Watson Auxiliary Transmissions

Discussion in 'Classic Parts of America Talk' started by bowsawkid, Jun 3, 2014.

  1. bowsawkid

    bowsawkid Member

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    I'm Andy the Bowsawkid, I was searching some older posts about Watson transmisions, and would like to clarify the info. Watson was a division of Brown-Lipe a Company that built auxiliary transmisions for large heavy duty trucks and thats where the word "Brownie" came from to refer to auxiliary transmissions even though other companys built them , initially Brown-Lipe was the largest builder, at some point in time Spicer purchased Brown lipe and they became Brown-Lipe transmission division of Spicer. The Watson division of Brown-Lipe Spicer was formed to build smaller auxiliary transmission for half ton thru ton and a half trucks , so if you have a Watson its for those size trucks, I own a 1959 Ford F-250 that has a Watson 2-speed that was installed at a Ford dealer in Tucson Arizona when the truck was new ,it was set up to haul mobile homes. ( I also own a '44 Chevy) but the Watson in the '59 has the original I.D. tag that says Watson a division of Spicer, Emeryville Ca., I also have an older Watson 3 speed that the I.D. tag says Watson transmission Division of Spicer / Brown-Lipe, Toledo Ohio, so sometime in the '50s Spicer dropped the Brown-Lipe name and moved manufacturing to California. I hope this helps guys.
     

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