New mower time

[Teachu2]

You might want to keep an eye out on Craigslist. When I bought my house, a JD L130 came with it. It had a Kohler Command in it, ran great. The transaxle was awful, but the engine was great. Sold it for $400 to a guy with a level yard.

You may be able to find a good engine in a junk mower. The transaxles and the decks usually are worn out long before the engines.

 

[Teachu2]

My property is 5 acres, steep grades, and mostly native grasses, weeds, and brush. I needed a manually-locking transaxle. The mower I bought has a Kawasaki twin, a heavy duty transaxle with locking, and will climb hills with the front wheels off the ground. Overkill for most others, but perfect for my application.

 

[herm0016]

The HF engines are copies of the honda, and are quite good. I am very happy with the pressure washer from them. the carb and whatnot are the same as the gx honda on our large rolair compressor that is also a fantastic machine.

 

[5030]

I don't know why you are hesitant to look at engines from HF or Northern Tool. Your buying a brand name engine, what difference does it make who you buy it from. Just go with what is close to your location and the best price. Shipping a engine can be expensive.

I run HF Predator engines on every gas powered tool when the OE engine pukes. HF motors are in essence 'disposa motors' but I really haven't had one puke yet. I've had Honda, Briggs and Kawaski's puke however.

 

[supratreo]

i did not know that about HF engines. good to know. i assumed their engines were cheap chineese crap like most of the other stuff they sell but good to see you guys have good experience with them. i realized what ever engine i choose for this might be the last one i'm able to easily buy after this stupid law takes effect.
also, about my JD d110, i happen to stop by a garage sale one day and asked the guy if he had any tools. no tools but he said he had a riding mower hed sell cheap. dug it out of his shed and after seeing that it had the same engine as my craftsman i didnt even want to pay the $50 he was asking. he even reduced it to $20 but i didn't want another junker. he said the engine on this one did work for some reason. quit on him while using it one day. my cousin who was with me convinced me to buy it just because it had new tires and my craftsmen mower could use em. soooo i took it home.
found it had no compression because the rocker stand had backed off and caused the rocker arm to fall off the valve. after fixing that and putting in a new battery it ran just fine. guess it wasn't too bad of a deal but using it last week i realized it was starting to burn oil just like my other one.

 

[strantor]

hi all, so i'm sure by now you all see what BS is going on in CA.
ive had a 42 in craftsman YS4500 for about 10 years now and ive put about 4 head gaskets on it. i'm tired of working on this thing. recently i was given a JD D110 which i love, missed having a JD since i sold my compact tractor a few years ago, but it just doesnt have the power i need.
i'm thinking about selling both and upgrading to something more powerful, reliable and maybe bigger in size. with the laws that are being passed in CA i think i need to get on this sooner rather than later. problem is i'm not sure what to look for as its been a long time since i had to shop for something like this.
i was thinking something with a 2 cylinder Kohler since it seems like B&S is not producing the same quality they used to. any advice? i'm mowing about 1.5 acres and would like to get a machine that will be with me for a long time. not a big fan of electric. brand isnt a huge deal.

thank you

I do not know what's going on in CA but I can use my imagination. I choose to live under a rock. But it sounds like whatever it is, you're in a position where you need to choose the mower you intend to use for the rest of your life. If I were in that position I would get a zero turn by a manufacturer whose units are used by professionals and not available at HD/Lowes. Kubota, Exmark, Dixie Chopper, Ferris, Etc. Be ready to spend $10k+ but take care of it and you'll never need to buy another one. At the price point it may make sense to finance, especially considering how long you'll be keeping it and the probability of increased inflation.

EDIT: I have a Hustler Raptor 60" zero turn I got from Lowes in 2015. Until last year I was recommending it to others. Not any more. It broke. The frame literally broke, where the transaxles mount, both sides. It has 500+ hours on it. I am going to have to take it completely apart and weld it back together. It seemed like a really solid unit up until that. Robust, fabricated deck. I still maintain that it's about the best, most "semi-pro" mower you can get from a consumer retail store. That is why I recommend going professional, not from HD/Lowes.

 

[supratreo]

sorry should have explained. they are trying to ban all small engines by 2014 i believe. typical CA BS.
i would love to buy a mower like that but unfortunitally that is way out of budget even if financed. like i said, if i had to get another motor out of state i probably would be able to, just wont be as easy as just going to a store.

 

[supratreo]

anyone have a link to HF verticle shaft engines? cant seem to find it anywhere. also checked northern tool and they seem to carry mostly B&S and a couple Kholer.

 

[Buggs67]

anyone have a link to HF verticle shaft engines? cant seem to find it anywhere. also checked northern tool and they seem to carry mostly B&S and a couple Kholer.

I would not put a Predator engine on anything I run on a regular basis. While they are reverse-engineered Honda's They have Chinese quality control. So it might last 1 year or it might run 5-6-forever. I did the breakin for my friends HF generator w/Predator engine. Ran it for 1/2-45 min with a load, Changed the oil and it looked like golden metal-flake (same with the engine I put on my snow blower to get me thru the season). With both I ran full synthetic.

For 1.5 acres you don't need much, certainly not a ZTM.

 

[strantor]

I would not put a Predator engine on anything I run on a regular basis. While they are reverse-engineered Honda's They have Chinese quality control. So it might last 1 year or it might run 5-6-forever. I did the breakin for my friends HF generator w/Predator engine. Ran it for 1/2-45 min with a load, Changed the oil and it looked like golden metal-flake (same with the engine I put on my snow blower to get me thru the season). With both I ran full synthetic.

For 1.5 acres you don't need much, certainly not a ZTM.

They're like anything else from HF. If you consider it a kit with some disassembly and reassembly required for proper operation, you won't be disappointed. I put a predator on my buggy and it's pretty good after putting a real carb on it. I didn't flush the case before putting real oil in it, but from your post it sounds like that would have been a good idea. Some of the guys who have bought mills/lathes and other equipment with gearboxes have reported finding sand from casting still inside the housings (in the oil) so it would follow that engines wouldn't be any different.