Manufacturers vs. Engine Manufactuers

Hello everyone. I joined this forum last month and have enjoyed reading all the posts and comments, particularly on deciding what make and model to choose when buying a new lawn tractor. I bought a new Hustler 52-inch Raptor last year with a kawasaki 23 HP engine. No problems. The biggest factor for me in buying it was the engine. There are dozens of of manufactuers to choose from, all running the same engines from 4 or 5 manufactures. What irks me is that some companies, who once had a respected brand name, are now installing cheap, inferior engines in their residential models. I suppose that is a trend nowadays in other industries as well. To my knowledge, there are currently no manufactuers in the U.S. who build both the engines and the machines they power. Every summer, I see the old man down the street riding his 60's era Yamaha. He knew what he was doing when he bought it.

Manufacturers vs. Engine Manufactuers