Last week a fren of mine went to a local lawn mower sales and service vendor looking to buy a new weed whacker. He was talking to the owner, who has been in business for a very long time. The owner was telling my fren that the reason they've been having problems getting lawn mowers and other small-engine items into the store is because there is now a 500% tariff on small engines coming out of China. Apparently, China's been dumping small engines in the US. I found an article online that backs up his assertion:
The owner said that US small motor manufacturers were getting really beat up by the Chinese dumping and simply couldn't compete with China's prices. Now that the tariff is in effect, the Chinese engines are now so expensive to import that US companies can finally ramp up and start producing engines again. Although the US engines are more expensive than the dumped Chinese ones, the US price is now significantly cheaper than the Chinese small engines with tariffs.
So, now you know what's going on frens.
Briggs & Stratton? Koehler? Wisconsin? Y'all still breathin'? C'Mon! Let's GOOOOO!
Yeah.., I'd never trust anything modern with a Briggs & Stratton.. However if you come across an old 3, 5 or 8HP Briggs from 40-50 years ago.. Snag them up and save them! They will run forever.
Yup. They were built before the days of "planned obsolescence" and all it took was some common sense care. Thank you for being here!