How many hours should these engines last?

As mentioned in my previous post im deciding on what JD mower to buy. Can someone tell me how many hours the following engines are rated for, under normal use and standard maintenance.

JD E130- Briggs 22Hp V-Twin


S240- Kawasaki 18.5 V-Twin

X330 Briggs 20 HP Cyclonic V-Twin


Thanks any info is appreciated

It depends on the rate at which the hours are accumulated. It has to do with thermal cycles. An engine with a thousand hours and 250 cycles is usually in better condition than one that has 500 hours and 500 cycles.

With routine maintenance any of the three should run fine for 1000 hours regardless. Probably out last the transmission if used with a Hydro. The Kawasaki of old did have problems with the ignitions but I'd guess they have that worked out. Ditto with Briggs in the higher HP engines and their aluminum rods.

As with any engine the life expectancy will depend heavily on maintenance and proper use. To maximize the life of you machine you should either run ethanol-free fuel (if available) or use a fuel additive to helps protect against the effects of ethanol, keep the engine cooling system clean and free of debris, keep the air cleaner clean and always allow the engine to warm up and cool down before and after use. The list will go on and on about all of the things that you can do to keep it going, but dirty air coming in degrades oil faster causing premature wear in the engine internals and bad gas and ethanol wreak havoc on the carburetor and fuel system.

The Kawasaki engine in the S240 is the same as the one in the X350. The FS series of Kawasaki engines is better than the FR series seen in many lower end ztrs and riders. The Briggs Cyclonic is just an Professional Series engine with a better air filtration/debris management system. They do say that the Cyclonic which is part of their "Commercial" line will last up to 50% longer than the Intek line found in lesser mowers.

One small thing to consider, not to persuade you away from the S240, but the Accel Deep on the X series offers an exceptional cut and also provides the option of a mulching system that can be turned on and off with a switch. This is obviously not needed if you bag all the time, but a good thing if you gave up the bagger altogether.

cruzenmike said:

... keep the air cleaner clean and always allow the engine to warm up and cool down before and after use. The list will go on and on about all of the things that you can do to keep it going, but dirty air coming in degrades oil faster causing premature wear in the engine internals and bad gas and ethanol wreak havoc on the carburetor and fuel system.

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It may be counter-intuitive, but 'clean' or 'new' air filters do not pass cleaner air than a dirty air filter. The opposite is true.

cpurvis said:

It may be counter-intuitive, but 'clean' or 'new' air filters do not pass cleaner air than a dirty air filter. The opposite is true.

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what I was getting at is the air filter is going to stop a lot of larger debris particles. certain manufacturers recommend removing the air cleaner and then tapping it on a surface to remove said debris and then reinstall. What you should not do is to use an air gun nozzle on an air filter and to be careful to not let any debris get into the carb.

cruzenmike said:

what I was getting at is the air filter is going to stop a lot of larger debris particles. certain manufacturers recommend removing the air cleaner and then tapping it on a surface to remove said debris and then reinstall. What you should not do is to use an air gun nozzle on an air filter and to be careful to not let any debris get into the carb.

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I've seen those recommendations, too. But I've had two field service reps (Donaldson and Fleetguard) tell me to never reinstall a pleated paper filter element. They said the rubber sealing gaskets take a 'set' and can lead to leaks if not reinstalled perfectly. The foam pre-filters that stretch over the pleated paper castch the big stuff and can be blown off with air as many times as you wish.

Both of the reps also told me that you cannot judge the condition of a filter by looking at it. Only a restriction indicator can tell how restricted a filter is.

cruzenmike said:

The FS series of Kawasaki engines is better than the FR series seen in many lower end ztrs and riders.
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I studied this a lot & do NOT see a diff in the engines between an FR & FS (internally), The FS does have a screened air filter. Which I used on my FR till I converted it to a full FX style donaldson dual stage system with Filter indicator.