# american made small engines



## ih8thepackers (Jan 4, 2014)

just wondering if anybody knows why all snowthrower engines are Chinese made,but some lawnmower engines are still made in the good ole USA? I was in Homedepot last night,and I was looking at a Ariens riding mower and it had a Briggs engine in it,and there was a a sticker on it stating it was American made..If they still can build engines for riding mowers,why the **** cant they build snowthrow egines here? also just because the sticker says its American made,are the parts Chinese?


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## wheelhorseboy (May 30, 2014)

Depends on which engine model. Some of their blocks are made in china, but assembled in the USA.


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Can't say for sure how many actually manufacture complete small engines in the USA. Honda produces engines at their plant in Swepsonville, NC.

Honda - Operations Facilities

Swepsonville, NC	Power Equipment Plant
This facility has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million multi-purpose power equipment engines.

Honda Engines | About Us


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

There are some larger Briggs engines still made in the USA, they are on higher-end garden tractors, but they are too large for snowblowers.

All snowblower engines are now made in China because people demand everything be as cheap as possible..
snowblower engines are now too expensive to make in the USA, when cheaper chinese engines are the alternative, and are what 99% of people will buy when given the choice.

Scot


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

FYI, Honda single-stage snowblower and their engines are built in Swepsonville, NC. This includes casting, machining and assembly of the 190cc GC190 and GS190 engines. 

Honda 2-stage snowblower engines (200cc and up) are cast, machined, and assembled at the Honda plant in Thailand. The engines are shipped to the Swepsonville plant, where the rest of the snowblower is manufactured and assembled.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

what about the gx200? where are those cast. I find it kind of funny that a Japanese company makes more engines in the us then an American company


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

The answer is simple, cost.
They can manufacturer and ship it here for less than what we can build them for. 

Some of the stuff that's still made here is only made here because it's all ready tooled up and the facilities are in place and the amount of production doesn't justify sourcing production offshore. Or to put it another way the person or company is already making a nice profit and sourcing it overseas doesn't show enough increase in that profit to make it worth while at this time. It's depressing :facepalm_zpsdj194qh.

Would be nice if people were willing to pay a buck more for a "Made in USA" sticker that kept you and me working and the money here in this country.
That's my soap box rant for the day :icon_whistling:


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

the tag says made in the U.S.A . with U.S. and global components. YEAH that 1. is C.Y.A. FOR SURE.:icon_whistling::icon_whistling::icon_whistling::icon_whistling::icon_whistling::icon_whistling:


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> The answer is simple, cost.
> They can manufacturer and ship it here for less than what we can build them for.
> 
> Some of the stuff that's still made here is only made here because it's all ready tooled up and the facilities are in place and the amount of production doesn't justify sourcing production offshore. Or to put it another way the person or company is already making a nice profit and sourcing it overseas doesn't show enough increase in that profit to make it worth while at this time. It's depressing :facepalm_zpsdj194qh.
> ...


I agree with you 100% but it's ALL about the $. It's a daggone shame too, because for years no one could touch us. Now we're quickly going third world in productivity. Glad I'm as old as I am because if people don't open their eyes and start making changes our country is going
to go straight to the cesspoool and I don't want to be here when it happens. Remember old Ross Perot and his "giant sucking sound" of the jobs leaving this country? Well, he was a true prophet. "But, chinese stuff is SO INEXPENSIVE!" Now it is.... Just wait a while.
Now I'll get down from MY soapbox.


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

43128 said:


> what about the gx200? where are those cast. I find it kind of funny that a Japanese company makes more engines in the us then an American company


The GX200 is cast and assembled at the Honda plant in Thailand. Such engines will be shipped to the Honda plant in North Carolina, will they will be fitted to the new 2-stage HSS724 snow blowers (actually, this has already happened this summer).


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

I will do what ever it takes to keep my dad's '67 Tecumseh H5 going. Cast, machined, made in USA running. F- that off shore .99 cent OHV cheap knock off. 

I do love my '88 Honda Hr214. It's not a knock off robbery of a expired patent.

To [email protected], How did the off shore folks get around the fact they stole everything from Honda designs??


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

scrappy said:


> To [email protected], How did the off shore folks get around the fact they stole everything from Honda designs??


The patents on Honda's original OHV GX-series engines expired many, many years ago. The design is effectively in the public domain, thus, anyone could (and many obviously do) manufacture a mechanically similar version. 

Where it _does_ get illegal is if they paint 'em red with white tanks; this does violate what are known as 'trade dress' laws. To keeps the lawyers at bay, most Honda clone engines are painted in fugly colors or all black.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

_*[email protected]*_,

I have seen new genuine honda GX engines for sale paited all black. Are they truly genuine Hondas or not?

Like this for example:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/13-HP-HONDA-GX390-RS-ENGINE/edp_no=38729/shop.axd/ProductDetails


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

they have been making them like that for a while now. my landa power washer(probably 10 years old) is painted all block and even has the honda block stamp on the side


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

hsblowersfan said:


> _*[email protected]*_,
> 
> I have seen new genuine honda GX engines for sale painted all black. Are they truly genuine Hondas or not?


Yes, those are the Real McCoy; did not mean to imply any black-colored one was a clone, sorry. Some are, but do not violate the trade dress rule as the red & white colored clones did.


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## pdesjr (Feb 7, 2015)

I hate to say it but the LCT engine on my ariens deluxe 28 runs great.This coming from a Rupp minibike Tecumseh guy. Go figure


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> The patents on Honda's original OHV GX-series engines expired many, many years ago. The design is effectively in the public domain, thus, anyone could (and many obviously do) manufacture a mechanically similar version.
> 
> Where it _does_ get illegal is if they paint 'em red with white tanks; this does violate what are known as 'trade dress' laws. To keeps the lawyers at bay, most Honda clone engines are painted in fugly colors or all black.


Robert, 
I just picked up an old pressure washer with a GX340 on it, it looks to be very old its marked QA GC05-1192891 I think it's probably between 1986 and 1990, can you confirm DOB? It was pretty dirty but started on the first pull after going through the carb. Runs like a champ and will be getting the sheet metal removed cleaned up and painted and put back into service. It is attached to a belt drive Cat pump. 


Thanks 

Carl.


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

pdesjr said:


> I hate to say it but the LCT engine on my ariens deluxe 28 runs great.This coming from a Rupp minibike Tecumseh guy. Go figure


Yeah, the LCT on my Cub Cadet runs awesome as well. I love to buy American made stuff, but it is what it is, and the LCT is an impressive engine.


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## bwright1818 (Dec 2, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> I agree with you 100% but it's ALL about the $. It's a daggone shame too, because for years no one could touch us. Now we're quickly going third world in productivity. Glad I'm as old as I am because if people don't open their eyes and start making changes our country is going
> to go straight to the cesspoool and I don't want to be here when it happens. Remember old Ross Perot and his "giant sucking sound" of the jobs leaving this country? Well, he was a true prophet. "But, chinese stuff is SO INEXPENSIVE!" Now it is.... Just wait a while.
> Now I'll get down from MY soapbox.


Just to acknowledge what you said, I couldn't have written this any better myself. It is EXACTLY how I feel about it!


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

CarlB said:


> Robert,
> I just picked up an old pressure washer with a GX340 on it, it looks to be very old its marked QA GC05-1192891 I think it's probably between 1986 and 1990, can you confirm DOB?


No hit on that serial number, but my database is a bit weak on units prior to 2000 or so. That is indeed a correct s/n for a GX340K0 engine.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Robert,

Thanks for trying to get that info for me, in any event it is a very strong running engine.

Carl


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