How come there's no OHC Chonda?

[slacktide_bitog]

There are many Chinese copies of Honda's OPE engines, including the GX200. For example, the Lifan-made Predator 212 is a GX200 copy so accurate that genuine Honda parts fit on it.

Why don't they copy the OHC engines like the GCV 160?

I've seen the leaf blower Chonda engines, copies of the GX25, but not their mainstream OHC lawn mower engines like the GCV160 and GSV190.

The OHC design is probably quieter and more fuel efficient than the OHV.

I switched to electric, but if I wanted a gas lawn mower again, I'd buy one with the GCV160.

So my question is, why hasn't anybody copied the GCV OHC engines?

 

[wag123]

They probably can't produce them for fear of running afoul of patent rights. Honda's other OHV engines are not really proprietary designs.

 

[eljefino]

^ This. Chondas aren't "knockoffs", they are licensed by Honda, or whomever. China makes foreign investors leave some intellectual property behind. They aren't stupid. For reasons known only to Honda and their licensees, what is made is what's on the list to be made.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

^ This. Chondas aren't "knockoffs", they are licensed by Honda, or whomever. China makes foreign investors leave some intellectual property behind. They aren't stupid. For reasons known only to Honda and their licensees, what is made is what's on the list to be made.

I honestly didn't know they were actually licensed by Honda!

They probably can't produce them for fear of running afoul of patent rights. Honda's other OHV engines are not really proprietary designs.

The GCV may have been out long enough where the patents have expired on them

 

[wpod]

Everything I own except for the tractor and lawn mower in OHC and I really don't like OHC .

 

[andyd]

Don't mistake me for a Predator shill, but it is such an improvement over the Tecumseh flat head it replaced. I don't see a OHC engined OPE in my timeline. Mine is waiting on its 9th season of snow blowing.It paid for itself in its 1st season. It could throw a rod on its next start and I'd just go 12miles down the road for another one

 

[Cujet]

Don't mistake me for a Predator shill, but it is such an improvement over the Tecumseh flat head it replaced. I don't see a OHC engined OPE in my timeline. Mine is waiting on its 9th season of snow blowing.It paid for itself in its 1st season. It could throw a rod on its next start and I'd just go 12miles down the road for another one

The classic HF predator 6.5HP is a very well made engine. It is a gem, and worth using in any number of applications.

 

[Rand]

Don't mistake me for a Predator shill, but it is such an improvement over the Tecumseh flat head it replaced.

That's the straight truth.

 

[350Rocket]

Don't mistake me for a Predator shill, but it is such an improvement over the Tecumseh flat head it replaced. I don't see a OHC engined OPE in my timeline. Mine is waiting on its 9th season of snow blowing.It paid for itself in its 1st season. It could throw a rod on its next start and I'd just go 12miles down the road for another one

I really miss my Tecumseh hm80 on my 79 MTD snowblower. It didn't burn a drop of oil and ran great. Unfortunately the non serviceable transmission blew up so I replaced it with a 2009 Ariens with an OHV Briggs which I have much less confidence in (the engine I mean).

 

[MSCH]

simplicity and compactness are main reason OHV design is commonplace in small engines.
No need for an high performance valvetrain in a small workhorse engine.

 

[MSCH]

look under the hood of a late model Ford truck with the Triton engine
and look under the hood of the GM with the small block
will give you a really great visual of the compactness of a OHV engine compared to a OHV.
%.4 in my Expedition took up more space than the old 460.

 

[Exhaustgases]

Maybe they decided not to ad a drive system that is prone to failure, ie belt or chain, more expense, more possible problems.
OHC and OHV is nonsense for a lawn mower, and is what has helped give B&S a bad name.

 

[Cujet]

look under the hood of a late model Ford truck with the Triton engine
and look under the hood of the GM with the small block
will give you a really great visual of the compactness of a OHV engine compared to a OHV.
%.4 in my Expedition took up more space than the old 460.

It really is interesting how the lowly pushrod, OHV engine is shunned today. I remain unconvinced OHC designs have any advantages at all. We can position the valves any way we would like, and can even reliably operate 4 valves with pushrods.

But the bottom line remains the same, a compact, light, powerful and efficient engine is, in the end, what we need.

 

[MSCH]

It really is interesting how the lowly pushrod, OHV engine is shunned today. I remain unconvinced OHC designs have any advantages at all. We can position the valves any way we would like, and can even reliably operate 4 valves with pushrods.

But the bottom line remains the same, a compact, light, powerful and efficient engine is, in the end, what we need.

simplicity is a virtue, except to magazine writers and the type of people who believe what those people say.

 

[Cujet]

simplicity is a virtue, except to magazine writers and the type of people who believe what those people say.

Even more than that, there is not additional friction with pushrod designs, nor is valve placement and combustion chamber design limited. Really, the only limitation of a pushrod engine, is ultra high RPM use. Very, very few engines are in that category. And certainly not OPE engines.

 

[jeepman3071]

Maybe they decided not to ad a drive system that is prone to failure, ie belt or chain, more expense, more possible problems.
OHC and OHV is nonsense for a lawn mower, and is what has helped give B&S a bad name.

I love old B&S engines. What gave B&S a bad name in my opinion is the junk quality in later years, and awful designs that when flaws were found they just continued on with those designs. One example would be their OHV single cylinder Intek engines used on lawn tractors. Pretty much their bread and butter of engines and arguably the most widely used and well known. Those have a few issues, but the most common one that plagues ALL of them at some point due to a crappy design is the head gasket failure between the cylinder and the valve area. The problem can lead to the engine failing if the oil burning gets bad enough, and impacts *decades* of engines sold.