Which would you choose

[cowroy]

I will also add, if you get a splitter with a Honda engine make sure it's a GX Honda and NOT a GC Honda. I steered away from the smallest North Star because it has the GC Honda.

 

[nstueve]

x2.... stay away from the consumer GC's they aren't built as well as the GX series.

 

[esshup]

I've got a 27t splitter with the GCV 160 motor. It's never stalled, but the carb has some junk in it and now it lopes. I found that it's cheaper to pull the carb off, and buy a new one - got one coming for less than $20 shipped (NIB). Other than the carb problem, the motor has worked great, although the tank is a little bit on the small side.

I don't know if that helps you or not.

 

[Zeus103363]

I vote for the Briggs also. When I was a kid mowin grass my little 5.50 I think it was mower was bogging down in some tall grass. I pulled that little governor spring and wrapped it around that bracket. She ran wide open from then on out. She never bogged down again no matter how tall the grass was. U.S.A

I did something similar to a 12 hp Briggs. That thing never gave up! I have never owned anything but Briggs engines. My current lawn mower has one. I take care of it, but I don't cut it any slack either! All day long wide open! Never misses a beat! Great engines!

 

[4seasons]

The biggest problem I have seen in Briggs are fuel related. The quality control is not what it used to be either. Lots of Chinese built parts have the kind of problems that are common in these newer engines. Put ethanol fuel in a briggs with no fuel stabilizer and you will be working on it within a year.

I did something similar to a 12 hp Briggs. That thing never gave up! I have never owned anything but Briggs engines. My current lawn mower has one. I take care of it, but I don't cut it any slack either! All day long wide open! Never misses a beat! Great engines!

Most people can't get there head around what I am about to say. The reason you don't have problems with your Briggs (this applies to all small engines) is because you run them WOT. They don't have oil pumps and are designed to run at Wide Open Throttle. That is how they properly lubricate. When you back the throttle down on a small engine you are not slinging the oil around the way they were designed to do. Nor are you moving the air at the speed that the engine needs to cool. Small engines are not built like car engines to rev up and down thru the gears making power at a range of rpms. They are much simpler and are not built to operate like the gas engines that are in our cars.
When I say that I don't like Briggs, I am saying that all of the Briggs I have owned have needed some work to get and stay running. I also work in a small engine repair shop and we see more problems with Briggs engines than any other line. We see a lot of Kohler engines come thru but most are fuel related, and a few Kawasaki with starter or fuel problems. Any engine will have problems if you use bad fuel, but the Briggs isn't the most popular because it is the best, it is most popular because it is the cheapest. Cheap is never the best way to build something.

 

[hdpowers]

i have the 28 ton huskee with the honda , its bullet proof

 

[ShaneLogs]

I would get 2 if price was not a option

 

[nixon]

redheadwoodshed...thanks for the good info about the speeco's thats the way I've been leaning. As far as it being a family splitter all costs will be shared by my brother and law and I.

I haven't seen it mentioned as you specified northern and Speeco , but do yourself a favor and look at American CLS splitters . They are a tad more expensive ,but in my opinion they are worth it . If I were to go with one of the splitters you mentioned , I believe I'd go with Speeco / TSC .