RIP Tecumseh

   / RIP Tecumseh
  • Thread Starter
#21  
One of the biggest mower/small engine aftermarket parts companies, Stens, is owned by the Ariens group. I imagine they will jump on supplying aftermarket common replacement parts for Tecumseh engines. Snow blower manufaturers are still held accountable to their warranties even with Tecumseh gone, that includes the engine along with the machine. I'm actually very glad I got one of the last snowblowers to use a Tecumseh engine. There are a bunch of Chinese companies out there making Honda GX clones. I don't think I would buy one of these engines, but the ones I have heard run as nice as Hondas- just don't think they will last nearly as long.

-Fordlords-
 
   / RIP Tecumseh #22  
Your right! Stens has already said they are working on New after market parts for next season.
 
   / RIP Tecumseh #24  
That is too bad. I am glad Peerless was bought by Husky, as we have a Peerless that needs an overhaul in an upcoming MF12 resto.
 
   / RIP Tecumseh #25  
Form what I heard all of the Briggs and Stratton horizontal shaft engines are sourced from China.

A lot of people "hear" whatever they want to. Maybe you could quote the source...or perhaps you could explain exactly what Briggs & Stratton is manufacturing in:

Poplar Bluff, MO
Auburn, AL
Statesboro, GA
Murray, KY
Milwaukee, WI

The Vanguard series is one of the best commercial motors made - including the horizontal shaft models....
 
   / RIP Tecumseh
  • Thread Starter
#26  
The Briggs Vanguard engine is made by Diahatsu, a comapany owned in part by Toyota.

This is a social discussion forum, and intended to be used as such. Thus, I have no desire nor feel any need to, "quote my sources." You are at the liberty to research things yourself, or believe or not believe whatever it is you read Swines.

-Fordlords-
 
   / RIP Tecumseh #27  
Certified Parts Corp bought the engine division, as was mentioned, to supply parts. This article says they are considering whether it is worth it to start manufacturing them again

Parts supplier motors in -- GazetteXtra

If they do - would be interesting to see if they can deliver the same level of quality
 
   / RIP Tecumseh
  • Thread Starter
#28  
If anyone has what it takes to get it going again, I think Grafft would be the guy. It would likely have to start out as something much smaller than what TecumsehPower was, but he has some or all of the tooling, and the rights to the designs from what I have gathered. (From various sources, not quoting them folks, sorry!)

Perhaps he could build something for WI with good paying jobs, but I think those in WI will need to rule out an operation with $25.00+ an hour unionized assembly jobs, because that won't likely happen in this scenario. After all, Grafft himself is saying in that article that he needs to figure out himself how the game is played with equipment manufacturers before planning on proceeding to see if it could work. For people to think he is going to jump right in and start building engines and have good paying jobs is putting the cart ahead of the horse right now. To succeed, he needs to look for ways to build the Tecumseh engine designs that not only satisfy OEM's performance needs and the government's emissions requirements, but be able to build at a cost structure that can compete with China, which is the real player that TecumsehPower lost their business to. That would be extremely difficult to do with high pay unionized assembly workers in an upstart operation in this economy. In all though, I think the market is there, and Grafft has a good chance for success.

-Fordlords-
 
   / RIP Tecumseh #29  
I hope the brand doesn't just go away , But I really don't think it has much of a chance.
 
   / RIP Tecumseh
  • Thread Starter
#30  
It would be a VERY steep hill to climb right now for the brand to be resurrected as a USA made engine. From things I read, the times before Tecumseh was sold to Platinum Equity they did everything they could think of to stay alive. The best folks can hope for right now is a good supply of service parts, and it looks like that is going to happen from several sources. There were so many millions of these engines made, and it's going to take a few decades for them to fade off the Earth, so owners should be in good shape until the piece of equipment their Tecumseh engine is in (most likely a snow blower) is worn beyond repair.

The worst part is that your typical snow blower owner is going to be oblivious to the fact Tecumseh is gone. They will go in to service shops who will tell them this information, then tell them they can't get parts and need to buy a new snow blower. I just hope I'll find those old Tecumsehs before they are removed from the scrap piles :)

-Fordlords-
 
 
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