About Us
Peerless Gear is located in Salem, Indiana, USA and has been operating for over 75 years. We design, manufacture, and sell drivetrain units worldwide for commercial, agricultural, industrial, recreational, and residential industries. Service parts and replacement products for end users are supplied by our global service
dealers and central warehouse distributor networks.
Founded in Toledo, Ohio in 1945, the company started with only a dozen hourly employees. The small company quickly developed a reputation for quality manufacturing and product innovation. As the company grew, it necessitated a move in 1956 to Dunkirk, Ohio. In 1963, we became part of Tecumseh Products Corporation which provided new strategies in marketing our unique products. Peerless Gear changed its location to Clinton, Michigan in 1964. The association with Tecumseh Products in Michigan helped Peerless Gear mature into a global leader among transmission and transaxle manufacturing companies. In 1981, Peerless moved to its current facility in Salem.
By 1984, Peerless was producing over one million transmissions annually. As production increased, so did our reputation for quality products. We pride ourselves in designing and building transaxles, final drives, differentials, hydraulic pumps/motors, and gearboxes that are durable and provide great value. In 2007, Tecumseh Products sold the engine and transmission business (TecumsehPower and Peerless Gear) to Platinum Equity as part of its corporate restructuring plan.
Based on unforeseen foreign competition by the end of 2008, the owners of TecumsehPower had shut down manufacturing operations related to its engine business. The Peerless Gear transmission business was sold to Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products in February of 2009. Husqvarna operated the business as a standalone company until the decision was made to focus on its core business units and exit the transmission business in 2018.
The company assets were purchased in June of 2018 by James Grafft of Janesville, Wisconsin. Mr. Grafft also owns Certified Parts Corporation. He has a long history of buying companies that need stabilizing, but have strong product offerings that the manufacturing world still requires for customer needs. The first company he acquired was Arctic Cat in 1982. After two years of diligent management, the company was back in production and financially secure. Arctic Cat is part of Textron Corporation today. In more recent years, Certified Parts Corporation purchased the assets of Comet Clutch and the TecumsehPower Engine business along with a number of other companies serving multiple industries that include metal fabrication, injection molding and electric motor repair.
Mr. Grafft and the Peerless Team are committed to growing the business through investment in new innovative products. Our talented quality and engineering teams are also exploring diversification into other industries that we could support through machining or assembly. The year 2020 marks Peerless Gear’s 75th anniversary of providing quality products to our customers. Through innovation and advanced technology, we look forward to seeing what the next 75 years will bring.