Husky, if you keep going this way I am going to buy Stihl from now on.

[REJ2]

My 22 year old Troybuilt will out last me, But they now make some crap too.

Well, Husky does chainsaws right. I don't even look at the other stuff.

And you'll have to pry my 346xp out of my cold dead hands, to get it. :msp_biggrin:

My Troybuilt Horse turned 26 this year, they dont make em like they used too for sure!! Im not absolutely sure Husqvarna makes that tiller, MTD, "my terrible decision", makes some entry level mowers with the Toro name on them. What was Toro thinking?:msp_w00t:

 

[promac850]

It is, so whats that tell you about Briggs? They quit making good engines about 10 years ago.

Well, I did research on the Vanguard engines, and they are built by Daihatsu, in Japan... very good engines... many, if not all, think they are better than the same size Honda twins.

Must've had a defect for it to throw a rod in 69 hours, or a loose bolt. It wouldn't be the first time something that is a good engine go bad because of something like that happening. Heck it even happens to the best of the best, even Honda, Nissan, Stihl, Husqvarna, and John Deere. There will always be a few bad apples that get out, no matter who makes it.

This is the first time I've heard of a major problem with a Vanguard, and yes, I have been over a fair bit of the internet on these engines.

Again, must've been a loose bolt, could've been a poorly drilled oil passage, maybe defective oil pump. Or improper break in, there are all kinds of things that could've caused this.



Think Kohler makes the best engines? Most of the time, yes, but the KT17's are some of the only POS that left the factory. Not that many still roar these days, most have been replaced by Honda or Vanguard v twins...

Kohler really ####ed themselves on this engine... even with pressurized lubrication, these engines have been known to break connecting rods, and on the way to breaking the rod, it destroys the crankshaft. Oh, pressures for the oil were only 5 psi for the Series II engines. The Series I had dippers to lubricate the internals, basically meaning the first couple of times you mow a side hill, you would break a rod.

One of our 317's has over 2400 hours on a rebuilt KT17. It still runs good. That guy really knew what he was doing, and stood behind his work. We paid a lot for that tractor ten years ago.

Another 317 we bought is actually newer, and also has been rebuilt. Pops did an oil change on it this spring. Yep, proper oil level and all. I hopped on and started it up, then headed out to start mowing. Knock, knock, knock, knock... yep, it made that dreaded knocking sound... I automatically assumed broken rod, given the history of these engines... and when I tore it apart, this is what I found...

Treepointer, I would call around to Briggs, Daihatsu, etc. and see what they think. They just might give you a new engine, given it happened within the warranty period. Or maybe they would want pics to examine and go from there. You never know until you try.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Since Husky owns Poulan and McCulloch I am done with there company. I had to find a clutch assembly for a neighbors newer Husky dealer support was no good,Saw was under warranty and had the same fuel the dealer used to test run it for my neighbor,lost the clutch assembly throu the clutch cover. That makes me not trust Husky. Husky parts can be a pain to find.

 

[dave_dj1]

that's a darn funny story right there! LOL
I was given a rear tine husky by my FIL, the center chaincase was nothing but tin, it has a leaky seal and you would have to completely dissasemble it to fix it. ( I declined) and sent it on to my daughter to use on her garden, when it dies it will remain dead!
I was told by my not so local dealer that if I wanted parts for it to go to Sears! That is who makes it according to him.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I was told by my not so local dealer that if I wanted parts for it to go to Sears! That is who makes it according to him.

Sears does not manufacture any of their products, all are made for them by outside companies and branded with the Sears/Craftsman/Kenmore name.

 

[8433jeff]

It is, so whats that tell you about Briggs? They quit making good engines about 10 years ago.

I don't agree. Briggs ain't what they used to be, but neither are any-including Honda-of the others. This EPA crap is way out of hand, on everything from diesels to solar powered stuff.
And working on them day in, day out will tell you that despite many folks best efforts at junking their mowers, saws, and other stuff, much of it keeps going. If I kept a collection of the crap and mice nests, not to mention what comes in under a deck, it would astound you. Last Kohler rebuild what exactly that, mice built a nest last winter under the top cover on top of the motor. No way this this thing saw an air hose or pressure washer, even a garden hose to wash the dust off/out. They last changed the oil this spring, its 6 yrs. old and has 2000 hrs on the clock. The hood has been replaced (twice), the blades are shot, and there is three feet of electrical cord wrapped under the deck on the spindles. To their credit, they did say its been a good mower, what will it take to fix it, and when told the motor needed to be rebuilt, they said that its lasted this long so do it. Had a Briggs in the last month where it was so bad the coating was eaten off the head from the mice pee. What is considered normal maintenance is never done, and most barely change oil and air filters.
To say things haven't been cheapened up would be stupid; of course they have, that is what the public wants. And yes its more throw away stuff, if thats all you pay for in the first place. How many times, and in this thread, have you heard that the knock offs are cheap enough to buy two instead of the one good one you used to and still often times get?

 

[wdchuck]

Those ford pintos had to be reincarnated somewhere.

 

[9050lx]

Pintos were reincarnated;As mini-stock racecars at every short track in the country!

 

[beerman6]

 

[angelo c]

there are so many points brought up in this thread...all of which can be debated for hours on each . Bottom line is when you let the accountants run a factory you get **** products but boy are they "cost effective". Value and cheap are usually mutually exclusive. This is also one of the reasons why I trust Stihl more then Husky when looking at the entire product line. When Stihl wants a new product they talk to the engineers and start with a clean sheet of paper. Husky will look for a "bargain" company, incorporate the product line( ie paint it orange) stick a husqvarna name plate on it and stick it on a shelf.

Lets face it, other then Saws- What do you really blindly trust Husky with in OPE. Stihl on the other hand will tell you "hey, this is a cheaper version of that but its still a pretty good value if you are a non-commercial user" Not to say Stihl hasn't had its "flops" but they get thinned out pretty quick.

In life, whether real or corporate, all you ever have is your good name. Some companies are less willing to "sell" it for maximized shareholder results.

 

[Junkfxr]

It's really amazing at how many companies are living on their "old" name alone. I work on everything from toasters to D11's around here and you couldn't give me a new Deere or Caterpillar. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love using the new ones...as long as they're some one else's. All of the electronics and "creature comforts" are nice but that's one of the things that make them that much more less dependable in off road environments. I had a customer ask me a while back what I thought about a certian new model of Deere. I asked him to think about his 30 some year old Deere and how it keeps getting up and going every day with no complaints other than being a little tired, then to think about what a 2011 Deere would be like in 30 some years, no comparison. I'd bet the farm that there will be very few if any 2011 model heavy equipment machines still plugging along in 30 - 40 years. Shoot, I can name off more than 10 cable blade D8's that are still being used to make money, and a couple of those still have pony engines.

Do a little research into who owns who in the OPE market. It's getting like televisions with only a handfull of manufacturers putting who ever's paint and decals on the stuff. MTD owns just about everybody now and what they don't have, HOP (Husqvarna Outdoor Products) has. Personally, I think that when Electrolux got out of the OPE market and Husqvarna bought out their holdings... yeah, well, it wasn't a good thing for their reputation. I used to be a big Husky fan until they started marketing their saws in the box stores. I ran sreaming like a little girl and never looked back. Been a good decision as far as I'm concerned but I'm not real brand loyal. I've owned one of almost everything at one time or another and like was posted earlier, there's good and bad equipment from every manufacturer. Just seems like some manufacturers go out of their way to make junk.