Briggs Vanguard & Kohler Engines on BIG Price Cut Sale at Northern Tool & Hydraulic

[2S Keisler]

Briggs Vanguard & Kohler Engines on BIG Price Cut Sale at Northern Tool & Hydraulic

I got the 2013 Summer Clearance e-flyer and Northern has some really good CLEARANCE deals on BRIGGS and KOHLER professional grade engines. For not much more than the throw-away Chinese clone you can get a really good quality engine. And Free Shipping to your local store.

the 6HP Briggs Vanguard on clearance for only $199 - which is $350 OFF! Way better than a throw-away Chinese clone motor for $80 more. And way better than the cheapo 800 series. Item 60073

the 7HP Kohler Pro Command series for only $199 -which is $180 off. Item 706028

the 9-1/2HP Kohler Pro Command for $299 - which is $230 off. Item 13936

the big boy 14HP for only $349 - which is $280 off! Item 29605

 

[OzFab]

That has to make you think "how much profit are they actually making on these items?"

 

[itsid]

It does!

'sid

 

[2S Keisler]

That has to make you think "how much profit are they actually making on these items?"

Profit is a good thing. That is why Briggs and Kohler products have a warranty, service, parts, and real people that speak english that will help you.

I tried ordering the most basic service part - the recoil starter assy - from Harbor Freight for their Predator (honda clone).... That one part is over $30 plus shipping and it took several emails with their tech support to get the answer. So, the reality is a person would just go buy another engine brand new. That is truly bad service after the sale.

Purchasing throw away China copies of quality product not only hurts the OEM manufacturer, but also their entire network of service people that live in our own communities. And the dependency for the low grade China product is like an addiction to fast food .... tastes good while it slowly kills you.

I purchased a Predator engine to study the quality and service and I won't be recommending them to anyone, or any Chinese clone engine.

 

[OzFab]

I wasn't referring to the manufacturer, I was referring to the retailer...

 

[slideways]

You guys are funny, all of these things are the parent company's knockoffs. They are clones themselves with a big name attached to them. Look at a Kohler 7hp and a Predator side by side with the gas tank and air filter removed. You'll be baffled to tell the difference. Briggs also has their own clones made now too.

 

[2S Keisler]

^^ I didn't know that, but not surprised. I would bet that they are better pieces than the Predator because they put their warranty behind it and they don't want the service calls and warranty claims.

 

[slideways]

I agree, and if you did want to actually have something serviced there may be a dealer network behind them. But still for us DIY guys you're better off going Predator and fixing it yourself with hop-up parts. Aside from Brigg's I/C Intek its tough to find a "real" motor from these companies nowadays besides the twins and such on commercial machinery.

 

[DaiSan76]

^^ I didn't know that, but not surprised. I would bet that they are better pieces than the Predator because they put their warranty behind it and they don't want the service calls and warranty claims.

You're paying for that warranty through a higher purchase cost, along with the name, which to me, isn't worth anything. I'd rather just buy a new predator if one happens to blow than pay the premium for a motor that really isn't any better.

 

[itsid]

if it isn't any better.. yes, then I would rather buy 3 @ $119 than one for $400 and can change the motor two times in case of a failure.

But if it is better then I'd rather have a motor that holds four or five years than three that hold no longer than one year

'sid

 

[fowler]

But sometimes u need reliability

It's all good to get a new engine every 14 months but when u are a small business's owner
You can't afford to lose a job because your engine has died
You also don't have time to sit back and upgrade the engine once a month when it breaks
It's easy to pay extra knowing it will last longer
Then if it breaks u throw it at the supplyer and say fix this ill be back in a few hours

Also as a farm we run only older Hondas on our water pumps
And fire fighters
We can't have an engine die in a bush fire because the crap plastic parts melted or the engine can't run in thick smoke
Or just falls apart from vibration

For me it's Hondas all the way
Preferably the older ones

 

[sideways]

You guys are funny, all of these things are the parent company's knockoffs. They are clones themselves with a big name attached to them. Look at a Kohler 7hp and a Predator side by side with the gas tank and air filter removed. You'll be baffled to tell the difference. Briggs also has their own clones made now too.

Have you got any evidence to back that up? Because I respectfully disagree.

Kohler

Clone

They're completely different castings. Different number of fins, check out the tank mounts, different everything. Sure, they're a very similar design but they certainly aren't the same.

 

[landuse]

You guys are funny, all of these things are the parent company's knockoffs. They are clones themselves with a big name attached to them. Look at a Kohler 7hp and a Predator side by side with the gas tank and air filter removed. You'll be baffled to tell the difference. Briggs also has their own clones made now too.

If Briggs or Kohler made the engines, then how can they be clones? They will be Briggs or Kohler engines

 

[itsid]

let's call it
"heavily inspired by..."

'sid

 

[mysteryboy28]

ok, for all you 14 year old kart heads that need a new motor for your cool go-kart frame you just bought off craigslist for $50: $400 for a little extra reliability (which will take you 2 summers to save up for), or $120 for one you can have in a couple weeks of mowing lawns and cashing in pop bottles and has a 90 day no questions asked warranty?

 

[2S Keisler]

^^ OR, you can spend $20-50 for a used Briggs flathead and DIY freshen up the engine with new seals, rings, bearings and performance carb for another $50-100.

Or, you can spend $100-200 for a used running Honda GX series.

Or, you can spend $200 for the Briggs commercial Intek engine on sale.

Or, you can roll the dice with the China stuff and *hope* it lasts a few seasons - or fails within 90days so you can down the machine and hustle the dirty broken engine over to your nearest HF for a replacement.

I guess the mentality is moving to 'buy and throw away', because a lot of us Americans do that. And that's OK because thanks to China fixing the Yuen artificially low, we can buy lots of throw-away stuff. China is making small block Chevy 350 clone engines now, so you don't have to worry about dealing with buying an American made engine. Between the illegal immigrant laborers sucking up tax dollars so they can work here cheap to mow our yards, roof our houses, etc AND the low cost China copies, we can afford to have lots of toys to play with. That is, until our jobs are outsourced anyway....

I am running a Predator on the Dune Cat for the moment, and so far it has held up to punishment - even driving the Cat into a river creek where it is completely floating and pushing water up the cooling fins of the engine while I tool it thru the deeper water to the banks, to then cover it in mud. I cannot complain, and it is worth the $119 I paid for it. But had I had the choice of getting a $199 Briggs Intek I would have jumped on it.

 

[2S Keisler]

just FYI .... I am building two complete Dune Cats for some local customers. One purchased the Briggs Vanguard 6hp for $199 and the other purchased the Kohler 9.5hp for $299. I will post some pics up on the build thread for the Dune Cat once I get them installed in the next couple of weeks.

 

[chris_the_poser]

I have a few clones for several years now and not had a problem with any of them I bought them when I was broke. now I would probably still get a clone or save money and get a bike engine instead of using the smaller motors with expensive clutches.