Kohler Engines is now Rehlko

[SawyerTed]

Apparently, the Kohler family has sold the engine side of the business - May 2024.  The new company is called Rehlko, yes just a rearrangement of the six letters. 

The Kohler company still owns a minority share of Rehlko. 

The website still shows the small engines up to 38 hp, diesel and marine engines.  The site also says they plan to remain in the small engine business.

Insiders are saying the group that purchased Kohler wanted their hydrogen diesel engine technology for electric generators. 

The plumbing side of Kohler stays its own company at least as far as I can tell. 

[TreefarmerNN]

I hope the new owners really want to build quality engines.  Kohler used to have excellent quality and value but I understand they have gone down in quality a bit recently. 

The Kohler's that I've had were all very good but none were built in the last ten years either.

[Brad_bb]

I didn't know they were the same Kohler.  One of Kohler's, I think the guy that ran the plumbing side was in Open range as the cafe owner.  Good character.  I guess he was friends with Kostner.

[SawyerTed]

Kohler started as a farm implement company, cattle troughs was one item they produced.  People started using them for bath tubs.  That started the plumbing products side.   

After WW II they started their small engines company, 1948 I think.  

[Menagerie-Manor]

First Kohler engine I ever operated was in the brand new 10 Hp Wheel Horse Tractor bought in the late 60's to replace older the WH 603. Drove it up the driveway and cut about 100' of lawn before the engine exploded, dealer picked up the tractor and replaced the engine and dropped it off ready to go. Since it was now late in the season the snowblower attachment was on and with the first snow and I managed to get one pass done before it exploded again. Never saw that machine again and Dad went and bought a pos Ariens mower.

[beenthere]

Have had 8hp Kohler engines in Wheel Horse '68 lawn tractor that is still running this day. And 8hp Kohler engines in two JD lawn tractors that are as reliable as they come. But have also heard the bad stories for the 10hp Kohlers. Not sure what may have been the difference, other than some think internal oiler systems and mowing on side hills. ??

In the 80's, Kohler's reliability dropped for some reason. 

[Resonator]

Should be noted Herb Kohler ran his family business as CEO for 43 years, and should be given credit for making it into the manufacturing giant it is today (he passed away in 2022). Side note he also built golf courses, one of them called "Whistling Straits". There he and his golf course designer transformed an abandoned military airfield in Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Michigan into a world class PGA course.

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Growing up as a teenager one of the first paying jobs I had was mowing lawn at a family friends hunting cabin. He had a Cub Cadet "Original" riding mower with a Kohler engine (was a 7 or 8hp as I remember). He had bought it brand new in 1961, then ran it every summer for 20 or 30 years before it had an engine replacement. He gave me a twin to it that he had bought to restore, that I fixed up. The engine it had in it didn't run, so I replaced it with a new Honda motor. When I hooked up the drive belt, well... things didn't quite work right.
It had 1 forward speed, and 3 reverse speeds. And when you put it in #3 reverse, whoa daddy you better hang on.

[SawyerTed]

Many Forumites might have a vested interest in the change since Kohler engines have been common on sawmills, mowers, generators, pressure washers and other equipment. 

It will be interesting to see if or how support changes moving forward.  Will parts continue to be available?  How will dealer/service locations be changed?  Will Woodmizer, John Deere and others continue using Rehlko? 

Might not be any immediate changes but new owners often make changes or "improvements "

I've owned all sorts of small engines everything from a pre-Tecumseh Lauson to B&S to Tecumseh to Kohler to Honda to Kawasaki to Yamaha etc.  They all have had their share of problems from minor to catastrophic. 

I had a Power and Energy course in college.   One requirement was to rebuilt a small engine.   A lot of guys brought a running mower engine from home or a running yard sale mower engine. 

I on the other hand was nearly broke and home was 200 miles away.  I had to resort to a scrap yard find.  It was a pre-Tecumseh Lauson 8 hp.  Although it was complete, it was in bad shape. 

My professor predicted it would never run.  After a complete overhaul including honing the cylinder, rings, bearings, lapped valves and seats, ignition and a carburetor kit, it cranked and ran on the first pull.  A couple minutes of tuning and it ran like new.  I sold it for twice what I had in it, my goal was the A in the class.   

[gspren]

My 3 year old standby generator is a propane fired Kohler that runs 10 minutes each week and during power outages, so far the longest was 11 hours. I hope I don't need parts but if/when that happens I hope they are available.

[Klunker]

I have a mid '70's wheelhorse with a 14hp Kohler in it.
A couple of summers ago I made a drag to smooth out about 2 acres for seeding.
After adding about 150 lbs to it the drag worked pretty good.
But the old wheelhorse was pulling pretty hard.
About 3 hours later it stopped. The engine would crank, very fast at  that. No compression it seemed.
Thought I blew a hole in the pston.
Tore the engine down and it turns out the piston broke in halfheight wise.
So the rod pin worked as it should but the top half of the piston just sat at the top of the bore.
Went to my local Wheelhorse parts supplier and bought a piston.
"honed" out the block by hand with some scothbrite, in went the new piston and away she went.
She is still running.

I can't complain, I've owned that beast for over 30 years.
Its cut many a lawn, hauled many a trailer of firewood, gravel, wood chips and other assorted stuff.

On a side note I used to fish the Kohler property in Kohler.