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The replacement carburetor I ordered for my KT735-3011 ( Husqvarna YT42XLS ) does not have an idle adjustment screw, nor does it seem to have a hole for one to go into.
Is this a manufacturing error, or just the way some carbs come now-a-days ?
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Idle mixture which be already set and broken off (Loctited in place) is behind a welch plug in the middle image. You shouldn't be trying to remove the welch either as are not available. EPA has mandated that these adjustment are no long to be made us mechanics. We are too stupid to fine tune an engine in the EPAs eyes.

I may be wrong, but that does not look like an OEM carb to me?? Kohler uses either Walbro or Keilin carbs and they normally have their names cast into the carb body. Did you purchase this carb off Evilbay or Amazon? If so, I’m guessing you have a Waldron knockoff.

StarTech said:

Idle mixture which be already set and broken off (Loctited in place) is behind a welch plug in the middle image. You shouldn't be trying to remove the welch either as are not available. EPA has mandated that these adjustment are no long to be made us mechanics. We are too stupid to fine tune an engine in the EPAs eyes.

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Yes, everyone knows that mowers are the number 1 contributor to pollution.

The screw is there, but it's now hidden to protect YOU. Pop out the welch plug if you like. The adjustment screw is not LocTited in place, merely hidden.

Rivets said:

I may be wrong, but that does not look like an OEM carb to me?? Kohler uses either Walbro or Keilin carbs and they normally have their names cast into the carb body. Did you purchase this carb off Evilbay or Amazon? If so, I’m guessing you have a Waldron knockoff.

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no it's not ... I can not find any OEM that specifically states it fits a -3011, and it's a known problem that the kt735 do not all use the same parts.

Kohler part number is 1685319S for the Walbro carb for your engine.

Just an update: I put the after-market carburetor on the 'money pit', made what adjustments I could, and the YT42XLS runs butter smooth now. How long it will stay running before something else breaks, I have no clue.
Ordered an OEM rebuild kit for the old carb.

On a side note: there is a LOT of plastic parts ( fiber reinforced nylon ) on the inside of the KT735-3011 ... am I just 'old fashioned', or does it seem like Kohler is cheaping out on parts ?

In some instances the fiber reinforced plastics are a better part. At least they don't rust !

RLS0812 said:

Just an update: I put the after-market carburetor on the 'money pit', made what adjustments I could, and the YT42XLS runs butter smooth now. How long it will stay running before something else breaks, I have no clue.
Ordered an OEM rebuild kit for the old carb.

On a side note: there is a LOT of plastic parts ( fiber reinforced nylon ) on the inside of the KT735-3011 ... am I just 'old fashioned', or does it seem like Kohler is cheaping out on parts ?

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Yes
But it is not their fault
Every year the factories demand lower prices or they will fit imported Chinese engines .
So every year every engine maker has to find a way to cut costs
OTOH every year engineering plastic technology advances by leaps & bounds .
Old machines had gears machined from solid
Then they went to powder pressings
Then to engineering plastics
A moulding machine can pump out those gears at 5 second intervals.

This is because the factories are following the market
If people would pay a fair & reasonable price for a quality mower then the factories could afford to fit high quality long life egines.
But the market demands cheap, cheaper & cheaper still.
Honda have the name for the best quality longest life walk behind mowers
Their top model mower down here is $ 2200
So if that is what it costs to make a 7 Hp self propelled mower .
Then what sort of quality would a $ 1555 ride one be ?
And there are a dozen I could buy for under $ 2000 and they are all what I call temporary diverted land fill cause that is where they end up in a couple of years.
How much do you want to pay for stuff to fill your trailer to take to the dump ?

bertsmobile1 said:

This is because the factories are following the market
If people would pay a fair & reasonable price for a quality mower then the factories could afford to fit high quality long life egines.
But the market demands cheap, cheaper & cheaper still.
Honda have the name for the best quality longest life walk behind mowers
Their top model mower down here is $ 2200
So if that is what it costs to make a 7 Hp self propelled mower .
Then what sort of quality would a $ 1555 ride one be ?
And there are a dozen I could buy for under $ 2000 and they are all what I call temporary diverted land fill cause that is where they end up in a couple of years.

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The Money Pit originally cost $2,600 in 2015 ... I ended up getting it for free.
The Craftsman LT4000 ( B&S 42a707-1251-01 ) I have sitting in the barn originally sold for $1,800 in 1994.
It is amazing the difference times makes. The Money Pit had mechanical issues just after the warranty expired, the Craftsman ran for over 20 years before the original owner parked it ( still ran at the time ).

One of these years I'm going to get tired of fixing the Money Pit and part both mowers out .

Materials technology is not the only thing that has gone in leaps & bounds.
Computer modling & designs have also advanced astronomically so now days they can make products that will reliably expire the second warranty expires.
And the sick thing about this is even if people know the product is not likely to outlast the warranty period, they will still buy it if it is the cheapest just in case they get a "good" one that runs for twice as long.
People in market economies have been brainwashed for decades that we can have it all and we will get it for a price we can easily afford.
Governments are held ransom by big business so have been failing to properly regulate the market for just as long.
In Europe where it is not a national crime to question the demand economic system they get told what products are trash as most consumer durables now have a durability index so you know that mower is throw away junk.
While I would have liked to say this is because of an enlightened consumer protection policy, in reality is because they no longer have any more valleys to fill with trash and Asia won't accept any more trash from the West .

Interesting how things have changed in 50 years. I have a snowblower frankensteined onto a 1975 sears ST12 made by Roper. By today's standards it is a tank. Frame sides are 1/4" thick plate. 6 speed Peerless transmission is used by mini tractor pullers. It still has the original Goodyear tires that are still in good shape. Steering is still tight. If this mower was sold today it would be considered commercial grade and in the '70s it was just an average lawnmower. Look at the Cub Cadet, Bolens, Wheel Horse, Simplicity and others from that era. There are still some folks who will pay for quality and you usually find them shopping at a John deere dealership. All the other manufacturers are trying to win the race to the cheapest "pretty" mower.

Not really
All consumer durables follow the same basic path
When first invented the profits are high so they are made well .
As more manufacturers enter the market the market separates with a small number continuing to make high quality goods while the rest set up for high volume low profit margin which causes the price to plummet .
As the prices drop so the quality & in particular the durability drops and one by one factories close down .
Remember that the foundation assumptions of a consumer driven capitalist economy is there are multiple manufacturers of similar size and the market purchasing these goods are fully informed .
These conditions have not existed since the 60's for most goods.
When was the last time you saw a fridge with the size of the motor, type of refrigerant used , air flow required for the heat exchanger or even the pull down rate in degrees / min listed in the specifications ?
Who can understand their mobile phone contract or even their own bank account conditions ?

So in the 12 yrs I have been working on mower I have only removed one head on SV series and one on a KT series. I have not gone any deeper in either engine series. Most carburetor repairs along with coil replacements.

I do suspect the plastics are nylon which is rather tough. I suspect that the governor and oil pump gears are this as they are low load items. Plus they are self healing to a point where metal is not. Briggs has used nylon governor for many years and I have seen one worn out. The rest were usually damaged by the ACR failure. That is why I stock a couple of them for the 31/33 series Briggs engine along with the camshafts.

Bert is right as the consumer is the one that drives the quality we all see. Most will just buy the cheapest thing they can. This has caused durable good to become non durable. I had old 50 year Frig that out last four newer ones. It finally failed after an lightning strike nearby.