New mower time

[supratreo]

hi all, so i'm sure by now you all see what BS is going on in CA.
ive had a 42 in craftsman YS4500 for about 10 years now and ive put about 4 head gaskets on it. i'm tired of working on this thing. recently i was given a JD D110 which i love, missed having a JD since i sold my compact tractor a few years ago, but it just doesnt have the power i need.
i'm thinking about selling both and upgrading to something more powerful, reliable and maybe bigger in size. with the laws that are being passed in CA i think i need to get on this sooner rather than later. problem is i'm not sure what to look for as its been a long time since i had to shop for something like this.
i was thinking something with a 2 cylinder Kohler since it seems like B&S is not producing the same quality they used to. any advice? i'm mowing about 1.5 acres and would like to get a machine that will be with me for a long time. not a big fan of electric. brand isnt a huge deal.

thank you

 

[ning]

I'm curious why your current mower has eaten 4 head gaskets in 10 years? I've got the same mower for the last 15 years, though in 54" (DYS4500, Kohler 26hp courage); I've replaced spark modules + starter + flywheel but despite my wife hauling a trailer full of cuttings and dirt all over and me cutting up to 30" heavy grass with it before I got the brush hog, it's still doing great.

 

[supratreo]

mine has a single cylinder briggs. apparenty this model has been known to do this. the area where it blows is on the side with the cavity for the push rods, the cylinder doesnt have meat here and there is a huge gap between the head bolts so there is less clamping force in that spot.

 

[supratreo]

other than that, this mower has been pretty good. havent done anything else besides maint.
i thought about repowering it but a good engine would be $500+ it looks like so i dont know if it would be worth it.

 

[Doughknob]

I have owned Deere lawn tractors for 23 years. Sold the first two each working great at time of sale. 3rd one going strong now. I abuse them - don't wash them but once every few years, store them in 3 sided shed even in cold weather, change oil once in a while, pull landscape trailers and even a hay rack with them.

First two had B&S engines; this one has the Kawasaki. All 3 engines ran perfectly the whole time I owned them. I buy the "REAL" ones from Deere dealerships, not the fake Deeres from Home Depot. Actually the Home Depot ones are Deeres, but substantially cheaper and cheaper made.

I say lawn tractors, but my last two were 'garden tractors' - bigger, heavier, more robust.....

 

[supratreo]

thank you for that insight. i will def. be buying from a dealer or landscape supplier. ive noticed huge differences when it comes to things like this and buying from big box stores.
everything from appliances and TVs to outdoor equipment.

 

[tomplum]

A Deere X series would fit the bill, most have Kawasaki engines. If still, only the entry level had the twin Briggs. They have a real nice all wheel steer option as well if wanted.

 

[shooterdon]

Get a zero turn. It cuts almost twice as fast so will last almost twice as long. I upgraded to a ZT this year and no regrets. I cut about 2 acres and it takes an hour or slightly less.

 

[supratreo]

thank you for that. i was thinking about that but i know nothing about zero turns.
man when did these machines start getting so expensive

 

[Richard001]

mine has a single cylinder briggs. apparenty this model has been known to do this. the area where it blows is on the side with the cavity for the push rods, the cylinder doesnt have meat here and there is a huge gap between the head bolts so there is less clamping force in that spot.

Yep, that is a problem with that engine. If it happens again, make sure that the head is not warped. As you using some type of gasket sealer when reassembling ?

 

[supratreo]

i checked the head and block each time and they were perfectly flat. i am not using any sealer. should I?

 

[Richard001]

I would and usually do anytime I see a head gasket problem on an engine.

 

[tomplum]

No sealer on these. There was a bolt / torque change a while back to 250 inch pounds. briggs apsi 87 Should be able to find it online as well.

 

[supratreo]

So i checked out my local JD dealer, they got nothing in stock so i'll have to do some research and call them for pricing. i went to a couple equipment dealers and they all had 1-3 Husqvarna TS248TD's in stock. about $3300. all with Kawi engines and fabricated decks. at these prices i'm now really considering repowering my mower. last i checked (1-2 years ago) engines were in the $500ish range which hurts a lot less than $3k+.

 

[supratreo]

ok guys, i think ive made up my mind. i found people on here talking about smallenginewarehouse.com and after looking around i think i might be able to get a motor for about 1k. after selling off one of the machines, that would offset most of the motors cost.
are there any other places that sell motors? i was afraid HF was the only one and didnt really want to go that route.
also, what do you think about subaru-robins engines? just curious as ive never worked with these so just trying to absorb information.
thanks again.

 

[tomplum]

I don't work on many Subaru engines and most of what I do are smaller, like on pressure washers. Quality was good, parts had to be ordered in. You should research this further I think. Subaru small engines don't exist as they once did. Its been like 5 years when they sold out to Yamaha. If you are repowering your rider with the Briggs 1 cylinder and don't understandably go with the same one, you may need to also figure in exhaust , cables and wiring possibly as well.

 

[Richard001]

ok guys, i think ive made up my mind. i found people on here talking about smallenginewarehouse.com and after looking around i think i might be able to get a motor for about 1k. after selling off one of the machines, that would offset most of the motors cost.
are there any other places that sell motors? i was afraid HF was the only one and didnt really want to go that route.
also, what do you think about subaru-robins engines? just curious as ive never worked with these so just trying to absorb information.
thanks again.

I don't know why you are hesitant to look at engines from HF or Northern Tool. Your buying a brand name engine, what difference does it make who you buy it from. Just go with what is close to your location and the best price. Shipping a engine can be expensive.

 

[supratreo]

thank you for the replies. i def was not going to go with the same 1 cylinder. i know adapting a twin will be a little more work but thats fine with me.
as far as the HF engines. HF quality has always been iffy to me but if its a cheaper item or something that i know i wont use more than a couple times then i'll buy it but the size of engine i'm looking for will be over $800 where i could get a Kohler 7000 or Confidant for $100-$150 more. does HF sell brand name engines? all i could seem to find was Predator engines which i believe is their brand but they dont have vertical shaft engines anyway. if you have any links please send them my way, i'm still trying to gather information.
also, the 2 locations near me only have 6-8hp engines.

 

[Richard001]

What size shaft do you need ?

Do you want electric start ?

I actually saw several vertical shaft engines on the HF website, but it doesn't matter as you have stated to not want the HF engines.

Found a twin cylinder B&S for $980 at Northern Tool, but it's a real problem for you, see below.

Product Summary​

Genuine Briggs & Stratton 25 HP, 724cc Twin Cylinder vertical shaft engine provides dependable power you can trust delivering true professional use for your equipment needs. This engine includes a Dura-Bore cast iron cylinder sleeve for extended life. Not for sale in CA.

And just found this:

Briggs & Stratton 22hp - 44N677-0045 -724cc 1"x3-5/32"L Intek Lawn Mower Tractor | eBay

22 HP - 724CC. NEW BRIGGS & STRATTON INTEK Series - "V" -Twin - OHV ENGINE. Cast Iron Sleeve, 12 Volt Electric Start. Choke-A-Matic,Oil Filter, Fuel Pump. Drilled and Tapped 7/16-20. Keyed Crankshaft.

www.ebay.com

$630.00

 

[supratreo]

shaft is 1" x 3 and i do want electric start.
when i started to have this issue with my briggs i did some searching and was told that in "Intek" line was their lower line of engines so that was my reason for not going with them.
if it comes down to the shipping to CA issue with any engine i MIGHT have a way around it but shipping to my door would be nice haha.
what are peoples opinions on the HF engines? like i said, i dont have any experience with their engines, just their other tools. do you have a link for their vertical shaft engines?
this is all i could find:

Engines - Harbor Freight Tools

You won’t find a better selection of gasoline engines anywhere else. From single-cylinder, 3 HP engines, up to 22 HP V-twins. Harbor Freight engines fit a broad range of applications and deliver unparalleled value.

www.harborfreight.com

thanks again for your help.