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

[exiled_to_ohio]

So that’s the end of Snapper lawn tractors & zero turns. Briggs & Stratton shut them down yesterday on negative sales growth. It’s likely they will license the name, so look forward to seeing $299 electric mowers made in China & sold in big box stores, etc. It’s disappointing, I used to use Snapper Pro mowers while doing yards during college and they were amazing. I bought my 2020 RPX largely on the reputation of the pre-acquisition company’s reputation & the fact that they were owned by Briggs.

https://www.rurallifestyledealer.co...-snapper-tractors-zero-turns-in-north-america

 

[bertsmobile1]

YEp,
Like Murray they will end up becoming a badge brand from a third world country sold at Wallys
Remember that B & S is owned by a finance company
Finance companies make money not products so the idea of building new production lines that make better mowers for less money is abhorent to them as buying the company from the liquidators is the only capital they are willing to invest and from then on it is sucking then brand dry for returns

 

[StarTech]

I am surprised Briggs has made it this long after the bankruptcy. I done came one engine that they don't support and it has Briggs logos all over it. They had sub contracted it out and that company went belly up so Briggs will not support it.

BTW Snapper was already being farmed out to Husqvarna.

I kinda glad I pull my distributor access late last year after they got to where nearly everything I needed keep getting b/o or nla.

Just working on selling out all the stock parts and only ordering what is needed now when it comes to Briggs. Jut can't support a company that don't care about their customers.

 

[ILENGINE]

YEp,
Like Murray they will end up becoming a badge brand from a third world country sold at Wallys
Remember that B & S is owned by a finance company
Finance companies make money not products so the idea of building new production lines that make better mowers for less money is abhorent to them as buying the company from the liquidators is the only capital they are willing to invest and from then on it is sucking then brand dry for returns

The Wally snappers were farmed out to MTD and Husqvarna around 2010 when Briggs started a special dealer program called mass merchant support to support the Snapper products sold a Walmart. Standard Snapper dealers couldn't warranty them without being part of the Mass merchant program. There was even a few Snapper push mowers sold at Walmart that were manufactured by a Chinese company with no support structure to even supply parts.

 

[MParr]

It’s been coming. Snapper was once a good company that produced quality products. The last walk behind mower that I bought was a Snapper Ninja Commercial mower. A fantastic mower. Better than any Honda or Toro.
So, B&S expects Ferris and the Ferris made Stihl zero turns are going to save them. I don’t think so. I don’t think Stihl will be in the zero turn market very long.

 

[GasSniffer]

Sad. My relative had a Snapper RER from the 90s. That thing was so easy to work on and you could use many generic parts to keep it going. I was mad when he gave it to someone else.

 

[bertsmobile1]

B & S are doing the same to Victa down here
Victa had over 70% of the walk behind market before the take over , they now have 20 % & falling
But by now they have probably recouped the money Victa owed them so they will be happy to shut that brand down as well .

 

[bkeller500]

This is very disappointing ( but somewhat expected) news for all of us Simplicity owners. One by one each of us will need to consider making a new investment as parts become unavailable. The stability of Ferris is now suspect also as a Go-To and the new relationship with Stihl is probably suspect as well. Hopefully Ferris will provide cross-over references for the models that share common parts. But that's going to be iffy.

 

[MParr]

This is very disappointing ( but somewhat expected) news for all of us Simplicity owners. One by one each of us will need to consider making a new investment as parts become unavailable. The stability of Ferris is now suspect also as a Go-To and the new relationship with Stihl is probably suspect as well. Hopefully Ferris will provide cross-over references for the models that share common parts. But that's going to be iffy.

I believe that the Ferris and Stihl collaboration won’t last very long.There is one Stihl dealer within a 50 mile radius of me. That dealer also sells Scag and Hustler. I have only seen one Stilhl zero turn in operation near me. Replacement parts will be a big problem.

 

[Texas Chainsaw]

These are sad times for us. First it was Honda discontinuing their whole outdoor power product line. Now this news of Snapper no longer being a great brand anymore. I just wish B&S would just make them a spin off and set the brand free, like IBM did with their printer line up which became lexmark.

However, Competition in the Zero Turn segment is very tight and It is understandable as to why this might be.