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Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

Are these good motors?


jsarro

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I like the K series singles, mainly because I like the relatively problem free battery ignition, flywheel stator charging systems, and starters. There are loads of these engines out there.

The briggs cast iron singles with same systems are very far and few in between. There are quite a few Briggs cast irons with the starter generator systems, but I wont mess with them anymore. Too much trouble comparatively speaking.

I prefer to buy the Kohlers having seen them run under a load without smoking. Wouldnt want one from a 70's or newer cub cadet or a john deere. (looks like oe above is from such a cub) Much of those tractors had side panels and those engines are all most always burnt up from excessive heat. Have had real good luck with used engines from wheel horse tractors.

The Kohlers do not take to lack of routine maintinance as well as the Briggs cast irons.If the oil and air filters are changed regularly they will last a long time. I had a 14hp I bought new that had over 1500 hours on it and no oil usage and little internal wear at the time I sold it in the tractor it was in.

Never had parts availability problems with them either.

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I have an AC712S and two AC912H, all with K301S engines. They have all served well over the years, and show no signs of giving up any time in the near future. I have not yet had any problem getting parts and there are lots and lots of these engines out there. Try to get one out of an Allis Chalmers. Kohler built them with a number of different oil pan configurations for John Deere, Cub Cadet, and Wheelhorse and they won't fit without modification. A big plus is that a Kohler carb is an absolute dream to rebuild compared to a Briggs.

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I will also chime in for a love of the old Kohler K series! I find them easier to work on than the briggs, better carbs, and just as durable or better. Parts are sometimes a bit more expensive than the briggs but I have found fewer discontinued parts.

Todd

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The original engine for your 312 was a K301 Kohler. I wouldn't buy one I couldn't run first, unless I planned on rebuilding. Same goes for a Briggs too. Also try shaking the governor arm shaft to check for wear. It's common for them to wear and leak oil. Should be little or no orbital play.

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Thanks for the feedback guys.8D

The one I was looking at, I have first hand knowledge, it was in a friends tractor a few weeks ago, and running well.

He sold that tractor, and the buyer pulled the engine because it was not the right motor for the tractor, the bolt pattern did not match without some rigging.wah

Now the motor is for sale.

My only reservations are, it did originally come out of a Cub, and someone mentioned the oil pan possibly being an issue. :Y

Plus he is asking $150.00, I could buy a whole other decent tractor for $300.00 with attachments and strip a bunch of needed parts. 8O)

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Looking at the pictures...the oil pan looks like the one that works in the ACs. And the starter is in the right place also. Some Kohlers came with the starter mounted below the mounting holes and they would not fit inside of the side frame rails on the sims and ACs.

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Seems there are Kohler Folks, and Briggs Folks. I'm a Briggs fan cause I know how to work on them, I would be scared of a Kohler.

I mess with guitars and there are Fender folks and Gibson Folks. Its like that with anything you touch.

Go with what you feel comfortable with, you will likely become one or the other after you fool with them long enough.

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Thanks Phil,

I understand what your saying. I am new at this and only have limited 1 year experience with the Briggs, no Kohlers yet.

The Simplicity's are more common back east here than the Allis.

Therefore I seem to see more Briggs tractors available. ;)

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Not trying to get "out there" but if you plan to use one of these tractors on a regular basis and make it work you will develop a sort of "Bond" and the engine can be a big part of that experience if something goes wrong.

Or it can run flawless and you can abuse other parts of the tractor till they break:D

Knowledge of systems reduces the blood pressure when making field adjustments (sometimes).

I'm not certain I would ever rebuild completely a 10 HP Briggs again, but I'm glad I did it one time. Dependability is the best thing to have if you can get it, even if it takes a new crate motor.

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300/400 series never came with a Briggs. Wiring and starting and ignition would all need to be modified. Not worth trying to change. Use a Kohler where AC put a Kohler. They come in larger HP sizes as well if you don't want a 12HP tractor. Just my opinion...Dave

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I do have some reservations about not keeping the AC with a Kohler. I want to know what the tractor was like when close to original form.

I also want to get some experience comparing a Kohler to the Briggs.

Thanks for the input Dave.

Time will tell with what is available and affordable.

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The only problem I ever had with them is the way too flimsy attachment of the air cleaner. I redid one for a customer, and mounted the air cleaner remotely, took the weight of the air cleaner off the engine, made a sheet metal housing that weighed less than the cover, and used flex automobile hose to go to a PVC housing mounted behind the seat with a Kubota canister

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I rebuilt both a Kohler K181s for my 68 wheelhorse and a 10 hp briggs for the landlord 2010 I am currently restoring. You can get parts for kohlers pretty much everywhere and their is information and rescources all over the internet to help you out with them. The Briggs on the other hand, I had trouble getting alot of the parts as alot are discontinued, and their are not many aftermerket parts available. I also had alot of trouble finding rescources and info to help me in the process. I am not biased towards either one, this is just what I have encountered. I would be reluctant to try and rebuild another briggs...

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