Rob....
Are you too cynical? 
I'll show you cynical, buddy!
So lets take a flying leap into the world of cynicism.
An anonamous sales rep that works for a big-ole orange and white chainsaw company, that comes from a country that we had a war with in the the 1940's and produces over priced junk tells me:
The reason that his company are producing 4-cycle engines too put in their equiptment, is because the OPE industry is subject too the same EPA laws as the auto industry. That is...there is like a "fleet average" for emissions. They are making these cleaner 4-cycle engines so that they can still sell the 2-cycle stuff that the people really want. (The "greenies" will buy the clean stuff too offset the dirty engines that cant meet the higher standards.) That way everyone is happy....The greenies can now cut down trees, knowing that they arent fowling the air.... and the whogivesa$hit crowd can now cut them down faster with a saw that wont wear thier arms out.
Win! Win! (As sales reps like too say.)
So lets extend this logic too Toro and Briggs.
Jump back 2 years when Toro had too drop the Duroforce engine because it wouldnt meet tightening emissions. (I bet Toro wasnt really happy too loose that Lawnboy market segment!)
I may be way off track here, but.......The 2-cycle R-teks look and smell a lot like a Duraforce too me? (Please dont ask for detailed analysis on that perception.)
So...Toro is not stupid. If they cant clean up the R-tek too meet future epa regs they are SOL. There goes the SnowCommanders, 3650's and 2450's. (People like them!)
YIKES!!! What's Toro going too do? Start developing a new line of
small and
light 4-cycle machines and just dump another popular 2-cycle machine that people buy and buy....like the Lawnboy, Duraforce?
As long as we are careening down this conspiracy highway.....What does Briggs get out of this?
They dont have a single stage, 2-stroke engine. (They tried once.)
They dont have a premier brand name like Toro as a customer.
All Briggs has too do is meet the epa requirements for the
fleet and not just for
one 2-cycle engine. Perhaps they have room under the epa "salary cap".
Remember though....This "
epa salary cap conspiracy theroy" was presented too me buy a Saurkraut eating, saw selling weasle that still wont admit too me that my flat times were reduced by the goose-stepping company that
he works for. (Cynicism is good for the soul.)
