engine replacement coot

[homercoot]

I have another coot 2 wheel steer i picked up with no engine.
seems like lots people like the vanguard 16hp ??
this one was going to let grandson help set up.
not really going to used very much.And mostly flat ground.
has anyone been putting in less HP new engines ??
thanks

[msafi65]

The preditor engines from Harbor Freight are getting more popular. To bad there isn't a store with in 2000 miles! the briggs vanguard is a great engine and parts available most anywhere. I wouldn't go much smaller than 16 hp, 14 isn't much of a savings by the time its in your hands. Did the coot have the Kohler magnum when new?

[Noel Woods]

The Coot actually performs well with engines in the 8-10 hp range due to their very low gearing. My Coot has an 18 hp B&S which is really overkill for such a machine, and the motor really leaves no room in the very tight engine bay. A Coot is more like a tractor than anything else. Since you plan to operate on flat ground, a single cylinder 8-13 hp is more than what you need. One of the neatest engines I've seen installed in a Coot was actually a 150cc Honda GY6 clone motor. Those are small engines, make good power (10hp or so) and are cheap, you can find this brand new on EBAY and Amazon for $225 or so. The other neat thing about Coots is that if you find your gearing too high or too low, its a simple single sprocket change out to remedy the issue. A Harbor Freight 13 HP engine would also be a good alternative.

[homercoot]

it has the old peices of white engine laying around the tuscumb ??
thanks

[allwheeldrive]

The Coot I recently picked up has a L90 Yanmar Diesel in it. It’s a little engine only 9 HP. All the other coots I’ve looked at have had jerry rigged massive power plants in them. Which means removing the brake (what is the point of more power and no way to stop!?) and the inability to use the original seat or have a front passenger. Noel Woods is correct the Coot is more like a tractor, if you want to slide around corners and jump it’s the not the vehicle to do it in. I haven’t really done much driving with mine yet. But I haven’t found I needed any more power yet.
It will climb a decent grade in 2nd gear and go much faster than seems reasonable, and 1st gear… well a coot could have a 3hp engine and not run out of power in first gear.


The way I see it. 2nd gear is to get to the obstacles the coot was designed to drive over. The places a coot will go, anything over 5mph would be ridiculous.

So I guess to sum it up, small is fine, and the Yanmar is amazing, pricey engine, but utterly bomb proof, a Yanmar is to a Honda what a Honda is to everything below it in reliability.