hustler using kohler engines now?

About a year ago I bought a Hustler Raptor 52-inch ZRT from Lowes. The main reason I bought it was it came with a Kawasaki FR series engine(residential). The other reason is that Hustler mowers have a solid reputation and great reviews and are made here in the U.S. In my view, both Honda (which would have been my first choice for an engine) and Kawasaki made good business decisions to build assembly plants here. Kohler went to China to manufacture some of their engines. Kohler went CHEAP.

I am also not a big fan of Kohler engines. My standby generator, on my house, had a Kohler engine, that had less than 40 hrs on it, when it spun a bearing. I just got an new Raptor SD 48 with the Kawasaki engine, which I love. I was lucky in that my dealer said he ordered 2 truckloads from Hustler, with Kawasaki engines, when he found out they were changing to Kohler. From my research the older Kohler's were good engines but the newer engines are built cheaper and made in China. My dealer didn't want to have anything to do with them. I guess he will eventually run out and have to order new machines with the Kohler engine but not for a while.

Yes it is a sad state
The problem is simple
The solution is difficult
Not enough people are willing to pay $ 1000 extra to have a top quality engine fitted to keep the factory running.
But how do you convince 300,000 people that the best mower for them is not the cheapest one ?
And in the long term it is in their and their famalies benefit to buy a local made mower with a local made engine ?
How do you convince 300,000 people that they can have everything, but they need to acquire good quality thus expensive products that will last a very long time s;owlywhen junk merchants tell every one they can have everyting today for 1/2 the price and get a free set of steak knives to boot.

I agree!! The thing that amazes me is this type of person never wants to spend enough money to pay for the better product but they can always find the money to replace the cheap stuff they bought, when it fails, with more cheap stuff.