Briggs & Stratton is one of the world's largest manufacturers of air-cooled gasoline engines for primarily outdoor power equipment.
The company was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1908 and today is based in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Briggs and Stratton engines are most commonly used on lawn mowers, as well as karts, pressure washers, electrical generators, wood chippers, snow blowers and a wide variety of other applications. Their original cast-iron engines were known for their durability but the company's success was established following the development of lightweight aluminum engines in 1953. The aluminum engine was the perfect solution for the recently invented rotary lawnmower due to its lighter weight and lower cost. The company enhanced its reputation in the sixties and seventies by developing a strong service reputation through independent central services distributors (CSDs), low cost replacement parts and well designed service literature.
Briggs & Stratton Parts by Category
Air Cleaner Assembly
Air Filter Cover
Alternator
Bail Cable
Battery
Bearing
Blade
Brake Cable
Brake Spring
Breather
Breather Gasket
Breather Tube
Bushing
Cable
Camshaft
Choke Knob
Choke Lever
Choke Link
Choke Shaft
Choke Spring
Clutch
Control Cable
Crankshaft
Cylinder Head
Decal
Dipstick
Dipstick Tube
Drive Cable
Engine
Engine Cover
Engine Sump
Flywheel
Flywheel Key
Flywheel Puller
Generator
Governor
Handle
Insulator Gasket
Intake Manifold
Maintenance Kit
Manual
Oil
Oil Cap
Oil Drain
Oil Extractor
Oil Plug
O-Ring
Overhaul Kit
Pinion Gear
Pre-Filter
Pressure Washer
Pressure Washer Hose
Pressure Washer Pump
Pressure Washer Spray Nozzle
Pressure Washer Switch
Pressure Washer Trigger Gun
Pressure Washer Wand
PTO Clutch
Pulley
Pump Repair Kit
Pump
Rebuild Kit
Replacement Engine
Retainer Ring
Ring Gear
Seal
Spark Plug Boot
Spindle
Thermostat
Throttle Cable
Throttle Spring
Question: Where are Briggs and Stratton engines made?
Answer: Briggs & Stratton manufactures engines and parts in several locations around the world. The company is headquartered in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA. They have production facilities in various countries, including the United States, China, Czech Republic, and Australia.
History
The company started in 1908 as an informal partnership between Stephen Foster Briggs and Harold M. Stratton. The original intent of the founders was to produce automobiles. In 1922 the company set a record in the automotive industry, selling the lowest-priced car ever, the Briggs & Stratton Flyer (also called the "Red Bug"), at only US$125-US$150.
Eventually the company settled on automotive components and small gasoline engines. Briggs purchased an engine patent from AO Smith Company and began powering early washing machines and refrigerators. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1928.
During World War II, Briggs and Stratton produced generators for the war effort. Some components in these generators and engines were made with aluminum, which helped the company develop its expertise in using this material. This development, along with the post-war growth of 1950s suburbs (and lawns), helped secure Briggs and Stratton's successful growth in the 1950s and 1960s.
Stephen Briggs went on to purchase Evinrude and Johnson Outboards and start the Outboard Marine Corporation.
Fredrick P. Stratton, Sr. (the son of Harold Stratton) served as Chairman of Briggs & Stratton until his death in 1962. Fredrick P. Stratton, Jr. served as Chairman until his retirement in 2001.
In 1995, Briggs & Stratton spun out the automotive component business. The resulting company is Strattec Security Corporation.
In 2003, the company acquired its consumer generator business from the Beacon Group and formed Briggs & Stratton Power Products. The Beacon Group had previously purchased the Consumer Products Division of Generac Corporation (now Generac Power Systems) in 1998. In 2005, the company added Simplicity Manufacturing Inc, Snapper, Inc, to the Briggs & Stratton Power Products line. Murray, Inc, one of its largest customers, collapsed owing the company $40M, and to minimize the loss B&S decided to purchase the name, marketing rights & product designs of that company.
On 4 June 2008 Briggs & Stratton announced that it would be acquiring the Victa Lawn Care business from GUD Holdings Limited Australia for AUD$23 million.
Briggs & Stratton Innovations
The Aluminum Engine - This was introduced in 1953 as a means of having a lighter-weight engine for an applications such as lawn mowers or string trimmers. It was improved five years later in 1958 with the introduction of the Kool-Bore (all aluminum) and Sleeve-Bore (aluminum, with a cast iron cylinder liner).
Easy-Spin Starting - This was introduced in 1961 as a means of cutting in half the effort of manually starting an engine. This had replaced all means of starting on all B&S engines except for electric start systems.
But in 1982, as new federal safety regulations required every small engine manufacturer to add emergency shut-off switches to lawn mower applications, company engineers discovered that engines with the Easy-Spin intake were unacceptably difficult to restart. The Easy-Spin was moved to the exhaust valve, but this move presented mediocre horsepower ratings. Where that was an issue, a mechanical compression release was used. The intake valve Easy-Spin had continued to be used on B&S's larger engines, but was shelved in 1997 due to new emission regulations.
The Sno/Gard Engine - Introduced in 1966, this innovation was exclusively designed for engines powering snow blowers. Prior to 1966, customers of the snowblower had complaints about protection of the engine from the elements of winter. B&S met the needs of these customers by designing special features for this engine such as an air-intake shield, a starter clutch shield and a specially-designed housing to cover the spark plug and carburetor, as well as providing heat for the latter.
The Synchro-Balanced Engine - Also introduced in 1966, this innovation was designed as a means to curb vibrations caused by the high RPM and torque of lawn mower engines, especially in riding lawn mowers. The design was a series of counterweights placed along the engine's crankshaft.
The Twin Cylinder Engine - This engine was introduced in 1977 as a means of competing with B&S's rivals, particularly Japanese firms like Honda who were cutting into traditional B&S fare by producing lawn mower engines. These first models were rated 16 HP and displaced 40 cubic inches, but were joined in 1979 by 42 cubic inch models rated at 18 HP.
Industrial/Commercial (I/C) - This series of engines, initially ranging from 3 to 18 HP, was introduced in 1979 as B&S's answer to certain high-quality, commercial-grade engines produced by their rivals (mainly from Japan; see also the Twin Cylinder section above). These engines have such high-tensile features such as Stellite bearings, sleeved cylinder bores and paper air cleaners.
Briggs & Stratton HYBRID - In 1980, at the tail end of the energy crisis, Briggs and Stratton developed the first gasoline-electric hybrid automobile. "The Hybrid" was designed by Brooks Stevens and powered by a twin cylinder 16 hp (11.9 kW) Briggs and Stratton engine and a large electric battery.
MAGNETRON Electronic Ignition - This solid state ignition system, introduced by B&S in 1981, eliminated the age-old points and condenser setup that had plagued many customers who had used a gasoline engine for years. This setup is also available in retrofit kits, but these are only compatible with B&S's external ignition engines produced since January, 1963. However, its rival Tecumseh had made a CDI (capacitor discharge ignition) solid state ignition setup since 1968, for their cast iron engine models, expanding it to vertical shaft engines powering lawn mowers in late 1976 before the setup came full circle in August, 1984 for all of their engine lines.
The QUANTUM Engine - Introduced in 1986, this engine series donned higher performance, quieter operation and easier starting. It would go on to become one of B&S's most popular lawn mower engines.
The Raptor Engine -The engine which many of Briggs' flatheads, including the I/C, are modeled after.
The Animal Engine - Briggs' race-modified overhead valve racing engine, based on their stock generator engine
Briggs & Stratton engines are often fitted with a dead man's switch to halt power immediately in the case of the operator getting injured by the tool. On Briggs and Stratton engines, this works by the principle of engine braking, with the engines default state as braked. The operator must hold a handle to remove the engine brake, with any release of this handle causing the engine to brake again.
Cast iron models
5 (cast iron) (1950—1957)
5S (cast iron; suction carburetor) (1949—1957)
6 (cast iron) (1952—1957)
6S (cast iron; suction carburetor) (1949—1957)
8 (cast iron) (1949—1957)
9 (cast iron) (1949—1962)
14 (cast iron) (1948—1963)
19 (cast iron) (1957—1965)
19D (cast iron) (1963—1965)
23 (cast iron) (1949—1957)
23A (cast iron) (1956—1965)
23C (cast iron) (1961—1963)
23D (cast iron) (1963—1965)
191400 and 193400 (cast iron) (1965—1966)
200400 (cast iron) (1966—1974)
231400 (cast iron) (1965—1966)
233400 (cast iron) (1965—1991)
243400 (cast iron) (1965—1991)
300420 (cast iron) (1966—1971)
301430 (cast iron) (1971—1972)
302430 (cast iron) (1972—1977)
320420 (cast iron) (1969—1971)
325430 (cast iron) (1971—1972)
326430 (cast iron) (1972—1991)
Aluminum models
6B (horizontal shaft) (1955—1958)
6BH (vertical shaft) (1953—1958)
6BHS (vertical shaft; suction carburetor) (1953—1958)
6BS (horizontal shaft; suction carburetor) (1955—1958)
8B (horizontal shaft) (1955—1958)
8BH (vertical shaft) (1953—1958)
60100 (horizontal shaft) (1958—1991)
80100 (horizontal shaft) (1958—1977)
80200 (horizontal shaft) (1960—1991) (horizontal shaft)
90000
100000
110000
120000
130000
140000 (horizontal shaft) (1958–1965)
190700 (vertical shaft) (1969—1997)
252410 (horizontal shaft) and 252700 (vertical shaft) (1977—1991)
280000
310000 OHV
400000 Twin Cylinder
420000 Twin Cylinder
460000 Twin Cylinder
Industrial/commercial models
81300 and 81400 (horizontal shaft) (1979—1985)
82200 (horizontal shaft; Quiet Power) (1982—1994)
82300 and 82400 (horizontal shaft; Quiet Power) (1982—1994)
114900 (vertical shaft; Quiet Power) (1982—1991)
131200 (horizontal shaft) (1979—1985)
132200 (horizontal shaft; Quiet Power) (1982—1994)
131900 (vertical shaft) (1979—1989)
132900 (vertical shaft; Quiet Power) (1982—1995)
192700 and 193700 (vertical shaft) (1983—1994)
195400 (horizontal shaft) (1979—1994)
221400 (horizontal shaft) (1979—1985)
255400 (vertical shaft) (1984—1994)
Briggs & Stratton/I/C 283H07-0399-E1(050923AZ)(16-hp)(vertical shaft)
130202 5 HP
Outboard motors
AA0101-0001-01 (5hp 4-Cycle Outboard Motor) (2005—present)
AA0101-0020-01 (5hp 4-Cycle Camoflauge Outboard Motor) (2005—present)
AA0201-0001-01 (3hp Electric Outboard Motor, Tiller Model) (2006—present)
AA0201-0001-01 (3hp Electric Outboard Motor, Remote Model) (2006—present)
Briggs & Stratton/I/C 283H07-0399-E1(050923AZ)(16-hp)
Karting engines
World Formula 12 HP OHV
Animal 6.5 HP OHV
Raptor 5 HP flathead
2 cycle engines
084300 (Horizontal shaft) (1999-2011) Made under license for Toro as the R*TEK 141cc E Series Snow Thrower engine
Additional information and source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briggs_%26_Stratton