Toro OEM / Stens Deck Belt?

[logan01]

Bought my first replacement deck belt today for my 3 year old Toro Titan 5480 Z-mower (54" cut). Gave my wife the factory part number and she purchased it while in town. Brings it home and it's a Sten. Just shy of 100.00. Actually over 100.00 w/ tax. The belt has the factory sticky paper attached though it's in the Sten cardboard pkg. Online I see Sten replacement belts in the 50.00 - 60.00 range. PN- 115-4971. So what's the deal? The belt looks to be high quality, has the proper stamping (imo) yet came in a Stens pkg w/ the PN written with a sharpie on the pkg. My multiple choice question:

Is it a factory belt which is packaged / Distributed by Sten?

Does Sten make OEM belts?

Does Sten make both OEM and "aftermarket" belts with a sizeable price difference?

Thanks

Just got my question answered. Called Stens and they were closed. Called Toro and they were open. The belt is "jobbed' by Stens for Toro as are several other parts. Which makes sense because weeks ago I got a quil bearing for my John Deere. Stens pkg w/ the exact same stamping and China origin as my factory John Deere. Therefore there is "aftermarket" and "not so" aftermarket. To the best of my knowledge Stens has no manufacturing plants. All parts are manufactured elsewhere (probably mostly China) and Stens is an international distributor, that's it. Now I need to figure out what the deal is with the 60.00 Sten belt is as compared to the nearly 100.00 belt.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Bought my first replacement deck belt today for my 3 year old Toro Titan 5480 Z-mower (54" cut). Gave my wife the factory part number and she purchased it while in town. Brings it home and it's a Sten. Just shy of 100.00. Actually over 100.00 w/ tax. The belt has the factory sticky paper attached though it's in the Sten cardboard pkg. Online I see Sten replacement belts in the 50.00 - 60.00 range. PN- 115-4971. So what's the deal? The belt looks to be high quality, has the proper stamping (imo) yet came in a Stens pkg w/ the PN written with a sharpie on the pkg. My multiple choice question:

Is it a factory belt which is packaged / Distributed by Sten?

Does Sten make OEM belts?

Does Sten make both OEM and "aftermarket" belts with a sizeable price difference?

Thanks

Just got my question answered. Called Stens and they were closed. Called Toro and they were open. The belt is "jobbed' by Stens for Toro as are several other parts. Which makes sense because weeks ago I got a quil bearing for my John Deere. Stens pkg w/ the exact same stamping and China origin as my factory John Deere. Therefore there is "aftermarket" and "not so" aftermarket. To the best of my knowledge Stens has no manufacturing plants. All parts are manufactured elsewhere (probably mostly China) and Stens is an international distributor, that's it. Now I need to figure out what the deal is with the 60.00 Sten belt is as compared to the nearly 100.00 belt.

Stens who are one of my suppliers run two lines of belts.
One line are OEM and in most cases are claimed to be the exact same belt from the exact same supplier off the exactly the same machine
These belts will have a Stens number 265-??? on the sleeve.
There is a limited number of these in their catalogue and nearly all of them are marked "Made in USA" on the belt

The second line are plain kevlar fiber wrapped belts, available in std 1" increments and are about 1/2 the price of the OEM replacements.
These belts have a Stens number 238-??? or 248-???? or 258-??? on the sleeve.
Some of these have "made in USA" marked on the belt.

Oregon also run a line of OEM spec belts that they claim are exactly the same as the original as well and the wholesale price for the OEM Oregan & OEM Stens ar generally within 1 dollar of each other so I tend to believe their claim.
Most of the Oregan belts are marked "made in Mexico"

Rotary also do OEM spec belts.
They look very similar & usually have the same colour wrapping as the Oregons, so I am guessing they are from the same factory, branded differently
The Sleeve has "made in USA" printed on it but most belts are marked "Made in Mexico" .

If I buy belts in bulk quantities ( 100) or more they come loose in a box not in a sleeve and the sleeves are loose in the bottom of the box with a space to write the number in.
Same deal as buying 100' rolls of saw chain.


The mower makers specify the optimum size belt for optimum grip. shock loading etc, etc.
These oft come out in silly sizes like 110 & 7/8" at an appropriate silly (expensive ) price.
To all extents & purposes 110 & 7/8" will be no different in operation to a 111" belt.
Because of the small volumes the OEM belt will cost 3 to 4 times as much to make as the standard length 111" belt and that is before you look at custom cord size, shape & placements.

Finally just because a belt is in a particular companies retail sleeve dose not mean it was made/marketed by he company whose name is on the sleeve.
I have packaged chain loops in another companies retain box mor times that I can remember as most of my customers use short bars so I run out of boxes ( or they get lost / damaged ) before I run out of chain and only one supplier sell loose chain boxes.

 

[logan01]

Stens who are one of my suppliers run two lines of belts.
One line are OEM and in most cases are claimed to be the exact same belt from the exact same supplier off the exactly the same machine
These belts will have a Stens number 265-??? on the sleeve.
There is a limited number of these in their catalogue and nearly all of them are marked "Made in USA" on the belt

The second line are plain kevlar fiber wrapped belts, available in std 1" increments and are about 1/2 the price of the OEM replacements.
These belts have a Stens number 238-??? or 248-???? or 258-??? on the sleeve.
Some of these have "made in USA" marked on the belt.

Oregon also run a line of OEM spec belts that they claim are exactly the same as the original as well and the wholesale price for the OEM Oregan & OEM Stens ar generally within 1 dollar of each other so I tend to believe their claim.
Most of the Oregan belts are marked "made in Mexico"

Rotary also do OEM spec belts.
They look very similar & usually have the same colour wrapping as the Oregons, so I am guessing they are from the same factory, branded differently
The Sleeve has "made in USA" printed on it but most belts are marked "Made in Mexico" .

If I buy belts in bulk quantities ( 100) or more they come loose in a box not in a sleeve and the sleeves are loose in the bottom of the box with a space to write the number in.
Same deal as buying 100' rolls of saw chain.


The mower makers specify the optimum size belt for optimum grip. shock loading etc, etc.
These oft come out in silly sizes like 110 & 7/8" at an appropriate silly (expensive ) price.
To all extents & purposes 110 & 7/8" will be no different in operation to a 111" belt.
Because of the small volumes the OEM belt will cost 3 to 4 times as much to make as the standard length 111" belt and that is before you look at custom cord size, shape & placements.

Finally just because a belt is in a particular companies retail sleeve dose not mean it was made/marketed by he company whose name is on the sleeve.
I have packaged chain loops in another companies retain box mor times that I can remember as most of my customers use short bars so I run out of boxes ( or they get lost / damaged ) before I run out of chain and only one supplier sell loose chain boxes.

Thank you very much for all the info. Oregon is another brand name to whom they provide parts. Stens hs a statement which speaks to "Stens owned brands" which lists a few, including my Toto OEM belt with a pkg brand name of Tru Blue.Thanks again. PS: Yet another company in the loop of parts to get their cut and drive the price up to the consumer. Seems to me Stens, regarding OEM, is nothing more than a contract monitor overseeing product specs for any given brand name. I would have previously said manufacturer but most of the "manufacturers" are in reality only assemblers; partial assembly at that. I guess in the end, payroll is reduced, regulatory headaches avoided, all that kind of stuff, by passing certain tasks on to contractors, take the additional costs involved, increase those costs even more and pass it on to you and me. Ain't it grand!:thumbdown::laughing:

 

[bertsmobile1]

Yep, the big wheel just keeps on turning.
Originally most companies assembled mowers from proprietary parts, then they get bigger and then start making more & more parts themselves.
Then they make nearly all of the mower ( or whatever ).
Change of management so they out sourse all of the sub assemblies
Change of management again and back they go to doing it all themselves.
Vertical intergaration was big in the 50's & 60's ( owning the entire supply chain ) and is the only way to ensure the log term survival of a manufacturer.
In the 70's & 80's we got a new breed of graduates and the "hot" item was horizontal integration ( buying out all your competitors) which the all balls no brains executives called "owning the market"
In the 90's the Phd educated excutives decided it was too complicated so the "hot" idea was to down size to your "core" business and in some cases like Sara Lee that ment closing down all the factories and just selling your brand name.
Now that China has become a threat we are fast heading back to Vertical integration hence Briggs & Stratton buying up mower companies to ensure a market for their engines.
In a highly competative price sensative market vertical integrated companies do well as there is only 1 profit mark up so no matter how low the competition drops their prices to you can match it without going broke.

 

[logan01]

Very, very well stated.