# What do we have here.



## Scott15 (Nov 11, 2004)

Look at this thing!!! It looks like its built like a tank! I wonder how much it costs.

http://www.hovermower.com/sp21k.htm


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

i like it has protectors for the crank but ummm the engine choice sucks, slap a briggs on there, but the real reason for the crank protector is that they are very weak cranks. basically i've hit lots of stuff with a briggs that would bend others and well no bend'y. not even a little. hit a brick, no bendy. but nice decks though. i would say around 600 for the middle models and 650 on higher. alluminum ain't cheap. thats why.


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## Jeff194307 (Dec 28, 2004)

I agree, nice mower except for the engine, put a briggs there and you would really have something.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

definetly, put a I/C briggs and you'll have a mower that'll last for ten years easy. 5 for commercial work if not taken care of.


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## Scott15 (Nov 11, 2004)

Inexperienced lawn cutting people think the kawasaki is the best thing since sliced bread come on! They are kind of like a honda. Briggs is great but I think it's good to get a cheap back up mower with a tecumseh for REAL high lawns because they have high compression. But don't they blow heads a lot?


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

um tecs and briggs don't rely on compression to give power. i had a 11 hp briggs with hardly to no compression that fouled plugs and still gave 11hp. more compression is not the key in small engines by much. its the hp rating and torque. they have just as much compression almost as a tec. maybe less maybe more, depends on the model and what type rings and gap they have. and no they don't blow heads alot. uh hemmm why don't you ask bbnissan he'll better explain it to you. but simply a 3.75 tec had less torque than a 3.0 briggs when i was cutting my yard at first. simply put 3.75 in 3 feet grass walking at 2 mph and it would choke out, ok replaced it with a 3.0 after the tec blew, and well 3 feet high grass at 2mph walking and it choked out but in the thick crap but never cut off. exactly how do you know anything about em anyway, you don't really work on them yourself.


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## Scott15 (Nov 11, 2004)

Yeah but I cut REALLY high lawns with my tec and it works great. But its a 6.5. I had a briggs 3.5 and it couldn't cut tall lawns.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

hahahah, don't know about yours but my 3.5 briggs cut this half acre yard that this idiot threw fertilizer etc. that made clovers look like full grown flowers and grass look like what you would find in the sahara, and to boot the dude let it grow to five feet tall. the little baby went through it. i went slow but of course i went through three tanks of gas and it was 100 degree's outside. did the whole thing. wined down a little but not much. on top of having a dull blade as well.


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## Scott15 (Nov 11, 2004)

That's strange. The tecumsehs cut good in high grass compared to the honda gcv 160s.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

yeah, never tried it with a briggs with the same hp and the same blade huh. most of the time the blade will make the diff.


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## Scott15 (Nov 11, 2004)

yeah. But the yardman dosen't have a good blade.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well my 20 incher with the 3.5 doesn't either. it all comes down sometimes to the deck or blades. good deck and it'll go through it good, good sharp blade and it'll go through it faster.


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## Mower Medic (Sep 21, 2005)

I have an older Walker with an 11 HP B&S I/C will run a 54" SD Deck, not recommended though, but will run 42" SD all Day long No Problem.


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## engine man (Mar 25, 2006)

tecumsehs are not good engines they are so hard to start and have no power in long grass. if you get a briggs man you could cut grass forever. tecumsehs like to throw rods easy. i have a tecumseh 4.25hp pushmower that my dad bought and it said prime 3 times WHAT EVER!!! we have to prime it like 50 times to get it to start on second pull! what a peice of crap! i have a briggs you prime 3 times and one pull and they go. when people bring me there lawnmowers to be fixed i relized that most of them are tecumsehs with hard to start or wont start at all or bent shafts. in my opinion tecumsehs are the worst and crappiest engines you could ever buy. and there not good in long grass.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

Lol, just today I was trimming with my 6hp briggs..... big rock, size of a football!!!!!!! hiding VERY VERY well in the grass..... at the corner of the house for some reason >:{ I didn't put it there.

Well it caught it, stopped the engine violently.... chopped a chunk of the rock off, DID NOT bend the blade nor crank, started it up after checked that...... heard a knocking.... the thing hit the rock so hard it loosened the blade bolt!!! after tightening it, good to go.


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## bsman (Jan 22, 2006)

a couple posts back you guys were talking about the compression. When I rebuilt my 16 hp, 2 cyclinder, you could put your finger on the flywheel and spin it. you couldn't do it for long until your finger got sore.

When I rebuilt my 5 hp older briggs, you had to use more strenghth to turn it over via flywheel.

Mabe the rings are getting bad w/ the 16, idk.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

If it turns over easy until it hits the compression stoke..... thats good..... usually you'll have to use both hands and some force to take it past the compression stroke.


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## jetrail (Dec 7, 2005)

im w/ you on briggs engines bugman , i've repaired and fixed many mower , but even the carbs seem to be better and less hassle , i get alot of "trash mowers " from stores in md like lowes , home depot ect , i buy them anywheres from 25.00 - 75.00 each , i just got in a troy bilt 7 hp ohv briggs engine generator , this thing puts out 3550 watts , but the block has a huge hole in it so im gonna be shopping for a short block , but i got in a few mowers and 1 was stuck from not being ran w/ oil , well i soaked the cylinder down w/ oil and after 20 minutes free'd it up by getting it to turn reverse rotation , i put oil in it and checked compression it still had 70lbs , so i tried it it runs fine , no smoke , no loss of compression , i ran it over 45 minutes and it was sound , w/ the tecumseh's i get in that have been ran w/o oil they are usually busted up pretty bad , but this is like the 3rd mower i have gotten that i could just free it up and it still would run great .


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## certifiedtech (Jun 30, 2006)

*Bugman wrote:
um tecs and briggs don't rely on compression to give power.*

Briggs engines rely on "Compression". It`s just that the compression is`nt as high when first starting because they`re equipped with a deeper combustion chamber and a "compression release". 

Tecumseh engines, mainly the "OVM 120" (earlier) OHV 12hp, the compression was so high that they relied on the compression release. Without it the piston would stop
on the compression stoke.

Any engine with a loss of compression will overheat.

Has anyone ever ran an engine and after it was shut off it looked like steam was rolling off of it?

That`s from low compression.

Depending on type of equipment I was using, I would probably take a Biggs over most anything else, with some exceptions.


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## big ed (Jul 29, 2006)

sorry fellas but as a briggs master tech i think they make more crap every year honda and kawasaki are what it takes for commercial application the briggs vangard is good but is also japanese design and tecuseh quality stopped when cast iron went away and all this plastic covering what are they tring to hide one company even made a plastic engine what junk the future must hold especially with china pushing all the knock off crap they import quality needs to mean something


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

I fully agree with big ed on this one, after servicing commercial equipment for over 20 years, I have yet to see any Briggs or Tecumseh engines that will last as long as the Kawasaki and Honda engines when they are put in the hands of most commercial users, with the exception of the vanguards. The I/C's are good engines and will last a good long time in a consumer unit (I have a Briggs on my 14 year old Toro), but they just don't accept the abuse as well as the Honda and Kawasaki engines.


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## hdman97 (May 25, 2006)

Just think if Harley-Davidson MADE an engine that fit a lawnmower..........
Then we 'd have something!! hehehe


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## kbalona (Apr 27, 2006)

who says they don't already? they make chainsaw engines :lol:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-989620218935272251&q=chainsaw&hl=en


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## hdman97 (May 25, 2006)

Good one Kbalona!
A V8 chainsaw wow that's something
How about a V6 weedwacker? lol


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## scrench (Dec 8, 2004)

hdman97 said:


> Just think if Harley-Davidson MADE an engine that fit a lawnmower..........
> Then we 'd have something!! hehehe


 

only if it was a shovelhead engine !!!!! (wink)


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## hdman97 (May 25, 2006)

Scrench then we would have all those oil leaks on the garage floor!
or have to park the mower on paper . hehe


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## scrench (Dec 8, 2004)

hdman97 said:


> Scrench then we would have all those oil leaks on the garage floor!
> or have to park the mower on paper . hehe


 
boy did i ever ask for that lol 

man thats the truth lol 
i always park mine in a different part of the yard and dont have to mow the yard all summer <-------(((((


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

certifiedtech said:


> *Bugman wrote:
> um tecs and briggs don't rely on compression to give power.*
> 
> Briggs engines rely on "Compression". It`s just that the compression is`nt as high when first starting because they`re equipped with a deeper combustion chamber and a "compression release".
> ...


I Kinda phrased that wrong, lol.... Sure in bigger engines it means something... but there isn't all that much feel if you will in loss of power when they have low compression in smaller engines... Heck the 12hp I/C I just replaced had hardly none, the leaky valve stems and worn rings let oil seal it up to give it enough compression to fire (even sometimes had to take the plug out and dry it off of oil to start it) yet it drove the 39 inch deck fine... this engine will be rebuilt sooner or later when I feel the need to... but got replaced with a 18hp apposed.. Most engines with great compression (say take a new briggs ohv) if the valves go out of adjustment..... bam it stops on the compression stroke... ohv's do have higher compression over sides valves.. but I was kinda refering to side's in that post....


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

hdman97 said:


> Scrench then we would have all those oil leaks on the garage floor!
> or have to park the mower on paper . hehe


They don't leak that much..... lol


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