Murray

Murray came into being in 1919 due to the market opportunities offered by making metal parts for the blossoming automotive industry in post First World War America. Losing its competitive advantage in the car parts market in the 1930s, the firm switched over to bicycle manufacturing, a niche it continued to occupy until well after the Second World War. Later, motorcycles were added to the product range also. The firm also bought several lawn and garden equipment businesses, which it operated as secondary to its bicycle business. In the mid-1990s, the company was bankrupted by cheap bicycle imports from China. Briggs & Stratton bought the firm in 2004, turning it into a successful subsidiary mostly focused on manufacturing lawnmowers.

Murray products are a line which is priced to appeal to the thrifty, offering solid performance without the host of ultramodern features that drives prices higher in other ranges. Many push mowers make up the most prominent part of the Murray lineup, including models with a basic 20 inch mowing width, side discharge, and a straightforward cord pull starter. Higher end models are self-propelled, with front wheel drive and a choice between side discharge and mulching. The company also makes some Canada only mowers, with 3-in-1 capabilities and special mufflers for quieter operation.

Murray makes a slightly smaller, but still substantial, line of riding mowers. The Mini Rider is the cheapest, with minimalistic design and a 24 inch cutting deck for small to medium yards. A single zero-turn mower is available as of the 2010s, able to cut in close to complex obstacles, such as decorative boulders, telephone poles, oddly shaped flowerbeds, and so forth. The array of useful garden tools is rounded out with an assortment of string trimmers, blowers, and single-stage or two-stage snow blowers, all of which show the same attention to quality while remaining straightforward, plain, and affordable.