How in HECK to you figure HP on a B&S engine?

YY1 said:

I've been real happy with my 2004 Craftsman rider with the largest singe Kohler made- 18 HP.

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I think I may have the same engine in both of my J.D. L110's- the Kohler "Command 17.5". Was kinda-sorta thinking about upgrading one of them to the small V-twin (used in the L120 and L130), but found it would get expensive fast, as it's not just a simple engine swap.



But at least neither of us have that POS Briggs engine with the ACR device! I've personally replaced three camshafts on these for friends and neighbors (word of mouth) over the past year, and have gotten pretty good at it.

Wish I wasn't, though.

Pressurized oiling?

Mine gets abused and has had a few interesting repairs.

...but has been the best mower, rider or otherwise that I've ever had.

67Dart273 said:

Picked up 4 old lawnmowers the other day, plus the 2 junkers I have. My intention LOLOL is to get one going for "crap" mowing in the weeds, and maybe another "the best" engine might try and build an outboard conversion with an old lower unit. "We'll see"

So these all have the same series types of numbers, and I can find various things on the internet EXCEPT the specs as to CID (or CC) and HP

Example
10T502-0457-E1

Found the operator manual and parts manual at B&S but no HP rating

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They were all over rated like big block chevys and the 289/271 sbf
they made them change to torque instead of hp
the tec flatty 318 cc rated@ 8 8.5 9.0 hp depending on what bs sticker they put on it
real power was 7 and change thrown off a cliff with the wind on its best day

Last mower I pulled apart had a plastic cam. Looked like new

I don't think you can do "simple" displacement to horsepower math.

I have a 22 HP Kawasaki engine in my rider. Much much better than the POS Briggs I had. Briggs needed valves adjusted often and it was burning oil and leaking oil

Yeah well;
(Torque x RPM)/5250 still equals hp,
so I never saw the problem; just crank up the stinking governor,
I mean; 8.75 ftpounds,
at 3000 is 5hp,
at 3300 is 5.5hp,
at 3600 is 6hp
and if that don't do it, install a bigger carb and/or a decent big-can muffler with a clean spark arrestor, and/or a torque-tube; and when all else fails, shave the head and/or retime the cam, and add some tuning.

The same HotRod tricks that turn your pos low-compression 318. into a fire-breathing Monster from hell, also work on your lawnmower; even the lowest of the lowly, the 2-cycle LawnBoy
It's can all be done with the same long-block, just revved higher.
It's the exact same game that Chrysler played back in the day....

And honestly, when it comes to power-equipment, who cares which number gets quoted? In the auto-industry, the small engines went obsolete for a reason.
And, just like in HotRods;
Just buy the right sized engine for the job, and
bigger is always better.
And just like 318 hotrodders find out, more revs equals more action.
And besides, walk-behind lawnmowers, almost never run at rated rpm , and rarely at WOT, mostly cuz the governors are handicapped right from the showroom floor, plus the carbs have over the years been recalibrated leaner every year.

I just go to the landfill on any Saturday, and collect ten-year old machines, as they come in thru the gate. For the price of a carb-kit and a couple of hours work, you get a powerhouse that starts on the first pull, and is ready to race in seconds. Before Covid I had a nice little side-business refurbishing that older stuff.
I mean, on push-mowers, they just need a tune-up, and a blade sharpening, and the odd one needs a flywheel key, or a cable, or maybe a wheel. I mean unless there's an exit hole in the side of the block......
But-um, if you buy a brand new string-trimmer, yur gonna have to buy some tiny jet-drills, or you are gonna be one unhappy yardman. It may take you three or more tries to get it rich enough to burn 87E10. and then you still gotta deal with the low-speed circuit. and the transition..........
But after a couple of hours in the shop, you'll have a nice reliable machine that starts, runs, and cuts weeds, like it was originally created to do.