Chinese clone engines, the good bad and the ugly

[catfishdaddyengineering]

HF is putting the 6.5hp on sale for $99 the weekend of Black Friday. If you can get a 20% off coupon, that brings it down to $79. That is not a lot to spend to try it out. Our HF lets you swap out no questions asked if something does fail.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

I think the luck of the draw is due to the fact there are many factories building these clones. Qlty can vary a great deal between companies. On the consumer end, it's going to be hard to tell if you bought a qlty product or something closer to junk. Think the best thing you can do is try and find an import company that really stands by what they sell.

 

[davedj1]

I was told you can't use the coupon with sale items? I tried to buy a 13hp a couple of weeks back on their "sidewalk sale" and was told I couldn't use the coupon. Turned out they didn't have any 13hp's so I bought a 11hp for 219 after the 20% off. I haven't taken it out of the box yet so I can not comment on the reliability of it yet. I'm hoping it's a good one!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Since millions are sold annually and with the few that we have I say they an OK option.

 

[BHD]

I think I will try the "Kohler courage" Courage SH265 there is a local dealer and the price the local dealer will sell for is the same as the net, he says they do good on warranty so I think that is the rout I will take,

thanks for your input, I know it is more $$ than the HF unit, but the nearest HF is 3 hr away, and I do not want to mess driving 3 hr for a exchange or repair,

 

[studor]

I have six of the Chinese engines on everything from pumps to logsplitters -- they run hot but seem to just keep running. They have a low oil shutoff that seems to work just fine and they seem to be far less finickity about storage with gas in than some of my Briggs powered equipment. The Kohler on my Lawnboy has a two pull guarantee -- I have collected on it because of loose bolts from the factory - no problem just annoying. I would not hesitate to buy one of the Chinese units - the technolgy is pretty well proven and quality control problems will show up right away as a previous poster noted.

 

[D7E]

We have princess auto chinese engines on grain augers and water pumps and they have been excellent , Some are 5 years old now . They have outlived a genuine honda V twin that only lasted 2 years !

 

[ky billhilly]

Some of the cart racers around this part of the country will buy the 5hp briggs clones and immediately disassemble them and do a cleanup and decking of the block first. the they use all quality rebuild/racer parts to reassemble them. custom carbs, intakes and exhaust will net them 70-100hp on alcohol.

So if that is possible, a cleanup, good bearing and rings should result in a long running dependable engine. Work, yes but sometimes the fun of it. I've got a 11hp chonda on a factory assembled genset and have been happy so far. except I have to clean up the carb. My fault for not shutting the supply off and running it dry.

Just off the shelf, there are lemons in everything made; cars, guns, dishwashers and even small engines. Bound to happen. but I'm sure frequent early oil changes would help rid the block of machining trash. I read somewhere that someone whom used these regularly would change the oil after an hr, then 2, then 3 until it came out clean and clear which resulted in zero failures of the mechanical sort. A few qts of oil is a cheap investment if it results in longevity.

 

[Travelover]

I was told you can't use the coupon with sale items? I tried to buy a 13hp a couple of weeks back on their "sidewalk sale" and was told I couldn't use the coupon.............

At my local store, you can use the 20% coupon on regular sale items, but not on Sidewalk Sale items.

 

[muddstopper]

Personally, I wont even look at the clones on the store shelf. I feel china steals enough of everybodies, (not just USA) technology that they dont need my money to keep their economy afloat. I realize everybody has their own opinions on quality and value of the products they purchase. Available funds and personal needs, or wants, dont always balance out either. If you got to have it and the cheap'os are all you can afford, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I usually have good luck with the originals so if I need a Honda or a Kholer, I usually just buy the real thing and stay away from the clones.