I have recently been looking at mowers and got to thinking about B&S and their prehistoric designs. Does anyone else find B&S oil flat head design a turn off when looking at equipment? IMO B&S is behind the times by still making these old inefficient engines. They are loud, heavy and guzzle gas. Don't get me wrong, they are dependable, but most mowers won't last as long as the engine. B&S needs to get with it or they will soon be replaced on almost every mower deck by the new Chinese engines.
B&S flat heads
- Thread starter Gilitar
- Start date
- Status
If the engines are equally reliable I would not give the engine style a second thought.
I honestly don't think much about my GBPG (grass blades per gallon) on my mowers.
Electrics will probably be the next thing. I expect that the Roomba type mowers will be the rage in the next couple of years. I know they already have a few on the market.
Electrics will probably be the next thing. I expect that the Roomba type mowers will be the rage in the next couple of years. I know they already have a few on the market.
Man thats a scary idea. A lawnmower running around the yard unattended. Yikes
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
It does seem like they took a step backwards- probably to save a few bucks. A few years ago, you saw more OHV B&S powered 'premium' mowers at big box stores on Toro's, Scotts brand, etc.. Now they are all flat-head B&S's or tecumseh's unless you want to go Honda or Commercial series Toro, etc. It's not so noticeable on ~4hp or less, but flat heads larger than that do use quite a bit more gasoline than a comparable OHV/OHC.
Joel
Joel
BTW, these are the mowers I'm looking at...
http://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_14101_162709_33831_-1
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.d...N&ihtoken=1
http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_10106_17664_-1
http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_29301_17664_-1
http://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_14101_162709_33831_-1
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.d...N&ihtoken=1
http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_10106_17664_-1
http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_29301_17664_-1
I'll take the flat head anyday. Much easier to fix and they run forever.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
That Cub Cadet looks like a good deal. I think that's a Kawasaki OHV on it. All in that range have similar wheel/handle hardware. That's the important stuff. Parts will always be easy to source with the name brand/dealer products as well.
Joel
Briggs bought Murray. I expect you'll see fewer mower manufacturers using B&S engines since Briggs is now competing against them.
All the gardeners out here in California use either Honda, Toro, or Snapper for walk behinds.
I was not aware of this. What a dumb move!
Is there anyway to confirm this? I was under the impression that this engine is a chinese engine.
Quote:
Quote:
$2000! If I was rich that would be a cool toy to have.
Man thats a scary idea. A lawnmower running around the yard unattended. Yikes
Check it out...
Robomow
I can see a B Horror Movie involving one of these. But with the amount of people who own a Roomba, I can see it as a logical progression.
I agree that the flat head design is antiquated compared to the more modern OHV and OHC engines out there. When buying a new mower, I would give preference to the newer design engines, if only to tell the manufacturer that there's no excuse to continue to use outdated technology. They (flat heads) went out on automobiles over half a century ago.
Briggs & Stratton does make OHV engines, so you do have some choices. Of course, there are also Tecumsehs, Hondas, and Kawasakis out there as well. One of the main reasons I bought a certain Craftsman mower about 3 years ago was because of the OHC Honda engine. I was tired of rattly and smoky Briggs engines. Because of my good experience with that engine, I also bought (used) a Honda Masters with a OHV commercial Honda engine.
Briggs & Stratton does make OHV engines, so you do have some choices. Of course, there are also Tecumsehs, Hondas, and Kawasakis out there as well. One of the main reasons I bought a certain Craftsman mower about 3 years ago was because of the OHC Honda engine. I was tired of rattly and smoky Briggs engines. Because of my good experience with that engine, I also bought (used) a Honda Masters with a OHV commercial Honda engine.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Given that $259 MSRP, it's possible. I didn't think about that!
Joel
- Status
