Engines, Brands & Manufacturers

[alan]

While doing some machinery research and the engines recently mentioned on the forum, I wondered how many engines and their manufacturers there were.

Some engines were possibly just rebranded, based on other engine models, or made on license. And some were specific to their use such as chainsaws, brush cutters and hedge trimmers by manufacturers such as Pioneer, Oleo-Mac, Homelite, Alpina, and Jonsered.

So how many branded engines are there, and can you suggest any to add to my very short list? I’m sure I’ve missed many important names on there.

Aspera
Bernard (Tecumseh-based on Bernard ride-ons)
Briggs & Stratton
BSA
Clinton
Ducati
Honda
Husqvarna
JLO
Kawasaki
Kirby
Lawnboy (on Lawnboy stuff)
Lombardini
MAG
McCulloch
Mitsubishi
Robin
Ruggerini
Solo
Stihl
Suffolk
Suzuki
Technamotor/Fiat
Tecumseh
Toro (on later Toro stuff – poss Tecumseh-based)
Victa (on Victa stuff)
Villiers
Vincent
Yamaha
Yanmar

• This topic was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by alan.

[wristpin]

Without too much head scratching. Loncin, Olsen and Rice, Lauson ,Subaru. In the USA there are several of what are loosely referred to as Honda Clones – several basic engines with different brand names and different colours, such as Predator which is the house brand of the Harbor Freight chain of stores similar to Machine Mart over here.
The shame is that as far as I know we no longer have a home grown mower / industrial engine manufacture such as Villiers, Norman or Sturmy Archer. Unless we count Perkins or Cummins.
Angus

PS Ruggerini !!

[alan]

Excellent, Angus, (but how did I miss them!) – Ohlsson & Rice, Lauson, Subaru (something to do with Robin, I recall), Sturmey Archer, and the relatively new Loncin.

I’ve just ordered a new mower from my local dealer with a Loncin engine, it’s a leap of faith on my part and time will tell how it does, but it was recommended over some established engine brands – in the future it may become a vintage collectable machine!

And I’ve just remembered the Wisconsin engines to add to the list.

[trusty-mad]

JAP or fully J. A. Prestwich Industries
Norton

[charlie]

Douglas, as used on some Trusty tractors.

[davidbliss]

Homelite were used on many generators to chainsaws, Drones and Ken Wallis them in his Auto-Gyro, one that was used during the war used for the emergency generator that sat under wireless operators desk? in the liberator was bit unusual being two stroke with a governed rotary inlet valve, A 8-1 pet-oil mix and a no float carburettor sat on-top of the tank with hand petrol pump to start, then used sort of petrol lift by bubbling air into a pipe that was submerged in the petrol tank. They had to run on 100 octane and with extreme cold had the masked type of plug-ignition, running at low altitude combustion chamber would soon overheat and stop. were very problematic to start if not done properly, one I built up for a museum had been given a Latin name by one of the air crew of scratched into the top of Sh-ttus-Rotus. Most likely all written archive is now lost thats a bit sad and I just remembered it was a Mr Alfred Feaviour got some recognition for development of improvements for the masked plug ignition for the first WW1 aircraft engines, I have them from 1906 it was used and plug savers still sold in the fifties. Photos, the Homelite carb and petrol lift. left to right, 1906 6 HP Rover, Homelite WW 2 gennerator, 1950s plug saver.

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by davidbliss.

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[wristpin]

We seem to have forgotten Lister and Petter !

[wristpin]

Re David Bliss’s post regarding Homelite two stroke generators. There’s a James Condon with a YouTube channel where he repairs and restores generators. He recently tackled a Homelite two stroke, possibly of WW2 vintage, with the same style of fuel lift pump that David shows in his post. The lift pump was in rather a sorry state but James managed to repair it, resulting in a running motor making power.

[davidbliss]

I must have had several over the years, they’re a absolute nightmare being temperamental they altered them I reckon hourly so very difficult to find interchangeable parts if not complete, Its a funny feeling working on those that had been in service, one had the barrel bent so was tight to turn over, being all alloy I was surprised it hadn’t broken, mostly little was usable. The one I got going was complete in the end, I only had one usable barrel even this one had shrapnel damage, a sliver had gone through the cover and sliced a 5 mm slot in a fin curling it up like a pigs tail without bending or braking the fin, just unbelievable of how, they did make a twin cylinder version, was told you could weld with one of those.

[ransomes256]

Need to add a few more to the list.

Ransomes
Sachs
Kubota
Iseki
Ryobi
Husqvarna

If going full size then,

Ford
Vauxhall
Jaguar
Land Rover
etc.etc.

Neil

[chris]

Is Kohler on the lists?

Chris

[alan]

Chris, well spotted! Yes Kohler, how I missed that I don’t know as there’s one sat about 3′ away from me at present!

I also see some mowers sold in the UK in the 1980s were fitted with Italian-made 2-stroke Beta engines – I haven’t looked to see if there were any 4-stroke.

Thanks to everyone’s input, here’s an updated list with the additions in bold. There are 49 on the list. Any more?

Aspera
Bernard
Beta
Briggs & Stratton
BSA
Clinton
Douglas
Ducati
Homelite
Honda
Husqvarna
Iseki
JAP
JLO
Kawasaki
Kirby
Kohler
Kubota
Lauson
Lawnboy
Lister
Lombardini
Loncin
MAG
McCulloch
Mitsubishi
Norman
Ohlsson & Rice
Petter
Ransomes
Robin
Ruggerini
Ryobi
Sachs
Solo
Stihl
Sturmey Archer
Subaru
Suffolk
Suzuki
Technamotor/Fiat
Tecumseh
Toro
Victa
Villiers
Vincent
Wisconsin
Yamaha
Yanmar

[wristpin]

Only ever seen Beta in canal boats but we could add Poulan (spelling ?)

• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by wristpin.

[davidbliss]

Poulan Sweden? however brain leaked but I have an idea they made chainsaws.

[alan]

Angus, it does look like Beta did marine engines and a lot of other applications – the internet turns up all sorts of things!

I have some 1980s adverts for Italian mowers by Concord-Mechanica with Beta engines, although they also had B&S and Tecumseh. John Harston and also Central Spares Ltd imported them. In 1985 the Saturn 21″ had a 4.4hp Beta 2-stroke at £580+vat BUT a HTJ report says it is a Lombardini 4.4hp instead of Beta….was Beta based on Lambardini or vice-versa? Or did the HTJ report accidentally put Lombardini! Interesting anyway.

Thanks for mentioning Poulan, I looked in newspaper archives for Poulan and adverts for their chainsaws stretch back to the 1960s and advertise them as being ‘The quality saw from Sweden’. In 1980 Chain Saw Products of Manchester were selling the Poulan saws from 32-85cc.

[Author]

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