Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I was at a local OPE dealer today, and was told that the Ariens 9526DLE is being fitted with a Briggs & Stratton engine, and that they would begin to receive these snow blowers probably next month, selling them for an extra $80.   

Questions:

1) Why is this change in engines occurring? Does it have anything to do with Tecumseh's engine division being bought by Platinum Equities?

2) Is Ariens going to go through their entire line of blowers and replace Tecumseh for Briggs & Stratton, in particular the Intek OHV engines?

3)  What are other blower manufacturers going to do with Tecumseh?

4) Is the Tecumseh L-Head on its way out? If so, why buy a new blower with one?   How about parts availability?

Thanks for any information anyone may have.

I just wanted to provide some information regarding this subject.  I was also at a local dealer to purchase and Ariens sno thro.  The model I wanted was the 927LE.  One place has the Tecumseh L-head engine and another dealer is getting a shipment next month with the B&S engine and the price was going up about $90.

I contacted Ariens customer service with these questions:

1. Which engine is "better" according to Ariens? Does Ariens recommend one over the other?
2. Why the switch?
3. What type of Briggs and Stratton engine will be used? Size? Power?

Here is the email reply I received this morning:

Ariens does not have preference for one engine or the other. Both are
comparable and will do the job. This is simply a matter of Supply and
Demand. Tecumseh cannot supply us with enough engines, and Briggs has an
engine that will fill the requirements. It is an Intek overhead valve
engine with the Snow Max package, and is 305cc. This is a "high end"
engine. Power would be very similar to the Tecumseh engine originally
used.

Thank you for contacting us.

I sent a follow up message asking what the torque for this engine was and here is the reply:

It is the 13.50 gross torque engine.

I'm not much for engines, but from I found online the general consensus is the B&S run quieter and use less gas than the Tec. L-head engine.  The dealer getting the B&S equiped engines told me the B&S is a better engine and that is why the price is increasing.  The said there is a higher price point with the B&S engine.  I'm not sure I believe that, but since they off better financing options (no hidden fees) I'm going with the B&S engine.  Not sure if I'm making the right decision.

I would pay the extra money for the Briggs.  I have an Ariens 11.5hp model with a Tecumseh OHV engine.  I had a problem with the engine...when I pulled the starter cord it would snap back with enough force to bust the plastic grip.  I'd be standing there holding half of the plastic grip in my hand.

It was under warranty so I took it to a John Deere dealership because they were listed as an authorized Tecumseh shop.  They needed 4 months to fix it (I didn't care because it was summer) because they claim that Tecumseh kept giving them bad information.  

I'm happy with the snowblower but I wish it had a Briggs Intek engine.

Donk wrote:
It is interesting about the 927LE having two different engines, but the price issue is exactly what I was told at one of the local dealers in my area regarding the Ariens 9526DLE.  He told me some new ones coming in would be equipped with the B & S Intek engine, but would cost about $80 or $90 higher because they can't absord the price hike.  If Ariens goes with all Briggs for 2009, expect to pay a bit more across the whole line.  Tecumseh engines will not be made after December 15, 2008 due to the engine plant being shut down by the new owners of Tecumseh's engine division, which was sold in 2007 to the current owners.  I think this was not a surprise, really.

I contacted Ariens about a week ago.


Are you shipping any snow blowers this year with the Briggs and Stratton
engines?

Is the Briggs going to be the replacement engine with Tecumseh no longer
manufacturing engines?

Thanks for your inquiry.

We do have a few models that are being built with the Brigg engine on it
this year. But they are in limited supply. Many of the models that we
have are in "Sold Out Status" at this time.

I hope this information is helpful.

Thank Lori,

Does that mean Briggs is going to be the replacement engine for Tecumseh in the future?

We are looking at all kinds of different avenues, but Briggs is an engine that we have used in the past and still do use on some models – So I am sure that in the future we will be using some Briggs Engines.

 

 

I also asked Toro

Thank you for taking the time to contact The Toro Company regarding our snowthrowers.
 We would be delighted to help you with this.  The current lineup of our 2-stage 
snowthrowers has the Tecumseh Snow King motor.  The new product line-up will
be available on-line and through us with sales brochures approximately 
September of 2009.  Please contact us then for further information of the 2010 lineup. 
 For further information on Toro products, please contact your local dealer or visit 
our website at www.toro.com.  Our website allows you to download Operator's 
Manuals or Parts Manuals, locate dealers, review frequently asked questions, and locate current promotions.  

We value you as a Toro customer.  Please know that you have an open invitation to contact us at any time.
 I wonder if Ariens and Toro are sending out official letters to their dealers.

I'm waiting on a 9526DLE which is supposed to arrive at the dealer's any day now.  It will be
interesting to see if it has a Tecumseh or a Briggs & Stratton.  Given what I've been reading
lately I hope it'll be the Briggs & Stratton, mostly since it's supposed to be less noisy.

Paul

I've used both Tecumseh L Head and B&S OHV and while one may be "quieter" than the other, neither is quiet, they are both running with little more than a spark arrester and you should wear hearing protection ( keeps the ears warm too).

I have found that the OHV throughs snow better and had more power to go through deep snow while throwing it a good distance. However I am comparing an old L Head to a new OHV. I had also changed the pulleys on the engine a bit. to get more horizontal speed and a longer throwing distance. That change would require a bit more torque from the engine.