Originally Posted By: boraticus
Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
I should also mention the Honda true 4 stroke produces less carbon over the 2 stroke and of course the hybrid 4 stroke. Ideally it's the cleanest engine amongst hand held equipment.
The only draw back personally is you need to change the oil out frequently which means weekly on a commercial level. If clean oil isn't used long term problems will occur with premature wear and expensive repairs. When you have 3 different operators using the equipment hour usage can be carelessly forgotten.
Those are problems with the 4 stroke on hand held equipment. As far as performance the torque in the 4 stroke is awesome.
So, no valve adjustment required? No additional mechanical wear & tear on the valve mechanism? No additional expense to repair four cycle engines? No additional expense to buy them? No additional weight?
Personally, I think there are quite a bit more negatives to four stroke technology in hand held OPE than there are benefits.
Considering how little OPE contributes over all to the hydrocarbon footprint, I think it's nothing but unnecessary regulations being put into place to enhance marketing opportunities for manufacturers to sell more expensive and complicated equipment that will result in beefing up their bottom line at the expense of consumers.
If one really boils it down, how many more hydrocarbons are dumped into the atmosphere to produce the additional steel and manufacture & assemble the additional parts that go into these four stroke engines. How much do the additional trucks hauling a load of raw material to the smelter pump into the air? Now compare that to the DIFFERENCE being emitted by two stroke vs. four stroke OPE! Our governments and regulators are too much over the top to see the forest for the trees. It's a scam folks.
If they really want to do something about pumping hydrocarbons into the air, why don't we stop the military conflicts presently going on? How many hydro carbons are being pumped into the air by the war ships, military transport jets, F18s, helicopters, tanks, APCs and support vehicles to keep these armies going? How about the soccer mom in the Escalade driving one kid to practice? Why not switch all auto sports fuel from gasoline to alcohol? There a numerous ways to achieve fewer hydrocarbon emissions that appear to very much overlooked.
The switch from two cycle to four cycle OPE in the name of saving the environment is a joke. A sad one at that.
Put it this way a dealer sells a product his first priority is consumer satisfaction. If a dealer sells the Honda 4 stroke and the Shindaiwa hybrid 4 stroke versus a 2 stroke, the dealer knows the potential problems down the road regarding the 4 stroke engines. The dealer will feel more confident selling the 2 stroke
That's the view of the seller as he wants his potential consumer to have satisfaction on his purchase. Unless you understand what's required to maintain a 4 stroke/hybrid with increase torque performance it's better you stick with the 2 stroke engines especially on commercial level with many hours of usage for durability.
Another view regarding the 4 stroke versus the 2 stroke. If the 4 stroke is properly maintained would it last as long as a maintained 2 stroke. Answer no today's 2 stroke is the better engine over the 4 stroke regarding durability. Question is how many even reach the potential hours a 2 stroke can go. Very few most likely an equipment being run daily on a commercial level.
So I ask the dealer what engine would you rather have a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke. His answer I'd rather sell the 2 stroke because there are less potential problems and have consumer satisfaction. So I ask him what would you rather use a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke. His reply a 4 stroke with torque performance because I know how to maintain it and I'm never going to reach that many hours until the unit goes.