Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Does anyone know of any new snowblowers out for 2012? Looking to trade in my Toro 826OXE for something with a larger motor. I am leaning toward a larger Toro but  I am open. Any suggestions?

New Toro 926 OXE. Looks like the 826 OXE, but WITHOUT the Briggs and replaced with an R*TEK. It has 265cc opposed to 250cc for the 826 OXE. Any  thoughts on the change to the R*TEK?

le$#%*now wrote:
The only R*tek engine on a two stage snowblower is the Toro 726, which has been discontinued.  Where did you see info on the Toro 926OXE with R*tek engine?

snowblowers direct

That model 926 OXE is a 4 stroke engine, not identified as a Brigss and Stratton R*tek.  265cc is a huge displacement for a 2 stroke R'tek engine.  I don't think it exists.

it states 4 cycle R*Tek and is consitent with a rumor I heard through a Toro dealer last week. He said that his shipments of the 726 and 826 will no longer have the briggs, but a toro labeled engine from china. he didnt know any other details and did not state R*tek, but now after finding the 926 oxe,  it seems obvious that something is going on with the new Toro's. I havent seen any official announcement from Toro or briggs. I am very curious. wondering if toro finally caved to the big box stores and is trying to compete with the price point of the lower quality machines (MTD).

Toro website didn't even have the 926 OXE model listed yet.  Funny how snowblowerdirect.com is listing it for sale.  Their website list the 926 OXE with a 4-stroke engine.

R*tek is the name for 141cc  two - stroke engine that's been around for a long time, typically found on a single stage snowblowers only, with exception of a Toro 726.

R-Tek = Loncin 4 stroke. Same engine brand as their single stage units.

If you go to the toro website and search model numbers, they show a few new models for 2012 that have a "Toro" engine. This includes the 926 OXE (38661). When you look up the warranty info for the model, it list Briggs for the warranty coverage. Not sure what to make of it. It doesnt say R*Tek anywhere. But it says Toro for the engine opposed to the 726 and 826 which say Briggs.  Does anyone have a theory on this? Why would they stop listing briggs as the mfr?

le$#%*now wrote:
Yes, I found it on their website, on support pages rather than on their snowblower line up though.

My theory is since China makes engines for many companies, why not source it directly from the manufacturer rather than branded Briggs equivalent, especially if you got the volume buy with competitive pricing.  Skip the middle man unless the buyer has a warm and fuzzy confidence having a Briggs sticker on their engine.  But then again, if Briggs is making snowblowers too, why slap their label on your snowblower unless they pay you.

If Briggs did indeed mfr the new Toro engine, and it is being branded as Toro opposed to Briggs, my guess is that  the quality standard/quality requirement for the mfr of the engine is lower (cheaper components, more defects allowable per X number of engines, etc) than the Briggs quality level, so rather than potentially tarnish the Briggs name with a sub-standard engine, they agreed to make this engine specifically for Toro with the Toro label. In the end, Toro probably decided that the new "Toro" engine is still a significant upgrade over the competition (MTD chinese engines), that it is a small risk for them and a potential huge upside in that they can sell the snowblower for a more competitve price at the big box stores thereby increasing market share. A win- win for everyone except the guy who can't start his Toro in the middle of a blizzard. And to add to that, and maybe this is a bit of a stretch, BUT, realizing that  their snowblowers are averaging a lifespan of 16yrs and MTD is 8yrs (arbitrary numbers), they wouldnt mind dropping the lifespan to around 10-12 in order to sell more "replacement" machines to the Toro faithful.