How many hours will a 17HP Kawasaki Industrial Engine run without major problems?

[Keuka]

I bought a new John Deere 265 back in, I believe, 1991. 5 Years ago I face plated the mowing deck with 1/4 inch plate and at that point I had just over 1400 hours on the old girl. My thought was I might get a couple more years out of it and since I have a commercial leaf vacuum system for it I considered it might be worth the time & effort. Now it's got 1643 hours on the meter and it still starts right up and seems to run fine. I've changed the oil each fall when I put it up for the winter and that averages out at just over 55hrs per oil change. Most winters it's been stored in my heated shop so I'm sure that has helped it age well. The engine doesn't appear to burn a drop of oil and the only time it smokes is just when I first start it up and the throttle is up in the choke position. I started looking for a replacement 5 years ago but now I'm beginning to think this thing is going to outlast me. So I'm just curious how many hours others might have gotten and if the new Kawasaki's are as strong as the old models. The newer JD Garden Tractors don't appear as solidly built as the older models or at least the plastic seems much cheaper.

 

[5030]

I've got at least that many hours on my Kowalski V twin and it runs like a top. Only thing I do besides changing the oil and spin on filter regularly, is I adjust the valves every fall.

 

[spitter]

Afriend of mine has a huge landscapeing company 100 employes and says he gets 2x to 3x the life out of a Kawi as he does a Briggs and the Briggs usually gets between 1k to 2k Hrs. He will only buy equipment with Kawi or Honda motors on it.

 

[oosik]

How high is UP? With proper maintenance it should last, at least, a lifetime. I bought my first tractor, new in 1982. Traded it in, in 2009. I know the fellow who bought it. Forty years and still going strong.

 

[5030]

Afriend of mine has a huge landscapeing company 100 employes and says he gets 2x to 3x the life out of a Kawi as he does a Briggs and the Briggs usually gets between 1k to 2k Hrs. He will only buy equipment with Kawi or Honda motors on it.

Never buy another Honda powered piece of equipment after I tossed a rod on one at 4 hours and American Honda would not warrant it, said it was my fault, ran it out of oil. Interesting thing was it had a low oil cutoff and it never cut off, just puked.

Replaced it with a 99 buck Predator about 6 years ago. Still going strong, one pull starts.

IMO, Honda motors are overpriced.

 

[jerrybob]

I've got a 19 year old LT180 with the Kawaski 17HP engine.....I think I have about 700 hrs on her....never had a problem with engine......I buy a maintenence kit every year.....change all filters...oil...plugs .....she just keeps purring. The Tuff Torque K46 tranny sucks....had to replace at arounf 300 hrs. This year.....we serviced the no servable unit....drained oil...added 5/50 syn. oil......runs stronger now then when brand new....no noice backing up....climbs hills. Hopefully will get several more years from the tractor.

 

[bmg88201]

I have a 2010 JD X300, 17hp KW with 600 hrs on it, new oil and Wix filter every year. Has not missed a beat. I also have changed the 5/50 oil in the K46 tranny every 200 hrs.

 

[5030]

Weak point is always the transmission and the Tuff Tork trannny's are purposely built to throw away.

Why I prefer Hydro Gear. 100% serviceable and rebuildable and Hydro Gear sells not only parts and lubricant kits but ship manuals too.

 

[jgayman]

I bought a JD 175 Hydro in 1987. It had a 14HP Kawasaki engine. I sold it 26 years later and it was still working like new. It had around 2200 hours on it. At the time of purchase, an engine oil filter was an optional item you had to purchase - which I did. The manual warned to never change the oil in the hydrostatic transmission - and I never did. It never missed a beat despite pulling around a 900 lb. lawn roller and a heavy double snow mobile trailer that I used as a lawn cart.

 

[Diggin It]

Weak point is always the transmission and the Tuff Tork trannny's are purposely built to throw away.

Why I prefer Hydro Gear. 100% serviceable and rebuildable and Hydro Gear sells not only parts and lubricant kits but ship manuals too.

I've got an 310-0510 that'll argue with that. 'Servicing' as far as fluid chage mean complete removal and inversion. Yes, they sell parts and assemblies, but for the cost, it's less to replace the whole thing.