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Brand new log splitter won't run. A guy's daughter bought it for him for his birthday and hauled it a hundred miles to him. The "Kohler" engine is a chonda clone. Pulled the carb and it is identical to a $15 Ebay carb down to the markings. Nothing against the clones as they run fine. I wonder how much that Kohler sricker adds to the price? Tractor supply aslo delivered it 2 gallons low on hydraulic fluid.

And what was the diagnosis.

It probably set for a long time at TS and there was residue in the carb fuel shutoff valve blocking the fuel. Obviously TS didn't start it when she bought it. $1200 splitter and they didn't even try to start it.

Well first is that a Metric adjustable wrench laying there?

And it even looks a clone. I wonder if Kohler is building them or just having them dressed up.

Anyway the Service manual for the SH265 is the 3000 series service manual.

It is only getting worst as we lose trained people and company hires funkies to be the techs. I currently dealing with company that recently was sold to a woman operator. The tech has no idea what he is doing. That's okay with me as I am picking up their lost customers. But I was thinking starting a GoFund Me page for him to help buy him the correct tools then it dawn me why help the competition stab me in the back.

They did tried to stick to my current customer when told him his $4000 engine needed replacing when it was only a blown head gasket. A $300 repair as there some other problems I found is a lot less than $4000 +. Then customer shows up with a blower engine that the same so-called tech cleaned carburetor 3x. When I pulled the carb large pieces of grass was clogged both the inlet and the main jet. Looks like all he did was drop the fuel bowl and clean it out and added a 70 micron filter.

Yes, my metric adjustable wrench lives next to my metric hammer in the toolbox. I do have a set of metric screwdrivers JIS

I can tell you it is definately a china built clone. Pretty much every part looks identical to a clone i have.

Here is the 6.5 HF predator. Almost an exact copy except for air cleaner and tank.
HF sells them for $160. How much does Kohler pay?

I also like the JIS cross point screwdrivers they fit a lot better.

Just joking on the Metric adjustable wrench. I pulled that one on a Home Depot tool department employee. The youngster was all over the tool looking for one when finally dawn him to ask his supervisor. Boy I almost had to leave the store until the supervisor recognized me. Then I just got a "Why did you do that? look when I had pull that on him when he first started selling tools at Lowe's.

They are not going to tell us. You that is a trade secret but there is hefty mark-up for the Kohler name plus they will stand by the product unlike HFT when you need parts.

Just buy the correct carb - if the carb! Like already said - what diagnostics has been done. Many carbs are same appearance but different performance. Find a kohler dealer or on-line buy THE part to avoid issues. Also, why not stop and have a warrantied dealer fix it?

VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ said:

Just buy the correct carb - if the carb! Like already said - what diagnostics has been done. Many carbs are same appearance but different performance. Find a kohler dealer or on-line buy THE part to avoid issues. Also, why not stop and have a warrantied dealer fix it?

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Local TS said to take it back to where she bought it. A hundred miles away. I have put dozens of cheap clone carbs on clones and Hondas with no problems. Don't have that luck with real Kohler and Briggs engines. All it needed was to clean the sticky gunk out of the carb fuel shutoff. Lots of Honda style carbs are replaced because people don't know where or how to clean the tiny pilot jet.

Hammermechanicman said:

Local TS said to take it back to where she bought it. A hundred miles away. I have put dozens of cheap clone carbs on clones and Hondas with no problems. Don't have that luck with real Kohler and Briggs engines. All it needed was to clean the sticky gunk out of the carb fuel shutoff. Lots of Honda style carbs are replaced because people don't know where or how to clean the tiny pilot jet.

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OK - do what you want. ANY Authorized Kohler can do this or provide the proper parts. Most any repair shop can also order the correct part, but trial and error without the proper part number is what you want to do - I get it. It's to hard to get the model number and call a local dealer and get the part number. Then order either from him or on-line THE part needed. Of course that assumes it is the carb!

VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ said:

OK - do what you want. ANY Authorized Kohler can do this or provide the proper parts. Most any repair shop can also order the correct part, but trial and error without the proper part number is what you want to do - I get it. It's to hard to get the model number and call a local dealer and get the part number. Then order either from him or on-line THE part needed. Of course that assumes it is the carb!

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Bring it to me and fixed in 30 mins. Charged $40. Splitting wood that afternoon.
Tractor Supply is not a Kohler service center. Local TS said take it back to where she bought it a hundred miles away. If they did take it back they would drop it off as TS would send it to whomever does their service work and then drive back a hundred miles to pick it up in a week or so if lucky. You obviously think i have no idea what the f**k i am doing. That's fine. Have a nice day.

My lord all this just asking how much did the installation of a Kohler branded engine added to the cost.

Oh as Hammer said it is stupid of TSC to demand the customer to return to the TSC store of purchase when it is 100+ miles away. They just are avoiding to honor their warranty that is the problem. It like my Briggs part distributor refusing to honor the Briggs parts warranty and then telling it has to be done thru a local which none around here will honor either. I have since dropped that distributor.

I would not put it past a Kohler dealer refusing to honor the warranty either as here the ones I contacted refused to honor the warranty; unless, they sold the equipment themselves. No wonder so many after market parts are sold and install lately.

StarTech said:

My lord all this just asking how much did the installation of a Kohler branded engine added to the cost.

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Really.

Also have a nice day. Glad it's good to go. Did not say you had no idea, you just did not tell me any diagnostics. A picture of me is not me - likewise a picture of a carb that looks like what you want to replace is not necessarily the same. Just tried to help as that is the goal here. When I replace parts from on-line sources, I match the part number.

And the big problem is TS probably bought the splitter directly from China like a lot of big Aussie retailers do .
This of course eliminates the local distributors so TS make 100% more profit even if they sell it for 10% less than the locally distributed model.
So when there is a problem Kohler US have the right to refuse to pay for warranty as it was not bought from them, it was bought from Kohler China so the warranty is Kohler China's problem .
Then there is the question of weather it is in fact a Kohler engine ( foreign made ) or just a Kohler sticker .
WE get a lot of gear, generators & water pumps down here with faked Honda engines.
Again directly imported from China or India so the retailer just claims they were sold the units as being "Honda" powered and if they have a weybill that says Honda on it they are absolved from any responsibility for the engine being a genuine Honda .
Honda Aust have taken all of the big retailers to court to little effect as the best they ever get is an order that it not be advertised as "Honda powered" and the Honda stickers be removed , not much of a result for hundreds of thousands in legal fees
I probably get a fake Honda a month some in during the fire season from a customer wondering why their $ 500 Honda / Onga fire set won't pump water.
I show them the wholesale price of the Honda engine ( $ 600 to $ 1200 ) plus the price of a genuine Onga pump ( $ 800 to $ 2000 ) then ask them what made them think their set was genuine .

Hammermechanicman said:

Bring it to me and fixed in 30 mins. Charged $40. Splitting wood that afternoon.
Tractor Supply is not a Kohler service center. Local TS said take it back to where she bought it a hundred miles away. If they did take it back they would drop it off as TS would send it to whomever does their service work and then drive back a hundred miles to pick it up in a week or so if lucky. You obviously think i have no idea what the f**k i am doing. That's fine. Have a nice day.

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Hammer I get customers like that try to tell how to fix the machine or engine. I just look at them and "So why are you here if you know what needs to done?". I even got rid one customer this year that was insisting it only took 30 minutes to remove, repair, and re-install a Kohler horizontal engine on a Cub Cadet shaft drive mower. It took me nearly 2 hrs of fighting rusted bolts to get the job done. He came back in whining about the bill. So I reworked the bill and charged for the parts and told him to hit the road and don't come back. Then he tried making out he was just kidding around. No difference the insult was done.

I understand it can be a pain to do warranty work if you are dealer as the OEM are nitpickers. So I have never sign up to be a warranty center until last month as it was the only way to get my HG parts and transaxles warranteed. Since HG will not send a copy of the warranty policy I will bill the customer upfront and refund them when I get refunded.

Warranty won't pay for a dirty carb. It is not a defect in material and workmanship.

StarTech said:

Hammer I get customers like that try to tell how to fix the machine or engine. I just look at them and "So why are you here if you know what needs to done?". I even got rid one customer this year that was insisting it only took 30 minutes to remove, repair, and re-install a Kohler horizontal engine on a Cub Cadet shaft drive mower. It took me nearly 2 hrs of fighting rusted bolts to get the job done. He came back in whining about the bill. So I reworked the bill and charged for the parts and told him to hit the road and don't come back. Then he tried making out he was just kidding around. No difference the insult was done.

I understand it can be a pain to do warranty work if you are dealer as the OEM are nitpickers. So I have never sign up to be a warranty center until last month as it was the only way to get my HG parts and transaxles warranteed. Since HG will not send a copy of the warranty policy I will bill the customer upfront and refund them when I get refunded.

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I was approached once to be a warranty center. No thanks.

hlw49 said:

Warranty won't pay for a dirty carb. It is not a defect in material and workmanship.

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That I know I have been working on equipment for 40+ yrs to not have learned one or two things. But if it is straight out the box then it should be as someone didn't do their job.

StarTech said:

That I know I have been working on equipment for 40+ yrs to not have learned one or two things. But if it is straight out the box then it should be as someone didn't do their job.

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We have seen 8 new carbs not function straight out of the box, mostly as a parts issue - storage. Ethanol is a solvent, not well liked by rubber tipped floats. We have added Marvel's mystery oil in our fuel treatment as a lube to valves, float needles, and rings. This has helped greatly. We also often when we remember give a shot of fogging oil into carb fuel inlet and a shake before mounting a carb. Floats remain an issue, and I think these spring loaded float needles make stuck needles an even bigger problem for stuck closed needles. The Government no longer has to pay farmer's not to grow corn, so no time soon will we see the end of ethanol!!