Briggs vs Honda?

[Spike60]

Apparently you are not a Briggs Diamond dealer, they are required to service all Briggs products. They get the best discounts and warranty rates but it comes at a price.

Yes, and I think that price is being expected to do things or go places that you might not want to. We always chose to be an "unlisted" dealer whenever we had the option. Sometimes people's expectations are not realistic. Had a call once on something that we didn't sell that was almost 2 hrs each way. "Sorry, we just don't go that far". "But you're the closest dealer" "Mars is the closest planet, but we don't go there either". 
Those guaranteed to start in 2 pulls promises that Pete mentioned are another silly concept that causes unnecessary problems with customers. If marginal fuel or a dirty air filter requires a few extra pulls, is it a warranty? Not everybody can yank a rope with the same enthusiasm as you well know. Many older or slightly built people struggle to start anything with a pull rope. 

[KEC]

I, for one, really appreciate you guys as your posts are shedding light on some issues I've had with some motors. Many of those problems, I think, were built into them at the factory. Spike 60, couldn't you just move your shop up here ?  Then you wouldn't be 2+ hours away. :D

[Old Greenhorn]

...
Spike 60, couldn't you just move your shop up here ?  Then you wouldn't be 2+ hours away. :D

He could, but he would still be shutting down in December and you guys up there would be just as out of luck and we guys down here will be. :D
Best of Luck and happy trails in Retirement Bob! You'll have to come down off the hill once in a while and see how the poor folks are living. I always have a beer in the shop, and we can probably find some at Bill's too.

[Spike60]

@KEC , if Pompey is far enough up there that you aren't getting over run with city folks, then that's not a bad idea.

Tom, I will be accepting that invite, so keep 'em cold.

[KEC]

Spike 60, We are having the same issue with city folks here too. They're not all bad, but have different views on things than we do.

[Spike60]

Hedge; I missed in your post that you have a couple Wisconsin engines still running and in service on the farm. Very cool. Amazing what regular maintenance and simply taking care of your equipment can do, huh? But those old Wisconsins and K series Kohlers were tough as nails. Briggs had a comparable motor back then as well. See very little of any of them anymore. Do see the occasional Kohler on an old Cub Cadet. But at this stage they are just pull tractors as the mowing decks have rusted/seized long ago.

[Al_Smith]

A lot of hub hub over basically nothing. Ford /Chevy thing ,my dog is better than your dog .Those old Briggs will still get -er-done but you have to keep oil in them . Briggs basically made 3 grades of engines in the flat head days .The most robust was the IC industrial .Honda and Kohler as well as Wisconsin made good engines too so it's mostly a brand loyalty thing from my perspective .
Interesting and often misunderstood thing about the Briggs opposed twins used on riding mowers .Most people are ignorant of the fact those are splash lubricated not pressure oiled .It picks up the oil on the left side of the engine and if it's running right hand tilted down on a slope it cannot pick up the oil .When it's completely out of oil it breaks both connecting rods .Fact as I type I have 2 18 HP units in my shop because of this . 
Saying all that any air cooled engine you have to change the oil periodically if you ever expect them to last a long while . 

[Al_Smith]

I might mention the last of those blown 18 HP riders I repaired the engine was as I mentioned was junk from no oil .I found a replacement in Florida .100 bucks to buy it another 100 to ship it . As far as I know it's still running and that was over10 years ago .Old riders are like old chainsaws and stray cats .They just show up .A portion of my woods is basically a mower salvage yard .Out of sight amongst the weeds .

[gspren]

While we are talking older engines I have a 12.5 HP Kawasaki on a Exmark walk behind commercial mower, about 30 years old and I bought it new. I don't use it as much as I once did but it still runs good, problem is my body doesn't like starting it as well as it used to. Is it easy or affordable to add electric start.

[Al_Smith]

If it gets above about 8 HP it's a chore to pull over .What I did on a 5 HP tiller engine  I changed the valve timing on to increase the power at mid range was use a D-handle .The very best D-handle I've found is from a Stihl 460 rescue saw handle .I have no idea how much they are now of days but a few years back about $8 .Believe me it helps .

[hedgerow]

Hedge; I missed in your post that you have a couple Wisconsin engines still running and in service on the farm. Very cool. Amazing what regular maintenance and simply taking care of your equipment can do, huh? But those old Wisconsins and K series Kohlers were tough as nails. Briggs had a comparable motor back then as well. See very little of any of them anymore. Do see the occasional Kohler on an old Cub Cadet. But at this stage they are just pull tractors as the mowing decks have rusted/seized long ago.

Years ago I rented a small bin site on a farm that had those old cast iron rope pull start Briggs engines on the unloading augers. They just had a metal tub covering them up. I would service them once a year and they always just ran. Had a coworker that him and his two boys garden tractor pulled the Cub Cadets with the single cylinder Kohler's. They get a lot of RPM's and HP out of those one cylinder Kohler engines. Not many of the old Cub's around either.

[Al_Smith]

My dad had an old  rider with I think a 16 HP Kohler single .That thing had a piston the size of a 350 Chevy .It would lug down so slow it sounded like a John Deere running on one cylinder .