Who Makes Kawasaki Lawn Mower Engines And Are They Any Good?
Kawasaki is a name most consumers equate with its legendary line of high-performance motorcycles and dirt bikes. However, the company's product line has come to extend far beyond the realm of two-wheeled speed machines, and now includes watercrafts, ATVs, and power tools, as well as a full slate of powerful, performance-focused lawn mower engines.
Power and performance have, of course, been calling cards for Kawasaki since the company began manufacturing engines in the early 1950s, and longtime fans of the brand are no doubt thrilled at the prospect of putting that level of pro-grade potency to work in their own backyard. If you call yourself a devotee of its products, you probably know that Kawasaki is, in fact, a Japanese company that continues to manufacture many of its products in Japan, and more recently in Thailand. You might also know that Kawasaki was the first foreign vehicle company to set up a manufacturing plant in America.
Kawasaki opened its Lincoln, Nebraska, facility in 1974 and broadened its U.S. reach in 1989 when it opened another manufacturing plant in Maryville, Missouri. With manufacturing plants operating all over the world and making any number of products, the first question some may have regarding Kawasaki lawn mower engines is where they are actually made. The second question, naturally, is whether Kawasaki lawn more engines are any good. So, here's a quick look at the origins and general quality of Kawasaki's extensive line of lawn mower engines.
Kawasaki makes its lawn mower engines in the USA
The answer to that first question of where they are made will no doubt please consumers who prefer to buy products that are made in the USA, as Kawasaki lawn mower engines are indeed manufactured in America. That may not come entirely as a surprise given that Kawasaki currently operates two major production facilities within U.S. borders. In fact, the Lincoln plant was once the point of origin for many of Kawasaki's most popular motorcycles. However, these days the Lincoln plant is largely devoted to producing Kawasaki Jet Skis and all-terrain vehicles.
Both the Lincoln and Maryville plants are utilized as research and development facilities, but the latter is also the production house for Kawasaki's general-purpose engines. That means the sprawling 700,000-square-foot facility is home to Kawasaki's lawn mower engines, with the company building the precision machines on site.
According to Kawasaki, the Maryville manufacturing plant currently employs more than 600 individuals. If the company's promotional materials for the Maryville facility are any indication, Kawasaki's lawn mower engines and general-purpose engines are assembled with a mix of machine-powered precision and good old-fashioned human ingenuity, making the plant's output all the more impressive.
Lawn mowers with Kawasaki engines are generally well reviewed by consumers
Now that you know that Kawasaki makes its own lawn mower engines at its Maryville manufacturing plant, the question remains whether those engines are any good. The answer to that particular question is slightly harder to qualify, in no small part because Kawasaki does not manufacture actual lawn mowers, only the engines that power them. The company has, however, made partnership deals with some of the biggest names in the lawn mower game — including Toro, Ariens, Cub Cadet, and Spartan, among others — to outfit some of their mowers with Kawasaki engines.
As it is, many of the reviews we read were focused largely on the lawn mower as a whole rather than the Kawasaki engine that powered the machine. It is, perhaps, telling of the quality of the Kawasaki engines that many of those lawn mowers have received excellent reviews from consumers. Particularly well-reviewed among the riding lawn mowers with Kawasaki engines is Toro's TimeCutter MAX, which not only earned 5-star reviews from more than 80 percent of Lowe's customers who purchased one, but several owners specifically praised the power of the 23HP, 726cc Kawasaki V-Twin engine that runs it.
Toro's Kawasaki-powered 21-inch walk behind mower was equally well-reviewed, earning 5-stars from 27 of the 36 consumers who reviewed it for Acme Tools. It seems the one drawback of these Kawasaki engines is that lawn mowers equipped with them tend to skew toward the higher end of the retail market. Despite that fact, when you start talking about Kawasaki quality powering your mower, cost may be an afterthought for many.