To SMB in VA-- from David A. Sohn 3/3/2000
Saint Louis Missouri david.a.sohn@juno.comI have a nice 11 HP Briggs engine from a Snapper HV Rider you could use I imagine. If you were near Saint Louis Missouri it sure would help. You can get a short block for your 8 HP Briggs and Stratton fairly economically. Maybe from Jacks Small engine you can get a nicely discounted engine too. In 30 years of rebuilding I have had apart more Tecumseh, Briggs, Wisconsin and Kohler engines than I could count. A few other brands too. Well I might as well go on and say a few more words about what I have seen-- from the inside. It seems to me that if all other things are roughly equal, the heart of the engine is found in the crankshaft crankpin design. In bearings, whether sleeve journal type or roller type-- bigger is always better. I also believe harder steel helps some. Some manufacturers of a given HP engine range are particularly generous in providing a crankpin that is extra large-- this encourages the extreme shock loads to be spread across a much larger surface. Accordingly, this practice encourages less wear on these particularly critical parts. It also encourages much longer engine life without a thrown rod. So-- here is what I see from the inside. Those that are more generous in crankpin design, from "best" to "worst" on my subjective scale, I rate like this. 1.Kohler. 2.Briggs& Stratton. 3.Wisconsin. I'll just say that Tecumseh has the smallest crankpins I have ever seen in engines of different brands with identical horsepower ratings. In any case, the aluminum alloy connecting rod takes a tremendous beating all the more-- when it is connected to a small-diameter crankpin. Frequent oil changes and keeping oil full also helps a lot to encourage less wear. The slightest grit from slacking on oil changes makes rapid wear-- this encourages rod knocking and even greater shock loads on the alloy rod. The smaller rods and crankpins often are the first to have the rod-- snap. But proper maintenace does help no matter the brand. Well that's a brief look from the inside. This conversation could continue with other details about engines from the inside-- and engines from the outside (money, service, staff, etc.). But enough said for tonight. I hope this helps some. David A. Sohn
| 
