Couterbalance Gears

[PeppyDan 3]

I have a K301 Kohler (12 hp) with some very worn counterbalance gears. I recall years ago when I was pulling that some guys would remove these gears and just run the engines without them. Will this hurt the engine to run it without the gears. The guys also told me worn gears was why some of these engines rattled so bad even after a re-bore. I am afraid to put different used gears back in it as I wouldn't know the exact condition of them until it was running again. I hope some of you can help with my questions and am sure there are going to be some toilet jokes}:)B)XX( so just bring it all on! Dan

[MDB 134]

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I hope some of you can help with my questions and am sure there are going to be some toilet jokes so just bring it all on!

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Well, if you insist...:D Pull them out it's just an old sink engine anyhow&:)sm06:D Seriously, I have also heard of guys taking the balance gears out of K series Kohlers with good results.

[PeppyDan 3]

Mike, I should have known you'd be the first to chime inyellsm00:(!! Dan

[Al 6]

Hi, When we rebuild a Kohler, we always replace the bearings and the shafts in the balance gears. Note the earlier gears, the bearings are about 3 times as expensive as the later ones. There is a SN break. I need to look at some info to tell you how to idendifty them by looking at them. If they have loose bearings on worn shafts, they can cause the retainers to come off. When one of these gears comes loose and off, it breaks many things in the crankcase, usually taking a short block to fix. Al Eden

[PeppyDan 3]

My engine is actually a Magnum 12 if that makes any difference. I always replace the bearings and shafts also but don't normally replace the gear itself. What if any damage will it do to the engine long term to simply remove the gears. Dan

[papamerkle 0]

The balance gears get toss in the scrape pile when I rebuild a Kohler.

[PeppyDan 3]

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The balance gears get toss in the scrape pile when I rebuild a Kohler

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Does it affect how smooth the engine is. I don't want an engine that will shake the tractor more than normal. Dan

[PeppyDan 3]

I forgot to mention my spec number. It is 7752235 but I can't seem to find it on the Kohler website. The serial number is 2917308921 if that helps. Dan

[UCD 14]

http://www.kohlerplus.com/login.asp Click on Enter as guest Click on magnum series Click on M12

[papamerkle 0]

Dan, The only "shake" I have is at idle. I had that before balance gears were removed.

[PeppyDan 3]

Maynard, that's the place that I go to frequently, but in this case the spec number doesn't even come close to any of the spec numbers they have listed. I have been told that the magnum is just a K-series motor with updated ignition and a better head. The block does have the K-301 cast into it just like a k-series engine and I have not looked closely at the head to see any differences. Any other help? Unfortunately I have no clue what it came from because my brother found it in a pile of motors at the local junkyard. Dan