Kohler's Small Engine Innovation Timeline

Kohler has an industry leader for over eighty years by consistently offering innovative, reliable products and exceptional customer service. Curious about how a company stays in business across generations? Here's a timeline of Kohler events throughout their eighty years of innovation.

The 1920s
Kohler's first generator, released in 1920, was designed to serve rural markets. Kohler's first generator set, the KOHLER Automatic Power and Light Model "A," used a 1500-watt engine to deliver a 110-volt DC current.

The 1930s
In the 1930s, Kohler introduced their range of liquid-cooled diesel engines. Kohler engines also turned up in some unlikely places during this decade: Admiral Richard Byrd took several Kohler generators with him on his second expedition to the South Pole in 1933, even naming a mountain range after the company.

The 1940s
In 1948, Kohler opened a factory dedicated to the manufacture of small engines and began to develop a range of engines designed for industrial use.

The 1950s
Kohler introduced a single cylinder cast iron air-cooled engine, known as the K90, in 1951. The company introduced more K series engines throughout the 1950s, culminating in its interchangeable engines, which offered the convenience and flexibility of a common mounting foot pattern and crank height.

Kohler also exported its products overseas in the 1950s, particularly to Vietnam and Thailand. The company's small engines were used to power air compressors and small boats, and to pump water through irrigation systems.

The 1960s
In 1960, the company opened a brand new Engine and Electric Plant and built production facilities in Canada and Mexico. In 1965, Kohler introduced Automatic Compression Release (ARC), which featured more effortless recoil starts; and in 1966, Kohler proudly announced that engine number 1,000,000 had just rolled off the production line.

The 1970s
For Kohler, the seventies were a period of continued expansion into international distribution and snowmobile engine sales. Kohler's one-millionth international sale was shipped in 1976.

The 1980s
During the 1980s, Kohler introduced a newly designed connecting rod, full-pressure lubrication and a crankshaft design that featured steel-backed sleeve bearings at both ends. Kohler also introduced improved air filtration and electronic ignition during this time. In 1986, the company unveiled its line of Command engines, which featured hydraulic valve lifters and OHV design.

The 1990s
In 1991, Kohler released a line of vertical shaft twin cylinder engines designed for lawn mowers. In 1995, Kohler marketed the first overhead cam engines (OHC) in the industry; and in 1998 Kohler received an award for its OHC 18 HP engine. In 1999, the first liquid cooled Aegis engine was introduced.

The 2000s
Today, Kohler offers a wide variety of commercial and industrial engines, including lawnmowers, heavy-duty concrete saws, industrial welding equipment, generators and pressure washers. In late 2008, Kohler pushed the engine industry toward environmentally-safe innovation when it announced that over the next two years, all of its Aegis liquid-cooled and Command Pro engines will utilize electronic fuel injection, meaning lower fuel emissions as well as improved performance. The 2000s also saw Kohler participating in the war effort in Iraq by powering machines used to remove potentially lethal debris from roadsides. Just as Kohler has filled Americans' private and commercial engine needs for the past eighty years, it continues to exemplify the American dedication to innovation and self-improvement.

~Ben Anton, 2009