Things don't seem to be looking too good for Tecumseh, so I would guess Ariens is bailing out instead of possibly buying engines that will have parts support become problematic. Wouldn't you?

L heads are pretty much gone because of smog reasons.

I just purchased an Ariens sno blower with a Tecumseh enigne a few days ago for the full price of $3,000, with the resonable expectation that when I have to sell this machine and move because of my age I would be able to get a fair price for a little used machine. A few days after the purchase I learned that the Tecumseh engine is suddenly out of production and the manufacturer, Tecumseh Co. is out of business. When I have to sell this machine any buyer will have to know that the engine is obsolete and no longer produced and that any parts or service requirements could result in excessive costs and many problems. No potential buyer of this very little used machine will even consider buying it. The exclusive dealer where this machine was purchased, without question, had to know of this situation with Ariens and Tecumseh but not a word was said about this problem. There have been numerous meetings with the dealer to try to correct serious erratic running and tracking problems with the machine and machine is now back at dealer for area rep to get involved. But still not a word about this marketing issue which I believe has serious implications as a legal issue inasmuch as the Tecumseh situation was not disclosed. I would appreciate the opinions of the forum.

I went to my Ariens dealer to pick up a Tecumseh engine service manual I ordered for my Ariens blower that is 4 years old. He had many Ariens machines on the floor for sale, and was in the process of closing a deal on one that day. Everyone I looked at had a tecumseh engine. I almost said something, but the manager was nice enough to get me a service manual, and I felt I owed him something. I think the real problem of deception lies with Ariens. They are the ones still building their blowers with obsolete engines. I wrote to them and commented on what they are doing. Needless to say, I did not receive an answer. They must be using up what engines are left at a low price. I'm sure parts and service will be a problem in the future. Charles Ranheim

Can't say that I blame Ariens for using their existing stock of engines. They got caught by surprise in October along with everyone else. I suppose they could have taken the high road by scrapping the engines they had already paid for then shutting down production waiting for an adequate supply from another manufacturer.
There will be a problem with service and warranty.They will need to find a way to cover engine problems as Tecumseh will not be there for their customers and they can't just wash their hands of it.

We just purchased an Ariens snowblower, 24 inch, equipped with a 195cc Tecumseh engine, OHV type. The machine starts on one pull, and operates flawlessly, so I have no complaints with Ariens. Tecumseh has been a major employer in Grafton, Wisconsin, and New Holstein, Wisconsin for several decades. The loss of jobs in these communities has been going on for some time, and I am sure it has resulted in a continuing loss of income for many people. My guess is that Ariens continued to use Tecumseh engines hoping that the company would come around and regain its economic health. I hope Ariens remains in business, and there is still a chance that Tecumseh will manufacture small engines offshore, and continue to provide parts for older models. Tune-up parts are manufactured by after-market suppliers like Stens, so spark plugs and air filters should remain available. If our snowblower has a catastrophic engine failure, I expect that another engine could be found and fitted, likely by Anderson-Thomas, our local Ariens dealer and repair station. The state of Wisconsin is currently operating with a projected 5 billion dollar deficit, so we are all trying to keep the economy going and pull out of the hard times we seem to be having.