A Look Back at Bunker Hill Engine
Our Roots
In 1964, twenty-one-year-old Paul Weaver opened Plains Machine Shop. Located on County Road 207, the shops focus was to service engines for Amish shops, sawmills and farmers in his local community. Having attended Briggs and Stratton Service school, he had the knowledge to work on small engines, farm machinery, and whatever else needed fixing. In 1966 he moved the business to Bunker Hill, Ohio, into the old Bunker Hill Store building and changed the name to Bunker Hill Engine. In 1972, Bunker Hill Engine became a Lister Diesel engine dealer, the company’s first major engine dealership. In 1974, the business was moved just north of Heini’s Cheese on County Road 77.
Starting Over
There was a fire in 1989 that destroyed the shop building. The shop was rebuilt and opened for business the next spring. In 1994 Paul’s son, Atlee, joined his as a partner in the business. Over the years they added other product lines, Subaru small engines, Kohler engines, Wisconsin Engines, And Echo chainsaws and weed eaters. They were also a service dealer for Mustang skid steers.
New Ownership
In 2012 John Yoder joined the team as a road mechanic, and at that point their focus started shifting toward larger engines and generators. A lot happened in 2014. On January 1, 2014 John bought the business from Atlee and Paul, and later that year also bought out another local engine shop, Diesel Energy Systems, from Fredericksburg. This addition brought with it a John Deere engine service dealership, as well as an Orschlen F.A.S.T control cable dealership. This part of the business was later devolved into a sister company, Bunker Hill Cables. It was also in 2014 that a Kohler Generator dealership was added. In 2018 the Echo line was dropped, in order to continue to focus more on larger engines and home standby generators.
Expansion For The Future
In March of 2023 Bunker Hill Engine moved from the CR 77 location to a new, lager facility, just a half mile up the road on US 62. The expanded space offers an updated showroom, more product lines, a larger shop area, and expanded road service for small engines to 500HP and larger engines.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Today the Bunker Hill Engine team has grown to 13 knowledgeable sales and service people. They are a Certified Kohler Dealer, Certified John Deere Engine Service Dealer, and a Certified Yanmar Industrial Engine Service Dealer. They have expanded product lines, employees, and services to meet the needs of their Ohio community for over 50 years, yet their focus remains the same — to keep you running by providing great products and fast, reliable service.