Briggs & Stratton discontinues all Snapper & Simplicity tractors & zero turns - 9/8/2023

[Hammermechanicman]

You can thank Sears for the horsepower wars. About the time when Sears went away from the Roper made mowers they started the more horsepower than you advertising game. You would walk Into a Sears and see big signs on the riding mowers advertising the HP. Twins and OHV engines were coming out and Sears was banking winning the HP war. Which they did for a long time. This led to some creative marketing by engine manufacturers and Sears.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The dealer network and consumers are the ones who need to take responsibility.

Consumers are constantly demanding cheaper and more affordable products. As a result, the dealer network has had to adapt and start offering lower-quality items just to stay in the game.

Now, we find ourselves complaining that the major brands are going under, and we're quick to point fingers at the accountants.

Believe me, if you had a product sitting on your dealership floor that just wouldn't sell and you had to practically give it away to move it, you'd drop it without hesitation.

Business decisions, no matter where they're made, always come with consequences.

Unfortunately, what happened to Briggs & Stratton can be traced back to Todd Teske. He systematically dismantled BASCO, and then COVID-19 hit. If it weren't for Teske's actions, the Briggs Corporation, as it existed before him, might have weathered the pandemic just fine.

Same old story
It is called asset stripping
Two ways to get a bigger dividend
Increase profits
Sell assets
The easy way to do it is to sell off assets and this is what the "super CEO's" do .
Then just before there is nothing left to sell off they resign, usually taking the last of the cash with them as a "performance bonus"
Then the incoming CEO has a mess because they need a massive capital raising to repair the damage done by the previous management
So they get tossed out & replaced with some one who does a cut & run, sacking the workforce and retreating to the most profitable line items
By the time they have finished there is nothing left & the business folds or gets bought for the brand name as in MTD .
While it is not the consumer who is directly to blame they do carry a large amount of the load because they are the ones who believe that they can have it all with money to spare because the USA or Aust or UK are "wealthy countries " .
I find it almost unbelievable just how many people I deal with and come on here who are living so far beyond their means it is astounding .
If you have 20 acres & can't afford a deceint mower to cut the grass then sell the property & get something that is within your means .
After all you can not take those 20 acres with you when you die and giving your children a rich life and proper education is a lot more important than leaving them with a big inheritance that they will blow through before you are cold in the ground .

 

[MowManMow]

It really caught my eye when I saw that heading. I am an old geezer. And I use many types of lawn equipment. And this actually did not surprise me. What all the comments I seen everyone had a legitimate idea and most had hit the nail on the head. I have encounter many things trying to maintain my equipment. It like my old Kubota. Had the rear rims complety rusted out from that stuff you put in the tires for weight. Now I see where they went to a beet juice not so harmful on the rim. Rims are very scarce for that particular tractor here in U.S. There something that the bolt pattern size was unique or the size of it for the Kubota B6000 E. So far, I do not know of an aftermarket for them and if you do find a used one the cost is astronomical. I know I've done a ton of research and lot of phone calling. Mostly dead ends. A good tractor but impossible to maintain parts. An obsolete model of tractor. There a few around but not a lot. So, you see I think everyone is seeing changes. That our lawn equipment world is changing as is our world and the people in it. And what I can see it not for the good. The equipment is junk. Made to gouge the working man pocket. Throw it away and get another. Not

Can't just swap the hub off a B6000 I guess? That would make chit too easy huh..lol
Fwiw- You can do a normal parts search on Ebay, then click "save search" at top of page so any future rims that are listed will be emailed to you asap. Craigs site does this too but I think it just says "Have search results emailed" something like that on top of your search page?? Idk now, its been awhile since I looked there, sorry but hey' It says something on top of a page? That helps out huh?..lmao
Man I had this same issue but on a simplicity tractor I saved. Its wheels were easy to find but it still sucked! They had antifreeze in it but never changed it out over yrs & yrs so they just rusted out. Folks just need to stop, over time most liquids break down & just create $$$ problems.
Good luck on your search ol' geezer..lol