It's Offical. Briggs files Chapter 11.

[ILENGINE]

Star I have had an carb to air filter boot on backorder for an Arctic Cat since May Holding up billing for the carb rebuild, oil and filter change, new air filter, and the two CV boots that got replaced.

As far as lawn equipment I have seen fewer pieces but with bigger repairs. But my business has been leading that direction for about 3 years now. Not seeing as much of the homeowner box store stuff, but seeing more high end Z turns.

 

[bertsmobile1]

One the subject of Briggs.
The big problem as Star has identified is most managers are graduates who have never run their own business so have always been spending other peoples money.
One of the most successful customers I had in the transport business had a firm rule for management.
"If you have not run a business with your own money, you are not qualified to run one with our money "
They turned over $ 20,000,000 a year, worked a 3.5 day week and used me exclusively because we worked on weekends for a reasonable rate.
Over my time in big business I was amazed by the number of manages who believed that numbers on spread sheet predictions were real and it was the response of real people that was wrong.

As for business, I am officaly not open yet as the Rheumatologist is yet to get to get me stable & certify me fit to work ( insurance problems ) so since December I have been mainly a parts supplier & supervising customers doing their own repairs. Then we went into lock down so bored men who have been banned from the house suddenly found that old mower burried in the back of the shed so again a lot of internal engine parts and supervised strip downs.
What is different is I have sold 20 old parts mowers to bored people to strip & rebuild, particularly really rusty ones that need a bare metal paint job.and / or extensive welding.

The big loosers have been the domestic mowing contractors as bored people are mowing acerage with walk behinds for some thing to do.

As for supply
Kawasaki engine parts are about 2 months
Briggs parts are not even on back order any more ( no real surprise there ) and the supplier is offering refunds
Chinese parts & Honda parts are no problems and usually supplied ex warehouse.
I am getting some Briggs parts through the JD network so JD must have a good stock of Briggs parts on hand,but of course only parts that go into the engines fitted to JD's

 

[Hammermechanicman]

We are just about in a drought with weeks in the 90's and more on the way. So very little mowing or yard work going on. Business has dropped off dramatically. When i have needed Briggs parts my vendor is out of everthing i seem to need but i can find it on ebay for double or tripple what they normally are. Just paid $10 for a couple intake gaskets. Used to get them for $1.50 each. A sign of things to come. I figure JD will go from ridiculous to insane for briggs parts soon. I hope the aftermarket industry steps up more parts production. Any part is better than no part. Especially gaskets.

 

[bertsmobile1]

We are just about in a drought with weeks in the 90's and more on the way. So very little mowing or yard work going on. Business has dropped off dramatically. When i have needed Briggs parts my vendor is out of everthing i seem to need but i can find it on ebay for double or tripple what they normally are. Just paid $10 for a couple intake gaskets. Used to get them for $1.50 each. A sign of things to come. I figure JD will go from ridiculous to insane for briggs parts soon. I hope the aftermarket industry steps up more parts production. Any part is better than no part. Especially gaskets.

Hassel your rep.
I have been giving mine grief on a daily basis.
Took me 2 years to get them to start doing Kohler flywheels, they are flogging off over 400 a year and are now looking at doing an exchange service with repaired old flywheels.
Lots of skid steers down here running on V twin Commands , gravel gets under the flywheel and busts up the alternator magnets.
Oregon probably can not sell aftermarket Briggs parts due to the distribution deal but there will be a lot of suppliers with stock that Briggs have not paid them for and many more who got shafted so should be happy to sell to Rotary, Stens , Prime Line , etc.

 

[StarTech]

I have one problem getting Rotary and Prime Line, none my vendors carry them now. And I don't order enough of them to justify a direct account either. I was using those aftermarket parts suppliers until TEW shut down two years ago.

I now do a lot parts research and adding the cross references as I find them. With idler pulleys many times I just need to change out the bushings. I just purchase some aftermarket JD idlers through an unlikely source where the distributor wanted about the same price as JD but an alternate vendor is selling the same idler and they are shipped from the same distributor. Just doesn't make sense that when I try buying direct they are so high.

And those distribution deals are a pain to deal with too. My current Briggs distributor once sold many aftermarket that fit only Briggs but now they don't. Plus dealing with some distributors are a pain as many items are now dealer only.

I only been working for myself in the lawncare industry for 11 yrs so I don't have the experience in part procurement that many larger shops have either.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I buy whatever I can from two of the local wholesalers where I have accounts and when it is economical to do so directly from the factories ( in China HK & Brazil ) .
If I could get the local wholesalers to carry more lines then I would buy from them exclusively but they only carry around 60% of what I use.
The real pain is neither do proper cross refferencing so what ever the original coss was is in the catalogue but the 15 subsequent new ones are not.
And like you, standard idlers and swap the bushes, even turned up some press tools so I don't have to keep using old sockets.
I suppose it is a volume thing & I am buying around $ 30,000 / pa ( Aus )
Since Briggs took over the distribution of Oregon down here the sales have plumeted , we knew it would as franchised dealers can not sell Oregon parts for their franchised brands and the big box stores fount Oregon was too expensive for the "lowest prices guaranteed" clientelle .
So hopefully Stens will increase the OEM Briggs parts & RGS the Chinese made Briggs parts and it will be happy days for me .

 

[Hammermechanicman]

It seems like more and more the only people the mfgrs want to sell parts to are their dealers. Dealing with us little independent guys is probably not profitable for them as we don't order enough stuff to be worth their while to provide parts to distributors to supply us. At least JD will sell me parts for a donated kidney and Stens if they have it. The last decent shop that was a Briggs parts dealer in the area closed last year. I used to be anti chinesium years ago but not so much now. Just wish the carbs weren't such a crap shoot.

 

[tom3]

. I used to be anti chinesium years ago but not so much now. Just wish the carbs weren't such a crap shoot.

As that old saying goes, there are no rejects in Chinese factories. Always a good thing to watch when ordering something is a free return if defective.

 

[nbpt100]

I think it is strange how some lawn mower shops have seen sales and service drop as much as 50 % and other are seeing increases up to 30 % over last year. I am up about 10 % over last year, but the equipment I am seeing in the shop is different. Older riders pulled out of the back of barns, more ATV and UTV repairs this year compared to last year.

I think it is very regional. Some areas are hit harder than others and some of the more prosperous regional areas are seeing people spending on new Stuff. Those who kept their paychecks coming in and still got the $1200.

 

[wrldtvlr]

As that old saying goes, there are no rejects in Chinese factories. Always a good thing to watch when ordering something is a free return if defective.

In a previous life, I spent a great deal of time in China representing a large US company. My experience is that China will build whatever you ask them to build. You want high quality? No problem. You want cheapest possible product? No problem. Guess which one US buyers ask for?