Should I be afraid of a Briggs Engine

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.
If you are looking at Zero turns, the Vanguard is probably best for commercial but expensive. Kawasaki's are good but over priced. The Briggs Commercial V Twins are very good engines that are cheaper than the others. If you want comfort look at Ferris with the suspension systems. I have one with the optional suspension seat. I have rough ground and it's probably the most comfortable one you can buy.
 
My 4 year old Briggs branded and powered snowblower is still going strong, still starts with 1 maybe 2 if it’s super cold out half hearted yanks on the cord.

My generator is also Briggs branded and powered. It ran great for the ~10 hours it currently has on it.
 
And while you're at it . buy a mower with a welded deck . I've seen mowers with a rotted stamped deck and still had a strong engine .
 
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.
Hondas are the top dog.
 
And while you're at it . buy a mower with a welded deck . I've seen mowers with a rotted stamped deck and still had a strong engine .
Kubota lawn tractors have fabricated decks vs stamped decks on JDs.
I just bought a new old stock 2021 T2290kwt -48 yesterday for just over half price.
It has 8 hours on it from being moved around the dealership lot for 3 years. Very dusty and the birds painted it, but it’s a rescue dog that finally found a good home.
The oil smells like gasoline, it’s dripping as we speak, I’ll grab a 3600 filter in the morning, have 4 pails of 15w40 T5 to use up.
 
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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.
I would change the oil too. I followed the no oil change top ups on a Husqvarna with a Briggs engine and it only lasted 4 years. It was using oil so badly it was dripping out of the exhaust while running. The cylinder walls were deeply scored. I seem to recall the valvetrain components being plastic. I should have taken pictures.

I bought a Honda 2 years ago to replace it.
 
So a Kawasaki FS730 is a cheaper FX730? Looking at Bad Boy catalogue.
 
So a Kawasaki FS730 is a cheaper FX730? Looking at Bad Boy catalogue.
The internals are identical between the FR, FS, and FX series engines. The difference is the air cleaner set up and exterior engine features. FS and FX are considered commercial. My Exmark Viking commercial walk-behind mower has an FS481V with ~700 hours on it now.
 
Price a new Honda GX 690 and tell me if that makes sense.
Not to me it doesn’t, but there’s a brand new one on fb marketplace for $2,000 Canuck Bucks.
If I was gonna repower something, it would be a consideration.
Yeah, I’ve seen the engines and conversion kits for about $3,000 USD.
 
So a Kawasaki FS730 is a cheaper FX730? Looking at Bad Boy catalogue.
Bad Boy Maverick?
I can’t tell you much about the Kawasaki or Briggs offerings. I will tell you that the Kohler ZT740 is a solid engine. It’s based on the Kohler Command engines and has a cyclonic type air filter instead of the Donaldson type. The Briggs CXi27 has a similar cyclonic air filtration system.
The Kawasaki FS730v has a filter similar to the FR730V.
From my personal experience, I would choose the Kohler.
 
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You gotta watch the oil on Kawaskis. I always heard that and I started to believe it when a lawn guy I knew blew his engine.
 
I have a Snapper LT300 with a Briggs Professional 22HP that is over 20 years old and has nearly 500 hours on it. Engine runs great but the mower is showing degradation. I have had many Briggs and not too much trouble. My favorite but harder to find are the Robin/Subaru engines. I have a Makita 2 stroke weedeater nearly 30 years old that has been heavily used and that engine will not stop. Bought a newer Honda 4 stroke and it is heavier, less power and overall disappointing. Need to find another old makita to keep mine going. Also have a snapper commercial push mower self propelled with a 6hp Robin that is awesome. That thing will mow knee deep grass as fast as it can go. Better than my rider but takes 4 hours to mow my 1.5 acre yard
 
The internals are identical between the FR, FS, and FX series engines. The difference is the air cleaner set up and exterior engine features. FS and FX are considered commercial. My Exmark Viking commercial walk-behind mower has an FS481V with ~700 hours on it now.
I bought a FR type air cleaner to put on my FR730V. There was some chatter about carb jets but I could not find different specs. Running fine for a year now.
 
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