New Vanguard engines solve old problem

Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power has developed a four model range of Vanguard 5.5 hp to 10.0 hp engines featuring an automatic fuel cut-off system that will prevent the common problem of fuel spilling during transport and contaminating the engine oil.

The TransportGuard system automatically shuts off the fuel when the engine is turned off, preventing a very common problem - particularly in rental - where customers neglect to shut off the fuel before moving the machine.

Paul Bramhall, senior category manager with Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power, said customer research with major rental companies had revealed that the full two-step engine shut-off procedure is not properly followed in up to 72% of rentals. This can lead to oil dilution and consequent engine wear.

Mr Bramhall said the new engines were now undergoing testing with some large rental companies, including Speedy in the UK, where Briggs & Stratton has retrofitted the new engines to some of Speedy's equipment.

"Our work in the field helped define the design criteria for these new Vanguard engines", said Mr Bramhall, "By listening to customers and working with some of the worlds leading OEMs, we have developed an engine series that will raise the standard of dependability in the toughest job site situations."

Mr Bramhall said Briggs & Stratton would be targeting equipment manufacturers as well as rental companies directly, where 're-powering' of existing equipment will be possible.

The two smaller models in the range, the 5.5 and 6.5 hp units, are available now, and the larger 8 and 10 hp models will be released in September this year.