This post is specifically about air cooled vertical shaft twin cylinder engines under 1000cc which are typical riding mower class engines, usually 20HP - 40HP
Which engine is best?
We get asked all the time which engine is best. Or just as often for confirmation that a brand is the best. (eg. “Brand X” is the best right?)
If I were to ask you, “is Chevrolet the best choice?” it would be hard to answer without knowing which Chevrolet we are talking about. There is a world of difference between a Corvette and a Chevette, yet they are both Chevrolet.
It’s much the same in the engine world. When we are talking about the very best each company has to offer, they are all solid commercial engines that are extremely unlikely to disappoint. These top model engines include:
➤ Vanguard
➤ Kawasaki FX
➤ KOHLER Command Pro
➤ TORO ZX
Reputations
If all these companies can make a great engine then why does Kawasaki’s reputation seem to be the most favorable?
Their excellent reputation probably has more to do with their worst engine than their best engine. When you look at where Kawasaki draws the line at the bottom of price and quality, their bottom engine is the Kawasaki FR model which is still a solid high end residential engine. There are plenty of engines that are better than the Kawasaki FR, but if you buy a Kawasaki brand engine, the worst you can get is still a solid engine.
Low end engines are popular because their low price allows for a low priced mower. Guess who's going to have more impact on public opinion. A) 1 million people who bought top tier engines are a 99% happy. or B) 4 million people who bought mid grade engines that are 95% happy. or C) 6 million people that bought a mower powered by a bottom tier engine that are 60% happy? It's what companies build at the bottom rung of their quality ladder that impacts their reputation the most.
Most of the mowers we stock are powered by Kawasaki, KOHLER, Vanguard or engines bearing the TORO or SCAG brand that we feel good about selling.
Selecting the Right Engine
Let's say for example you've decided you want a top tier engine, so you are going to look for one of the top tier engines listed above. And let's say you have a budget of $5000. The problem you run into is those are ~$3000 engines, and manufacturers are not likely to put a $3000 engine on a $5000 lawnmower. And if they did, then there wouldn't be enough budget left to buy other expensive components that would last like the engine. In other words, if you are looking at $5000 mowers then you are likely to find $1500 engines. There is a budget balancing that goes on between engine, transmissions, deck construction, spindles, PTO clutch, belts, tires, seat and more. So by the time you get to a top tier engine, you are probably going to be at a $10,000+ mower.
Knowing this may shift you away from pursuing the best engine and toward getting the best engine and balance of other components within a budget.
At B T South we stock the brands and models that we believe offer the best value balance. We have machines that are ideal for a homeowner mowing a 1/2 acre. We have machines appropriate for acreage owners & part time landscapers. And we have mowers that are designed for the full time professional.
Customers often seek to simplify things to a point where they can just buy a particular brand engine and trust it will be good one. As mentioned above, Kawasaki's bottom engine, the FR is a solid residential engine. But there are other solid engines in other brands too. By ignoring everything that doesn't have a particular brand engine, you may pass over what would have been a better overall value to meet your needs. Another thing to consider is there are crappy mower brands out there that buy quality popular brand engines like the Kawasaki FR to bolt on to their crappy mowers. They are designed to sell to buyers who are looking at engine brand and price only. A quality engine bolted to a junk mower will not bring happiness for very long. We advise shopping for a quality mower just as much as a quality engine.
BRIGGS & STRATTON
We don't recommend or stock riding equipment powered by Briggs & Stratton branded engines.
KAWASAKI
The FX series is their top model followed by the FT series, both of which are commercial. Then the FS series is their lower end commercial. The FR series is Kawasaki's consumer engine which shares the same block and many components with the FS and is a very solid engine.
KOHLER
The Command Pro series is Kohler's top level and many of the Command Pro models have hydraulic lifters (no valve adjustments needed) and closed loop fuel injection (+/- 25% fuel savings). Under the Command is the Confidant which is also commercial just not their very best. Then the 7000 PRO mid-grade engine & 7000 consumer engine which has proven to be a reliable consumer engine and shares many of the same core components found in the ZT. Below that is the Kohler Courage which has a poor reputation mostly due to the single cylinder versions, many of which had problems years ago.
TORO / SCAG Engines
Most people don’t think of TORO as an engine company. In 1914 they were in fact founded for the sole purpose of building engines and later got into the equipment business.
In 2015 TORO released the 24.5HP ZX engine which has been a huge success. B T South has sold over 2000 pieces of equipment powered by this commercial engine and its outstanding performance has pushed it into the same league with other top tier engines.
We often get asked if the TORO V-Twin is a re-branded Kohler, Kawasaki or Briggs. It is not. Toro has the engine produced by an industrial casting & machining company which Toro worked with to test and design their own unique version of this 708cc engine to meet their standards. TORO calls it the TORO ZX V-Twin. Exmark calls it the Exmark V-Twin and you might see it used by some of TORO's other brands as well. SCAG also has their own 708cc engine made by same manufacturer with their own custom twists, that appears to be very similar, though we have not had as many years experience with the SCAG version yet.
VANGUARD
Vanguard is a well respected brand and used very widely across SCAG's commercial line. You don't really have to worry about getting a low end / low budget Vanguard Engine, because they don't use the Vanguard name on anything low budget. They have a lower end brand sister company to chase the lower end market. The Vanguard brand is reserved only for their most elite engines.
Vanguard's "Oil Guard" is a revolutionary 6 quart oil system that extents the oil change cycle 5x that of traditional oil & filter systems. This is done with an external aluminum reservoir that allows oil to cooling and houses a large filter that's 80% more efficient than typical spin on filters. The engine sump has two pumps pushing/pulling oil to/from the reservoir that keep the oil level exactly where it needs to be. The end result is cleaner, cooler oil, always on level in the engine.
Oil Guard is not an add-on option. We wish it was as simple as adding a reservoir and tubing, but the bottom end of the engine, the sump, is different. Those mowers that have Vanguard with Oil Guard can easily be identified by a large aluminum reservoir sitting near the engine.
What about HONDA?
Honda is a major player in the single cylinder engine market for products such as walk behind mowers and other small power equipment. But for whatever reason, their larger twin cylinder engines, which are a size more suitable for riding products, have just never caught on and are not prevalent in our industry.
Engine Life
First, realize that a big part of an engine’s life is maintenance. In particular changing the oil, changing the air filter, and cleaning debris from the engine as needed to allow it to properly cool. Also very important is proper fuel management and using the correct engine oil, as most automotive oils manufactured after 2009 do not meet the specifications for air cooled engines resulting in higher operating temperatures and reduced engine life. Commercial engines are of course designed to last for more hours of use, but even good consumer engines can last for decades when maintained well and not used excessively.
Likelihood of manufacturing or design defect
Every manufacturer has an occasional problematic model or defective unit.
Kohler for example had issues with its early models of the Courage engine, the single cylinder model in particular. Kawasaki had inexplicable problems with some of the early models of the water cooled FD series. Toro, while I don’t recall a problematic engine from them, their 300 Series Z-Master was a problematic mower. The point being, even the best of the best companies are not perfect. All three of these manufacturers make solid products that are very reliable for the overwhelming majority of their customers.
At B T South we are very selective about the products and manufacturers we choose to carry because in the event there is a problem, the customer comes to us for a solution. We are not like the big box store where they just hand you an 800 # to get rid of you. It is a rare and unusual situation that we would have to send someone out the door for a solution somewhere else. Our business model is to sell quality products that work and to be able to provide any needed parts, service and warranty in our store.
What happens when there is a manufacturing defect?
In the event of an engine defect, how will the manufacturer stand behind the product? When it comes to warranties you can count on most manufacturers to step up and take care of the problem when there is a clear “black and white” defect. Unfortunately there is a lot of potential for gray area in warranty coverage and that sometimes puts us at the mercy of the manufacturer.
Of course if there is evidence a failure was caused by abuse or lack of maintenance then we need not expect the manufacturer to be responsible.
Is the Engine the most important part of selecting a good Zero Turn?
While the engine is a very important part of a lawnmower, it takes more than just a good engine to make a good lawnmower. There are other factors like:
- Quality hydraulic components for smooth operation and long life.
- A rigid mowing deck built heavy enough to stand years of rust and impacts.
- A mower frame strong enough not to break or warp.
And there are qualities that can’t easily be measured by numbers, like:
- Weight distribution balanced to optimize traction
- Maneuverability and hillside stability.
- Deck aerodynamics to maximize cut quality and clean cutting speed.
- Expensive quality components alone don’t assure performance.
Some manufacturers try to employ one or two quality components or brand names that are popular on shopper’s check lists and then skimp on quality in other areas compromising overall performance and longevity.
In general, a better mower can be built with more money, but to get the most bang for your buck means to balance the expensive components to meet a budget and combine those components with sophisticated engineering to maximize performance.
The reason we’ve chosen the few brands we have even after being offered more than twenty-six competing brands is because they maximize bang for the buck in a wide array of different budget levels.
The TORO ZX engine is a good example of how TORO has been able to bring more value. This ZX engine brings the commercial feature set of a top tier engine at a lesser price than other than other top tier engines.
Maximizing performance per dollar along with industry leading support after the sale and long term parts availability is part of the value of dealing with established leading brands like TORO & SCAG.
