Sweet I had a neighbor that swore wheelhouse was the best tractor on the market his had the grass ejector on the rear of the mower deac inside of the right side which was nice
@What.its.like. The Wheelhorse might be one of the best for the money - most WH used belt drive. The shaft drive John Deere and Cub Cadet were more spendy and the tires lose traction before the belts would slip. Sears Suburban is similar to Wheelhorse - often overlooked. Collecting garden tractors is fun because $1,000 can go far and you can't lose too much on them.
About 35 years ago, I found an old rototiller, it was made FMC. It had a Koller engine. Looking it over, I could tell it was older then me. The engine was all cast-iron, it was an L head, and locked up tighter then Fort Konx. I broke it down and went to work on it, as my luck was holding out I found the timcin numbers for the bearing and seals, rings were a bit harder to find. After rebuilding the engine and carburetor, I rapped a rope around the starting pully, it started up and ran great. I gave it to a friend who used it for 15 years.
At 13 , my buddy and me made coaster carts for down hills . One day my old neighbor came over and said , hey boys , I got an engine in my garage if you want it . Well , some pulleys and fan belts and all night , we were flying up and down the street in total bliss ! A Kohler 4 hp gave us so much fun for 3 weeks until that fateful day , we forgot to check the oil ! God the depression . LOL . But it changed my life , Ive been a small engine mechanic ever since and made a living . Thank you Leonard Holbrook , you changed my life and gave me happy memories .
In the 70's, I was the Service Coordinator for Gardner Inc, a 7 State Central Warehouse Distributor in Columbus, Ohio. We represented Kohler, Briggs and Stratton, and Tecumseh engines. I went to all 3 Service Schools, But the Kohler instructor started his school by saying, "Kohler Engines are made to be rebuilt". How true that was. Gardner had a service shop, for disputed Warranty claims ran by Kenny Corbin. My opinion, a genius with small engines. Back then, Lawn Tractors were being used for Tractor Pulls, and Kenny was the guy to "do" your engine. I have seen Kohler engines; for an example, a K341, factory rated at 16 HP, custom built by Kenny, that would run in upwards toward 5,000 RPM's. Horsepower's a guessing game, but Kenny thought they were putting out more than 40 to 50 HP. I have seem many of these engines being rebuilt, many times. Most of the time, the engine needed only new bearings, head gasket, and once in a while a piston replaced. I only remember 1 engine needing a new block, crankshaft, piston and connecting rod. Hat's off to Kohler for making, in my opinion, the best versatile engine ever, giving Kenny a basic pallet base, so he could create his magic. R.I.P. Kenny.
Julian Stahl of Midwest Super Cub had a foundry cast a strengthened Kohler K series block , he made huge power. Then he built a custom Kohler V twin for 120 hp and 12,000 rpm
Used many Kohler engines, in many things, over the years. I can't recall a single of them giving up. Sometimes what they were powering wore out, but the engine was still going strong. Same honestly, with the plumbing products. Thank you, fascinating episode. ~ Chuck
I have been collecting old engines for years! I ended up acquiring a Kohler light plant from the basement of the very same school I graduated from after the school went through some renovations. The K series engines are hard to beat, they were used in many of the competitive, high dollar garden tractors like International Harvesters Cub Cadet and Jacobsen. My favorite K series engine Kohler made is the K321, they're just great running engines. Great installment, I really enjoyed this one.
@lesliewood3616 Same here brother! I have a few Wheel Horse tractors with that engine. I had a 147 that had a loader on it. That little engine had some great torque and made good power at low rpm.
@What.its.like. The fuel consumption isn't bad at all under a light load. I use a small 2 gallon fuel tank off of an old compact/utility tractor to run the plant. I can get about a days worth of use out of that two gallon fuel tank when running the light plant at shows all day continuously.
I have a Kohler engine powered gravely tractor, this engine is unbelievable it just keeps on running , thru all kinds of weather. hot summer days running a 30" rough cut mower, and in the winter running plow or snow blower. I think they are one of the best
I've got a Cub Cadet 1650 with a Kohler K-341 series engine. My Dad bought new in 1978 gets about 150 hours a year run time between cutting grass and clearing snow. I rebuilt the engine about 10 years ago with over 4000 hours on it.
From 1977-1980, I worked at a go cart track in Las Vegas. The original carts had "KOHLER cast iron" engines. Sir, they were tanks.They were tough, they were strong, and they lasted forever. The chassis started to fall apart but those engines were still running when we replaced all the carts. They were replaced with newer versions with Honda engines.But those KOHLER engines, man , they kept on running. We listed them for sale, and most of them were sold to landscaping companies.Cause they knew about reliable engines. I would bet a lot of them are still running today.
Thank you so much for sharing that story and the memories =) Honda came in and became the standard or in many cases the best we have a Honda generator super quite
Again, I learned something today. I never knew that Kohler plumbing and Kohler engines were the same company. Those generators were interesting, especially the early DC models. Notice that it says that you can deliver power up to one mile away- that's because that is about the limit for DC current to travel without a major voltage loss. James Watt coined the term 'horsepower' to show how his newly developed steam engine could do as much work as X amount of horses. I never had a Kohler engine, but I did have a 1949 Clinton, tons of Briggs & Strattons, and several Tecumseh engines. Cool video today, Jay!
I found a K90 at the dump a few years ago. It's on what's remaining of a small well-built snowblower. Haven't restored it yet, but turns over easy with good compression.
well this was enjoyable. My first experience with Kohler beyond plumbing parts was in the mid 1980's. The Coast Guard station I was transferred to had a Kholer diesel back up generator. I did PM's on that baby several time and would love to have it now for my house in Fla.
Our CG station had a four cylinder ford Diesel. I think it was installed just prior to my arrival in 1975. The station was built around 1900 on stilts in Surf Side Texas and I was also MK.
"Horsepowers" were machines to allow 1 to 4 horses to walk around in circles pulling a bar hooked on a vertical shaft. Bevel gears at bottom send a drive shaft along the ground. It was enclosed and the horses had to walk over it's long low skinny enclosure. If I am not mistaken the PTO rpm was 540 rpm with the horse(s) walking at a good speed. 1908 reproduction Sears Roebuck Catalog had "horsepowers" for sale out of Chicago.
Have several Wheel Horse garden tractors, and various Wheel Horse tractor/engines from K91, K171, K181, K241, and a K321. I have one that has been in the family for over 50 years.
We had a Kohler 10 hp in a 1964 Wheel Horse 1054. My Dad used it for 30 years before he traded it in on a Ingersoll. The Kohler still was running strong.
In the 1960s and 1970s my grandparents had a cabin up one of the canyons near Palm Springs the you hiked up to. They bought a new John Deere garden tractor with trailer for transport the 2nd half of the hike which was much leveler terrain… it was a job to get to that half way point where it was stored. The following winter there was a flood which would have made it impossible to get it up at all. The tractor was found upside down half buried after. A stone garage was built for it. I learned to drive it at age 9 and have many fond memories of it.
This was a very interesting video. I always wondered if the Kohler faucets, generators and small engines were related. I had several garden tractors with Kohler engines and a 4k stationary generator just like the one at the bottom right of the ad at 6:21. The engines are very well built!
I have owned many Kohlers over the years. I had one run a spray pump 5 days a week for 30 years. I now own 3 antique Kohler light plants. 1500 watt OH valve 4 cylinder light plant, 1200 RPM, a L600 6500 watt 1800 RPM flathead, and a K90 1500 watt 3600 rpm light plant. All beautiful machines.
Horsepower is just a unit of measurement! When they started selling steam engines, they needed a way to relate the work one could do to what could be done by a horse. As that's what buyers could relate to then.
When I was born in early July 1969, in Central West NSW, Australia it was one of the coldest winters in years. My Dad bought a Mobilco saw to cut the firewood for the Everhot slow combustion stove to keep me warm. It was powered by a K181 (?) 8 hp kohler. I replaced that engine a few years ago with a new Kohler Magnum not because it was worn out or refused to start but because the Magnum was bought for the rotary hoe but didn't fit. That engine is now 55 years old and will still start with a few yards of rope!!
Been around Kohler engines all my life. They’re a hard engine to beat for reliability. First Kohler engine I remember seeing as a kid was on my grandpa’s Wheel Horse 416-8 lawn and garden tractor. At the time I didn’t really know much about engines as I was like 6 years old when I first seen it watching grandpa mow his yard. As I got older and became more familiar with engines, I learned that it was a Kohler Magnum Series M16. The 16 meaning 16hp. Nowadays 16 HP on a mower seems silly, but I remember grandpa spending hours and hours running that ol Kohler M16 engine on that Wheel Horse, and it never missed a beat. It didn’t seem to care how hot it was outside temperature wise, it never once over heated, and never broke down. The engine was built like a tank. One day grandpa flipped the Wheel Horse over while mowing next to the creek bank, and rolled it down in the creek. I think what had happened was the creek bank gave way under the weight of the him and the Wheel Horse. All it did to the Wheel Horse was bent the steering wheel out of round a little bit. He flipped the Wheel Horse back over on its wheels, let the oil drain back down to the bottom of the crank case, and replaced what oil may have spilled out of the dip stick tube, fired it back up, and finished mowing. He continued to use it for many many years later until he finally gave it to me one day out of the blue. Once I got it I used it for many years still, until finally the mechanical fuel pump went out on the Kohler. I bought a new one, and attempted to get it going again, but I don’t know if I got a bad out of box new fuel pump or what. I will have to get my buddy who is a mechanic to help me figure out what’s going on. But since then my relationship with Kohler engines continued when the purchase of a brand new Cub Cadet XT1 lawn tractor with the Kohler 7000 series engine it. That’s been over 6 years ago now, and well over 500 hours of engine run time, I’ve had two issues. A blown 25 amp ignition fuse causing a no crank, and a fuel shut off solenoid failure on the bottom of the carburetor, which weirdly required the purchase of a whole new carburetor, instead of just being able to replace the fuel shot off solenoid. It’s made on to the carburetor fuel bowl, and they don’t sell just a new bowl with a new fuel shut off solenoid on it, they only sell the whole carburetor. Which was disappointing, because I was hoping to go the entire engines life on the original carburetor from new. As far as function of the carburetor itself there’s never been a single problem. I’ve always stuck to the maintenance schedule, as described both on the tractor, and in the manual to a T. I’ve always used genuine Kohler oil, filters, and the correct spark plugs, that come in the maintenance kits from Kohler. And I’ve always used ethanol free gasoline. And in well over 500 hours of engine running hours mowing 3.5 acres of grass on the farm, those are the only two issues I’ve found out of the 7000 series Kohler engine this far. How many hours will it go? Well the only way to find out is to keep on running it. I’ve done the valve lash check at 500 hours, and on both sides, both intake and exhaust valve lashes were still within spec of a new engine. The M16 magnum on the Wheel Horse, has around 1700 hours on the tractors hour meter. I remember my grandpa was very meticulous, on maintenance on anything he owned,(must be where I get it from), and I’d imagine that’s how it was able to reach 1700 hours without any failures. The fuel pump issue, happened long after he gave it to me. And when I took it off the diaphragm was rotten, and had completely fallen apart, so it wasn’t able to pull a vacuum any longer. It even still had the original muffler on it, when he gave it to me, it was pretty rusty, and crusty though. I could tell it had been through many many heat cycles. Finally while mowing one day, the inlet pipe going into the muffler body itself finally cracked apart, and the muffler completely fell off, on the ground. What was left of the inlet pipe was still clamped to the exhaust manifold pipe coming out of the head. As soon as it fell off I had to stop, not only to avoid running it over, but also because, the engine was now deafening loud, running an open manifold pipe, that was only 2 inches long off the head. So I didn’t want to risk burning up a valve. So I shut it down. I went to the same dealer, where grandpa bought it way back in 1988 for 3500 dollars. And inquired them about getting a new muffler. And they looked it up, and much to my surprise, it was still available. Though it had to be ordered from Toro, since Wheel Horse was bought out by Toro. Toro actually still made the same tractor for a a few years into the mid 90’s, so the muffler was actually still available. The guy at the register, said we can get it here in about a week, but I doubt you’ll like the price. I said how much, he said the muffler is 90 dollars, and it’s gonna cost another 12 dollars shipping to get it here. So total of 102 dollars! Well I said the original muffler finally burnt up on me yesterday and actually fell off onto the ground. And it’s been in there since 1988 with 1600 plus hours of heat cycles, and they were surprised, they said wow, it’s definitely done its job then. And I said if the original lasted that long. And a factory one brand new just like it is that much, it’s still cheaper than a cheap aftermarket one, that will likely burn through a dozen off in the same time. And they said yep that’s true. I said all you’re doing here is paying for the long service live in advance, versus paying for junk with a cheap aftermarket, where each cheap muffler won’t last a year. It’s actually cheaper in the long run to go with factory. So in my opinion yes Kohler engines work, and they work very well, and are very reliable. Since I’ve literally spent all my life around them, and grandpa probably most of his. It’s fair to say that I’ve got not only experience with them, but also family history using them. And I can assure that, thus far in current times, Kohler engines are still one of the best small engines, to be used in the outdoor power equipment industry. Like all things, I have noticed over the years l, the reduction in metal use, and the increase in plastics use in engine manufacturing. But so far it’s just things like air filter covers, flywheel covers, engine dress covers, fuel pump bodies. Things that aren’t really needed to be made from steel. But the core engine parts are still made from metal. Even the carburetor is at least aluminum bodied. They still use a cast iron sleeve in the cylinder as far as I can tell at least. But it’s weight savings. They can now use more engine power to do the mowing, and less engine power to move the tractor around. Engines nowadays, have literally about double the power, versus the old Magnum and K series days. And nowadays as engine technology advances, we’re seeing the introduction of electronic fuel infection on some commercial grade Kohler engines used on the Commercial grade zero turn mowers. For decades this technology was only found on automobile engines, and electronic fuel injection technology was seemingly never gonna make it to the outdoor power equipment industry, leaving it stuck with carburetor technology only. But now it’s here. With the a-vent of ECM technology being able to become smaller and smaller, it’s finally gotten small enough to be used on a ride on lawn tractor, and brought with it the ability to have a fuel injected Kohler engine. Bye bye to the choke levers, hello to instant cold starts, and smooth quick responsive throttling, from idle, all the way up to full throttle.
They're good engines. I've got a 1976 Cub Cadet 1650 garden tractor with the Kohler K341AQS, 16 hp. engine. A real workhorse, just do the regular maintenance on 'em and they'll literally last for decades before needing a rebuild.
Several years ago I picked up a Kohler L600 6.5kw propane generator set on a trailer most likely produced in the 1950's.. That is a 4 cylinder water cooled engine. It had not run since 1970 or 71.. had to work on the Fairbanks Morse magneto but it did run and put out power.
The Kohler cast iron engines are virtually indestructible. I was raised on a 900+ acre farm in Illinois, my first Kohler was a 1965 CASE 130 garden tractor with a K241 engine (side note, the 10HP, K241 was a very popular engine at the time, so much so that it was common to find a K301 block built to K241 specs due to the high demand) We used it for mowing, pulling grain wagons and even had a PTO adapter to run the horsepower for the ear corn elevator at our corn cribs. Anyway, I have restored the 130 (you can see it in operation on my YT channel) and it still has the original block, head and crank. It has been seriously reworked due to the fact that it was as worn out as you could get and still running. In my videos you will see it is running a built by LAMBERT for CASE 2 stage snow blower (1 of about 9 known to still exist and I have 2 of them). Next year will be it's 60th anniversary and this year it will be at the I and I tractor show in Penfield Illinois for the CASE national meet, July 11 to the 14th 2024
In the mid 90's I was working as an industrial mechanic for a company who sells Kholer generators and other machinery. Sometimes the customers came with 2kw to 5kw old generators from the 30's to 60's for repair. Also you can still saw old Kholer generatos for power backup on old radio stations and old phone companies transmiters or repeaters. Those old generators and engines are so reliable that they could last any apocalipse.
Great video, as always!! I have a Kohler engine in my 1975 Wheel Horse. I put new piston rings in when I bought it and tuned it up, in my 4th season of grass cutting with it and it's running strong.
It's weird, but we never had Kohler's on the farm! Neighbors had them, used on cement mixers, milk coolers, irrigation pumps, and of course lawn tractors🚜. A better quality engine than the rest, I wish we could have afforded them!! Excellent program Jay, thanks for the deep dive into Wisconsin made Kohler products!
=) definitely going to try to cover at least one engine manufacture a month there’s so many out there I just wish it was easy to find the information that I’m looking for might do series of families within those families as well. It’s just finding the information but happy you dig this episode
I have nine K-Series engines. A 7 hp on a rototiller and 8 thru 14 hp on Case, John Deere and Cub Cadet lawn tractors. My most used lawn tractor is a 1974 Case with 12 hp and a 44-inch center discharge deck. All the engines give great service!
In the late 1940's my grandfather had a company that built 1000 miles of REA (Rural Electric Association) electrical lines in east central South Dakota. They used a Kohler Automatic generator mostly for running drills and lighting. I still have the generator. Twenty years ago I got it running and making electricity. Over built? How many 1500 watt generators made today will still be running in 90 years or even in 10? I also have a couple 1970's IH Cub Cadet garden tractors with Kohlers. Both are still in operational condition.
Have used, owned and rebuilt scores of Kohlers. Very compact design. Over square, meaning bore diameter was larger than the stroke. Smooth and durable. More complex than their bathtubs. Kohler, Homelite, Prestolite, among others produced farm & home power plants. Large parts of rural American didn't have electricity until after the depression. Check out the REA. Somewhere I read that the term Horse Power was coined by James Watt. Ole Jim wanted a way to describe the power of his steam engines to potential buyers. One HP could raise 33,000 pounds 1 foot in 1 minute, said Jim. The UK was big on mining, horses brought ore to the surface on an elevator via block & tackle. Watt's engines, powering a winch could replace teams of horses. That's what I remember reading, fact checkers can take it from here.
I have a running 1958 pacific mercury briggs power plant. Used for remote cabin as a power source. Set up for a car battery to start as a starter generator. Has a remote switch port. Top of the line in its day oil bath intake. Loud though. Runs great. Great compression cost 20 bucks at yard sale weights 150 lbs plus. Made to last.😊😊
Wow, I totally forgot that old engines like that had oil bath air cleaners. I had an ancient Briggs that had a little tiny oil bath air cleaner when I was a kid (a very long time ago). I had no idea how it worked.
So we used to run 3hp cast iron Kohler engines on our edgers at our lawn business. You could run them forever and when they were worn out ya just did a ring job and get another season or two out of them. We also had some zero turn mowers that were powered by twin Kohler engines. Today I still have a 1970 3KA Kohler Power Plant with the K181 engine on it that runs off Propane. I have quite a lot of respect for Kohler Engines.
I put in many hours in my ~4th to 7th-grade years on a (Jacobsen-built) Ford LGT125 mowing and rototiller-ing, and sometimes instead the Cub Cadet 127(?ish) mowing, both with a hydro transmission and (per TractorData) the 476cc 12HP single Kohler. For me, it was something fun and different, learning to drive and operate machinery (even though small and simple) long before I could drive a car on the road. For my dad, it was a few hours he didn't have to do that chore and could spend the time elsewhere. A Ford 1620 with a Shibaura 3-cylinder diesel eventually replaced both for maintaining lawn & gardens around my parents' house.
I grew up on Kohler street my next door neighbor was Kirk Gibson the next streets over where Briggs and Crane they were connected by Standard and Universal. This place was in Drayton Plains Michigan. What were they thinking we used to get teased about living in the toilet subdivision.
About 20 years ago I bought a Gravely zero turn with a 17HP Kohler Courage engine. It was a single-cylinder with two balance shafts. I expected it to be smoother than it was and it was super hard to start when it was colder than 60°. That was a super nuisance in northeast Ohio. Other than that it was fine. I sold it after 9 years because I moved to a larger property and bought a tractor. It was still running fine and the guy I sold it to loved it.
My grandfather had one on an irrigation pump . Had a hole in the block i never seen it run 😞... Briggs and Stratton family 😂 Great Episode Happy Motoring ✌️🤠
Fascinating. I had one of the small four cylinder 1500 watt generators (military, I think, uses a 5 gal. GI gas can for its tank). Gave to a friend who likes old equipment. It was carry twice its rated load. Sounds like Kohler got into light plants about the same time as Homelite (Home Electric Light) company. Never had one of those light plants, but bought (and still use) my first Homelite chainsaw 50 years ago).
@@What.its.like. Just talked to my buddy; he says he thinks it used around half gallon per hour with the test load he had on it, but he’s never run a full 5 gallon tank at one time. This is a guy who kick starts the gas engine on his 1915 Maytag when he washes rags.😅
@@What.its.like. I worked for a place that sold construction supplies both residential and commercial. I probably sold hundreds of Honda generators. Absolutely the quietest generator made. And I personally have never seen one that required more than two pulls to start it.
SOOO....U HAD TO END THIS FANTASTIC...SHARP...TO THE POINT... BRIEF....HISTORY.....WITH... CHEESE CAKE...TISK,TISK,TISK...WINK,WINK,NOD,NOD... CLASSIC CHEESE CAKE ..NOW IF HISTORY LESSONS IN SCHOOL WOULD HAVE ENDED LIKE YOURS HUMM???🤔🤔🤔A REALLY GOOD HISTORY THANK U , 👍👍👍🙂🙂🙂
Have always had great luck with kohlers. My Welder runs great with a 12h.p. K series, My doodle bug tractor has a 16h.p. Magnum and my air compressor has a smaller kohler. Always do the job well.
Years ago, I bought an old Lincoln Weldan Power combination welder/generator from a friend. It had a big Kohler cast iron engine with Timken tapered roller bearings. It was heavy, clumsy to move around, but it would run all day long. It drank fuel like there was no tomorrow, but would weld good and be useful in a power outage. I kept it for 10 years and sold it for quadruple what I paid for it.
Check out the Pioneer Village in Minden, NE. They might have something about that very device you were describing. Amungst thousands of early industrial inventions. Not to mention the great things Harold Warp did for society, you could make a couple dozen videos on his museum.
I grew up with Dad having a John Deere Lawn/Garden Tractor which had a Kohler Engine so I guess I've been around Kohlers my entire life, we still have a couple out at our farm.
I love engines and look forward to your engine series this one was more interesting cause kohler didnt just make engines but everything even the kitchen sink (ha ha) thanks jay
=) happy to hear it I think going to start a new series not sure if it will be weekly we will see motorcycle Mondays in the same format as the engine series =)
Kohler and Cub Cadet ( the Cub Cadet as it was under International Harvester ) ( Cub Cadet under subsequent owners have and still produce Great stuff mind You, I use an RTZ50 not mine and it is a winner also but not powered by Kohler it is a dynamite 23 hp Kawasaki engine ) they have helped Me for nearly no more than 40 years and are still working Winter Spring Summer & Fall the K series engine was and those still doing work are in a class all by themselves, then along came the smog police ruined everything. I have a 100, 102 x2 one is parts a 1450 and if all goes well this weekend a 1650 the 102 with a ten hp has done snow blowing for Me (with a QA36 snowthower ) and a lot of the street I live on for four decades and some, You name it it has happened but I fix it and keep it going that is the beauty if this stuff if You have a Mind to it it is all completly repairable! none of this oh no its broke get another one! Cheers!!! Rick from Ontario Canada, Further I am 66 years Young this year and Your a Young Guy and Great to see Your interest in what has been before Good Stuff! Oh and I have had Kohler for so long I can type it out spelt correctly 9 in 10 times Mostly : ) also this is in Canadian funds 🙂
those engines was used 4 alot of the walk behind lawn mowers IVE seen them be 4 now U very seldom see any of those mowers the other IVE never heard of be 4 it must have a protype engine early be 4 they made gas engines in production 4 lawn mowers the later lawn mowers were riding lawn mowers like U see 2 day there was alot of lawn mower companys over the years 😊😊 OMG 6 25 2O24
Hi Jay! A really interesting episode! Really some interesting history there! Don't have any Kohler memories, as far as the engines go. Probably used a lot of their porcelain items! Here's an idea for an episode, though. REO didn't only make cars and trucks. They made a small engine as well as their famous "Gold Seal" truck engines. Might be an interesting episode if you can find some info on those products of REO.
They used horse driven “stair cases” here back in the day. Basically an escalator a pair of horses would “climb” Which turned a shaft with a flat belt output. Maybe that’s what you’re talking about? Apparently if the belt came off it would speed up and hurt the horses. There were lots of stationary engines and generators used here as the town didn’t get electricity until the mid 1950’s. I’ve got an old Kohler radiator and grill probably from a generator as a wall hanger.
I have 5garden tractors powered by kohler engine 4 of them are k series one being a twin cylinder and the other a magnum series most of them run great the ones that don’t need general maintenance part
I am familiar with K-Series and Magnum. They are tough but probably could have been improved with a tough alloy block that cooled better. An iron K341 is pretty heavy and durable and can be rebuilt multiple times
I think the device you are remembering is made by E. C. Stearns & Company or J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company. Both companies made devices that could double or even triple the output of a horse. These devices were essentially treadmills or rotary systems that horses would walk on or around. The motion of the horses would turn gears and drive machinery, such as threshers, saws, or other equipment. By converting the linear motion of the horse into rotary motion Here are two examples: Eclipse Horse Power: An example of such a device, where horses walked on a circular track, driving a central shaft connected to farm equipment. Sweep Horse Power: Another type, where horses walked in a circular path to turn a horizontal sweep that powered machinery. John Deere and IH also dabbled in this domain however, Stearns and Case specialized in this equipment. I can't find any information that Kohler made anything like this. Maybe it's been lost to antiquity.
The "Horse Power " could possibly have been built by an outside company such as the Dingy Woobury company, which specialized in building horse powers. Several other companies sold them and rebadged them with thier own name.
I was thinking it was on the Kohler made engines but then of course that's just cast iron and if they made my cast iron bathtub then of course they would probably probably make engine blocks
Wish they still made the K-301 12 horsepower one they were real cast iron Kohlers ! I have a new cub cadet (MTD. Not a real one ! )And it has a Kohler V twin its aluminum not a real Kohler I bet it does not last 10 years ! My old one is still in use to this day at my buds place in Tennessee! Never been apart ! It only has a 42 inch deck though .
I have a few Kohler engines excellent. But today they put their name on Chinese junk on lawn mowers tractors at Lowes etc . Terrible quality. They should not do so.
I’ve heard mixed things about new kohler products I had a friend in the plumbing business who swears by kohler faucets and such but as far as the engines go the old ones I was told were just about bullet proof
1962-1965 Polaris sportsman snowmobile used Kohler engines. Except for the L-55/L-60 they used Lawson 5.5hp/6hp. Everything else K60, K80, K95 used Kohler 6hp, 8hp, and 9.5hp Kohler engines respectfully.
My 1985 Wheel Horse has a 12HP Kohler. It runs great still idles down very quiet and gets the job done
Sweet I had a neighbor that swore wheelhouse was the best tractor on the market his had the grass ejector on the rear of the mower deac inside of the right side which was nice
@What.its.like. The Wheelhorse might be one of the best for the money - most WH used belt drive. The shaft drive John Deere and Cub Cadet were more spendy and the tires lose traction before the belts would slip. Sears Suburban is similar to Wheelhorse - often overlooked. Collecting garden tractors is fun because $1,000 can go far and you can't lose too much on them.
About 35 years ago, I found an old rototiller, it was made FMC. It had a Koller engine. Looking it over, I could tell it was older then me. The engine was all cast-iron, it was an L head, and locked up tighter then Fort Konx. I broke it down and went to work on it, as my luck was holding out I found the timcin numbers for the bearing and seals, rings were a bit harder to find. After rebuilding the engine and carburetor, I rapped a rope around the starting pully, it started up and ran great. I gave it to a friend who used it for 15 years.
At 13 , my buddy and me made coaster carts for down hills . One day my old neighbor came over and said , hey boys , I got an engine in my garage if you want it . Well , some pulleys and fan belts and all night , we were flying up and down the street in total bliss ! A Kohler 4 hp gave us so much fun for 3 weeks until that fateful day , we forgot to check the oil ! God the depression . LOL . But it changed my life , Ive been a small engine mechanic ever since and made a living . Thank you Leonard Holbrook , you changed my life and gave me happy memories .
Oh , and im 64 now and still making gokarts !
Have several vintage cub cadets all kohler motors very strong long lasting
In the 70's, I was the Service Coordinator for Gardner Inc, a 7 State Central Warehouse Distributor in Columbus, Ohio. We represented Kohler, Briggs and Stratton, and Tecumseh engines. I went to all 3 Service Schools, But the Kohler instructor started his school by saying, "Kohler Engines are made to be rebuilt". How true that was. Gardner had a service shop, for disputed Warranty claims ran by Kenny Corbin. My opinion, a genius with small engines. Back then, Lawn Tractors were being used for Tractor Pulls, and Kenny was the guy to "do" your engine. I have seen Kohler engines; for an example, a K341, factory rated at 16 HP, custom built by Kenny, that would run in upwards toward 5,000 RPM's. Horsepower's a guessing game, but Kenny thought they were putting out more than 40 to 50 HP. I have seem many of these engines being rebuilt, many times. Most of the time, the engine needed only new bearings, head gasket, and once in a while a piston replaced. I only remember 1 engine needing a new block, crankshaft, piston and connecting rod. Hat's off to Kohler for making, in my opinion, the best versatile engine ever, giving Kenny a basic pallet base, so he could create his magic. R.I.P. Kenny.
Thank you so Much for sharing those stories what great memories, thank you so much for sharing your experience working with these engines
Julian Stahl of Midwest Super Cub had a foundry cast a strengthened Kohler K series block , he made huge power. Then he built a custom Kohler V twin for 120 hp and 12,000 rpm
I have a 10 HP Kohler on a 1971 International Cub Cadet lawn tractor. It's getting a little tired now but still mows the lawn weekly.
=)
We have a Kohler V-twin gas motor to power a large industrial type of air compressor. It literally sounds like a Harley.. it’s from 2009
Sweet =)
Used many Kohler engines, in many things, over the years. I can't recall a single of them giving up. Sometimes what they were powering wore out, but the engine was still going strong. Same honestly, with the plumbing products. Thank you, fascinating episode. ~ Chuck
=) happy you enjoyed this one
I have been collecting old engines for years! I ended up acquiring a Kohler light plant from the basement of the very same school I graduated from after the school went through some renovations. The K series engines are hard to beat, they were used in many of the competitive, high dollar garden tractors like International Harvesters Cub Cadet and Jacobsen. My favorite K series engine Kohler made is the K321, they're just great running engines. Great installment, I really enjoyed this one.
Love my cubs 147 149 with k321a 6099a 14 hp stored more oil fir better lubrecation and cooling. Wish they still made them.
@lesliewood3616 Same here brother! I have a few Wheel Horse tractors with that engine. I had a 147 that had a loader on it. That little engine had some great torque and made good power at low rpm.
Awesome I was curious how about fuel consumption on the light plant have you run yours they are bigger than the ads suggest
@What.its.like. The fuel consumption isn't bad at all under a light load. I use a small 2 gallon fuel tank off of an old compact/utility tractor to run the plant. I can get about a days worth of use out of that two gallon fuel tank when running the light plant at shows all day continuously.
Hahn turf equipment used the K301 too tough iron !
until now never got the connection Kohler plumbing and engines
Love filling in the blanks
I have a Kohler engine powered gravely tractor, this engine is unbelievable it just keeps on running , thru all kinds of weather. hot summer days running a 30" rough cut mower, and in the winter running plow or snow blower. I think they are one of the best
Thank you so much fir sharing your experience with your kohler engine
I've got a Cub Cadet 1650 with a Kohler K-341 series engine. My Dad bought new in 1978 gets about 150 hours a year run time between cutting grass and clearing snow. I rebuilt the engine about 10 years ago with over 4000 hours on it.
From 1977-1980, I worked at a go cart track in Las Vegas. The original carts had "KOHLER cast iron" engines. Sir, they were tanks.They were tough, they were strong, and they lasted forever. The chassis started to fall apart but those engines were still running when we replaced all the carts. They were replaced with newer versions with Honda engines.But those KOHLER engines, man , they kept on running. We listed them for sale, and most of them were sold to landscaping companies.Cause they knew about reliable engines. I would bet a lot of them are still running today.
Thank you so much for sharing that story and the memories =) Honda came in and became the standard or in many cases the best we have a Honda generator super quite
I had a Johnson Kart from the 70's that had a 3hp Kohler. Fantastic engine!
Oh Yeah... Bulletproof!
Again, I learned something today. I never knew that Kohler plumbing and Kohler engines were the same company. Those generators were interesting, especially the early DC models. Notice that it says that you can deliver power up to one mile away- that's because that is about the limit for DC current to travel without a major voltage loss. James Watt coined the term 'horsepower' to show how his newly developed steam engine could do as much work as X amount of horses. I never had a Kohler engine, but I did have a 1949 Clinton, tons of Briggs & Strattons, and several Tecumseh engines. Cool video today, Jay!
Great insight and information I’m always learning from all you in the comments as well =)
James? James Watt. As Watt developed the concept of horsepower, the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.
@@Tag-Traeumer Wow, I forgot to add his surname! Good call, I'll fix that.
@@61rampy65 👍
I found a K90 at the dump a few years ago. It's on what's remaining of a small well-built snowblower. Haven't restored it yet, but turns over easy with good compression.
well this was enjoyable. My first experience with Kohler beyond plumbing parts was in the mid 1980's. The Coast Guard station I was transferred to had a Kholer diesel back up generator. I did PM's on that baby several time and would love to have it now for my house in Fla.
Happy you dig this episode =) thank you so much for sharing those memories with us
Our CG station had a four cylinder ford Diesel. I think it was installed just prior to my arrival in 1975. The station was built around 1900 on stilts in Surf Side Texas and I was also MK.
"Horsepowers" were machines to allow 1 to 4 horses to walk around in circles pulling a bar hooked on a vertical shaft. Bevel gears at bottom send a drive shaft along the ground. It was enclosed and the horses had to walk over it's long low skinny enclosure. If I am not mistaken the PTO rpm was 540 rpm with the horse(s) walking at a good speed. 1908 reproduction Sears Roebuck Catalog had "horsepowers" for sale out of Chicago.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing that information greatly appreciate it
You will see them at Threshing Reunions They were common for smaller grain farms
Have several Wheel Horse garden tractors, and various Wheel Horse tractor/engines from K91, K171, K181, K241, and a K321. I have one that has been in the family for over 50 years.
We had a Kohler 10 hp in a 1964 Wheel Horse 1054. My Dad used it for 30 years before he traded it in on a Ingersoll. The Kohler still was running strong.
In the 1960s and 1970s my grandparents had a cabin up one of the canyons near Palm Springs the you hiked up to. They bought a new John Deere garden tractor with trailer for transport the 2nd half of the hike which was much leveler terrain… it was a job to get to that half way point where it was stored. The following winter there was a flood which would have made it impossible to get it up at all. The tractor was found upside down half buried after. A stone garage was built for it. I learned to drive it at age 9 and have many fond memories of it.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your experience with kohler engines =)
This was a very interesting video. I always wondered if the Kohler faucets, generators and small engines were related. I had several garden tractors with Kohler engines and a 4k stationary generator just like the one at the bottom right of the ad at 6:21. The engines are very well built!
Happy you dig this episode kohler was king =)
Kohler also made snowmobile engines for a few different manufacturers
Kohler powered sno- twisters were state of the art racing machines back in the day. High compression magnificence.
I have owned many Kohlers over the years. I had one run a spray pump 5 days a week for 30 years. I now own 3 antique Kohler light plants. 1500 watt OH valve 4 cylinder light plant, 1200 RPM, a L600 6500 watt 1800 RPM flathead, and a K90 1500 watt 3600 rpm light plant. All beautiful machines.
Awesome which one do you like the most.. I think those are stellar machines what an awesome concept
Horsepower is just a unit of measurement! When they started selling steam engines, they needed a way to relate the work one could do to what could be done by a horse. As that's what buyers could relate to then.
Jay all of us really appreciate your getting back with us who make comments! Sincerely, Marcel, in Yuma, Az
=) thank you glad to be appreciated
I lived in Yuma starting in 1969 and then off and on for many years. Still have friends there.
When I was born in early July 1969, in Central West NSW, Australia it was one of the coldest winters in years. My Dad bought a Mobilco saw to cut the firewood for the Everhot slow combustion stove to keep me warm. It was powered by a K181 (?) 8 hp kohler. I replaced that engine a few years ago with a new Kohler Magnum not because it was worn out or refused to start but because the Magnum was bought for the rotary hoe but didn't fit. That engine is now 55 years old and will still start with a few yards of rope!!
Been around Kohler engines all my life. They’re a hard engine to beat for reliability. First Kohler engine I remember seeing as a kid was on my grandpa’s Wheel Horse 416-8 lawn and garden tractor. At the time I didn’t really know much about engines as I was like 6 years old when I first seen it watching grandpa mow his yard. As I got older and became more familiar with engines, I learned that it was a Kohler Magnum Series M16. The 16 meaning 16hp. Nowadays 16 HP on a mower seems silly, but I remember grandpa spending hours and hours running that ol Kohler M16 engine on that Wheel Horse, and it never missed a beat. It didn’t seem to care how hot it was outside temperature wise, it never once over heated, and never broke down. The engine was built like a tank. One day grandpa flipped the Wheel Horse over while mowing next to the creek bank, and rolled it down in the creek. I think what had happened was the creek bank gave way under the weight of the him and the Wheel Horse. All it did to the Wheel Horse was bent the steering wheel out of round a little bit. He flipped the Wheel Horse back over on its wheels, let the oil drain back down to the bottom of the crank case, and replaced what oil may have spilled out of the dip stick tube, fired it back up, and finished mowing. He continued to use it for many many years later until he finally gave it to me one day out of the blue. Once I got it I used it for many years still, until finally the mechanical fuel pump went out on the Kohler. I bought a new one, and attempted to get it going again, but I don’t know if I got a bad out of box new fuel pump or what. I will have to get my buddy who is a mechanic to help me figure out what’s going on. But since then my relationship with Kohler engines continued when the purchase of a brand new Cub Cadet XT1 lawn tractor with the Kohler 7000 series engine it. That’s been over 6 years ago now, and well over 500 hours of engine run time, I’ve had two issues. A blown 25 amp ignition fuse causing a no crank, and a fuel shut off solenoid failure on the bottom of the carburetor, which weirdly required the purchase of a whole new carburetor, instead of just being able to replace the fuel shot off solenoid. It’s made on to the carburetor fuel bowl, and they don’t sell just a new bowl with a new fuel shut off solenoid on it, they only sell the whole carburetor. Which was disappointing, because I was hoping to go the entire engines life on the original carburetor from new. As far as function of the carburetor itself there’s never been a single problem. I’ve always stuck to the maintenance schedule, as described both on the tractor, and in the manual to a T. I’ve always used genuine Kohler oil, filters, and the correct spark plugs, that come in the maintenance kits from Kohler. And I’ve always used ethanol free gasoline. And in well over 500 hours of engine running hours mowing 3.5 acres of grass on the farm, those are the only two issues I’ve found out of the 7000 series Kohler engine this far. How many hours will it go? Well the only way to find out is to keep on running it. I’ve done the valve lash check at 500 hours, and on both sides, both intake and exhaust valve lashes were still within spec of a new engine. The M16 magnum on the Wheel Horse, has around 1700 hours on the tractors hour meter. I remember my grandpa was very meticulous, on maintenance on anything he owned,(must be where I get it from), and I’d imagine that’s how it was able to reach 1700 hours without any failures. The fuel pump issue, happened long after he gave it to me. And when I took it off the diaphragm was rotten, and had completely fallen apart, so it wasn’t able to pull a vacuum any longer. It even still had the original muffler on it, when he gave it to me, it was pretty rusty, and crusty though. I could tell it had been through many many heat cycles. Finally while mowing one day, the inlet pipe going into the muffler body itself finally cracked apart, and the muffler completely fell off, on the ground. What was left of the inlet pipe was still clamped to the exhaust manifold pipe coming out of the head. As soon as it fell off I had to stop, not only to avoid running it over, but also because, the engine was now deafening loud, running an open manifold pipe, that was only 2 inches long off the head. So I didn’t want to risk burning up a valve. So I shut it down. I went to the same dealer, where grandpa bought it way back in 1988 for 3500 dollars. And inquired them about getting a new muffler. And they looked it up, and much to my surprise, it was still available. Though it had to be ordered from Toro, since Wheel Horse was bought out by Toro. Toro actually still made the same tractor for a a few years into the mid 90’s, so the muffler was actually still available. The guy at the register, said we can get it here in about a week, but I doubt you’ll like the price. I said how much, he said the muffler is 90 dollars, and it’s gonna cost another 12 dollars shipping to get it here. So total of 102 dollars! Well I said the original muffler finally burnt up on me yesterday and actually fell off onto the ground. And it’s been in there since 1988 with 1600 plus hours of heat cycles, and they were surprised, they said wow, it’s definitely done its job then. And I said if the original lasted that long. And a factory one brand new just like it is that much, it’s still cheaper than a cheap aftermarket one, that will likely burn through a dozen off in the same time. And they said yep that’s true. I said all you’re doing here is paying for the long service live in advance, versus paying for junk with a cheap aftermarket, where each cheap muffler won’t last a year. It’s actually cheaper in the long run to go with factory. So in my opinion yes Kohler engines work, and they work very well, and are very reliable. Since I’ve literally spent all my life around them, and grandpa probably most of his. It’s fair to say that I’ve got not only experience with them, but also family history using them. And I can assure that, thus far in current times, Kohler engines are still one of the best small engines, to be used in the outdoor power equipment industry. Like all things, I have noticed over the years l, the reduction in metal use, and the increase in plastics use in engine manufacturing. But so far it’s just things like air filter covers, flywheel covers, engine dress covers, fuel pump bodies. Things that aren’t really needed to be made from steel. But the core engine parts are still made from metal. Even the carburetor is at least aluminum bodied. They still use a cast iron sleeve in the cylinder as far as I can tell at least. But it’s weight savings. They can now use more engine power to do the mowing, and less engine power to move the tractor around. Engines nowadays, have literally about double the power, versus the old Magnum and K series days. And nowadays as engine technology advances, we’re seeing the introduction of electronic fuel infection on some commercial grade Kohler engines used on the Commercial grade zero turn mowers. For decades this technology was only found on automobile engines, and electronic fuel injection technology was seemingly never gonna make it to the outdoor power equipment industry, leaving it stuck with carburetor technology only. But now it’s here. With the a-vent of ECM technology being able to become smaller and smaller, it’s finally gotten small enough to be used on a ride on lawn tractor, and brought with it the ability to have a fuel injected Kohler engine. Bye bye to the choke levers, hello to instant cold starts, and smooth quick responsive throttling, from idle, all the way up to full throttle.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share all that information =)
They're good engines. I've got a 1976 Cub Cadet 1650 garden tractor with the Kohler K341AQS, 16 hp. engine. A real workhorse, just do the regular maintenance on 'em and they'll literally last for decades before needing a rebuild.
Several years ago I picked up a Kohler L600 6.5kw propane generator set on a trailer most likely produced in the 1950's.. That is a 4 cylinder water cooled engine. It had not run since 1970 or 71.. had to work on the Fairbanks Morse magneto but it did run and put out power.
We have a 1971 cushman golf kart with a Kohler motor on it it still runs and drives many hours on that unit...
The Kohler cast iron engines are virtually indestructible. I was raised on a 900+ acre farm in Illinois, my first Kohler was a 1965 CASE 130 garden tractor with a K241 engine (side note, the 10HP, K241 was a very popular engine at the time, so much so that it was common to find a K301 block built to K241 specs due to the high demand) We used it for mowing, pulling grain wagons and even had a PTO adapter to run the horsepower for the ear corn elevator at our corn cribs. Anyway, I have restored the 130 (you can see it in operation on my YT channel) and it still has the original block, head and crank. It has been seriously reworked due to the fact that it was as worn out as you could get and still running. In my videos you will see it is running a built by LAMBERT for CASE 2 stage snow blower (1 of about 9 known to still exist and I have 2 of them). Next year will be it's 60th anniversary and this year it will be at the I and I tractor show in Penfield Illinois for the CASE national meet, July 11 to the 14th 2024
My Rokon 2WD trail bike runs a factory 7hp kohler.
In the 60s and 70s my dad was a Landscape Gardner in Southern California. I remember him having lawnmowers with Kohler engines on them.
In the mid 90's I was working as an industrial mechanic for a company who sells Kholer generators and other machinery. Sometimes the customers came with 2kw to 5kw old generators from the 30's to 60's for repair. Also you can still saw old Kholer generatos for power backup on old radio stations and old phone companies transmiters or repeaters. Those old generators and engines are so reliable that they could last any apocalipse.
Great video, as always!! I have a Kohler engine in my 1975 Wheel Horse. I put new piston rings in when I bought it and tuned it up, in my 4th season of grass cutting with it and it's running strong.
=)
It's weird, but we never had Kohler's on the farm! Neighbors had them, used on cement mixers, milk coolers, irrigation pumps, and of course lawn tractors🚜. A better quality engine than the rest, I wish we could have afforded them!! Excellent program Jay, thanks for the deep dive into Wisconsin made Kohler products!
=) definitely going to try to cover at least one engine manufacture a month there’s so many out there I just wish it was easy to find the information that I’m looking for might do series of families within those families as well. It’s just finding the information but happy you dig this episode
I had a small Kohler engine on a go Kary when I was a kid. It's was fast and great fun!
I have nine K-Series engines. A 7 hp on a rototiller and 8 thru 14 hp on Case, John Deere and Cub Cadet lawn tractors. My most used lawn tractor is a 1974 Case with 12 hp and a 44-inch center discharge deck. All the engines give great service!
Awesome =)
In the late 1940's my grandfather had a company that built 1000 miles of REA (Rural Electric Association) electrical lines in east central South Dakota. They used a Kohler Automatic generator mostly for running drills and lighting. I still have the generator. Twenty years ago I got it running and making electricity. Over built? How many 1500 watt generators made today will still be running in 90 years or even in 10? I also have a couple 1970's IH Cub Cadet garden tractors with Kohlers. Both are still in operational condition.
Have used, owned and rebuilt scores of Kohlers. Very compact design. Over square, meaning bore diameter was larger than the stroke. Smooth and durable. More complex than their bathtubs. Kohler, Homelite, Prestolite, among others produced farm & home power plants. Large parts of rural American didn't have electricity until after the depression. Check out the REA. Somewhere I read that the term Horse Power was coined by James Watt. Ole Jim wanted a way to describe the power of his steam engines to potential buyers. One HP could raise 33,000 pounds 1 foot in 1 minute, said Jim. The UK was big on mining, horses brought ore to the surface on an elevator via block & tackle. Watt's engines, powering a winch could replace teams of horses. That's what I remember reading, fact checkers can take it from here.
Great information =)
I have a running 1958 pacific mercury briggs power plant. Used for remote cabin as a power source. Set up for a car battery to start as a starter generator. Has a remote switch port. Top of the line in its day oil bath intake. Loud though. Runs great. Great compression cost 20 bucks at yard sale weights 150 lbs plus. Made to last.😊😊
Wow, I totally forgot that old engines like that had oil bath air cleaners. I had an ancient Briggs that had a little tiny oil bath air cleaner when I was a kid (a very long time ago). I had no idea how it worked.
So we used to run 3hp cast iron Kohler engines on our edgers at our lawn business. You could run them forever and when they were worn out ya just did a ring job and get another season or two out of them. We also had some zero turn mowers that were powered by twin Kohler engines. Today I still have a 1970 3KA Kohler Power Plant with the K181 engine on it that runs off Propane. I have quite a lot of respect for Kohler Engines.
Some models of the King Midget cars from 1966 had Kohler engines.
Very cool 😎 story. Always easy start.
Kohler, Clinton, and Reo. I have some of each. Love old iron.
Going to cover the other two eventually
My generator could be as old as 1952? Wow!
I put in many hours in my ~4th to 7th-grade years on a (Jacobsen-built) Ford LGT125 mowing and rototiller-ing, and sometimes instead the Cub Cadet 127(?ish) mowing, both with a hydro transmission and (per TractorData) the 476cc 12HP single Kohler. For me, it was something fun and different, learning to drive and operate machinery (even though small and simple) long before I could drive a car on the road. For my dad, it was a few hours he didn't have to do that chore and could spend the time elsewhere. A Ford 1620 with a Shibaura 3-cylinder diesel eventually replaced both for maintaining lawn & gardens around my parents' house.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience
I grew up on Kohler street my next door neighbor was Kirk Gibson the next streets over where Briggs and Crane they were connected by Standard and Universal. This place was in Drayton Plains Michigan. What were they thinking we used to get teased about living in the toilet subdivision.
We had a self propelled Versatile swather that had a 4cyl Kohler engine it still ran when the rest of the machine was shot.
About 20 years ago I bought a Gravely zero turn with a 17HP Kohler Courage engine. It was a single-cylinder with two balance shafts. I expected it to be smoother than it was and it was super hard to start when it was colder than 60°. That was a super nuisance in northeast Ohio. Other than that it was fine. I sold it after 9 years because I moved to a larger property and bought a tractor. It was still running fine and the guy I sold it to loved it.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your experience =)
We seemed to have Briggs and Stratton engines on our go carts.
But I do remember dancing to 'Disco Inferno' in the 70's. 😏
Hahaha I was going to put that music in but didn’t want to get copyright hit going to do Briggs and Stratton eventually
@@What.its.like.
All good, thanks.
Most B&S are lighter alloy
Thanks for the history. I worked on, repaired, many many Kohler engines over the years. Didn't know the history before this.
learned more from this video than I did going to kohler schools annually for 8 years. Thank you for compiling the history.
Hahaha nice
My grandfather had one on an irrigation pump .
Had a hole in the block i never seen it run 😞...
Briggs and Stratton family 😂
Great Episode
Happy Motoring ✌️🤠
Fascinating. I had one of the small four cylinder 1500 watt generators (military, I think, uses a 5 gal. GI gas can for its tank). Gave to a friend who likes old equipment. It was carry twice its rated load. Sounds like Kohler got into light plants about the same time as Homelite (Home Electric Light) company. Never had one of those light plants, but bought (and still use) my first Homelite chainsaw 50 years ago).
How long did 5 gallons last ( I know until it’s gone lol ) thank you so much for sharing that info
@@What.its.like. Just talked to my buddy; he says he thinks it used around half gallon per hour with the test load he had on it, but he’s never run a full 5 gallon tank at one time. This is a guy who kick starts the gas engine on his 1915 Maytag when he washes rags.😅
For 'Name That Tune', that has got to be none other than the Dremel 4000-4/34 Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit
Hahahaha
Kohler engines powered my go-kart and also my tote-goat aka mini bike.
Then along came Honda and took over the market.
Hondas a super quiet we have a generator whisper quiet
@@What.its.like. I worked for a place that sold construction supplies both residential and commercial. I probably sold hundreds of Honda generators. Absolutely the quietest generator made. And I personally have never seen one that required more than two pulls to start it.
Unless they sit takes a little more
SOOO....U HAD TO END THIS FANTASTIC...SHARP...TO THE POINT... BRIEF....HISTORY.....WITH... CHEESE CAKE...TISK,TISK,TISK...WINK,WINK,NOD,NOD... CLASSIC CHEESE CAKE ..NOW IF HISTORY LESSONS IN SCHOOL WOULD HAVE
ENDED LIKE YOURS HUMM???🤔🤔🤔A REALLY GOOD HISTORY THANK U , 👍👍👍🙂🙂🙂
=)
Have always had great luck with kohlers. My Welder runs great with a 12h.p. K series, My doodle bug tractor has a 16h.p. Magnum and my air compressor has a smaller kohler. Always do the job well.
Years ago, I bought an old Lincoln Weldan Power combination welder/generator from a friend. It had a big Kohler cast iron engine with Timken tapered roller bearings. It was heavy, clumsy to move around, but it would run all day long. It drank fuel like there was no tomorrow, but would weld good and be useful in a power outage. I kept it for 10 years and sold it for quadruple what I paid for it.
many grain augers in the 50s and 60s had kohler engines
This year Kohler sold its engine division. They want to concentrate on Kitchen and Bath products and the hospitality business.
Thank you so much for sharing that information I saw they moved to Mississippi but couldn’t find that information again
I have a troybilt horse tiller powered by an 8HP Kohler Magnum. I am going to rebuild it someday.
Check out the Pioneer Village in Minden, NE. They might have something about that very device you were describing. Amungst thousands of early industrial inventions. Not to mention the great things Harold Warp did for society, you could make a couple dozen videos on his museum.
Great information
I grew up with Dad having a John Deere Lawn/Garden Tractor which had a Kohler Engine so I guess I've been around Kohlers my entire life, we still have a couple out at our farm.
Awesome I had a John Deere 212 just sold it still run great and it was fast is probably the same speed as the 70s ford tractor
I love engines and look forward to your engine series this one was more interesting cause kohler didnt just make engines but everything even the kitchen sink (ha ha) thanks jay
=) happy to hear it I think going to start a new series not sure if it will be weekly we will see motorcycle Mondays in the same format as the engine series =)
I had a Pennsylvania Panzer powered by a K 181.
Kohler and Cub Cadet ( the Cub Cadet as it was under International Harvester ) ( Cub Cadet under subsequent owners have and still produce Great stuff mind You, I use an RTZ50 not mine and it is a winner also but not powered by Kohler it is a dynamite 23 hp Kawasaki engine ) they have helped Me for nearly no more than 40 years and are still working Winter Spring Summer & Fall the K series engine was and those still doing work are in a class all by themselves, then along came the smog police ruined everything. I have a 100, 102 x2 one is parts a 1450 and if all goes well this weekend a 1650 the 102 with a ten hp has done snow blowing for Me (with a QA36 snowthower ) and a lot of the street I live on for four decades and some, You name it it has happened but I fix it and keep it going that is the beauty if this stuff if You have a Mind to it it is all completly repairable! none of this oh no its broke get another one! Cheers!!! Rick from Ontario Canada, Further I am 66 years Young this year and Your a Young Guy and Great to see Your interest in what has been before Good Stuff!
Oh and I have had Kohler for so long I can type it out spelt correctly 9 in 10 times Mostly : ) also this is in Canadian funds 🙂
Thank you so much for that donation as well as all the insight and added information =) kohler = king
Stens still sells reasonably priced repair kits for the old K series
Great to know
those engines was used 4 alot of the walk behind lawn mowers IVE seen them be 4 now U very seldom see any of those mowers the other IVE never heard of be 4 it must have a protype engine early be 4 they made gas engines in production 4 lawn mowers the later lawn mowers were riding lawn mowers like U see 2 day there was alot of lawn mower companys over the years 😊😊 OMG 6 25 2O24
Great production and topic love the channel. Kohler should have made a fire extinguisher.
Thank you welcome to the community =) happy you dig this episode
Kohler engines are great engines, I have four.
Hi Jay! A really interesting episode! Really some interesting history there! Don't have any Kohler memories, as far as the engines go. Probably used a lot of their porcelain items! Here's an idea for an episode, though. REO didn't only make cars and trucks. They made a small engine as well as their famous "Gold Seal" truck engines. Might be an interesting episode if you can find some info on those products of REO.
Most definitely need to do some REO products =) awesome insight
They used horse driven “stair cases” here back in the day. Basically an escalator a pair of horses would “climb” Which turned a shaft with a flat belt output. Maybe that’s what you’re talking about? Apparently if the belt came off it would speed up and hurt the horses. There were lots of stationary engines and generators used here as the town didn’t get electricity until the mid 1950’s. I’ve got an old Kohler radiator and grill probably from a generator as a wall hanger.
Thank you so much for sharing this information =)
Sounds like the Kohler company was in the arson business rather than the manufacturing business.
I have 5garden tractors powered by kohler engine 4 of them are k series one being a twin cylinder and the other a magnum series most of them run great the ones that don’t need general maintenance part
Love the birds in the background.
Hahaha I’m down south and have to record outside it might be like that for a while not leaving until next week
Kolher is a awesome engine! I have a 18hp on my 1994 Craftsman gt 40 garden tractor! I would rather have one over a Honda or anything else!
I am familiar with K-Series and Magnum. They are tough but probably could have been improved with a tough alloy block that cooled better. An iron K341 is pretty heavy and durable and can be rebuilt multiple times
Worked construction had a couple Kohler's great motors
I’ve got a Kohler in a hyd wood splitter it’s been trouble free but like many others the build quality is not what it once was
Kohler built 2 stroke snowmobile motors too....
Very good video thank you
Thank you happy you dig this episode
I think the device you are remembering is made by E. C. Stearns & Company or J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company. Both companies made devices that could double or even triple the output of a horse. These devices were essentially treadmills or rotary systems that horses would walk on or around. The motion of the horses would turn gears and drive machinery, such as threshers, saws, or other equipment. By converting the linear motion of the horse into rotary motion Here are two examples: Eclipse Horse Power: An example of such a device, where horses walked on a circular track, driving a central shaft connected to farm equipment. Sweep Horse Power: Another type, where horses walked in a circular path to turn a horizontal sweep that powered machinery. John Deere and IH also dabbled in this domain however, Stearns and Case specialized in this equipment. I can't find any information that Kohler made anything like this. Maybe it's been lost to antiquity.
That sounds like that device kills me I can’t find anything on it here
I have a Kohler on my log splitter I bought in 2021
I am sitting on a Kohler toilet as I watch this. Calm down, ladies.
I’m sure your not the only one =D
TMI, tmi.
Have one on an Jacobsen tractor. It's 14 HP.
I have 2 economy tractors with kohler k301 engines 12 hp ones a 1965 and the other a 1970
Awesome
Cool stuff
😊
The "Horse Power " could possibly have been built by an outside company such as the Dingy Woobury company, which specialized in building horse powers. Several other companies sold them and rebadged them with thier own name.
Great information
Great job!
Happy you dig this episode
i have got 4wheel horse garden tractors with kolhers a k91 and 3 k181s 3 of them i know run.
Fine young cannibals
Sheboygan. Sheh-boy-gan.
Cool episode!
Thank you probably be a part two
I was thinking it was on the Kohler made engines but then of course that's just cast iron and if they made my cast iron bathtub then of course they would probably probably make engine blocks
Moonlight serenade by Glenn Miller
Yeah buddy someone beat you for title but that’s the song and band
Wish they still made the K-301 12 horsepower one they were real cast iron Kohlers ! I have a new cub cadet (MTD. Not a real one ! )And it has a Kohler V twin its aluminum not a real Kohler I bet it does not last 10 years ! My old one is still in use to this day at my buds place in Tennessee! Never been apart ! It only has a 42 inch deck though .
I have a few Kohler engines excellent. But today they put their name on Chinese junk on lawn mowers tractors at Lowes etc .
Terrible quality.
They should not do so.
I’ve heard mixed things about new kohler products I had a friend in the plumbing business who swears by kohler faucets and such but as far as the engines go the old ones I was told were just about bullet proof
1962-1965 Polaris sportsman snowmobile used Kohler engines. Except for the L-55/L-60 they used Lawson 5.5hp/6hp. Everything else K60, K80, K95 used Kohler 6hp, 8hp, and 9.5hp Kohler engines respectfully.
Great information
Hi Justin, I know Kohler very well. I worked at a small engines shop. Please respond. Dave...
Sweet =)