Suburban repower engine size question

[wh500special 2,249]

I don’t have one to measure:

 

Will a Kohler k181 or a Magnum 8 fit under the hood of a Suburban 400/401/550/551 without cutting the hood?

 

there’s 12.5 inches between the hood and frame.  

 

I don’t mind if the hood support bracketry has to be excised, but don’t want to cut into a good hood. 
 

I suppose the hood could be shimmed up a bit without too much drama from the steering shaft.  
 

An alternate route is to use a Honda GX 8 hp.  I think that would make it due to the slant cylinder arrangement.  I know several have swapped in a Harbor Freight clone of a Honda, so the geometry ought to be about the same. 

 

Thanks,

Steve

Edited December 7, 2024 by wh500special
Added picture.

[kpinnc 13,710]

Steve the K181 on my son’s Ranger is 12.5 inches at the top of the sheet metal to the frame. 
 

Of course the spark plug will be higher, but should fit under the hood itself. 
 

 You might also be able to get a shallow pan for even more room. The one below is a deep pan as used on most Wheel Horses. 
 

Edited December 7, 2024 by kpinnc

[wh500special 2,249]

Thanks Kevin.

 

Seems like it might be made to fit!  Will start looking for one.  Hoping for rope start/magneto. 
 

Original plan was to put a Hatz 1B20 (4.8 hp) diesel in there, but it’s 4” too tall…kinda hard to fudge that much. 
 

Steve

[kpinnc 13,710]

15 hours ago, wh500special said:

Seems like it might be made to fit!  Will start looking for one.  Hoping for rope start/magneto. 

I would imagine that a pull start Kohler will look right at home! 

[wallfish 17,484]

Find a K91. Is the tractor not worth keeping it somewhat original?

You would definitely be raising the hood with K181 and might not have enough room for the shifter to work properly without bending it. When a hood is raised on a Suburban, it also needs to move back towards the driver due to the steering shaft angle. Some minor modification to mount the hood to the hood stand with some brackets is needed as is with the front. The hood sits only about 3/4" above the spark plug on a K91.

The little HF predator engines fit in there but I think it looks funny with a modern engine on an old tractor.

A Teccy H60 is the same size as a H55 which would also fit in there.

[squonk 42,505]

K181 will not fit without cutting raising hood. If you get a K91 you have to move the hood /battery framework forward about an inch if your Suburban is a 551 to clear the governor shaft.

 

[wh500special 2,249]

John, 

 

I’m looking to make this my weekly mower at my house.  As much as I like to think of myself as a minimalist,  I’ve always found the 4 hp to be lacking with the 32” deck and I’d appreciate extra power. 
 

It currently has an H70 on there.  Not sure of its running condition as I just got the tractor recently and I haven’t had a chance to bring it home.  PO didn’t mess with it either.  I will certainly see if it will run before I pull it.  
 

Honestly, I just have a preference for the little cast iron Kohlers over the Tecumsehs.   
 

And I agree, these machines don’t look quite right with a modern OHV engine on them.
 

Mike, 

 

It’s a 551, so the battery frame thing may need to be trimmed or removed.  Chopping that out doesn’t bother me, but messing with the hood would break my heart. 
 

I’m hoping to make this a winter project if I can get the junk out of my garage that’s taking all my space 😠.   I haven’t redone a tractor in years and I’ve suddenly developed the urge to have something old around this place.  

 

Maybe this is a midlife crisis or something.  
 

Of course plans and dreams can change…I just picked up two E141s from Jim @SylvanLakeWH . There’s a chance I might put one of them to work here instead.  In that case, who knows what I’ll end up doing with this thing but the thought of electrifying it has crossed my mind…but THAT would look funny. 
 

Thank you for the input!

Steve

[SylvanLakeWH 27,494]

2 minutes ago, wh500special said:

In that case, who knows what I’ll end up doing with this thing but the thought of electrifying it has crossed my mind…but THAT would look funny.

Some food for thought...

 

 

[wh500special 2,249]

Um…

 

Describing myself as a minimalist is a bit embarrassing given that I’ve had as many as 50 Wheel Horses at a time.   Probably should have indicated that the term really only applies to selective parts of my existence.  😆 

 

Steve

[SylvanLakeWH 27,494]

No worries @wh500special, "Minimally", adjusted for inflation, maximally increases the base factor utilization rate of 's... thus necessitating maximum  ownership and usage capacity to justify minimalist claims... 

 

I read it on the interwebs so it must be true...

 

Huh...? 

[kpinnc 13,710]

6 hours ago, wh500special said:

but THAT would look funny. 

 
Certainly has room for batteries…