Nice little Kohler....

jeep4me

jeep4me

Active Member
#1
#1
I picked up this nice little Kohler engine at the scrap yard a couple of weeks ago and I just got the chance to get it running. It runs really nice but pretty much every seal is "gummy". Parts should still be available, I hope.

I'll be removing the gear reduction assembly and painting it before I put it on the mini.

Does any one know what horse power it may be? My guess is 3 - 3.5hp. But I'm not too familiar with Kohler engines. The Model Type is RT.
 
jeep4me

jeep4me

Active Member
#12
#12
Yeah it's a nice engine. Unfortunately, when I cracked open the gear reduction unit the shaft is splined:thumbdown:. I guess I won't be using it for a mini bike engine:censure:.

I'm not sure what to do with it now.

Guess I'll pack it away and move on to the next engine.
 
N

Nitrohorse

New Member
#15
#15
jeep4me said:
This is the first "small" Kohler engine I've seen. I may try to hit up some of the small engine shops around town to see if they have any similiar engines for parts.
Click to expand...
Kohler actually made a ton of them. They were used on the Wheel Horse Suburban lawn tractors and the "RJ" models back in the early 50's-60's and continued production well into the late 70's. There out there, but the old adage "now that you're looking for them, you won't see many" is probably true...
 
jeep4me

jeep4me

Active Member
#16
#16
I called a number of small engine shops in my area and had no luck finding a new crank for the Kohler.

So, yesterday I traveled north to my parents home and traded the Kohler for a 5hp Briggs and a 2hp Briggs. The 5hp is from '97 and runs excellent, the 2hp is vintage and doesn't run but the gas tank will fit my other vintage briggs perfectly.

The guy I traded to is Amish and is going to use the Kohler on an old Bradley cultivator. Before I could get out of the driveway his two oldest sons (he has 12 kids and he's only 41) had the engine mounted and nearly hooked up. He should get alot more use out of that engine than I ever would.
 
jeep4me

jeep4me

Active Member
#18
#18
tblumer said:
Must be a progressive Amish, I wasn't aware they used internal combustion.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the Amish community in my parents town is very liberal. Some of them have cell phones and charge cards. They use them only for doing business, though.

They are particularly fond of Honda engines, but will use any kind of small engine equipment that is available.
 
N

Nitrohorse

New Member
#19
#19
We have a large Amish presence down in Lancaster, PA. They modernized to the point that they use John Deere diesels on steel wheels to plow. The "Old Ordnung" (old order) Amish still use horses to plow, but they're a dying breed. I spoke to an Elder and he told me that they had to allow modern tractors due to the fact that land has become so expensive and you can not plow as tight with horses as you can with a tractor.
They're a pretty interesting group and ingenius to boot. They also love the cheap Chinese diesel engines. They use them with a vacuum pump to milk and also use them to pump water.
I laugh at the fact that they shun alcohol and tobacco, but they grow tobacco for resale. If you're ever at a fair or carnival, you'll usually find a group of young Amish men hiding somewhere behind a building or display while smoking cigarettes.
 
tblumer

tblumer

New Member
#20
#20
Here in Upstate NY, we have the Mennonites, who are a more progressive spin off of the Amish. Otherwise our Amish residents are the old school type.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top