It's HOP! AYP & Husqvarna were part of the Electrolux Group in 2006 Electrolux divested itself of all of the outdoor power equipment group and Husqvarna Outdoor Products (HOP) was born. AYP doesn't even exist any more it was absorbed by HOP. Husqvarna owns in no particular order Jonserd, Flymo, Poulan, Weedeater, Dixon, Partner, Komatso Zenoah (Red Max), Blue Bird, Yazoo/Kees, Jenn Feng (McCulloch), Jikai (China, Diamond Products), Klippo (Sweden, Pro Lawnmowers), Gardena (Germany, lawn & garden products), Diarnant Boart, Peerless transmissions(2009) and probably some that I don't know. As of 2006 Husqvarna had 14 major plants 7 in Europe, 5 in the USA, 1 in Brazil and 1 In China. With some new acquisitions there are probably more now.

AJ

Home Depot does carry Ariens as well as AYP and MTD. They are separate companies.
The orange tillers were likely Husqvarna's made by AYP which Husqvarna owns and who make a lot of equipment for Sears. Sufficiently confused? LOL.
Ariens is still a private company run by the founder's grandson. They got out of the tiller market some years ago (too bad, they had an excellent product)and their riders are now limited to zero turns.

They were definately Ariens branded. They had the same thin steel gear case as the MTD offerings, and looked about as durable as tissue paper. Its a shame...Ariens used to make top-notch equipment.

So, Ariens down, Toro down...JD next....?

Ariens is trying to stay afloat just like the next guy. In this market you better sell some units or you will be history quick. I'm sure Ariens had their fill of dead-beat Dealers that sell 6 units a year. I know some of you guys are dealer lovers but I can't stand to go in one for the most part. I have worked at many and know how they work. Believe me I won't miss them if they all go under. I hope Ariens makes a go of it. I would hate to see a non-competitive market. By the way they do still make conventional non zero-turn riders like mentioned above. My Home Depot had a few.

I just went to the Ariens site and stand corrected. The tractors and tillers certainly appear to be HOP products.
Ariens stopped producing them in the mid 90's but must feel they need to broaden their product line to stay competitive.

...trouble is they dump the dealers and go into the big box for a quick sales fix...what happens a year or so later when they are undercut by another 'brand'? I wonder where Toro will be now that (likely) countless dealers are gone and they are no longer associated with HD...

Andre's comment above speaks loudly with me. I was in a Toro dealership for a long time. At first handhelds went into the big box stores and not long after the talk was- well, it's coming. We'll market WPMs, but the dealer will still have the edge. It looks good for the shareholders. We all know where the world went for them after that. I think that if you're a Toro dealer yet, you still generally have a line to be proud of. Some will disagree with me when I say I feel they should have held the line and be loyal to the dealer network. Better for the long haul.
Look around and not all hardgoods can be bought in a big box store. Many of us will pay more for a product that is better constructed, suits our needs better- or maybe that is simply made on our soil. If Walmart and Depot rock your world, well great. There is a lot more out there that they pale in comparison to. Small cities learned that one the hard way.
I remember when the Snapper CEO looked at Walmart and said no thanks, not wanting to be in their store for another year. That was a good moment. Of course, the world keeps turning. We've heard about Deere's thinning of the dealers. Personally, I have no bitterness about OPE dealers as stated by another poster. The dealers that I know work hard, try to work smart and do things so that they are their for the people that depend on them.
Will the offshore building of engines continue to grow, whilst skirting environmental and social responsibility? If they were honest with themselves, it becomes a much higher price that we are all paying. What will OPE be in another 10 years?