Briggs and Stratton

[PeteB]

There is a tendency to shy away from B&S engines, thanks to the engines they fitted 40 years ago. But I was impressed last week when I fitted a 5hp lawnmower unit onto a wheeled strimmer and it fired and ran! This thing had sat outside dead for 2 years, previously to that, my folks did their half acre lawn with it for 10 years! I don't think it has had an oil change etc for 5 years! But some new fuel and 6 pumps on the plunger and it fired on the 6th pull.

 

Marvellous when a plan works!

[predator]

I have 2 very old hayter mowers 30 y/o + i payed a tenner for one and a pound for the other a hayterett rough cut mower for my garden dont know why i got the latter but all i,ve ever had to do once is clean the points on the old mower and a oil change once a year briggs rock lol

[GardenKit]

Nice one Pete.

Nothing much wrong with Briggs engines. I service well over 1000 each year and have very, very few problems.

 

Kawasaki are also brilliant, and Honds's GX range. The GC range however..........

[Neil-R]

yea i agree barrie nothing wrong with briggs , we see more problems with honda GCV motors and their fussy carbs.

However i did have a new John Deere JS63VC with the Briggs 850 motor on with a loose sump bolt , had to remove nad replace gasket and retorque sump before the customer could have it , luckily i noticed a pool of oil on the showroop floor a few days after we PDI'D it .

As you say kawasaki are good as are the Loncin chinese motors , sold best part of 50 machines with these on last year , only prob was one with a faulty fuel cap that did not breathe properly and cut out after 15 mins , new cap and all sorted , we also fit these to replace knackered hondas on Belle mixers.

[difflock]

Someone very recently assured me that B&S as sold on the Canadian market, was identical same as the equivalent Kohler sold on the US market, one firm owning the other, or visa-versa.

I hold Kohler engines in high regard based on memories of a 25/30 year old one in a turner flail mower, which never faltered.

There is also some significent difference across the B&S engine range, culminating in the "Command" series with much better innards.

Ditto I understand with Kohler.

m

Edited February 25, 2014 by difflock

[GardenKit]

Someone very recently assured me that B&S as sold on the Canadian market, was identical same as the equivalent Kohler sold on the US market, one firm owning the other, or visa-versa.

I hold Kohler engines in high regard based on memories of a 25/30 year old one in a turner flail mower, which never faltered.

There is also some significent difference across the B&S engine range, culminating in the "Command" series with much better innards.

Ditto I understand with Kohler.

m

Interesting reading difflock but certainly something that I am not aware of.

 

As far as I can see they are still two completely seperate companies, and in competition with each other.

 

The 'Command' name is solely given to a Kohler model.

 

I must admit to being slightly dissapointed with modern day Kohler engines, especially the single cylinder models, although, as you say, old ones are fantastic.

 

As you say, the range of Briggs engines is huge, with different specs, at different prices for different markets and tasks. Therefore inevitably some of the cheap Briggs will not be as good as the more costly ones, or as good as a more highly spec'd model from the competition.

 

But generally in my opinion a Briggs will hold its own against any similarly priced and spec'd competitor. Always important to compare 'like for like'

 

As to which is the best Briggs, it has to be without doubt the Vanguard. This is built by Daihatsu and is in my opinion the best engine on the market in its class. Its bombproof.

[NFG]

Hi,

 

We have a 1990s tractor mower with 15Hp B&S engine, left in barn all winter, went to cut lawn the other day & started first time even though the battery did not turn the engine very quickly.

 

Certainly can't fault it, pulls well even with a loaded trailer.

 

N

[eggsarascal]

Interesting reading difflock but certainly something that I am not aware of.

 

As far as I can see they are still two completely seperate companies, and in competition with each other.

 

The 'Command' name is solely given to a Kohler model.

 

I must admit to being slightly dissapointed with modern day Kohler engines, especially the single cylinder models, although, as you say, old ones are fantastic.

 

As you say, the range of Briggs engines is huge, with different specs, at different prices for different markets and tasks. Therefore inevitably some of the cheap Briggs will not be as good as the more costly ones, or as good as a more highly spec'd model from the competition.

 

But generally in my opinion a Briggs will hold its own against any similarly priced and spec'd competitor. Always important to compare 'like for like'

 

As to which is the best Briggs, it has to be without doubt the Vanguard. This is built by Daihatsu and is in my opinion the best engine on the market in its class. Its bombproof.

 

Interesting reading! I love your subtly Barrie.

[GardenKit]

Interesting reading! I love your subtly Barrie.

Thats something I have never been known for Eggs:biggrin:

[difflock]

Commguard/Vanmand

Pah!, whats in a name.

(and I may have misremembered:001_tt2:)

but

Hey a Rose by any other name shall smell as sweet.

PS

I did qualify "I was assured", it being new news to me.

On the bandsawmill market B&S appear to dominate in Canada, and Kohler in Nth America.

Regards,

Marcus