Who Makes Cub Cadet Mowers? Owner and Engines Explained
Cub Cadet mowers are made by MTD Products, an Ohio-based manufacturer that has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker since December 2021. MTD assembles Cub Cadet equipment at US plants in Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee, and the same company also builds Troy-Bilt, Yard Machines, Remington and several other brands on shared platforms. The engine bolted to any given model, though, usually comes from someone else: Kawasaki, Kohler or Briggs & Stratton, depending on the trim.
That last part is the piece most "who makes Cub Cadet mowers" answers skip, and it is the one that actually changes what you're buying. The badge tells you who designed and assembled the machine. The engine spec sheet tells you who is actually responsible for the part most likely to need service in year six.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | MTD Products |
| Parent company | Stanley Black & Decker (full owner since December 2021) |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Headquarters | Valley City, Ohio |
| US assembly states | Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee |
| Sibling brands | Troy-Bilt, Remington, Yard Machines, Rover, WOLF-Garten, Columbia |
| Common engine brands | Kawasaki, Kohler (transitioning to Rehlko), Briggs & Stratton, Cub Cadet-branded |
Who Makes Cub Cadet Mowers: MTD Products and Stanley Black & Decker
Cub Cadet is a brand, not a company of its own. The company behind it is MTD Products, founded in 1932 and headquartered in Valley City, Ohio, just outside Cleveland. For most of its history MTD was majority family-owned. That changed in stages: Stanley Black & Decker bought a 20 percent stake in MTD in 2018, then acquired the remaining 80 percent in December 2021 for a reported $1.6 billion. Cub Cadet has been fully under Stanley Black & Decker's ownership since that deal closed.
MTD's own site states plainly that the company "operates manufacturing and distribution facilities, as well as engineering, administrative and sales offices across the globe," according to MTD Products' locations page (read September 18, 2026). Cub Cadet is one brand inside that operation, not a separate factory network.
Where Cub Cadet Mowers Are Actually Built
Cub Cadet's own site states that the brand's lawn and garden equipment has been built in the United States since 1961, at company facilities in Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to Cub Cadet's "Built in America" page (read September 18, 2026). The Ohio site, in Willard, does the bulk of the residential lawn tractor, garden tractor and residential zero-turn work.
That is final assembly, not a claim that every bolt, casting and circuit board in the machine originates in those three states. Manufacturers rarely publish that level of supply-chain detail, and neither MTD nor Cub Cadet's public pages break it down further. What's verifiable is where the machines are put together and shipped from, and that part is documented.
The Sibling Brands Sharing the Same Design and Factory Floor
MTD's current brand family, per its own site, includes Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, Remington, Robomow, Yard Machines, Rover, WOLF-Garten and Columbia. Several of these sell mowers that share decks, drivetrains and chassis with Cub Cadet models, at different price points and with different paint, badges and feature sets. A Troy-Bilt or Yard Machines walk-behind sitting one price tier below a similar Cub Cadet model is often closer in hardware than the branding suggests.
Craftsman is a separate case worth naming, because it trips people up. Craftsman-branded outdoor power equipment has been produced by more than one contract manufacturer over the years, and MTD built some Craftsman lines in the past. MTD's current public brand list does not include Craftsman, so do not assume today's Craftsman mower and today's Cub Cadet mower share a factory. If that link matters to a purchase, check the specific model's origin rather than the brand history.
The Engines Underneath: Kohler, Kawasaki, Briggs & Stratton and Cub Cadet's Own
MTD assembles the mower. It does not, in most cases, build the engine inside it. Across Cub Cadet's current riding and zero-turn lineup, spec sheets list Kawasaki, Kohler and Briggs & Stratton engines depending on the model, along with a smaller number of Cub Cadet-branded engines on select trims. Walk-behind mowers follow the same pattern on a smaller scale.
Here's the detail most buying guides for this exact search miss, and it's a live one: Kohler's small-engine division is partway through a rebrand. Kohler Energy became an independent company under Platinum Equity in 2024 and began operating under the name Rehlko later that year. Kohler Co. itself kept its kitchen-and-bath business and stepped back to an investment role in the engine side. The transition is gradual. Expect the Kohler name and logo to keep appearing on engines and parts for a while yet, sometimes alongside the new Rehlko branding, before it phases out. Reporting on the change describes the underlying engineering, factories and warranty terms as unchanged through the switch, so the practical effect on a Cub Cadet buyer today is a name on the shroud, not a different engine.
None of this makes one engine brand universally "the good one." Kawasaki, Kohler/Rehlko and Briggs & Stratton all build commercial-grade V-twins that show up across competing brands, not just Cub Cadet. The honest way to compare two Cub Cadet models is to read the actual engine line stamped on each spec sheet, not to assume the badge on the hood tells you anything about what's under it.
What the Badge Actually Tells You When You're Buying
Once you know Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt and Yard Machines can share a platform, and that the engine is a separate decision layered on top, the brand name stops being the most useful filter. Two things matter more:
- What the engine spec sheet actually says, model by model, rather than which manufacturer's name is on the fender.
- What your lawn actually needs, which has nothing to do with the badge. Deck width, cutting height range and horsepower only matter relative to your terrain, obstacles and grass.
That second point connects back to decisions this site covers in more depth. Cutting height needs vary by grass species, so it helps to identify your grass type before you decide how low a deck needs to cut. Mowing frequency, which wears a mower down faster than almost anything else, tracks your grass's actual growth pattern rather than a fixed weekly habit, and a lawn care calendar built from your grass type and frost date is a better guide than a generic schedule. And if the mower purchase is part of a bigger reset, matching grass seed to your growing zone will do more for the lawn's long-term health than any single piece of equipment will.
The company that makes your mower is one fact. It's a useful one for warranty and parts availability. It is not the fact that decides whether the machine is right for your yard.
FAQ
Is Stanley Black & Decker the same company as Cub Cadet?
No. Cub Cadet is a brand made by MTD Products, which has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker since the acquisition closed in December 2021. Stanley Black & Decker owns MTD; MTD makes Cub Cadet.
Does MTD still make Craftsman mowers?
Not clearly, based on MTD's own current brand list, which names Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, Remington, Robomow, Yard Machines, Rover, WOLF-Garten and Columbia but not Craftsman. MTD built some Craftsman equipment in the past, but Craftsman outdoor power equipment has used more than one manufacturer over the years, so check the specific model rather than assume a shared factory.
Are Cub Cadet mowers made in the USA or in China?
Cub Cadet's own site states its lawn and garden equipment has been built in the United States since 1961, at facilities in Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee. That covers final assembly; the company does not publish a full breakdown of where individual components or materials originate.
What engine comes on a Cub Cadet mower?
It depends on the model. Current spec sheets across the riding and zero-turn lineup list Kawasaki, Kohler and Briggs & Stratton engines, plus Cub Cadet's own branded engines on some trims. Check the specific model's spec sheet rather than assuming one engine brand across the whole lineup.
Is Kohler going away on Cub Cadet mowers?
The Kohler name isn't disappearing overnight. Kohler's small-engine business began rebranding as Rehlko starting in 2024 after becoming an independent company. The Kohler name is expected to keep appearing on engines and parts during a gradual transition, with the underlying engineering reported unchanged.
The Short Version
One company, MTD Products, builds Cub Cadet, and Stanley Black & Decker owns that company. Several sibling brands share the same platforms. The engine is a separate supplier decision, usually Kawasaki, Kohler (soon more often labeled Rehlko) or Briggs & Stratton. None of that replaces reading the spec sheet on the specific model in front of you, matched to what your own lawn actually needs.
