Jim: Also had multiple Honda machines. ‘75 CB T360 motorcycle, Self-propelled mower, Civic, Bush Hog ES2052 ZTR Mower, and most recently Acura TL. All were/are rock solid. Honda was winning F1 world championships (always without a Turbo) 11 years before the B&G two cylinder was introduced (1977)! ALL IRL Indycars run Honda. Honda gets my vote every time.

And Kif, I’ll join you at the Brickyard to watch for that B&G Indycar… If they can get Sponsorship…

Disclaimer: I am a mechanical engineer for Briggs & Stratton, and I have the knowledge and ability to explain why our engines are better. I work with them every day all day long.

As for the jobs bit — guys, exactly where do you think Alpharetta, GA is? I know where the small motors division HQ is — it’s less than 10 miles from my house. There’s a rather large number of Americans employed there, and based on what Dana says, I’d guess there’s a lot more employed in North Carolina.

@ Kevin Pace: All Honda mowers are designed and made by Honda. Actually U.S. mowers are built at our factory in North Carolina, too.

Disclaimer: I’m not speaking officially for the company, but I’m a Honda associate. : )

Thanks for the kind words, Honda owners! We take a lot of pride in our products and it’s nice to know they are serving you well.

One good thing about Briggs is there are so many of them around that you can find used engines in reasonably good shape for not a whole lot of money. Technicians for B&S are rather common too.

But about the parts, if you’re looking for parts other than air filters, spark plugs and oil filters, you may have to resort to mail order from Briggs or have your local shop order them.

A few years ago, I took an 18.5 HP Vanguard twin apart for an exploratory after finding a lot of aluminum shavings in the oil and a rather ominous knock. My local tech basically priced the teardown and rebuild as more than the 14 year old garden tractor was worth. The engine itself looked fine except the engine base which had the bottom main bearing was chewed up. The top main had a slight wear problem and everything else checked within spec. The noise had come from the bottom of the flywheel hitting the top of the engine block because the engine base was worn enough so the crankshaft dropped about a 1/4 inch.

After replacing the base with the bearing/seal, the top main bushing and the rings even though they were ok, the engine has run fine since, and I learned one heck of a lot.

I don’t know what you’re driving at with your comment about jobs. Granted, maybe Honda hasn’t created any jobs in Wisconsin yet, but they certainly have in several other states, and hasn’t sent an executive via luxury private jet to ask for a bailout on Capitol Hill.

I think it is a good idea to support American companies, but I get a little confused when people imply that the patriotic thing to do is support businesses that do un-American things.

I am not saying Briggs and Stratton does any of these things. What I am saying is that US firms have no problem with moving production to Mexico or sourcing parts from overseas. Only when you fully consider a manufacturer’s practices can you say with any certainty that your patronage benefits America.

Furthermore, companies like GM and Chrysler are suffering from good old white collar mismanagement. I know that folks on this forum like to spew about unions but it isn’t the fault of the line worker or his or her representation. People who frequently visit this blog know that folks often lament what happened to Home Depot. Well, after the wonderful Bob Nardelli was convinced to leave HD, he went to Chrysler.

The fact of the matter is that Honda makes great internal combustion engines, and their knowledge and experience on the subject is exemplified in all sorts of fine products.

I’m not saying Briggs and Stratton doesn’t make a decent, and domestic, product. Prefacing every comparison with “buy American” gets old after a while. I’ll go out on a limb and say Honda is better, and wait for the Briggs and Stratton Indy car to hit the Brickyard.

Dude, I’m impressed with any engine that can even start period at -15C!

Briggs have always worn me out on the starting, but thats what ether is for. I am back to a Briggs on my used Craftsman because I can’t afford the Honda right now.

Not that it’s important, but Toro’s almost all have B&S engines. They pay a huge fee each season to have their mowers use the B&S engine but not have Briggs’ name on it so it seems like their engine.

Guess it evens out though, Honda doesn’t make their own mowers anyway, just the engines.

B&S engines will tolerate being run low on oil a lot better than a Honda, (not that you should try.) Honda’s can be a pain though if the cam craps out or the valves loosen up. Its not too difficult to fix but may put some off.