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

You asked another really good question.  It wasn't until about 1998 when I started purchasing much more OPE due to my wife and I purchasing our home.  Prior to 1998, we purchased a 1991 Sears lawn tractor with a 38" mowing deck.  It came with a Briggs 12 HP engine, which I thought was extremely overpowered.  I even had the snow plow for it, which was very heavy, in addition to heavy wheel weights mounted on the rear tires.  It never missed a beat, even when using it for snow removal and was all the power you could want.  A neighbor wanted to purchase that tractor from me, so that's when I went back to Sears in 1998 to get a new one. 

I found that most similar lawn tractors were in the 14-19 HP range, which blew my mind and made me wonder what's going on with this HP thing.  In fact, at the time, the 19 HP engine was actually a twin cylinder job.  So, to answer your question, I myself noticed this crazy HP race back around 1998.  What started it is a mystery.  If I had to give you an answer, I'd have to say it's just some type of ridiculous marketing thing that has to do with the manufacturers competing with one another and trying every dirty trick in order to sway a consumer to buy their brand. 

BTW...for whatever it's worth, my snowblower with it's L-head engine runs smoother now with the new adjustable carburetor than my Briggs 17 HP OHV tractor engine does, which also has an adjustable carburetor on it.  I'm pretty sure those emission laws came into affect starting with the 1999 models.