New mower surprise
- Thread starter LarryL
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I noticed that too. I have the HRR216SDA with the 5.5 HP engine and it sips the gas. I replaced an older Craftsman with a B+S 3.5 horsepower engine. Funny how the higher HP Honda uses less fuel!
Now you see why flathead Fords went out of style.
Rickey.
just put some german castrol in my 199.99 walmart mower with the 5.5hp honda, and the thing is smoother than some cars i have owned. haha.
Many years ago, automotive and motorcyclist writer Peter Egan tried to conduct an experiment about energy consumption.
He drove some Honda scooter while a friend rode a bicycle ... some distance, like 100 miles.
The friend documented everything he ate and they converted the energy used so the two values could be compared.
The lil' Honda won ... hands down.
The bicyclist responded in frustration that fuel evaporated faster than the Honda consumed it.
I also seem to remember this same sort of thing on an episode of Junkyard Wars. A little Honda scooter ran for lap after lap once they were sure it had used all of its fuel.
--- Bror Jace
He drove some Honda scooter while a friend rode a bicycle ... some distance, like 100 miles.
The friend documented everything he ate and they converted the energy used so the two values could be compared.
The lil' Honda won ... hands down.
The bicyclist responded in frustration that fuel evaporated faster than the Honda consumed it.
I also seem to remember this same sort of thing on an episode of Junkyard Wars. A little Honda scooter ran for lap after lap once they were sure it had used all of its fuel.
--- Bror Jace
Larry, I found the same exact thing when I got my honda push mower ~6yrs ago. Uses half the gasoline my old 3.5hp B&S flathead did. They are much more smooth, quiet and less stinky as well. I wont buy anymore flat-head OPE for these reasons.
Joel
Joel
well I put GC in my 6.5 HP B&S engine. the thing runs smoother than my trucks engine. so maybe its just the oil
guess this shows that you pay more for a better engine. it will use less gas. wonder if B&S will follow honda and come up with a better engine for their base push mowers. I would love a honda but dont want to pay the price of one. my B&S does just fine.
maybe honda can use this as a marketing ad. to justify buying their higher priced engines.
Honda my have lead the way for OHV engines, but now they have a GS series engine that is an OHC, and like those that stuck with the flathead, I wonder if lawn professionals will be slow to accept an OHC engine? The GS OHC is a commerical rated engine like the older GX seriex of OHV engines and both are rated at 2000 hours. The OHC is interesting, in that the cam drive is a belt in oil that actually oils the top end of the engine, instead of depending on oil splash or a seperate oil pump.
Honda produced an OHC small (14hp) engine almost 25 years ago.
It's not just a flathead vs. OHV/OHC thing. It's the difference between a company selling modern technology and one using "engineering" from about 1955.quote:
Originally posted by Rickey:
Now you see why flathead Fords went out of style.Rickey.
I had one of the first Honda HR-21 self propelled mowers. It had a flathead engine but still used far less fuel than the Briggs it replaced. The Honda would also start with one pull every spring after sitting all winter. Let me know when you find a flathead Briggs that will do that.
With or without priming? My 3.5 briggs did the first pull after sitting all winter, without even priming the sucker.... every time I prime it 3 times.... starts the first pull every timequote:
Originally posted by jsharp:
It's not just a flathead vs. OHV/OHC thing. It's the difference between a company selling modern technology and one using "engineering" from about 1955.quote:
Originally posted by Rickey:
Now you see why flathead Fords went out of style.Rickey.
I had one of the first Honda HR-21 self propelled mowers. It had a flathead engine but still used far less fuel than the Briggs it replaced. The Honda would also start with one pull every spring after sitting all winter. Let me know when you find a flathead Briggs that will do that.
My Craftsman tiller equipped with a Briggs did exactly that on Saturday. The only difference was it had been sitting nearly a year rather than just the winter.
My Honda didn't have a primer, just a choke setting. And every year for the 8 years I had it I could start it 1st pull in the spring with the fuel from the previous year after sitting though the winter in Illinois in an unheated garage. I've never owned a Briggs that would do that but maybe I'm just unlucky.
The fuel economy difference was certainly noticable too as others have indicated.
The fuel economy difference was certainly noticable too as others have indicated.
We have a motor (Briggs I think) on a roto-tiller that also starts quite easily despite very infrequent running.
I'll verify what it is and post that here.
--- Bror Jace
I'll verify what it is and post that here.
--- Bror Jace
JHZR2
Staff member
Sometimes old tech flathead B&S for example, shows operational advantage when considering lifecycle cost. Will the honda burn slop fuel of all sorts well, the way that a flathead B&S will?
Will a honda be more sensitive to a variety of 'severe' use situations that the flathed might take in stride?
The honda is a good mower, and they make a very good engine (just got a GX OHV for my new power washer, and a GX OHC for mynew cultivator), but for a mower for me... just a push only with mulching capacity, ill save significantly over the life cycle buying my little $163 crafstman, as opposed to $100+ more for a honda... the flathead 4.5 will do everything I need and last every bit as long, while taking any leftover junk fuel or whatnot that I wish to burn. I wouldnt trust that to a fancy honda engine... if for no other reason than that it is too fancy and nice...
JMH
Will a honda be more sensitive to a variety of 'severe' use situations that the flathed might take in stride?
The honda is a good mower, and they make a very good engine (just got a GX OHV for my new power washer, and a GX OHC for mynew cultivator), but for a mower for me... just a push only with mulching capacity, ill save significantly over the life cycle buying my little $163 crafstman, as opposed to $100+ more for a honda... the flathead 4.5 will do everything I need and last every bit as long, while taking any leftover junk fuel or whatnot that I wish to burn. I wouldnt trust that to a fancy honda engine... if for no other reason than that it is too fancy and nice...
JMH
And there are Briggs and Stratton clones coming in from China. Go to your local Home Depot, they have them. If people think Briggs and Stratton flatheads are bottom feeders, what must a flathead from China be?
"China can build to any quality standard that the importer wants and not that they "could not" build a quality clone."
I agree, but I think the operative word is "can."
--- Bror Jace
I agree, but I think the operative word is "can."
--- Bror Jace
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