Export thread

Is there a Kawasaki Engine Shortage in the states ?

#1

7394

7394

Seems a friend in GA was trying to get a Scag with Kawasaki power, he waited a month & the dealer finally told ,they are having trouble getting Kawi engines at this time.
Anyhow, wondering if anyone else has heard of this ?

TIA..


#2

B

bertsmobile1

World wide shortage of Kawakasi parts and engines


#3

cpurvis

cpurvis

It doesn't seem to matter what you want, it isn't in stock and no idea when they'll get more.

I needed a cord for a Milwaukee drill, probably one of the most common they make. Out of stock everywhere on the internet with no idea of when they might be in stock again. Finally found one in a shop about 40 miles from home.


#4

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

from what is supplied in the USA....
workers are sitting at home drawing guvment checks


#5

B

bertsmobile1

Started with the previous administration having a trade war with China so China stopped supplying assemblies to USA factories.
So lots of stuff that is made locally could not be made because the company that used to make the cords for Milwaukee for instance closed down
Now Milwaukee can not make products but Harbour Freight can get complete Chinese copies of these tools for next to nothing.
Chinese companies play the long game.
Add to that a lot of warehouses , distributors & retailers who have taken a battering from the on line "retailers" who drop ship after you have paid for the goods that they don't have are taking the oppertunity to do the same so don't place orders on the factories till they have substantial numbers of prepaid back orders .
And then along came covid 19 .
Unlike the rest of the world Oz had not done any nationwide lockdowns, just individual regions ( I am currently locked down for 2 weeks ) yet there is nothing available from here either .


#6

StarTech

StarTech

Plus when you take out as many workers as Covid has it don't help. What worst was employees that came down with the Covid would just go to work to spread it through the company. I got friend across the street that this happen to. They had to shut down operations because of it until everyone recovered. Of course the jerk was fired when they found out he knew he had it before he came to work that week.

So far I have been lucky enough to work around supply problems. Part of it was having a good amount stock on hand.

But yes China and the other Far East countries got us by the balls per say. A lot corporations went to China or other countries with cheap labor, this includes Mexico. Current reports I received is that South China is in a shut down so container ships are stalled yet again. But of that big container ship in the Middle East has been just sitting there for long time too. No telling how many of our parts on it.

Of course the last administration had to piss them all off. You can't just stop things unless you already have things in place. It takes time to build factories, tool them, then hire and train workers. Personally I blamed to whole bunch in Washington for the problems they created and are refusing to even try to fix. They all are at fault.

As for the worker just sitting home, they are in the drivers seat now. They pick and chose which employer they will work for and if the employer wants to pull things they just walk out. No more of this two weeks notice. Besides employers would never give us a two week notice of our termination but demanded it when we quit.

And for those who thinks everybody got the stimulus checks, I for one haven't seen even the first darn check. I even purchase additional parts for the business depending the very first check arriving so now I digging out the hole it put me in. Bank just loves it as I was making interest payments on the loan that I just paid off. Now do I trust the government to do what they say they will do? He** no. Only one person I can depend on and that is myself.


#7

B

bertsmobile1

Yes but it sounded so good on the podium "I will bring American jobs back to America "
And President Trump was not alone his predecessor did the same thing with the "Working America" scheme.
Really got under the skin of countries down this way who had put in infractructure to support manufactured goods going to the USA.
They still have not done anything with the specialized motorcycle wheel factory that closed down here then HD got a big cheque to move production to the US although I think the foundry is actually in Canada


#8

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

I just waited over a month for a part for a 20+ year old snapper RER. Had a snapper label on the part inside a B&S box.


#9

StarTech

StarTech

As I said I blame the government bureaucrats for most what going on. To mess things really good takes politicians. Oh well sooner or later things might work out. Three years and counting down until that rocking chair money then I go from completely broke to flat broke.

Hammermechanicman said:
I just waited over a month for a part for a 20+ year old snapper RER. Had a snapper label on the part inside a B&S box.
Click to expand...
And yes Briggs gobbled up Snapper. I still waiting governor slingers that I order the first June and they are used on the 31 and 33 series engines. Tearing down one probably first part of next week for a camshaft failure but I got to get the Honda GXV620 off the bench. Missed ordering an oring so it is coming in later today.


#10

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Don't feel bad about OPE parts. I also do consulting and installs for audio/video and networking systems and equipment has been nonexistent. I have had jobs waitng months for equipment. Stuff is just now becoming available. It was hurry up and wait now it is just hurry up. Nothing like spending 5 hours in a new building with no HVAC yet in the network closet punching down the patch panels and it is over 90*. That was yesterday. Today i get to put a Predator engine on an old troy bilt pony and look at a generator. In my non airconditioned shop.


#11

Fish

Fish

I figured out a long time ago who was Anti-Trump here.
How's your boy Biden doing? When will the depression begin?


#12

cpurvis

cpurvis

Nearest new car dealership to me, Ford, looks like a cheesy used car lot. Very few cars at all and if there's a new car or truck on the lot, I overlooked it.


#13

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

cpurvis said:
Nearest new car dealership to me, Ford, looks like a cheesy used car lot. Very few cars at all and if there's a new car or truck on the lot, I overlooked it.
Click to expand...
Microchip shortage


#14

Fish

Fish

www.thedrive.com

Stockpile of Unfinished Ford Super Duty Pickups Missing Chips Is Now Visible from Space

Notice how new trucks are getting harder and harder to find? Well, here's why.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com


#15

StarTech

StarTech

Fish said:
I figured out a long time ago who was Anti-Trump here.
How's your boy Biden doing? When will the depression begin?
Click to expand...
Well personally they all are a bunch lairs and I hate lairs.

And now it looks a whole bunch of spoiled brats fighting each other. And the Republicans has made it clear they are not going to agree to anything unless it is all their way instead of meeting half way on anything. They said so much publicly on camera. With this attitude our government is at a standstill if it is not backing up now. Everytime the Democrats gives a little trying meet half way what does the Republicans do? They cut their offer even more. As long this goes on we are never get anywhere on anything. American government just looks like a bunch fools right now and probably will for the foreseeable future. They need to stop the petty bickering. Keep it up guys and we will like the Middle East before long.

Personally I don't give a da** who is in office as long they do their da** job.

Enough ranting on my part as it just goes in one ear and out the other ear anyway as some poeple are so stubborn they no what happens they are not going to change. I have dump good paying customers because of their attitudes and I am better off without them.

As far the OEMs dragging their feet, this why I just got a box hardware from McMaster this afternoon.as I refuse to pay $2.79 ea for a screw that I can get for $0.244 ea just because MTD think they are so special. Also I wasn't going to pay Briggs $3 ea for the o-rings. I did order JIS nuts as I was needing the extra mm of clearance on the muffler mounts.
1624988986821.png


#16

7394

7394

Called my Toro Dealer & my New Scag Dealer & asked about the Kawi engines.

They both had similar answers, stating more mower brands are wanting the Kawi engines & the demand has surpassed the supply, for certain engines.

That's my 02 anyhow.


#17

B

bertsmobile1

It is a problem when you have voluntary voting so the parties have to whip up their followers into frenzied belief in order to get them off their bums & down to the polling booth.
Thus you end up with 3 factions in the population
two who believe more strongly than the most artent religios biggots that their side is the manifestion of the almightly and the other side is the spawn of satan .
The third are the dissenfranchised, bored who don't give a wrinkled rats rectum which "colour" their county , state or country is .
The major parties like this type of system because you need hundreds of millions to convince people to vote for you which locks minor parties out of the electorial system .
Countries with 3 or 4 large parties tend to have better governance than strait 2 party countries because of the possibility of the 3rd or 4th keeping one of the majors out of government for a very long time .
And you don't get much in the way of bribes & kick backs when in opposition.
The 2 major parties down here conspired to destroy the larger 3rd party ( oddly enough called the Democrats ) about 30 years ago and every administration we have had since then was trash


#18

7394

7394

If I could delete this thread, I would. I wasn't trying to start WW III.


#19

B

bertsmobile1

7394 said:
Called my Toro Dealer & my New Scag Dealer & asked about the Kawi engines.

They both had similar answers, stating more mower brands are wanting the Kawi engines & the demand has surpassed the supply, for certain engines.

That's my 02 anyhow.
Click to expand...
You also have to see this in the contex of the B & S Bankruptcy.
Almost no OEM factory specified B & S engines for this years production because B & S was bankrupt & could not guarantee supply
Kohler are already fully booked as obviously is Kawakasi
So either they just have to wait for local engines or do a deal with a foreign supplier.
However you can not just phone Loncin, Ducar , Luffan etc and put an order in for 20,000 engines with your company logo on the blower housing.
These sort of supply deals take a few years to nut out so lots of factories have been caught out and that was before Covid hit & disrupted everything.
THe Obama administration gave B & S a lot of money to bring more engine making in shore so they closed down the Japanese factory that made the Vanguards and moved it Stateside.
Then of cause filed, and closed down the Wisconsin plants before the New York plants were in full production.
So almost no B & S engines , thus where a model would normally have 3 engine options this season there are only 2 and neither Kohler nor Kawakasi have the capacity to replace all of the B & S engines in a single season.


#20

StarTech

StarTech

7394 said:
If I could delete this thread, I would. I wasn't trying to start WW III.
Click to expand...
You haven't start a war. We are just discussing how things are and why we are having so much problems. And how everything is interrelated to each other. The problem is that politics do come into play as it is truly part of the problem we are now facing with our part and equipment supply problems. The tariff war didn't help things then came along this Covid-19 virus which just made everything a lot worst. Companies are failing all over the place.

Personally this is making running an one person repair shop right now is very hard as I don't even know if tomorrow or month later I can get the same parts as I did today. I got customers screaming bloody murder because I can't get the parts for two year old mowers.

And Bert has hit the nail on the head per say as everyone is avoiding Briggs like the plague. Their price increases on parts doesn't help either as they are trying to make up their losses off us that does the repair work.

I got one distributor that keeps complaing about how Covid is affecting and that they are so overloaded causing parts delays. Wel lI just gave a 6 month pause on supplying my company parts so they can catch up. I done found other suppliers that can take up their slack at about the same prices.


#21

B

bertsmobile1

It is healthy for people to express opinions just so long as it does not become violent.
Suppression leads to resentment & anger, some thing that most forums administrators fail to understand.
I for one have no political affiliations & vote each year on the platform presented regardless of which parts is presenting it .
Also I care not on the politics of people who post or make comments.
You are either right or wrong and your political affilations do not change that fact.
If some one whats to disregard everything I post because in their mind I am a communist then that is their tough luck, I don't care .
I for one did not like almost everything that President Trump did or even said, but I fully understand why so many Americans did like him because he was not a typical party clone politican.
The only thing that got on my goat was the amount of media time he was given down here , which was more than all 3 local governments got every day .
If I wanted to know what he was posting on twitter or face book then I would join twitter & face book .
But that probably reflects more on poor quality of Australian media than American politics.

The down side is politics actually affects everything we do weather we want it to or not so pretending it does not exist does not work.
The only reason why I am here fixing mowers is because I lost the $ 270,000 I had invested in a retirement wedding car business due to the political ideology of a federal government we had 12 years ago & the fiscal imbalance we have between the Federal , State & Local governments .
What I find amusing is some people think that the President actually runs the country where is reality it is the hedge funds / investment funds / pension funds who are really in control


#22

7394

7394

10-4, thanks Guys..


#23

Beamster

Beamster

Can't only blame presidents; it's the US mentality. We always specified domestic steel for our construction projects. Ever think we ever got it? No! It's the "save a dime at whatever the cost" mentality.


#24

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

Beamster said:
Can't only blame presidents; it's the US mentality. We always specified domestic steel for our construction projects. Ever think we ever got it? No! It's the "save a dime at whatever the cost" mentality.
Click to expand...
hit the Nail on the head.
I'd happily pay more for something made in the states that is durable and will hold up like it claims to... which is why i've been getting my socks from the Railroad sock company.... beats the snot of hanes or fruit of the loom.. don't have to worry about the heel pulling out while putting them on. or the arch tearing while walking and bending. Comfortable too.


#25

W

wekjo

7394 said:
Seems a friend in GA was trying to get a Scag with Kawasaki power, he waited a month & the dealer finally told ,they are having trouble getting Kawi engines at this time.
Anyhow, wondering if anyone else has heard of this ?

TIA..
Click to expand...
You know last week I was at a Simplicity dealer in Portsmouth, Ohio they had a showroom full of high end mowers. Then
Monday I was at a Simplicity dealer in Beaver, Ohio and their showroom was empty. They tell me they have been advised no new mowers for another year. Suppose the tariffs have done to engines what they did to Canadian wood, which is why the wood price has tripled; and only rich folks can build. A genius business-man once said, when the tariffs were imposed, trade wars are easy to win and they don't last very long. Also said COVID would "just go away". If there was an American company which could make engines, they would be cleaning up now. However short-sightedness drove that business away. Makes no sense to protect a business which is already gone.


#26

StarTech

StarTech

What I have been fighting in the repair business here is so-called OEMs creating unique PN for parts that are buying from their competitors . Right now I got a Snapper mower which built by Briggs that is actually a Husqvarna in Snapper disguise. The customer broke the PTO engagement assembly and Briggs is wanting a small fortune for it. Since I figured out which Craftsman model it is otherwise I can buy the part for nearly $30 less and still make the same amount of profit while saving the customer money too. I did the same thing last year when it needed a spindle, idler pulleys, and blade brakes.

Another company that is bad about hiding PN is JD when it comes to the Kawasaki engines but found a way around that too.


#27

R

Rick42wood

Hammermechanicman said:
I just waited over a month for a part for a 20+ year old snapper RER. Had a snapper label on the part inside a B&S box.
Click to expand...


#28

R

Rick42wood

There is a shortage of everything. My local Husqvarna dealer has been waiting for 12 ride ons since March. He can’t get chainsaws either. Husqvarna has no idea when they will be able to supply. We have been waiting for a dryer and range from Maytag since December and now they have shut down their factory until at least September. Builders can’t get any appliances or bathroom fixtures from anywhere. There is also a shortage of plastic pipe because manufacturers can’t get the raw materials they need.


#29

B

beerslayer12

bertsmobile1 said:
Started with the previous administration having a trade war with China so China stopped supplying assemblies to USA factories.
So lots of stuff that is made locally could not be made because the company that used to make the cords for Milwaukee for instance closed down
Now Milwaukee can not make products but Harbour Freight can get complete Chinese copies of these tools for next to nothing.
Chinese companies play the long game.
Add to that a lot of warehouses , distributors & retailers who have taken a battering from the on line "retailers" who drop ship after you have paid for the goods that they don't have are taking the oppertunity to do the same so don't place orders on the factories till they have substantial numbers of prepaid back orders .
And then along came covid 19 .
Unlike the rest of the world Oz had not done any nationwide lockdowns, just individual regions ( I am currently locked down for 2 weeks ) yet there is nothing available from here either .
Click to expand...
theres some interesting info u provide here i recently ordered some seals for pressure washer and minor briggs engine part online and both seemed to ship but then just stop . no further tracking available i was fully refunded but it put a dent in some of my scheduling of repairing the items . does this sound sorta like the situation u describe above?


#30

StarTech

StarTech

beerslayer12 said:
theres some interesting info u provide here i recently ordered some seals for pressure washer and minor briggs engine part online and both seemed to ship but then just stop . no further tracking available i was fully refunded but it put a dent in some of my scheduling of repairing the items . does this sound sorta like the situation u describe above?
Click to expand...
I got a similar problem with a Hustler part out of Florida. Supposedly been sitting the Fla post office as being received but pending acceptance. If I don't hear anything positive by the end of the day I will be asking for a full refund. At least I paid by Paypal. Contacting https://www.hustlerlawnmowerparts.com is getting nowhere. I got so fustrated about getting the part I just made it in house. At least it is one that don't take expert to make.
1625072501828.png


#31

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

I got screwed by a couple vendors that say they have it and when you order they create the ups label but doesn't show shipped for weeks. Had a colorful conversation with one then did a credid card charge back. I always buy with the credit card or PayPal. They have always sided with me.
Have a friend who is an engineer and his company can't ship multi million dollar machines because they can't get the saftey labels. 5 cent labels holding up millions of dollars in sales.


#32

StarTech

StarTech

Just doesn't sense sometimes does it? But it happens all the time even before the mess we are now in. It is just more pronounced now.


#33

T

txmowman

Kawasaki is fairing better, for engine availability, than other small engine manufacturers, in my opinion. A lot of mower manufacturers are having issues turning out product as well. It is not just an engine issue.


#34

G

georgPru2

Hammermechanicman said:
I just waited over a month for a part for a 20+ year old snapper RER. Had a snapper label on the part inside a B&S box.
Click to expand...
B&S owns snapper,murray,simplicity,and John Deere.And they where in bankruptcy court,last i heard.


#35

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

You sure about them owning John Deere?


#36

StarTech

StarTech

Unless they been sold to Briggs in the last year JD are not owned by Briggs.

Extract from TodaysMower.com
1625087563068.png
Click to expand...


#37

B

bertsmobile1

Fair Trading did over a scammer last year that claimed they could get anything .
If they could get it then fine but if they could not then,,,
You paid and they shipped an empty carton with a label printed using heat sensitive ink that faded away in a couple of days on labels where the glue dried out & fell off .
They traced them through the paper used for the faded labels found in the bottom of mail bags .
Funny enough it was not a news story that I remember and was included in an interview regarding internet scamming .


#38

B

bertsmobile1

beerslayer12 said:
theres some interesting info u provide here i recently ordered some seals for pressure washer and minor briggs engine part online and both seemed to ship but then just stop . no further tracking available i was fully refunded but it put a dent in some of my scheduling of repairing the items . does this sound sorta like the situation u describe above?
Click to expand...
No
Drop Shipping is a process used by a lot of bulky goods retailers where they have the floor stock to show you the item and when you buy one they order it from the factory after you pay them and the item is then shipped directly from the factory to you so they never see it.
Share trading through a broker is done the same way .
For on line retailers all they need is a photo of the object and here in lies the problem.
I can scour the web, download every product catalogue on the planet , drop the images into Photoshop which can now rotate the image so it looks different , change the colour so it looks real etc, just enough so the new image will not raise flags when compared to the original one.
I then sell all of this stuff I don't have to on line shoppers regardless of weather I can get it or not.
If I can not get it , all I have to do is stall you for long enough to hide the money where it can not be retrieved then vanish .
Laws are changing down here so on line retailers have to show what they have in stock and what they are going to order in.
Right now the only indication for the customer is lines like "ships in X days "


#39

StarTech

StarTech

This is why I order from certain vendors depend what they are showing in stock. But even then when they are just one or two items you are better off calling in the order. At least three of my distributors keeps an accurate inventory numbers posted. And this really help in knowing when items are coming in.

And I agree that the online vendors should show what is in stock and what is not.

Now of course even shop that have inventory control systems keeping of the stock need to verify that we actually have an item when we get down to one or two items. Personally I still recovering a software bug introduce back in 2020 into my accounting software. When it occurred I went from having 27,000 USD in inventory to 750,000. I have since got it back down to under 35,000 but there will still be items that I don't have especially those without bin numbers. A lot the remaining errors is item I brought and sold without ever physicaly putting them in a stock bin.


#40

7394

7394

Just got word, production with some box store brands bought 580 thousand Vanguard engines to replace the kawi engines for now.


#41

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

7394 said:
Just got word, production with some box store brands bought 580 thousand Vanguard engines to replace the kawi engines for now.
Click to expand...
well at least they're not turning to "powermore's"


#42

Mower King

Mower King

There is a shortage in all the major brands on mower engines, and some parts. Got a Kaw FR730V crankshaft in 3 days...and B&S EFI cyl heads are on back-order with ETA time unknown.....so you just don't know.


#43

StarTech

StarTech

mower king said:
There is a shortage in all the major brands on mower engines, and some parts. Got a Kaw FR730V crankshaft in 3 days...and B&S EFI cyl heads are on back-order with ETA time unknown.....so you just don't know.
Click to expand...
Otherwords your in the same situation as I am. Briggs won't give us an estimate ship time frame. I reckon they just know when the junk ship from China is arriving and when anyone going to unload it. IF this keeps up we all will in one heck of mess by next Spring.


#44

7394

7394

StarTech said:
Otherwords your in the same situation as I am. Briggs won't give us an estimate ship time frame. I reckon they just know when the junk ship from China is arriving and when anyone going to unload it. IF this keeps up we all will in one heck of mess by next Spring.
Click to expand...
That is the grand plan.....


#45

L

loneryder

All small engines are in short supple. Mower manufacturers can't get enough engines or belts to really start up production. Air filters are also in short supply. And then there is the employee shortage. The govt. is trying to get everybody on welfare so they are dependent. Someone tell me why the feds are still paying people supplemental unemployment.


#46

S

slomo

loneryder said:
All small engines are in short supple. Mower manufacturers can't get enough engines or belts to really start up production. Air filters are also in short supply. And then there is the employee shortage. The govt. is trying to get everybody on welfare so they are dependent. Someone tell me why the feds are still paying people supplemental unemployment.
Click to expand...
And why am I paying $3.15 a gallon for real gas in Oklahoma? When Trump was in office, E-10 was $1.69 here.

slomo


#47

StarTech

StarTech

slomo said:
And why am I paying $3.15 a gallon for real gas in Oklahoma? When Trump was in office, E-10 was $1.69 here.

slomo
Click to expand...
Well you're lucky a lot us that price is higher. Here it is 3.659 with E10 at 2.999 currently.

Three weeks ago I brought feed corn for 8.29/50# and chick starter for 9.25/50#. Today the corn was 9.29/50# at Rural King and Coop had it @11.50. The chick starter has gone to $12.00/50# in the same three weeks. Last Summer I was paying 6.50/50 for corn and 8.00/50 for chick starter. And that was Alabama price here in Tennessee the Coop want $18/50 for the chick starter and I am afraid to ask about the whole kernel corn. Personally I stopped raising baby on count of this. Hens are trying to sit but I will not let them. I lost about 15 grown chickens to a couple coon lately but I am not replacing them so my feed bill will be a little more manageable. I can't control the two big birds feed much as they are 150+ lb birds and they have to be fed. They are consuming about one gallon per day of the chick starter.


#48

StarTech

StarTech

Plus those don't want the vaccine currently are paying a hefty price for their refusal. The Republicans are worried about pissing off their base but apparently don't care that their base voters are dying off every day so the Democrats voting block is just getting a larger share of the votes.

Also a lot the 660,000+ poeple that has died off are among the ones that help keep this country going. Our younger generation has never been taught the value of work and they think everything should just be given to them.

And now the State of Tennessee has quit pushing any of the vaccines including the childhood ones like polio, small pox, mumps, and chicken pox vaccines.They are not even requiring what was once mandatory ones. Apparently no cares about the health of their children anymore.


#49

B

bertsmobile1

This is the outcome from 70 years of idological brainwashing the entire population that "the market will always make the best decisions" and any attempt to regulate is a form of communism that will destroy the country and probably make you sterile to boot.
Toss in some conspiracy mongers and you have the anti-vax industry.
And note it is an industry largely run by a deregistered doctor at a massive private profit for himself.
And of course because of the heard immunity effect, for the first while it appears that the criminals are telling the truth.
No one that is not vaccinated gets any of the vaccinated diseases so the criminal must know better and we have all been conned.
Then "x" years down the track, when Mr No-Vax is sitting on a personal fortune of $ 500,000,000,000 from all of his faithfull diciples , the herd immunity is finally diminished to the point that the diseases run rampant .
You are left with grandkids that are basically vegetables on 2 legs that send your kids & you bankrupt looking after while he is on a tropical island sipping coctails .

In fact your own Bertrand Russell coined it a long time ado

1) Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.
Click to expand...
2)The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
Click to expand...
3)Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
Click to expand...


Footer Links 1

Top