I am getting ready to purchase a new cub cadet LTX 1046 riding tractor lawn mower. Everything else being equal including the price ($1899) would it be better to go with the Kaw 20hp V-twin or the Kohler 23hp V- twin. My yard is flat and under 1 acre. Thanks for any advice....first time riding lawn mower owner.
#2
reynoldston
Back in my snowmobile days (60's and 70's) Kawasaki had a run of engines that burned up pistons. From that time on it just give me a bad feeling with Kawasaki. I really do think they got it together and make a top quality engine now. I like kohler better.
#3
Briana
Hey there - WELCOME to LMF!
I moved your thread to the Mower Buying & Pricing Forum. :smile:
I was a die hard Kawasaki person until very, very recently. Increasingly dealers, who sell/service multiple brands-Kaw, Kohler, Briggs, Honda, Subaru-are begining to voice deep concerns about Kawasaki's ability to provide replacement parts-many citing incredibly long delays is getting needed parts, two to three weeks was cited as a common wait time.
Also, a surprising numbers of dealers mentioned that Kawasaki has become very selective on which warranty claims they will pay, using consumer neglect or lack of maint as a reason to deny the vast majority of claims.
What I did find interesting is that three people told me that the Company to watch is Subaru since they have made a large investment in a new manufacuring plant for twin engines....
I am getting ready to purchase a new cub cadet LTX 1046 riding tractor lawn mower. Everything else being equal including the price ($1899) would it be better to go with the Kaw 20hp V-twin or the Kohler 23hp V- twin. My yard is flat and under 1 acre. Thanks for any advice....first time riding lawn mower owner.
Well i can tell i have working air cooled engines for 30 plus.Last 6 years was a Kawa dealer never did a warranty claim Kawa is number 1 in my book Mtd products are not.
Well i can tell i have working air cooled engines for 30 plus.Last 6 years was a Kawa dealer never did a warranty claim Kawa is number 1 in my book Mtd products are not.
Japanese products have come a long ways, and which out it looks like China is coming up. I guess the big question what is happening to our USA products. We were on top at one time. I never looked into it but what country is MTD made in. I think some people want cheap and others want quality and cheap is catching up with quality. I drive a Toyota car because the car before this was a Chevrolet and that Chevrolet was the worst car I ever owned, it was always giving me problems. I mow with a Ferris made in NY state USA, with a Kohler engine the best mower I ever owned and no problems. Kawasaki or Kohler I would pick Kohler. Where is Kohler made?
I have had trouble with Kohlers from the 80s and 90s. I have never had any trouble with Kawasakis from that same time period but I don't know much about the newer ones. I have heard the Kohlers made in China are not good. If I had to choose, I would definitely go with Kawasaki based on past experience.
My vote is for a Kawasaki.
Since the the quake and tsunami they have had trouble with keeping production going but that is pretty much over now Honda and Toyota had the same problems but all of them are back on track now.
#9
Jetblast
Kawasaki has a new engine designed to compete with "Big Box Store" mower engines from Kohler and Briggs, so the historic frequency of maintenance comparisons don't apply. The Kawasaki line has always started at "Light Commercial Grade", but that's no longer true.
It's a complete toss-up, given those circumstances, IMO, however Kohler engines have treated me well so if I was in your shoes I'd lean toward that direction. Pure unsubstantiated opinion, but either way, I don't think you're going to jinx yourself as both products should perform well.
Jet, I think you are correct about Kawasaki, the FX is bullet proof as is the KAI, everything else is in response to cost cutting demands by equipment makers. When I ask about the FS, FR at dealers every single one has said the same thing; ' it has the FX -block'-, yeah right-they didn't cheap out on anything else:laughing: People and dealers will bash the Kohler Courage singles but generally have good things to say about the twins; the Command has and continues to be a solid engine, or at least this is what the majority of posts report...
Luke, I will agree only if we are discussing the FX or KAI-but even Kawasaki has very recently produced alot of FX engines with bad cranks so perhaps even when discussing Kaw you have to say, 'that was then and this is now' and didn't they try plastic gears for a while?
I don't own a Kohler, and never have had one but the Command owners with problems are very few and far between and those with Courage twins are a happy lot, generally.
As for me; I only have had Briggs and Honda GX's. Our Vangurad did not even last 330 hours with anal maint and our ELS is a joke. With the Honda engines-the newest one is on a blower and it is from the Thai Honda Motor Company and this in no way compares to the ones from Japan, no way, no how. And yes I do realize that the only difference is that some nice Thai person is pushing the robots buttons rather than some nice Japanese person-perhaps there is a difference between Thai robots and Japanese robots, go figure-in all probability its emissions. But I do know this, the engines from Japan start on the first pull every time all the time and there is no smoke at all, the sound is solid-the new one takes more than one pull, smoke on start up and sounds tinny and to my ear even has a knock......
I drive a Gator TX at work. It has a Kawasaki in it. When I got it, less than 60 hours were showing on the meter. I can only guess if the initial service was done, but probably not. When it hit 100 hours, I told my supervisor to get it into the shop for service. I'm not supposed to due to stupid union rules, but I checked the oil every day. I reminded my super at least once a week. I kid you not, but finally at over 500 hours it had it's first oil change. I may have added a quart over the course of those 400 hours. Now at nearly 800 hours, it still doesn't smoke or even smell of burnt oil, nor does it make any funny noises. I wrote that motor off a long time ago thinking it would grenade at any moment, but it keeps going.
I own an early 80's model Snapper garden tractor with a Kohler 18hp Magnum. It has a little over 1,000 hours on it. Still going strong with normal maintenance. The only problems I've had were a bad fuel pump and bushing in the starter.
I also own a 70's model Snapper tractor that had a 16hp B&S in it. The engine has been repurposed onto another piece of equipment. I'm guesstimating around 1,500 hours on it. Could be less, but could be a lot more judging by the condition of the tractor. It uses a little oil, no smoke, but just enough that sometimes you can smell it, and the oil level will drop a little on the dip stick after a few hours of use.
I don't think any of you here would argue the B&S is 3rd on this list, but I would list the Kohler as 2nd and the Kawasaki as 1st simply for the reason the Kawasaki will probably be a little quieter and smoother. But, you can get a lemon from any of them.
my reason for saying " the kawasaki is built better " is because from any i have ever owned or used they always seem to run quieter, smoother and they seem to be really reliable. The only down side with kawasaki is that if any thing was to break the parts are way more exspensive. But really if your not to picky both engines are well built and reliable.:smile:
I've had good luck with both, but recently getting parts from Kawasaki has been a real pain. I think on an apples to apples comparison, I'd still take the Kaw. Be sure to do your maintenance. (Duh..) I'm also a big proponent of synthetic oil.:biggrin:
From the research I've done the new FS entry level engines do have the same block as the more expensive Kawasaki engines found on the JD and commercial mowers. The only difference I saw according to the Kawasaki web page is the carburetors. The FS has a single barrel and the FR has a double barrel carb and a larger air filter. As you move up you'll see even larger air filters and finally fuel injection. I've got 3 acres of very thick grass to mow but I didn't want to spend a fortune on a mower. I ended up with a Husqvarna GTH K54 with a 24 HP Kawasaki and the "fast hydro" transmission. I changed the tires to tractor lugs for traction..only run 93 octane no ethanol gas and use straight 30 synthetic oil. (Amsoil has the oil you'll probably have to get it on line) For a cheap mower I along with my neighbor who has an JD 495 diesel are stunned at how powerful the engine is and how fast I finish the yard..Also put on gator G5 blades..Anyway the typical cheap 54 mower with a briggs or Kohler do not lay down the power like the kawasaki engines. That's why you see Kawasaki on the best mowers. Plus the Kawasaki is not as loud and smoother.
From the research I've done the new FS entry level engines do have the same block as the more expensive Kawasaki engines found on the JD and commercial mowers. The only difference I saw according to the Kawasaki web page is the carburetors. The FS has a single barrel and the FR has a double barrel carb and a larger air filter.
You can go to the Kawasaki web page and check them out. I have an FR730V on my mower. The power output is literally identical all the way up to the FX 730...actually I think they have the FS 730 listed with slightly more power than the FX 730. You can see the FS has a different carb set up and definitely on the FX. All 3 series have a 3 year warranty so that makes me believe they didn't get cheap on the internal parts on the FR. The FX does list having hemi heads but again no more power...they said it helps with emissions and possibly gas consumption which would be important on a commercial mower running all day. The FX also has a steel engine cover and a better starter according to the web page but again...commercial mowers need a better starter as they do more mowing in 1 year that a typical residential mower does in 5. The FR and FX also weight slightly more but not enough to think the block on the engines or the internals parts are different. It's about 12 pound difference in weight from the FR and the FX and by looking at the picture the extra weight is mostly in the air cleaner assembly and most likely a slightly heavier starter and metal engine cover. I don't think you can get a 3 year warranty on a Briggs or a Kolher unless you step up to the commercial models.
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