Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Ok, so you guys have better experience with Honda engines. Being honest, I read lots of good things about them.
However, my particular Honda engine equiped mower SUCKS.
You have the GCV engine on your mower, which is Honda's "residential grade," aka throwaway engine. While these make good power for their size, the long term reliability pales in comparison to the GX (commercial) series from Honda, and also many of their competitors. Honda makes no effort to hide this fact. Some of the bad points about this engine is the cam belt that WILL break with enough use, aluminum cylinder walls, and plain (non-roller) bearings. It's an engine whose number one goal is to be inexpensive.
For the weekend warrior, and the type of equipment that spends the majority of its life hibernating for the winter in your shed out back, they'll give years of satisfactory service. But a bulletproof workhorse, they are NOT.
The GX line of engines on the other hand, are the standard by which all other small engines are measured. They have been building these workhorses for countless years with little changes to the design, other than for emissions. It's the engine that put big, efficient power from small engines on the map, with it's OHV design, an industry first when they were introduced. This engine has been reverse engineered by untold numbers of Chinese manufacturers with varying degrees of success.
The next time you stop at Home Depot or Lowes, take a look at all the outdoor power equipment with "no name" or off-brand OHV engines. Ten years ago, you couldn't find equipment that didn't have a Briggs, Kohler or Honda engine in it. Today, the engines bear the name of the equipment manufacturer, like "MTD" or "Troy Built," etc. (who doesn't build the engine), or they'll have some random name like "Xoing Xu Engine Company Ltd."
Why? Because so many chinese manufacturers have been successful at selling copies of Honda's GX line of engines. Pay attention to the layout of the controls, approximate valve angle & port placement and you'll see how closely they copied the GX line of engines. Take off the labels, put them side by side and you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference.
Well that explains it all!! Thank you! I guess it's sort of like the John Deere you get at the HD or Lowe's is not the same as the one you would get at the John Deere dealer. Cheapened out residential use models. Makes sense to me.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Ok, so you guys have better experience with Honda engines. Being honest, I read lots of good things about them.
However, my particular Honda engine equiped mower SUCKS.
You have the GCV engine on your mower, which is Honda's "residential grade," aka throwaway engine. While these make good power for their size, the long term reliability pales in comparison to the GX (commercial) series from Honda, and also many of their competitors. Honda makes no effort to hide this fact. Some of the bad points about this engine is the cam belt that WILL break with enough use, aluminum cylinder walls, and plain (non-roller) bearings. It's an engine whose number one goal is to be inexpensive.
For the weekend warrior, and the type of equipment that spends the majority of its life hibernating for the winter in your shed out back, they'll give years of satisfactory service. But a bulletproof workhorse, they are NOT.
The GX line of engines on the other hand, are the standard by which all other small engines are measured. They have been building these workhorses for countless years with little changes to the design, other than for emissions. It's the engine that put big, efficient power from small engines on the map, with it's OHV design, an industry first when they were introduced. This engine has been reverse engineered by untold numbers of Chinese manufacturers with varying degrees of success.
The next time you stop at Home Depot or Lowes, take a look at all the outdoor power equipment with "no name" or off-brand OHV engines. Ten years ago, you couldn't find equipment that didn't have a Briggs, Kohler or Honda engine in it. Today, the engines bear the name of the equipment manufacturer, like "MTD" or "Troy Built," etc. (who doesn't build the engine), or they'll have some random name like "Xoing Xu Engine Company Ltd."
Why? Because so many chinese manufacturers have been successful at selling copies of Honda's GX line of engines. Pay attention to the layout of the controls, approximate valve angle & port placement and you'll see how closely they copied the GX line of engines. Take off the labels, put them side by side and you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference.
Well that explains it all!! Thank you! I guess it's sort of like the John Deere you get at the HD or Lowe's is not the same as the one you would get at the John Deere dealer. Cheapened out residential use models. Makes sense to me.
