Tsurumi Pumps Adds Briggs & Stratton Vanguard Engines on EPT, TE Pumps

Tsurumi Pump has teamed up with Briggs & Stratton to help users meet California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) and similar regulations. 

Briggs & Stratton's Vanguard engines will be available on Tsurumi’s EPT and TE series engine-driven trash and dewatering pumps 

The Vanguard Series engines will offer the same horsepower and RPM figures, and be an option on 2-in. and 3-in. centrifugal dewatering pumps and 2-in. and 4-in. trash pumps, under the TE3-50V and TE3-80V, and EPT3-50V and EPT3-100V model designations, respectively.

Standard features on Vanguard single-cylinder engines include an integrated cyclonic air cleaner that doubles air filter replacement intervals to 600 hours, an acoustically-designed fuel tank and muffler optimized to reduce noise, and easy, one-pull starting in cold temperatures as low as -20° F.

No changes to the design and performance of the Tsurumi products were required. After carrying out extensive research with Tsurumi customers before entering the new segment, Briggs & Stratton made several modifications to improve its engines’ suitability.

For example, Briggs & Stratton ensured the fuel shut-off system is automatically engaged when the engine is switched off, thereby reducing the risk of a fuel/oil mix and removing the need for a separate button that is subject to damage. This makes the new Vanguard option an attractive proposition for rental companies in particular.

Tsurumi Pump reported that the decision to add a new engine option was initially inspired by supply chain problems in recent years. Mike Grant, Tsurumi’s portable products and rental market manager, said that this product offering still offers many advantages to his company and customers alike.

“We’re already very well caught up with the recent increase in demand for these pumps, so adding the Vanguard option is another way to better serve our customers,” said Mike Grant, Tsurumi’s portable products and rental market manager. “We see this as an opportunity to expand our product line by offering an engine option that is of equivalent quality. Briggs and Stratton have been building engines for well over a century, so our goal is to attract a significant customer base that prefers Vanguard power. In fact, we already have one national account that is considering standardizing its small equipment to run on these engines because of the vast service and support network. 

When users register their purchase on the Briggs & Stratton website, an additional year’s coverage is automatically added to the standard three-year commercial warranty. There are more than 40,000 authorized dealers globally, almost all of them incorporating a service department. Brad Hanna, vice president of marketing and product management at Briggs & Stratton, said that customers who prefer to handle work themselves can also benefit from the engine manufacturer’s parts offering and online support material.

“We manufacture our own parts, maintain a comprehensive inventory of them and have one of the largest parts distribution networks in the industry," Hanna said. "We’re also working on a system that will allow customers to directly order parts using a QR code on the engine, or from a page on our website that shows only the suitable spares for their model so they can reduce ordering time as well as the possibility of mistakes."