charlieinneedham

As far as I can tell, all Sears snow blower engines are made in China by a company called LCT.

I recently posted my concerns about Chinese engines: http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/49362-0-1.html

Time will tell if these engines hold up, and how readily available parts will be.

 

friiy wrote:
Thanks for the tip on high temperature lubricants for exhaust parts.

The engine should be fine for your needs if ... you are a homeowner doing your own < 100 foot long driveway.

Just be sure to read the Trout2 Guide to Eternal Happyness to keep that snowblower humming for many years:  http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/49399-0-1.html   

I have the Stihl blower vac Drifter mentioned above for pulling leaves out of my wife's flower/rose beds and leaves caught between the shubs and foundation.  It's an incredible time saver from pulling leaves out of areas where you can't easily blow them out into an open area.  The Stihl steel cutting/mulching blade seems to do a better job than comparable vacs made by Echo or Husqvarna.  The blower action is great, but would be tiring if there is a big area to do, 

For any bigger open area you would be be much better off with a backpack blower.  Either the Echo or Stihl ~50cc models should last you many, many years ...if... you run them dry and don't let gas/oil sit in them for prolonged periods, and use Stabil in addition for safe measure.  That's the big problem with an occasional use item - the varnish buildup if you aren't compulsive. 

Just one more thought for you.  Do you just mulch as many leaves as possible back into your lawn with a mulching mower? I've gotten more and more bold over the years mulching them back in with multiple passes with a riding mower, and doing it repeatedly during the fall so there is not a huge leaf buildup.

kellyinkc wrote:
What it sounds like is that CPC has acquired the "Snow King" name, the name of  the snow blower engine made by Tecumseh.  To a lot of consumers for the past couple of decades, "Snow King" might have been even better know than "Tecumseh" as the snow blower engine.  So the sad part is that just by acquiring a "brand name", LCT will seemlessly assume the mantle of Tecumseh for probably the majority of the buying public.  It sounds like a slick marketing maneuver.  I can't believe the unemployed Tecumseh workers in Michigan can be very happy about "Snow King" engines being built in China by LCT.  But of course they have no say in the matter.