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

Should I be concerned about purchasing a new snow thrower with a Tecumseh engine?  Will parts remain available?  I'm replacing a Yard-Man (MTD) thrower with a 7HP Tecumseh engine and it's run flawlessly for eight years now.

Personally, I'd avoid it. Despite the fact that the old Tecumseh L head was a reliable engine, it's not particularly powerful nor smooth. Being that Tecumseh is out of business, I'd be looking to the future. The B&S ohv engines are very good as are any Japanese small engines. Problem is that you won't find a Japanese engine on a domestic brand. It will likely be a B&S or any of the Chinese clones that are flooding the market. I don't think I'd be too worried about the Chinese engines being mounted on the domestic snow throwers. I'm sure they've done their homework and are buying decent engines.