You decide, snapper push mower repower or rebuild

[Cujet]

My Commercial Snapper mower with Kawasaki FC150V engine, is having engine trouble.

More than once, I've bent the crankshaft due to hitting hard objects. I've used the 5 pound brass hammer and dial indicator to "fix" the crankshaft.

What a shock, the engine now has a very loud knock when cold. Goes mostly away when hot. It also seems down on power at times.

A new FC150V is $500.

So new Kawasaki? New clone? or repair the original engine? Your call.

 

[simple_gifts]

Will you still be hitting hard objects, or is that from a previous lot?

 

[UNC151]

I did not see how old it is (or how many hours are on it), but with repair and labor costs being what they are these days, would you not be close to the $500 mark to repair it? If so, you would have spent nearly the cost of a new engine to still have the same "old" engine.

Obviously, the "green" aspect is there somewhere, but if it were mine, I would weigh the cost of the repair against a new engine. If the repair was >60%, I would lean towards a new one (Kawasaki).

 

[The motor guy]

an fj180v which is a 6hp engine is only 400.00. Not sure if the bolt holes would be the same though.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
an fj180v which is a 6hp engine is only 400.00. Not sure if the bolt holes would be the same though.
A half inch chuck drill would solve that problem. My thought would be to buy a Horror Freight motor since you seem to be hard on engines. Why croak another Saki?

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
an fj180v which is a 6hp engine is only 400.00. Not sure if the bolt holes would be the same though.
A half inch chuck drill would solve that problem. My thought would be to buy a Horror Freight motor since you seem to be hard on engines. Why croak another Saki?


True I had to redrill the deck on my '83 Snapper that used a east/west mounted B&S when I installed a Honda engine that faces forward... The commercial deck may be drilled differently than mine was...

BTW, notice the engine is only mounted with three bolts, which seems kinda cheesy but there is a good reason... If all four bolts are in place there will be vibration similar to a bent crank, I have first hand experience on this one...

If the likelihood the crank could get bent is still there, I'd stick whatever cheap engine I could find on it... The Kaw probably has a 25mm crank vs most of the lesser B&S having 7/8" so that is something to look out for...

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
... My thought would be to buy a Horror Freight motor since you seem to be hard on engines. Why croak another Saki?


My thoughts exactly.

Why run the risk of ruining another premium engine.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Will you still be hitting hard objects, or is that from a previous lot?



You had to ask that...

Yes, it's true that sometimes I'm stupid and don't learn quickly. I'm likely to run over the same log, 3 or 4 times before I pick it up... (just kidding of course)

Actual answer, I sure hope not. My property was quite rough, but I've made improvements, with 160 loads of fill, proper grass, and trails through my wooded area. It's much better.

 

[Cujet]

Not going to use a HF engine. Not worth the effort, for a 18 year old (I think) commercial mower in good shape.

My engine may simply need a lower bearing, or con rod, or crank or all of the above. Parts are cheap on the bay. I'll do the labor. A replacement piston w/rings and rod is $30. Bearing $10, crank $50. Block $35.

So it's a quality replacement engine, or fix mine. A possible advantage of fixin mine is that it fits perfectly and is a very smooth engine. That matters after hours of mowing, it's not unusual to use this thing for 5 hours running.

 

[cronk]

I bought one of the Harbor Freight 5.5 hp engines for my el cheapo push mower that had a bent crank.
I have had it a couple years and have been very impressed with it.
Good power and smooth running. I got mine for around $80 with a coupon.

 

[simple_gifts]

I buy the new engine and also rebuilt the old. Then you will always have one on the shelf should you decide to start logging with it again

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Not going to use a HF engine. Not worth the effort, for a 18 year old (I think) commercial mower in good shape.



Well... You did ask about a "clone" in your original post.

I get it though. If you've got the interest and resources, why not rebuild what you've got, or just buy a new Saki and rebuild the old one. It's been a year or so since I looked, but I'm pretty sure I've seen replacements for $200-300.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: TFB1

If the likelihood the crank could get bent is still there, I'd stick whatever cheap engine I could find on it... The Kaw probably has a 25mm crank vs most of the lesser B&S having 7/8" so that is something to look out for...

+1
Snapper (and aftermarket Snapper replacement) drive pulleys and blade adapters are available for different crankshaft sizes. The aftermarket Snapper replacement parts are not expensive.
What you have to watch out for is the LENGTH of the crankshaft! It needs to be exactly the same length or the cutting performance will suffer GREATLY if it is too short, and won't work at all if it is too long because the blade will hit the lip on the deck. If the crankshaft is only a LITTLE too short (like 3/8" or less) you can buy blade adaptor spacers (thick washers) that go inside the Snapper blade adapter and space it down on the end of the crankshaft, but this approach is a slippery slope.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
My Commercial Snapper mower with Kawasaki FC150V engine, is having engine trouble.

More than once, I've bent the crankshaft due to hitting hard objects. I've used the 5 pound brass hammer and dial indicator to "fix" the crankshaft.

What a shock, the engine now has a very loud knock when cold. Goes mostly away when hot. It also seems down on power at times.

A new FC150V is $500.

So new Kawasaki? New clone? or repair the original engine? Your call.

You more than likely fractured the bottom crankshaft bearing in the sump when you hammered it back straight.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Cujet
My Commercial Snapper mower with Kawasaki FC150V engine, is having engine trouble.

More than once, I've bent the crankshaft due to hitting hard objects. I've used the 5 pound brass hammer and dial indicator to "fix" the crankshaft.

What a shock, the engine now has a very loud knock when cold. Goes mostly away when hot. It also seems down on power at times.

A new FC150V is $500.

So new Kawasaki? New clone? or repair the original engine? Your call.

You more than likely fractured the bottom crankshaft bearing in the sump when you hammered it back straight.


I'm sure you are correct.

I love this mower, lord knows why, but I do. I've been looking at replacement engines and the FC150v is no longer available.

Also, the posts above bring up a couple of good points.

1) The bolt pattern may not match
2) The crankshaft may not be the right size or length or both


Wow, the new version of my mower is $929. It's worth fixing.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: wag123
If the crankshaft is only a LITTLE too short (like 3/8" or less) you can buy blade adaptor spacers (thick washers) that go inside the Snapper blade adapter and space it down on the end of the crankshaft, but this approach is a slippery slope.


Yeah Snapper actually used these washers from factory on a few models(at least they are shown on the exploded parts view)apparently the cranks in some engines were slightly shorter than spec...

The 2004 consumer grade Honda GXV160 has been flawless for two years on my Snapper, should be easy enough to find a rotted out Craftsman to rob one from... Mine was donated by a friend and most of what I needed to adapt it was a 25mm drive pulley and blade hub, as I mentioned earlier the Kaw probably already has these...

 

[FXjohn]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Cujet
My Commercial Snapper mower with Kawasaki FC150V engine, is having engine trouble.

More than once, I've bent the crankshaft due to hitting hard objects. I've used the 5 pound brass hammer and dial indicator to "fix" the crankshaft.

What a shock, the engine now has a very loud knock when cold. Goes mostly away when hot. It also seems down on power at times.

A new FC150V is $500.

So new Kawasaki? New clone? or repair the original engine? Your call.

You more than likely fractured the bottom crankshaft bearing in the sump when you hammered it back straight.


I'm sure you are correct.

I love this mower, lord knows why, but I do. I've been looking at replacement engines and the FC150v is no longer available.

Also, the posts above bring up a couple of good points.

1) The bolt pattern may not match
2) The crankshaft may not be the right size or length or both


Wow, the new version of my mower is $929. It's worth fixing.


If you like it that much go ahead and get it rebuilt. go for it

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Cujet

Also, the posts above bring up a couple of good points.

1) The bolt pattern may not match
2) The crankshaft may not be the right size or length or both

Wow, the new version of my mower is $929. It's worth fixing.

Don't worry about the bolt pattern for mounting the engine. Snapper drills several mounting holes to accommodate different engines, and if you don't get three that match-up you can always drill one or two yourself. And, you can mount the engine in any direction that fits and doesn't interfere with any of the mower's other mechanical and physical needs.
The crankshaft length should be your ONLY legitimate concern. Concentrate on finding an engine with the correct crankshaft length, the diameter is not important and you can deal with the other things easily enough.
BTW, the Chonda engines are actually pretty good.

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
A new FC150V is $500.

So new Kawasaki? New clone? or repair the original engine? Your call.


You can buy new engines for less than $500.

A number of companies, Tulsa Engine Warehouse for an example, sell end runs of OEM engines. These are new engines that were left over from a production run.

Measure the shaft and keyway and find something that fits. I have reengined a number of times this way with good results.