What air cooled, V-Twin, gas engines do you prefer, and why?

[Henry W]

I am starting this topic so us members can write about brands of air cooled V-Twin gas engines  that you prefer, and why. This should be interesting. Differant parts of the U.S., Canada and other parts of the world will most likely have different preferences, and that is ok. It could be because of parts availability, service and customer support is stronger in differant places. It might be that differant brands might last longer under certain conditions in differant parts of the world. It might be the ease of service that some brands have over others.

If you want, you can choose top two favorate brands. The reason for this is it would be interesting to see what is preferred as primary use and secondary as backup use in your area.

Here near Raleigh, North Carolina the preferred commercial/industrial V-Twins in the lawn care industry are Kohler and the Briggs Vanguard big block engines on large Z-turn mowers. Kawasaki used to have an edge over the others but have fallen behind for some reason. The Kohler and Briggs big blocks engines proven themselves to have the power and torque over others on large Z-turns. For medium Z-turn mowers it is Kohler and Kawasaki engines. Had a Kawasaki on my medium Z-turn and only had starter issues with it. The Kawasaki engine ran fine but, it was down for almost a week waiting for a replacement starter. Now, on walk behind mowers Kawasaki is still #1. Had one on my walk behind and never had any problems. It never been in the shop. It just kept running.

For my Ingersoll garden tractor [and it is a true garden tractor] the Briggs Vanguard Smallblock is holding up well. Only problem I've had with it was the starter bendex blew apart. Otherwise it's been a good engine.

From what I noticed, all commercial/industrial grade Briggs, Honda, Kawasaki, Kohler and Subaru engines are  reliable. I find Briggs and Kohlers are the easiest to get parts. So, I choose Briggs and Kohler over the others because of parts availability. For mid size Z-turn mowers and walk behinds I choose Kawasaki and Kohler over the others for serviceability. Cleaning out grass clippings around the cooling finns is much easier. I must state that Briggs Vanguard Smallblock is the hardest out of all to clean cooling fins. As for large Z-turns of 25hp+ the top picks are Kohler and Briggs Bigblock. They have proven to be reliable and have the muscle to work well on the large Z-turns.

For 3600 rpm generators its Briggs, Honda and Subaru near the Raleigh area. In most cases engines do not see the abuse that is typical in the lawn care industry. Cooling finns stay clean, engines are not subjected to as much vibration and shock, they do not get tipped to extreme angles and suffer oil starvation. They do not get rained on, and at times it could be raining all day. In general the engines seem to last when maintained. I have no idea why, but, I have not seen any Kohler V-twin engines used on generators in this area.

Let's hear what is preferred in your area.

Henry

[LowGear]

My Kawasaki 21 HP is fantastic.  Not a gas sipper but still sounds great after 700 some hours of work.  It definitely prefers premium and the carb jets are a bit touchie about dirt but what a performer.  Of course I dream about a Kubota diesel powered zero turn but this Kawasaki should be an industry standard for the gasoline powered world.

Casey

[Henry W]

I liked the 25hp Kawasaki engine on my medium sized Z-turn. One thing I did not write about it was how easy it is to clean the cooling Fins. On the vertical shaft engine move the air cleaner, remove the top shroud and it exposes everything that has to be blown out. You just cannot do that with a Briggs Smallblock.

You are right about them not being a gas sipper. When I pushed my Z-turn hard it would use roughly 2 gallons of fuel in about an hour. But the other brands are not much better. The  16hp Briggs Vanguard used the least amount of fuel an hour but it defiantly could not keep up with the 25hp Kawasaki in terms of performance. But it kept up with the 16hp Kawasaki. 700 hours is nothing for any of the commercial/industrial engines. As long as the are taken care of they will see lots more. By the way. I just read that Dixie Choppers large Z-turn has set a world record on the most acres that's been cut in 24 hours. The Kawasaki FX1000V engine was used on that Z-turn.

http://kawpower.com/news/2014/kawasakis-fx1000v-powers-guinness-world-record

They might take the lead again on the preferred engine for Large Z-turns.

[LowGear]

Gosh, that sounds like maintenance.  I've been thinking about blowing out the air filter.  I'll see if I can get to what you're talking about.  I've always wondered what happen to all the crap that goes down there.

Thanks,

Casey

[Henry W]

I modified the last post. I was referring to the top shroud on a vertical shaft engine.

[LowGear]

I modified the last post. I was referring to the top shroud on a vertical shaft engine.

Yeah;  The one with the hole in the center where are the dust, leaf shreds and what-not go.  I don't want this thread to get too technical.

Casey

[Henry W]

To technical???
I've seen all makes of engines less than a year old worn out from overheating. Not following service procedures is neglect. And is normally not covered under warrantee. Now days you need to be technical.

Yeah, the thingy with the hole in the center should come off to clean the fins on the chunk of metal.

[XYZER]

I have 2 John Deer LX172's with I think the 14HP Kawasaki engines. Super and efficient engines! I have had my share of the ignition modules die. They look like a chrome plated chicklet, and cost 50-70$.

[buickanddeere]

I have 2 John Deer LX172's with I think the 14HP Kawasaki engines. Super and efficient engines! I have had my share of the ignition modules die. They look like a chrome plated chicklet, and cost 50-70$.

Too wide of plug gap that requires extra voltage to jump the gap. Or a spark plug shorting due to oil fouling, either or  both will ruin an ignition module.

[Henry W]

I agree with Buickanddeere that too much of a gap and fouled plugs could cause ignition module failures on engines. It is also a known fact that Kawasaki has a problem with ignition module failures.

I would try an aftermarket ignition module such as this one. http://www.mfgsupply.com/31-9334.html
They been known to work fine and solved the problems. At around $14.00 it is worth retrofitting. Chances are you might not have any more problems.

Henry

[XYZER]

Good tips!.....Thanks! After I put a new set of gaped plugs in I'll order an aftermarket module just in case. The price is right!
Dave