Has anyone here done a Briggs and stratton 23hp engine repower?

[mikekot3 92]

Has anyone purchased and installed a engine repower conversion with a Briggs and Stratton 23 hp  Vanguard series from small
engine warehouse? I am thinking about buying this kit from them. It is approximately 1800 dollars with freight included.
Looking at new tractors for sale I am not really impressed with flimsy construction I see. I need my equipment to last many more years and I thought this could be a worthwhile option. Has it held up well for you? Anything you would do to make it better if you had to do it again?
http://www.smallenginewarehouse.com/386447-WH520H-R1.html?sc=17&category=1709896

Please advise,
mike

[WNYPCRepair 1,918]

A little cheaper than the NOS Onan P220 I bought
 

[MalMac 1,331]

A friend of mine has done it with a couple of his 520's. He's been real happy with it. Had to make a couple of small modifications, but other than that he's been working them.

[mikekot3 92]

MalMac,
Is there any real difference between a 520h and a 416-8 other than the transmission? Since my tractor uses belts to drive the attachments and the manual transmission. I have never operated a WH hydro tractor so I do not know. Does a hydro tractor get its hydraulics driven in a similar way or is it driven some other manner?
what modifications did he have to make?
 

 

[MalMac 1,331]

Hydros get their power from a drive belt also. The slight modifications I am not sure about. I believe it was in the wiring and possibly the pto brackets. I will get in touch with him and let you know.

[Don1977 604]

I did an 18 HP Vanguard in a C-120 It's a tight fit. I didn't buy a kit as I did it in 1990 with a 16 HP and up graded to the 18 in 2010.  The 18 and the 23 are the same size.  In a 416 you shouldn't have any problems as there is a lot more room.. I'm not sure how high your power take off shaft is on your engine. I had to raise the engine 7/8" to get mine to get it to the same height as the 12 Kohler. Buy the engine with the wiring and switch already on the engine and with a 1 1/8" shaft you don't really need a kit If your good a doing a little metal work.

[diesel cowboy 263]

I'm working on a repower for a customer at work with an engine from them right now.  Its the 18hp Vanguard instead of the 23.  The one I'm doing is going in a Cub Cadet instead of a Wheel Horse but I can say it's basically a plug and play setup.  I had to do some wiring work on the tractor because the one I'm doing they don't offer an engine for.  It's a CC 582.  If I was putting it in the CC 682/782 the kit I got was designed for all I would have had to do was take it out of the box and bolt it to the mounting plate in the tractor and wiggle the engine around a little to line up the drive shaft and change the throttle cable to the one that was provided with the engine.  Its a nicely designed conversion and the instructions are easy to follow with an 800 number to call if you have any problems hooking it up.  Hope this helps.                  Stewart

Edited August 30, 2015 by diesel cowboy

[mikekot3 92]

Thank you everyone for the feedback thus far on my proposed engine conversion. You folks are a wealth of knowledge !!!

[MalMac 1,331]

Just a little re-wiring and had to get the engine  up a little bit to get the crank/pto lined up.