Everything ok until I came to that part. In my opinion Briggs & Stratton, which used to be quality, has evolved into junk over the years.
This is seems to be a good example of why Snapper was wise to walk away rather than go that route.
Well, yes and no - I haven't been in the industry in a while, but Snapper used to require special build engines from the manufacturers. I can't imagine they don't do that now, especially reading this article. We sold them a Subaru (Wisconsin Robin) a few years back - don't know if they still use it. I think they went with another Japanese engine for that segment of the market.
But - Snapper made Briggs come up with a little higher quality engine (ball bearings on the crank, etc.), and they have used special-built Tecumseh engines as well. Snapper ain't no slouch.
I have a John Deere rider, by the way. Paid twice as much to get a real one from a dealer. As for a Home Depot "John Deere" - they ain't really John Deeres, if you ask me. Lots of significant engineering differences. JD used to call them "Sabres", but must have bowed to the low price pressure of Home Depot and put the JD badge on them, just like the Snapper guy in the story refused to do. Good for him.
B&S makes different types of engines for small engine powered equipment; they no longer make the cast iron block engines that could be successfully rebuilt many times and it is rare today to find a shop that will even do a simple valve grind on a typical engine, but they sell engines to just about all the manufacturers at rock-bottom prices which keeps the place humming.
That $99 mower mentioned in the article that you can buy in a box at Walmart has a 3 1/2 HP B&S engine.
On average, you could expect to get 500 hours of service from this engine provided you didn't let it run out of oil and changed the oil and air filter once each year.
The normal time spent mowing is rarely more than two hours so the engine should last for at least ten years.
Most mowers die around 5-7 years due to poor or no maintenance and the fact that a replacement can still be bought for less than $200 is a testament to efficiency and the public's acceptance of marginal utility.
Snapper rear-engine riders always used B&S engines built to Snapper specs; so did their commercial push mowers.
Quite possibly due to their relationship with WalMart and those crappy disposable mowers.
My new mower is a Honda HR215. The mower deck is cast steel. The exit chute is 8" x 10". It rarely jams. The engine is a very smooth Honda product. It is less noisy than the old Brigss & Stratton. The rear bag is easier to remove, empty and replace. I can leave the engine running after disengaging the blade. The multi-speed rear wheel drive can be engaged/disengaged with the motor running and blade moving or it can be used with the blade stationary. My old mower required killing the engine to stop the blade. A real waste of time when tall grass makes it necessary to empty the bag after one circuit around the yard.
I expect the Honda mower will be the last one I need to buy in my lifetime. Most owners are getting 15 to 20 years out of them. I'm 50 now. By the time is ceases to be serviceable, I'll probably be willing to pay a gardner.