Briggs opposed twin engine

[SamB]

Hello all,
I have a Husqvarna c42175 zero turn mower with a 17.5 Briggs Intek AVS single cylinder engine on it. It's a 2005 and the engine runs fine but is beginning to smoke a bit and it has a lot of hours on it. I have 18hp Briggs I/C opposed 2 cylinder from a previous lawn tractor type mower. It ran smooth and quiet and started easily.
I only used the mower it was on a couple of times as the deck cracked and wasn't safe to continue to use. Scrapped it and kept the engine. My questions are,is this a good long term engine as far as reliability and holding up over time? Is it worth the time to fit it on the zero turn? Looks to be an easy conversion,one electtric clutch on the crank and throttle,wiring,etc should be no real problem. I'd have to make other provisions for the exhaust because the original muffler was under the 'chin' of the tractor.

 

[Mower King]

Hello all,
I have a Husqvarna c42175 zero turn mower with a 17.5 Briggs Intek AVS single cylinder engine on it. It's a 2005 and the engine runs fine but is beginning to smoke a bit and it has a lot of hours on it. I have 18hp Briggs I/C opposed 2 cylinder from a previous lawn tractor type mower. It ran smooth and quiet and started easily.
I only used the mower it was on a couple of times as the deck cracked and wasn't safe to continue to use. Scrapped it and kept the engine. My questions are,is this a good long term engine as far as reliability and holding up over time? Is it worth the time to fit it on the zero turn? Looks to be an easy conversion,one electtric clutch on the crank and throttle,wiring,etc should be no real problem. I'd have to make other provisions for the exhaust because the original muffler was under the 'chin' of the tractor.

I would....a twin cyl is gonna be smoother running, more power.....so it's all a plus, as long as you can get it all swapped over ok!

 

[Scrubcadet10]

IC Twins are good engines... is it splash or pressure lubed( with filter)?

 

[SamB]

It's a splash lubed,alas not pressure lubed. No filter,of course,either. A comparable new pressure-lubed single similar to what is on the mower now is around $600+ or so. The Husqvarna has been and is still a good solid mower that does all I require from a ztr,so I'm going to keep it no matter what. Putting the 18 opposed on may take a bit of extra work ,all reversible,bolt pattern,etc,whereas the brand new $600 one most likely would be plug and play replacement.
The twin opposed does have a great sound to it, although I do wear full cover headgear when I mow.
edit:current engine is also splash-lube.

 

[SamB]

I would....a twin cyl is gonna be smoother running, more power.....so it's all a plus, as long as you can get it all swapped over ok!

Thank you. The twin does run so very smooth here on the bench. I believe anything it would require to put it on the ztr would be totally reversible,should I wish to go to a more 'modern' engine in the future.

 

[dougand3]

I've have a 422707 on my GT. '89 year. Keeps on chugging. A little fuel thirsty. You do have to re-build the fuel pump on carb every 3-4 years. But now - they have AM carbs for ~$30. I'd get another Opp Twin in a heartbeat.

 

[SamB]

I've have a 422707 on my GT. '89 year. Keeps on chugging. A little fuel thirsty. You do have to re-build the fuel pump on carb every 3-4 years. But now - they have AM carbs for ~$30. I'd get another Opp Twin in a heartbeat.

Good to hear. I have had it running on the workbench and the integral carb fuel pump had no trouble picking up fuel from the small can of gas 8 inches or so below it. I ran fuel stabilizer through it and then ran it dry before oiling the cylinders and squirreling it away. It never gave me a moment's trouble when on the lawn tractor. My other rider is a Snapper 33" Extra Tough that I had to replace the Briggs I put on it when I acquired it several years. That 17.5 dropped a valve,actually,the stem broke right under the valve head and damaged the piston and the underside of the head. Out of warranty,of course. I replaced it with a 19 hp pressure lube Briggs. I was thinking of doing the same with the Husqvarna,but thought how cool having the twin on it with dual exhaust would be. What with the way money is these days,I do have the twin in hand and plenty of time to tinker with it.

 

[SamB]

Good to hear. I have had it running on the workbench and the integral carb fuel pump had no trouble picking up fuel from the small can of gas 8 inches or so below it. I ran fuel stabilizer through it and then ran it dry before oiling the cylinders and squirreling it away. It never gave me a moment's trouble when on the lawn tractor. My other rider is a Snapper 33" Extra Tough that I had to replace the Briggs I put on it when I acquired it several years. That 17.5 dropped a valve,actually,the stem broke right under the valve head and damaged the piston and the underside of the head. Out of warranty,of course. I replaced it with a 19 hp pressure lube Briggs. I was thinking of doing the same with the Husqvarna,but thought how cool having the twin on it with dual exhaust would be. What with the way money is these days,I do have the twin in hand and plenty of time to tinker with it.

I have elected to swap the low hour (<24) Intek 17.5 that I have on my Snapper Extra Tough 33" onto the CZ42175 Zero Turn. It gets more use than the Snapper. The Intek will be a plug-and-play on the Husqvarna,as that's the same(broken) engine that's on it now. With that swap around in mind,the I/C 18hp will be going on the Snapper. I'm not sure of what problems/modification.etc,but hey,I have the 18hp here and know it runs quite well. I'll post the results if it's "newsworthy". :-D

 

[SamB]

Thanks for all the positive comments on the Briggs opposed 2 cylinder engine. I really wasn't wanting to spend major money on another Intek engine that seems to have inherent reliability issues. I know,I know,there are those that will sing their praises. That's ok with me,but I have had 2 that ,for no apparent reason,self-destructed,so I am perhaps a bit gun-shy.
After a few hours of planning,fitting,bolting down and wiring,the Snapper mows again! I'm working on actual muffler mounts,coming off the rear,but(shame,shame) bailing wire is working real good right now! :-D
The I/C 18hp opposed is so much smoother and quieter than the Intek single,it's amazing. Like I said,thanks for the encouragement to do this. After all, I had the engine to begin with,so no real loss but time. Since I'm retired,no issue there either.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Looks right at home!!