ENIGNE HOURS....

[Dewey]

I have a Timber Harvester with a 27 HP Kohler Engine.... It has 6000 hrs plus on it. It has been by for the Best motor I have had on this mill .The Mill has 15000 hours total.
The engine has blown a head gasket it still is running and actually I have been sawing daily with it for a couple of months ..IT has gotten bad enough so that I finally called a Kohler dealer to see about repairing. All he kept saying that it's amazing that it lasted that long.... most are rebuilt with half the hours.... He thinks I'd be better off buying a new engine...
I'm just wondering what kind of hours you guys have got on your motors and also thoughts on rebuild or buy new Thanks

[york]

Hi,as a matter of fact,i just ordered that very same engine from Cooks,should be here soon and is going on my old TH...think i would go new,Albert

[pineywoods]

I got 6000 hrs out of an 18 hp briggs on my lt40. Replaced it with a 25 hp liquid cooled kawasaki. Neighbor sawyer just swapped out one of those kohlers at 5500 hrs. He got the best deal on a new kohler from woodmizer.

[ladylake]

 Running a mill that much I'd transplant a 30 to 40 hp diesel on it.  Used lawn mowers might be a good place to find a low hour used one reasonable.    Steve

[StimW]

If the engine is not using oil I would just do a top end repair, head gaskets, valve service. That will give you a cheaper way out.

I'm not a fan of kohler Engines for various reasons BUT they do tend to live long lives when taken care of.
I just rebuilt a 20 hp Kohler on a 52" cut Grasshopper ZT Mower.
The mower has 3100 hrs on it. The engine had ALL the cooling fins clogged with debris and it ate the exhaust valve on #2 head, probably from the overheating condition.
Two things that made it worth repairing, there was almost no cylinder ridge and the crank was still perfect measurement with a micrometer!
Also I am keeping it for myself to use. If I were charging parts and labor it would almost equal cost of a new engine.

[SPIKER]

I'm not a Kohler fan at all, on my 2nd one and just about to 100 hrs on my Mower.  & 2nd eng is acting just like the first which died at 30 hrs. (Eating oil and losing power) is common from what I can find on these 26~27 HP engines.   My old 20 HP Briggs will out pull it even with bad axle.   It has close to 3000 hours by my guess and runs starts and acts like NEW.   The hour meter quit at 2200hrs so not sure now

m

[bandmiller2]

Dewey, I would try new head gasket and hope the long leakage hasen't wollowed out the head or block. Really everything on an engine more or less wears together a replacement should be in your plans. Frank C.

[Joe Hillmann]

If it is still running well I would replace the head gaskets and do what ever maintenance is necessary on the valves while you have it apart.  If you do plan to fix it I would suggest you stop running it till you get it fixed.  If you run with a leaking head gasket long enough the hot gasses can eat away at the metal of the block or head where the gasket is leaking. If that happens it could make the engine unrepairable or at least on worth the money it would cost to fix.