V-twin, larger displacement, don't here anyone complaining of to much HP. Then again I like HP.

my thought exactly, but I found a post on these boards from last year and it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with the B+S engine burning up oil after only 60-80 hours.

anyone else?

Does not matter the engine will out last the tractor anyway.

Honda. Several of the Craftsman tractors were lucky enough to receive a GXV530 twin, look around. The Briggs els isn't bad, the new Kohler Courage is weak. It ain't all HP, remember torque moves heavy objects.

I've gotten a little gunshy on the B+S after reading around a bit. I think I'm actually going to go with the Husqvarna YTH20K46, it's the same price.

the only 28834 my sears had has been sitting out for at least a year, it's rusted out, someone tried to apply wax to all the dark plastic and it's all white now. it looks terrible.

I could go with the 28836 (22hp kohler) but no one around here has it in stock. So off to Lowes I go. What do you think about their extended warranty. I normally don't get it, but aren't mowers a little more prone to repairs than most other "tools."

I understand there's a new design 46" deck for the Craftsman and Husq. Supposed to be a very good bagger if you want to go that way sometime. Hopefully that's the one you get. I think Kohler or B&S are good, but the vote goes to the twin every time.

Bill

Hi - Id like to offer a different perspective on the question.

I have two mowers - one is a 2048 Scotts (20HP Briggs - v-twin ) and the other is a 10HP Sears (10 HP techumsa)...

Currently i have no complaints with either unit - I use my sears as a utility machine for pulling motorcycle trailers, boat trailers, and utility trailers for moving stone and firewood as well around my and my neighbors properties ... (I have some steep inclines on my property - I weigh 210 lbs). The scotts is my lawn mower...

heres my thought on the question ...

While I like the scotts - the little sears / techumsa motor really has what it takes to make me smile! (especially considering - that i don't have a mower deck for it).

What I really like about the little 10hp sears is this ... 1) its nice and simple to work on. 2) Its nice and small. 3) Its light and nimble. 4) Its reliable the 10hp motor should be dead by now... 5) Its great on gas !!! i fill it up and Its a nibbler on gas compared to the 20 HP twin in the scotts... That makes me very happy...

Im not a person who feels bigger is always better...

I will also tell you this - when that little sears hits the incline in my yard with a full load of wood in the back yard - it is the tires that spin in the dirt - it is not the engine which is struggling to get up the incline... And I say to myself ... "think about it - its a 10 HP motor..." thats plenty - and honestly ... 10HP is enough for me...

So if I were in your shoes - with a mostly level lot (im sure its not as bad as mine)... id be going with the smaller motor... It will do what you ask of it...

With gas prices out of control - I think you will be happier with the smaller motor... (Just keep your oil changed)...

Good luck to you.

Hi njdpo, you must take good care of your stuff, if that lil 10 is still going.

So many bad mouthed it, and it WAS a lil less abuse tolerant than the 11 hp brigs that replaced it, but tons of those 10/36 LTs were going good 10 years after the abusers and mis-maintainers had killed theirs!

Thanks for all the feedback. Looking forward to my first tractor- but then there's always the 25hp Kohler Vtwin at sears for $400 more... must resist...

I personally dont own any new tractors- my newest one is a 2003 16.5hp murray. Ive herd pluses and minuses on both motors- briggs had been putting plastic parts in thier motors to quiet them down a bit - kohlers i believe are okay- till they break down, then costs a fortune to fix em- not to mention being named after a toilet...
I really belive todays tractors wont last more then 10 years tops- even with maintence- they just arent built like older ones.

you know its funny about that 10 HP tech motor ... Its been abused (Even the cylinder head is missing fins...) - frankly the whole sears mower has been abused... (destructive kids from the prior owner)...

But I was "given" the unit to use for the grunt work around the properties.

since my property is rough and has lots of inclines the little sears (which had the mower deck destroyed) was the perfect mule for a life of hard labor... frankly the 20HP scotts could not do half of what the 10 HP sears does ... Its too bulky, turns like a battleship, and has no clearance with the deck attached to it ...

So Im blessed with that little 10 horse tech motor/sears ... It doesnt smoke, knock...

But what I was really trying to share with the group was ... that single cylinder 10 HP motor really chugs and I would not have purchased a 20 HP scotts 2046 (used for $250) if I knew then what I knew now... (i bought the scotts before the sears was given to me). I would not hesitate to go with a smaller engine rider - I like to keep my lawn cut and i dont need a big amount of HP to cut it...

Im sure there are a bunch of people who can justify having the biggest engine available - i cant...

I use the sears all year long and its nice that I have only filled it up just a 2-3 times since last thanksgiving... It never once left me wishing i had more power... (in fact I could probably get by with less power (and better gas usage)...

good luck all

I have a B & s 25 hp twin and also have a 20 hp Koler. I find myself using the Koler mostof the time because it sips fuel. The twin is a guzzler. Other than that they both work well.

You know - coincidentally I just spoke with someone else who commented that the single cylinders seem to "sip" gas versus the v twins...

He didn't really have any concrete numbers (for example hours per gallon) but commented that the single cylinder seems to be significantly better on fuel consumption.

Although neither of us are qualified to declare why (we thought we were qualified while we "sipped" away on a 12 pack) We kinda thought that you could chalk it up to to at least two reasons...

1) The single cylinder engine had a smaller displacement - although its interesting to note the displacement of that single cylinder was significantly larger than one of the cylinders of his twin...

2) The single cylinder motor is operating at a slower RPM setting versus the twin... It seems the twins will run at a higher RPM, smoother because there a twin, and in my/his case quieter than a single cylinder ... So I could see people spinning the twins faster than the single cylinder which is just "plunking" along and generating gobs of torque to get the job done... Thereby seemingly "sipping" gas...

Anybody out there - have any thoughts or additional reasons on the gas usage subject?

In my personal experience, I would not buy any tractor unless it had a twin-- I will always pay more, if necessary, to avoid extra vibration/noise. I cast my vote for the Briggs Vanguard if that is an option.

First, I have never been a fan of modern Kohler singles. The old (cast iron)K series were great but they went downhill fast from there. Choose the B&S twin over the single.

Second, in response to the question of fuel usage. Almost every single and twin used for tractors/mowers are set, via the governor, at 3600 RPM (plus or minus 100). So unless you manually turn down the throttle they are all going to be turning at close to the same speed. And you should never run the engine at less then full speed unless you are sitting still. Hydro pumps, blade tip speed, etc are all engineered to work best at full throttle and you will help keep the engine from building up carbon. One of the main reasons that a twin will use more fuel is the additional cylinder. The size is not as important as the addition of another cylinder. Plus many twins have a 2 bbl carb.

And lastly, somebody mentioned oil consumption in a B&S. Read the owners manual and you will discover that B&S do use oil. The "normal" consumption rate is rather high. Briggs engines do tend to use oil but as long as you keep the level checked, it doesn't really hurt anything. They do tend to carbon up quicker then others.

B/S makes two twin engines. One is called Intek, the other is Van Guard. The Van Guard is the very top of the line for anybody. It may be an Import.

Exmark,
You say you should never run an engine less than full rpm, or you will get carbon build up.
Interesting... so if someone runs 2800rpm instead of 3600rpm they will build up carbon?
I'm all ears.

I have a 3 cyl. 21 hp kubota with 54" deck ztr Walker mower, also a bak up troy-bilt 42" deck single lung 15 1/5 hp B&S, both mow the 1 acre lawn in a hour, on a gallon of gas. Only difference I see is the walker is more fun.

If you read my post again you will see that I said

"And you should never run the engine at less then full speed unless you are sitting still. Hydro pumps, blade tip speed, etc are all engineered to work best at full throttle and you will help keep the engine from building up carbon."

I did NOT say that running an engine at less then full throttle will build up carbon. There will be normal carbon buildup in any of the engines used in lawn and garden equipment. Lugging a tractor around at lower engine speeds for an extended period of time will build up MORE carbon then if it is run at full throttle, especially under a load such as with the blades engaged.

If you feel a need to run your engine at 2800 instead of the factory set 3600 then that's your choice. While I am far from being some type of know it all, super mechanic, I have been working on this type of equipment/engines (at 3 different businesses that deal in various brands such as Snapper, Toro, Exmark, Lawnboy, Scag, etc) for about 18 years so I have seen a thing or two.

So if you believe that running an engine at 2800 instead of 3600 is better, then I guess it is I that is all ears.

I went through the same thing your going through a few years ago and I finally opted for the Craftsman GT5000 with the 25HP Kohler and a Craftsman dump trailer.

It's dynamite and is a real work horse.

Just last week I moved 10 yards of gravel up a 12% grade driveway and I had the trailer loaded.
It worked like a charm.

One thing I wish it did have is Posi-traction.
The Husqvarna would have been my second choice.
I found JD's that size and comparable power were just a little to pricey..........

Does any one know were the oil drain plug is on a koler motor in a John Deer314 garden tractor

megdagooch, That's an easy one-- It on the Engine!

I'll be a little more specific. on the engine block at the lowest point. Some are square, some are allen wrench and most have an extension pipe beyond the frame of the tractor with a 90 degree elbow pointing down with a pipe threaded square ended plug in the 90 degree elbow. We do understand what pipe threads are right???? information for when you find it and tighen it back up.

The engine manufacture usually puts drain hole on each side or even three sides depending on the Tractor it's going in to which side the drain will be located.

For what it is worth, the 15hp Kohler on my JD LT155 has been flawless, going on 8 years and 350+ hours of use.

i have a 25 hp kohler 300 hrs blue smoke since day one no help from sears or kohler,b7s cheapened their engines,so did teuch,i hate to say this but my next engine will be honda,kawasaki,subaru,robin. Rick

A lot of people are complaining about that problem on this forum. Kohler knows about it and they everyone is getting some kind of fix. Do a search here for
Big Time Problems, 25 hp Kohler on Craftsman / Husqvarna/AYP