Rockyroad
Bronze Member
gmason-
I'll add a few cents worth of opinion here. I have an 8 horse Kohler Magnum on my TroyBilt that I bought in 1986. Lot of use on that engine (also powers a special generator that snaps on when you take the tine unit off). Does not burn any oil, runs great, and I have rebuilt the carb once. They say that they are easily rebuildable since they are solid cast iron, not aluminum. I really like Kohler and the way they are built.
I have a strange Kowasaki engine on a real good small landscaping push lawnmower I bought about 1986 called a Sensation that has a cast magnesium alloy deck. It is a 3.5 horse 2 cycle with a crankcase that you put oil in. You still have to mix oil with the gas like any other 2 cycle. Has a cast iron sleeve, and the only thing I have had to do to it was replace the mail shaft oil seal. Still running great despite some heavy use.
I have a Briggs 5hp IC (Industrial and Commercial) engine on my log splitter. I also purchased that in the mid 1980's. The Briggs IC engines have cast iron cylinder sleeves which add a lot of life to the engines. The engine just plain wore out after about 15 years of very hard use on that splitter. I was going to have the cylinder bored out and rebuild the engine, but I found out that for just a little more, I could buy a brand new 5hp IC Briggs from Northern, which I did.
I think the Briggs engines are fairly good, but get the IC models if you can.
I know Honda is very good, as is Onan, but I have had no personal experience with them.
I'll add a few cents worth of opinion here. I have an 8 horse Kohler Magnum on my TroyBilt that I bought in 1986. Lot of use on that engine (also powers a special generator that snaps on when you take the tine unit off). Does not burn any oil, runs great, and I have rebuilt the carb once. They say that they are easily rebuildable since they are solid cast iron, not aluminum. I really like Kohler and the way they are built.
I have a strange Kowasaki engine on a real good small landscaping push lawnmower I bought about 1986 called a Sensation that has a cast magnesium alloy deck. It is a 3.5 horse 2 cycle with a crankcase that you put oil in. You still have to mix oil with the gas like any other 2 cycle. Has a cast iron sleeve, and the only thing I have had to do to it was replace the mail shaft oil seal. Still running great despite some heavy use.
I have a Briggs 5hp IC (Industrial and Commercial) engine on my log splitter. I also purchased that in the mid 1980's. The Briggs IC engines have cast iron cylinder sleeves which add a lot of life to the engines. The engine just plain wore out after about 15 years of very hard use on that splitter. I was going to have the cylinder bored out and rebuild the engine, but I found out that for just a little more, I could buy a brand new 5hp IC Briggs from Northern, which I did.
I think the Briggs engines are fairly good, but get the IC models if you can.
I know Honda is very good, as is Onan, but I have had no personal experience with them.
