How many hours do you got?

[Maxwell-8 4,277]

Since I bought my first horse a couple of months ago. I have learned a lot about quality. In the mean time I have had 3 horses and gone pick up a new one this week. Probably the secret that horses are so damn good is the engine.Thanks to the forum I learned to appreciate these Kohler's or Onan's cast-iron blocks and I would do everything to keep my horses running on these wonderfull American made engines. But now my question: I have seen hour meters from 900-5600 hours. But just how long will an well maintained Kohler or Onan run? How many hours do you got on yours?

[peter lena 8,634]

@Maxwell-8, obviously  a regularly maintained tractor will virtually laugh at hours, replacing parts and pieces that just wear out and fail , my personal experience on used engines that I picked up was engine gunk and varnish build up , that would cause engine smoking . when I would first run it , it was to see and sense how it works, good, poorly, correctable . my first hot oil change would say a lot , typically , add RISLONE ENGINE CLEANER TO THE OIL , over its next hourly run cycle , noting the very quick oil color change ,indicating a varnish flush . honestly my c-85 , coming on 40 years of use , with and engine change 2 years ago , is a very solid runner , don't even know how many hours , but my regular maintenance makes it a non issue.  buy the way , why is it so difficult to get small tractor stuff in Europe?  Pete

[squonk 41,155]

I had 993 hrs. on my k341. I wasn't the original owner. I got it with 700 hrs. and it smoked like Jackie Gleason. It quit smoking but I would go thru a pint of oil a month while mowing. It started to rattle a little and I swapped it out. It was still running when I found this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by squonk

[Stormin 9,981]

44 minutes ago, peter lena said:

 why is it so difficult to get small tractor stuff in Europe?  Pete

 

  You can get Wheel Horse parts etc in Europe but not in anyway as easy, or as cheap, as in the USA. Even though Wheel Horse had a factory in Belgium they were not as prolific over here. Some of the Belgian products in England were sold as Mountfields who imported them. I have two. C-81 and C-121. My C-125 and my Sears GT16, both American made, were most likely imported by American servicemen stationed over here.

  As for hours I've no clue how many mine have done. 25 are the recommended oil change intervals.

Edited May 16, 2021 by Stormin

[Maxwell-8 4,277]

21 minutes ago, Stormin said:

25 are the recommended oil change intervals.

Seems very often, but engine oil is relatively cheap and engines are not!

[Stormin 9,981]

They don't hold a lot of oil, so what there is works hard.

[ebinmaine 67,619]

26 minutes ago, Maxwell-8 said:

Seems very often, but engine oil is relatively cheap and engines are not!

No filter. So the oil itself has to hold the dirt for you.  

[ebinmaine 67,619]

None of our machines have or have had hour meters that work. 

 

My Cinnamon Horse C160 was originally purchased by a small telephone company in Western Massachusetts. 

They used it for mowing and possibly plowing. 

When I got it every joint hole pivot etc was worn right out. 

Even the carb throttle linkage had worn so much it rattled loose and broke off. 

 

And it still ran!!!

 

Hours??

Who knows....

Several thousand is likely. 

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

I wish l knew! My 414 didnt come with a meter.

[ranger 1,750]

1 hour ago, squonk said:

I had 993 hrs. on my k341. I wasn't the original owner. I got it with 700 hrs. and it smoked like Jackie Gleason. It quit smoking but I would go thru a pint of oil a month while mowing. It started to rattle a little and I swapped it out. It was still running when I found this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A classic case of “Pist-N-Broke! 😃😢

Edited May 16, 2021 by ranger

[Stormin 9,981]

And not Saturday night.

[cschannuth 3,816]

Dad’s C-161 twin Briggs doesn’t have an hour meter but it cut grass for a couple hours about 25 times per years for 40 years and plowed snow in the winter for all those years as well. It’s never had anything but oil changes, a couple sets of plugs, and a few batteries so it’s well over 2000 hours and still running strong and has never been touched.  He was particular with his stuff but it also was used in very hilly terrain which should have had a negative impact on the engine. 

Edited May 17, 2021 by cschannuth

[Bill D 1,926]

If the hour meter is correct, I have a KT 17 with 1354 on it . Still runs great and doesn't use any oil.  Bill