Steiner 430 Max With Kohler Engine?

[Keuka]

I'm thinking of going to look at a used Steiner with a Kohler 30hp, air cooled engine. I don't know the individual seller but according to the information the meter reads just over 100 hours. The machine is 4 years old. Years ago the better John Deere garden tractors had Kohler engines and my understanding was they were an excellent engine. I have no information on the newer Kohler.

My lawn is side hill and my understanding is this is where the Seiner shines. I have concerns how the Kohler holds up on side hills with respect to engine oil lubrication. I'm also concerned about ethanol related problems with any used gas engine. I run nothing but non-ethanol in my lawn equipment, chainsaws, etc.

Anyone have any experience with the Kohler or the Steiner?

 

[johara1]

They put Kohler engines in the 440 both are rated the same as the gas and diesel 25 and 30 degrees, i would check in the book for that machine. If it only has a 100 hours on it or on that hour meter? see if it was replaced. If you plan to run it on hills make sure it has the weight transfer, on those it was out front a couple springs hanging down that attach to the mower i think. They are easily seen .

 

[Raw Dodge]

The early 30 hps had some carburetor issues,they also burn a lot more fuel than a 27 Kohler with only a very small difference in power. otherwise it's a typical kohler command,a pretty good engine.i love them,not sure how steep you plan on operating it but I've never had my 25 commands run out of oil,I have oil sentry set at 4 psi,hit that and it kills the 12v to the fuel solenoid,and it dies,I've had it well over 30 degrees and never had it shut down,so I wouldn't worry to much about it.just keep the oil level at least halfway up the safe zone.You might want to consider duals ,and those machines have amazing tires on them! My dealer liked them so much he put them on his ventrac ,says they stick like glue and hold any hillside even ones a ventrac will slide down.. I agree on the 50 dollar weight transfer kit,it's ugly but it actually does a great job,

 

[Keuka]

Thanks for the replies. I'm mowing my lawn with a Hydrostatic John Deere garden tractor with wheel weights. A real JD, not the cheap Home Depot version. Some areas I have to mow uphill and back down. It handles it as long as the grass is good and dry. That in mind, I've been told a Steiner will put a JD to shame in any situation and especially on a hillside lawn.
I did stop and talk to a guy running a Steiner last year. His had the Kohler and he told me he had to replace the engine at around 1500 hours. I thought at the time, that didn't sound very impressive for a mower of that cost. My JD is a 1993 with just under 1400 hours and it. The air cooled Kawasaki is just starting to show a little smoke when first starting up.
Any thoughts on what a 2011 Steiner with a 60 inch deck and just over 100 hours on the meter might be worth. One thing I did notice on the photos, the mower deck looked a little rough for only 100 hours. The top of the deck showed minor rusting on the front face and the underside has almost no paint left on it. My JD mower deck had epoxy paint and as I recall, it looked much newer with 100 hours on it. The again, it was epoxy paint and I have no idea what Steiner uses. The add on the Steiner did say it was always garage kept.

 

[farm boy00]

He may have switched the deck with another one

 

[Raw Dodge]

Honestly 1500 hrs isn't far off,especially if it was neglected and overheated. It depends on how well it was maintained,air cooled engines need to be kept clean,the fan and shroud areas,especially and the oil is the only coolant they have.i have got over 4000hrs on 2 different kohler command 25s,so I know they can last,I used Schaeffers oil,or Napa synthetic since new,One of them i recently freshened,with .25mm over pistons and rings,everything else was left,replaced all gaskets and seals,cleaned the valves, ,nothing was worn except the bores were right at the edge of service limits,I didn't want to re-ring when the bores were .004 out of rounds,so new oversize pistons were used..just for reference ,the kubota D722 diesels rarley see 2000hrs in a steiner unless the owner is meticulous with maintenance, they are overloaded in a steiner and usually worn out by then.
as for capability if your JD is a 2wd tractor then yes there's no comparison ,the Steiners are mountain goats,they will climb and descend most any hillls you can stand on..

 

[prs]

Raw Dodge, do you happen to know the make/model of the tire you mention?

prs

 

[Keuka]

Raw Dodge thanks for the information. Maybe I'll take a look at it. I did some online research and as you stated, the diesel engines aren't respected that well.
Do you know if the Kohler Command 30 had any changes between 2007 and 2011? The reason I'm asking is I read some reviews dated 2007 and that Kohler engine was getting some bad comments. Some we're having trouble starting, some we're saying it was the worst model Kohler, etc.
Another question is on overheating. Most of the overheating comments were on the liquid cooled engine in the 430 Max. Some claimed they had to stop every few hours and blow out the radiator and fan fins. I'm somewhat fussy about taking care of my equipment but I honestly don't blow off the engine every other hour. My mower is a belly mounted mower and it seems reasonable that a front mounted mower would blow more dust, pollen, etc up into the radiator and cooling fan. However, stopping to blow out the fan and radiator fins every two hours seems it might get old in short order. It could be they were also relating to cotton wood trees or something like that during pollen season.

Ethanol fuel related problems in Kohler Command engines? I don't remember anyone saying anything about problems with ethanol fuels but thought I'd ask. I live where there a great deal of boats and we have non-ethanol available. The cost of non-ethanol is a little more but I think it's worth it. The marinas strongly suggest non-ethanol. Our local dealer said they estimate as much as 30% of their repairs were attributed to ethanol.
He's a straight shooter and he added that's service repair work we don't need.

 

[Raw Dodge]

Raw Dodge, do you happen to know the make/model of the tire you mention? prs

I'll try to get it,it's the factory steiner 430 tire for the 2012 and newer machines....

 

[Raw Dodge]

Raw Dodge thanks for the information. Maybe I'll take a look at it. I did some online research and as you stated, the diesel engines aren't respected that well. Do you know if the Kohler Command 30 had any changes between 2007 and 2011? The reason I'm asking is I read some reviews dated 2007 and that Kohler engine was getting some bad comments. Some we're having trouble starting, some we're saying it was the worst model Kohler, etc. Another question is on overheating. Most of the overheating comments were on the liquid cooled engine in the 430 Max. Some claimed they had to stop every few hours and blow out the radiator and fan fins. I'm somewhat fussy about taking care of my equipment but I honestly don't blow off the engine every other hour. My mower is a belly mounted mower and it seems reasonable that a front mounted mower would blow more dust, pollen, etc up into the radiator and cooling fan. However, stopping to blow out the fan and radiator fins every two hours seems it might get old in short order. It could be they were also relating to cotton wood trees or something like that during pollen season. Ethanol fuel related problems in Kohler Command engines? I don't remember anyone saying anything about problems with ethanol fuels but thought I'd ask. I live where there a great deal of boats and we have non-ethanol available. The cost of non-ethanol is a little more but I think it's worth it. The marinas strongly suggest non-ethanol. Our local dealer said they estimate as much as 30% of their repairs were attributed to ethanol. He's a straight shooter and he added that's service repair work we don't need.

Your right the diesels are inadequate at best.The problem is there is limited room for an engine in the space available between the front pulley and leaving enough room for a radiator and the cooling fan. The engine cannot be any longer than about 15", thats a pretty small 3 cylinder.And at that the radiator will still be fairly small.I haven't had a liquid cooled steiner,our steiner salesman and dealer recommended we get the air cooled gas, we have an off road tank. We wanted a diesel,but were told if you want a diesel get a 230, with its extra room it has a larger stronger engine at 28hp,and no cooling issues.
I blow out my engines fins every week or 2 but I mow 15- 25 hrs a week,I simply blow compressed air backwards against airflow direction,more than anything I get lots of dust...The kohler 30 is probably one of the worst kohlers you could get they burn as much fuel as a big block 1000cc with the same or just a tiny bit more power than a 25/27 hp. I know a guy who traded a 27 kohler on a 60 " zero turn for a 30 hp same machine a few years newer,says his fuel consumption is almost double and there's very little difference in power over the 27.He wishes he never sold his 27 .As for ethanol issues,no more than any other engine,the 30 hp has a 2 bbl carburetor very similar to a car engines,with accelerator pump...it's way different than the 25-27 hp carburetors..so I can't speak for the 30, I have no experience with it.