Should I be afraid of a Briggs Engine

G

Gebo

Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
6,096
Location
VA
I'm an older dude and I always thought B&S were pieces of junk as engines. Lo and behold, as I go lawnmower shopping I'm getting told things that are causing my brain to tilt. Here's what I heard yesterday. Briggs is a great engine. The Vanguard is not really a Briggs but it is better than a Briggs. Kawasaki QC has gone down. Koehler is a great engine. All you gotta do is take care of them and they will all last a "lifetime".

I am looking as Bad Boy, Grasshopper, Kubota, Cub, Scag, etc. From watching a bunch of You-tubes, I know to go first for more transmission as
my main criteria, then comfort and then "all" engines are pretty much the same. As for as engines, hp does not equal pulling power so don't let 1 or 2 hp pull me from a better lower hp engine.

One dealer told me to only use 30 wt oil as they use Federated (I only mow in VA/NC border) and to not use a high temp grease as it wouldn't melt in the spindles???

The world sure has changed since I purchased my Honda 4120 in 1994 for $4500.

I thought I knew "the truths" but apparently my reality has been in "Wonka" land.
 
I bought a self propelled walk behind Columbia mower 4 years ago. It's got that Briggs engine that advertises itself as not needing oil changes ( I change it once a year).
No issues yet.
 
all the small engines have come a long way. Kawasaki is still the top dog. vanguard it the commercial Briggs. your biggest issue now is the fuel. use Stabil with every fill up. I just put it in the gas can before I fill them up so I know everything has it in it.
 
I’ve personally have not had good success with B&S carburetor choices. The engines are okay but their carbs leave me wanting better.
 
My parents yard machine is 15ish years old and powered by a 6.5 hp B&S. I change the oil every year. It's just now acting up when hot but that might be the plug wires or electronics. Great so far.
 
Buy the colour of lawn tractor you like the best and install a Honda GX 690 in it for a few extra bucks.
Search gx690 installation kits, for example in a John Deere 300 series tractor.
 
Pepperjunkie said:
I bought a self propelled walk behind Columbia mower 4 years ago. It's got that Briggs engine that advertises itself as not needing oil changes ( I change it once a year).
No issues yet.
Click to expand...

This is nearly identical to my experience. Purchased a mower around 2020 with the same generation Brigs engine - lots of poor reviews online with people saying the engines are junk, etc. - and 4 years later it's still running like a champ. Comes to show you can't believe everything you read online. Also, every manufacture is cutting costs, required to meet CARB requirements, etc. and there is no clear winner, IMO. Tomato, Tomato.

I did change the oil in my mower after break-in (although Brigs says its not required) and it was a dark silver color. I couldn't believe it.
 
Last edited:
There’s truth. Briggs has come a long way. Vanguard as mentioned previously is the commercial Briggs. Not all Kawasakis are the same. They have their “home owner” models that are readily available in almost anything “new” under $5,000 or so.

Used is a bit of a different ball game. Lots of homeowners overbuy, and you can pickup top tier brands with low hours for the price of a new lower quality unit.

I work for JD and bought a new zero turn this year and it was then entry level Z330R. It has Kawasakis tier 2 engine (there’s 3 tiers really - homeowner, in between home owner and commercial and commercial quality.

It’s been a great machine and I’ve already put 30hrs on it 2 months. I like warranty when it comes to these machines now. Parts are still rather expensive. And actual repairs can be rather expensive $300+

I work in the industry. I sell JD parts for a living.
 
Whatever money you decide to spend now will give you a few years of probably no maintenance, but that is the most assurance you will get.

My 2018 Craftsman push mower carb needed to be replaced just a week or so ago. It was $60 for an OEM. I could have cleaned the old one properly but instead tinkered with it and went with a new one instead. Its now running like new.
I bought a 2008 Craftsman riding mower brand new and its being tortured once a week doing landscape jobs around the yard. Had to replace the carb, belt and batteries.
I have an 94 Weed Eater tiller with the flathead and it needs carb work.
All of these have B&S engines, and none have exploded yet.

I have a 2016 JD X354 which is a Lexus riding mower with a kawasaki engine. I've killed 3 belts from endless limestone growing from the earth, and the carb intake gaskets blew.

What I suggest is accept maintenance of some sort is required, you will have failures, set aside a budget according to your mechanical ability (or lack thereof) or hire a lawn crew, or move into an apartment. Good luck.
 
You need to do research on the specific engines offered in the mowers you are looking at. Blanket statements about particular brands are useless, as all the major brands have varying levels of quality across their product lines. I do find it a bit comical people are comparing new mowers to engines from decades ago, they are apples and oranges besides the brand sticker on the side being the same.

Kawasaki and Honda are usually near the top, even their consumer level engines (FR series). Along the same level are the Briggs Vanguard. Those are commercial engines. The Kohler Command is also a commercial engine. Anything else is consumer grade. The brand really means little vs. the construction. I'd take a Briggs from the 1980s any day, but I wouldn't touch a single cylinder modern Briggs Intek engine with a 10 foot pole.

Also do your own research on the mower brands you are interested in and don't talk to the sales people.
 
I have a JD rider and I absolutely love how smooth and easy starting the 22hp Kawasaki runs. It's a great machine. I added the Amazon $55 bumper on it the other day to help me bond with my new/used machine my son sold to me for pennies on the dollar. Do not be afraid of the Briggs/Stratton engine.

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Good info. Thank y’all. Some of the companies I’m writing off cause they never sleep.

So what y’all are saying is the Vanguard and Command are commercial grade. How do I know which Kawasaki is commercial?

I’m gonna start another thread on transmissions.
 
Gebo said:
Good info. Thank y’all. Some of the companies I’m writing off cause they never sleep.

So what y’all are saying is the Vanguard and Command are commercial grade. How do I know which Kawasaki is commercial?

I’m gonna start another thread on transmissions.
Click to expand...
FX is commercial
 
I’m a victim of Kawasaki’s cheapening out on their homeowner grade FR series. Barely lasted 100 hours out of a FR730V before seized rings led to excessive oil consumption. Engine seized at about 140 hours but was able to be freed up by the dealer. Now it only can start cold, no dice once it’s fully warmed up.

This time around, I went with a Briggs Commercial Turf motor and it is lightyears better than the Kawasaki FR line. I’m at 100 hours and no issues to note. Easiest starting engine that I’ve ever had, cold or hot.
 
The single cylinder B&S Intek engines have a known design flaw in the head bolts design. This causes these mowers to leak/blow head gaskets. I do not think they have corrected it.
 
Personally I've had great luck with Briggs of all era's. That said I do think the Kawasaki is a tier above. It will be a sad day when I don't have a flat head of some variety in the yard fleet.
 
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