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Ive asked this question before i get answers on what mower to buy. Im buying a 42 inch zero turn, brand dont matter. 3/8 acre flat yard, between these two engines which one should i choose??

The answers you get may be biased like mine is. Kawasaki.

I was all gung-ho on Kawasaki until I found out that their scheduled maintenance calls for removing the heads every 300 hours and cleaning the valves and combustion chambers.

That is an important point to consider. I know I have thought about it.

But in over 4 years of ownership I only have 110 hours on it. So if I have it 8 more years, I might be ready for one of those robotic mowers..

I wonder how many owners actually remove the heads to do the 300 hour cleaning ? Kawasaki said on the phone, it was just a recommendation.

Probably not very many, if you mean doing the work themselves. The manual recommends this work be done by a dealership, which would drive the cost up considerably.

The combination of cost and complexity will probably mean most of these engines will never get this maintenance.

My 19hp Kawasaki has 800 odd hours and has run perfectly over many many years with no repairs. If you are worried about the valves and combustion chamber you could simply add Mercury’s Power Tune or similar.

bh1971 said:

Ive asked this question before i get answers on what mower to buy. Im buying a 42 inch zero turn, brand dont matter. 3/8 acre flat yard, between these two engines which one should i choose??

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Nobody will be able to "prove" to you that one engine is better than the another. You can either take the biased advice of every user on here, pick based on your own experiences with each brand or pick based on cost, hp or how it looks (people do it).

For example, I have a mower that was offered with a Briggs, a Kohler and a Kawasaki. When I attempted to sell it years ago I had a prospective buyer say that if it had the Kawasaki he would have been more interested. Now, that person obviously had a proclivity for Kawasaki, but my engine runs smoothly, quiet and with no issues.

My personal preference would be Briggs, so much so that I would likely shop for mowers only having a Briggs Vanguard in it. But, if it came down to cost or mower brand over engine make, I would choose Kawasaki over Kohler.

cpurvis said:

Probably not very many, if you mean doing the work themselves. The manual recommends this work be done by a dealership, which would drive the cost up considerably.

The combination of cost and complexity will probably mean most of these engines will never get this maintenance.

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Agreed, mine @ 100 hours I changed the spark plugs, in part to get a good fresh read on the burn with the Donaldson conversion. But the 100 hour original plugs were still almost completely white. EPA etc. But how bad could the combustion chambers be if it's running so clean & lean ?

I haven't put my borescope in the plug holes yet. I didn't feel the need. If necessary at that time I'd do the heads myself.

IDK if Kohler or Briggs have this recommendation ?

The Kawasaki is the first time I've ever seen that recommendation, but I haven't looked at the Kohler or Briggs manuals.

There was another thread on here in which a Kaw owner had carbon buildup and a burned exhaust valve because of it. I commented on that thread that maybe the recommended cleaning is their answer to the problem and would have prevented it.

I didn't see that thread.

I guess he was past the 300 hour mark then obviously. The carbon could cause a valve to burn. I run Seafoam in spring & late fall in my 100% gas for cleaning.

I did set up my neighbors Simplicity & it has a B&S 23hp twin. I was looking in his manual about the deck because he has the coil springs suspension on it. I never looked in the service recommendation part. If I get a chance I'll ask to see his Owners Manual.

Kawasaki...hands down, based on my personal residential use (1500 hrs) without any issues and I also interact with business associates who use small portable compressors and generators in the field. They always buy honda or Kawa for longevity.

:thumbsup: Selluwud- Does your Kawasaki owners manual state to have the heads removed & cleaned @ 300 hours in maintenance section ?


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7394 said:

:thumbsup: Selluwud- Does your Kawasaki owners manual state to have the heads removed & cleaned @ 300 hours in maintenance section ?


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All I've ever done is change oil and air filters along with adding Seafoam once a season. I never have changed the spark plugs? I never consulted the manual and don't know where it is.

We have run Kawasaki on our Scags. I have one over 2000 hours that runs daily and a couple more with over 1000 hours. We have adjusted the valves a couple of times but that is not that big of a deal. I personally have never seen a Kawasaki that suffered catastrophic failure. I have seen several Kohlers that have. For me it is a No brainer Kawasaki all the way. They are incredible engines.

7394 said:

:thumbsup: Selluwud- Does your Kawasaki owners manual state to have the heads removed & cleaned @ 300 hours in maintenance section ?


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I have run them several years and that one is news to me. If it is in the manual I overlooked it some where. With the experience I have with them I would not go to that trouble. Adjusting the valves is in the manual and I took them in to the dealer until recently. I adjusted them myself last time on the one over 2000 hours.

From those experiences stated in this thread I have underestimated the reliability of the Kawasaki. I did a spec comparison of the FR, FS and FX lines of Kawasaki engines last night and was surprised to see that the FX does not make any more torque or show to be superior other than in the filtering of the air. This is obviously important for commercial applications where a lot of dust or debris will be blowing around the engine. I have a Vanguard that I quite impressed with and they are build well, much better than the lower ends Briggs. But all things considered, I would entertain the idea of a Kawasaki on my next mower if I liked how it ran.

All good info, Thanks.. Agree adjusting the valves is not a big deal. I do my own. & I use Seafoam beginning & end of mow seasons using the 100% gas I run.

cruzenmike- This is what I did to my FR Kawasaki.

https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/52096-Kawaaski-FR651V-FX-air-box-conversion