briggs vrs honda

[wheeler]

Anybody have an opinion on a briggs engine vrs. A honda engine? I am going to buy a new engine and am wondering if the honda is a better engine?

[amphibious drew]

I know several members that have wanted to go the Honda route, but I don't know of any 6x6 with a Honda in it. I had a small one in a Gotcha that I used to have. Like most honda stuff, it worked pretty good. If you can get a good price on one, I would say, give it a try. BTW, if you are shopping for a new engine, now would be a good time to go a little bigger.

[wheeler]

I've only heard good things about the honda engines, although the briggs is also a good engine too. I believe the difference is the cost. I also am going to try a bigger engine if cost and reseach dictates it possible. I know all the honda four wheeler engines have been real strong dependable engines.

[MaxRules]

Stay with the Briggs engine for 16 to 18hp, and the Kohler engine for 18hp and up. Kohler costs a little more but it is worth it, they are built better and have a better carb with accellerator pump.

[mudbug3]

The forum member Scott Harrell took the 16 hp motor that came in his Hustler 950 and installed a 20 hp Honda in it's place. He also installed Hustler Bigfoot gearing in it too. These two modifications turned his Hustler 950 into a very reliable and capable machine.

[Tomo]

hi
The 23hp b&s vtwin is the pick
The B&S vanguard is a Mitsubishi engine block ,the bottom end is rebuildable . There are many after market parts .
Many of the issues are well known . The carby is the only known weak spot and u only need to change when issues
arise.
The Honda engines are well known by there name only . There are still worn out units out there . The parts can be a little pricey . There reliability is good but not outstanding .They r just like any other quality unit out there but a little over priced even at the time of the initial purchase .
The kohlers are an engine that is overpriced for little or no extra performance and reliability
I have owned machinery with kohler ,vanguard , honda ,robin/subaru ,diahatsu diesel and Kubota diesel with operational hours of approx. 10,000 to 12,000hrs
The other positive if u choose another vanguard it will bolt in with no hassle .
tomo

[wheeler]

Real good to know. That's just the info. I am looking for. Anybody else have any input?

[Noel Woods]

Forum member WILDTEXASRANGER has a Honda 20hp in his Hustler 980 deeptub. He changed the jets and opened up the breather and made that engine into about 25+hp. Its a screamer, and powers the big machine very well.
I think the Hondas cost a bit more and whether they are worth what they cost will vary by owner. I don't know of anyone who has a Honda and wish they had a B&S however.

[wheeler]

Yea, most of the people I know with hondas have way fewer engine problems than the other engines in multiple different ATV's. Just my opinion, but I am open to everybodys thoughts on it. Thanks Noel. In respect for the briggs I have a 15 hp on my mower and have had it for about 17 years with NO problems at all. Just a minor valve adjustment a year ago. I changed oil 2 times a summer to be fair to the engine. So, I do believe they are good engines. I just thought Hondas were ever better.

[mudbug3]

Forum member WILDTEXASRANGER has a Honda 20hp in his Hustler 980 deeptub. He changed the jets and opened up the breather and made that engine into about 25+hp. Its a screamer, and powers the big machine very well.
I think the Hondas cost a bit more and whether they are worth what they cost will vary by owner. I don't know of anyone who has a Honda and wish they had a B&S however.

Wildtexasranger also installed thin head gaskets to raise the compression too.

[CBass]

Me and Fred have come into a Honda 630 that was mounted to a pressure washer trailer. We have already broke it down, cleaned, rebuilt, and fired her up with no problem. The plan is to get her home and see what she can do. I will let Yall know how things go.

[wheeler]

That is so cool. I'd love to hear how it goes. Let me know.

[dzg]

My uncle hadna honda 15 (i think) in a lawn mower...it was a total turd. Had a bad case of piston slap and smoked like crazy...always maintained and had less then 300 hrs on it.

Never had a problem with any briggs...they are the small block chevy of small engines...cheap parts and decent reliabilty.

Kohlers are workhorses...they last litrally forever with proper matinence but are expensive...

Tecumsehs take hellacious beatings and never give up...but are kinda weak torque wise.

[Hunter31415]

I own a Motorcycle/small engine repair and machine shop and we dropped a Honda gx630 in a Hustler 945. Have accounts with B&S Honda and Kohler but decided on the Honda mostly for how smooth and quiet they run and the price. Went in easy runs really strong and it is super quiet. Went with the Honda OEM high mount muffler and going along full blast the chains make more noise than the engine does. I can post a video or some pics of it later if you want. It works so nice I went ahead and got another one exactly the same for my max II.

[wheeler]

Hunter
Sounds great. I would love to see pics and a video. Also what do you think of the oil coming up the breather tube. When the air cover is on it does not run. When it is off it idles fine and revs up fine, but still spits oil after it warms up. I pulled the pcv valve and blew it out with air. Seems to be fine. Put it back on and ran it and the same thing when the air cover is back on. I do have the engine out at this time and am trying to decide what to do next. Any ideas?