For Small Riding Mower (and)
Push Mower Engines; Because they are Air Cooled;thus typically Run Hotter. I Read that "Every 100-Hours is Equiv. Too about 15,000 Car miles." Does this sound about Right?
bertsmobil1;
If you Manage to see this Post; can I also get your input too?
#2
RDA.Lawns
I don't believe so. I have a motor on a ztr with 3100 hours on it. Its all depending on service.
I don't respond to PM's as it defeates the entire reason why this is a public forum.
Vertical shaft engines are made exclusively for mowers.
The mower market is very price sensitive so they are made cheap as possible.
Cheap means more maintanance.
Cheap means cheaper materials, cheaper processing and cheaper designs.
Honda refused to make cheap engines and left the sector, now only making walk behind engines.
Motorcycles are also air cooled as are horizontal shaft engines.
Mowers have a design life of around 10 years.
Joe average spends 2 hours on a ride on around 25 times a year so 2 x 25 x 10 = 500 hours. That is the design life of a domestic ride on engine.
Commercial engines look identical but are not they use substantially better metal and a better design to attain the same 10 year life.
Joe Average lawn care mows around 5 hours a day for the same 25 weeks so.
5 x 5 x 25 x 10 = 6250 hours which is why they are much more expensive.
Horizontal shaft engines work longer hours and are also designed for a 10 year life span but because they are generally used all year round they are good for around 10,000 to 15,000 hours.
Engines are priced accordingly domestic engines are around 2/3 of a commerical which is about 2/3 of a horizontal.
The most expensive item in an engine is the crank,
The cheapest way to form metal is casting ,
The most expensive way to form metal is forging.
Thus domestic engines have cast crank, commercial engine have forged cranks.
This is most obvious with the old Kohler engines where the Courage ( domestic engine ) cast crank is bigger, thicker & heavier than the Command ( Commercial engine ) forged crank which is thinner, lighter & stiffer.
Then there is oil transport.
Most domestic engines have oil feed to the big end and splash for everything else where as a commercial engine will have pressure feed to all 3 crank journals.
Some brands like JD for example try to make a better quality machine so they get vertical shaft engines made with forged cranks and you see them labled as G4 Crankshaft.
Then bertsmobile1;
What is the design life of most Residential 21-inch Self-propelled walk behinds?
#7
primerbulb120
Bert,
I know commercial engines are made tough, but 6,000 to 15,000 hours?!? I have never seen a commercial mower with anywhere near 6,000 hours, much less a horizontal shaft engine. Not saying you're wrong, but where are you getting these figures?
I know commercial engines are made tough, but 6,000 to 15,000 hours?!? I have never seen a commercial mower with anywhere near 6,000 hours, much less a horizontal shaft engine. Not saying you're wrong, but where are you getting these figures?
Primerbulb120; it's "ALL" in Maintenance; Take a CommercialEngine and Change the 1.) Oil Filter 2.) Oil 3.) Air Filter EVERY YEAR!(i.e. just like mowing services do) Then I have NO doubt they can go 6,000+ Hours.
#9
RDA.Lawns
I don't believe they'd get that far. I service mine regularly. Approximately 60hours. Best I've got so far is 3200 and its wore out. Has little life left in it. For the record it's a commercial Kawasaki. With the commercial air filter.
I don't believe they'd get that far. I service mine regularly. Approximately 60hours. Best I've got so far is 3200 and its wore out. Has little life left in it. For the record it's a commercial Kawasaki. With the commercial air filter.
I agree. Under laboratory conditions they might get to 6000, but when they get jostled and banged around in a dusty environment on the back of a commercial ZTR, no way.
Bert, I am glad your mowers are designed for 10 year life expectancy Here in the US the average rider is used 38 hours/year and gets replaced every 5 years. Most of the commercial guys in my area replace their mowers every 900-1000 hours.
#12
RDA.Lawns
I purchased a couple new mowers this year with 6 year or 2750 hours warranty. I will not trade till warranty is out.
The 10 year figure came from one of the reps and it works out fairly well down here.
Average hours will of course depend on the average property size .
Locally made mowers have a design life of 20 years and most of them will do 30 standing on their heads, if the engines last the distance.
My own mowers are 3 x 1966 Rover 8/24's & 10/24's with Peerless 3 or 5 speed boxes and they will run forever.
I have 2 Cox compacts 1982 & 1986 11/24 & 12 /24 & a Greenfields 12/32, that I loan out, God only knows how many hours on them.
One of the Rovers came with a blade. hoe & sprayer from a market gardener with 5 acres, he bought it new & it was the only tool he used all his life along with a Howard rotary hoe.
The 8Hp B & S was using as much oil as fuel but as you know those old full iron side bangers were tough. It is sitting in the shed, rebored waiting a rebuild when I get on of them roundtuits .
OTOH I have a yard full of modern USA made imported ride ons with perfectly good engines but dead hydro trannies waiting to be converted to gear drive or for me to find a stash of cheap drives.
