66/67 winter. This is part of the Gear Drive collection Gilson became known for in the 1960s until the 1970s. This collection consisted mostly of snowblowers made from cast iron components, from the skids, chute, auger, and the drive case itself. This was supported by a heavy gauge steel weld system, and in 1972, a 3-speed sealed Peerless transmission was added.
The GIL-478A also has a straight line bucket in its front section. It can clear up to 26-inch wide paths with its strong 6 horsepower engine from Briggs and Stratton. This is known as the original Gilson snowblower and from then till now, it is an important symbol of the renowned reputation of the Gilson brand.
GIL-490A UniTrol Snowblower
The UniTrol Gilson snowblower series is an important breakthrough in the Gilson brand history. The UniTrol machines were basically friction drive machines. These machines use a special spinning platter supported by a rubber tire; when combined, the two work together to provide speed selection adjustments. The former friction drive system required two controls, but Gilson revived and revolutionized it by creating a system that worked with just a single lever control.
The GIL-490A is considered as the first Gilson snowblower introduced under the Gilson 3-speed UniTrol system. It came with a 7 hp Briggs and Stratton two-stage gas engine, which has enough power to clear up to 26-inch wide paths. This model is one of the earliest UniTrol models, and it was followed afterwards by more powerful models such as an 8 hp model and a 10 hp model.
A few years after the introduction of the series, some updates were then added. These included the safety interlocks, taller tires, plus an impeller pulley brake. Later on, the machines were given 5 forward and 2 reverse speeds.
Aside from the friction drive system, the UniTrol snowblowers featured several unique components that became a model for snowblower brands and models that were to come, such as the Simplicity snowblowers we now know today.
Snow Cannon
The Snow Cannon is one of Gilson’s compact snowblowers. This model is a two-stroke snow machine and was introduced in the 1970s. To run, it required a two-stroke fuel mix in its Briggs and Stratton engine. Originally, the Snow Cannon machines had 20-inch clearing widths and were powered by 2 HP engines from varying brands like Briggs and Stratton and Tecumseh, but later on, the engines used a standard 3 HP from Briggs and Stratton.
The machine, however, was indeed a stroke of genius, and its unique system became known as one of the most significant innovations the industry has known.
