I am currently trying to establish what my best options are to re-power a 10 year old commercial grade ZTR which currently utilizes a Kohler commander 27hp with the large air filter overhead and manual choke. The engine apparently has upgrades since its release so I am having some trouble getting exact specs, but I believe it to be the cv740s (according to the manual) this was the only engine installed on this mower at time of purchase.
I have never done an engine swap myself but want to try. The current engine will not start, and I was informed it was knocking the last several uses. I have not yet inspected the engine, but suspect it will need more money to repair than an overall re-power. Engine has about 250 hours, (low I know) but may have been mistreated in the past.
I am also not a huge Kohler fan, and run Briggs on most of my other equipment. Best I can tell the starter is on the same side, and the fuel pump as well as the kohler.
I have done a lot of searching, posting, and reading with regards to the swap, but I am not getting the exact details I would prefer.
I most like the Briggs Commercial Turf series of engines, and they have a 25 and 27hp option that should work with this mower well, but I will face wiring harness differences, exhaust, and could even have different engine mount holes from the old Kohler.
The Briggs shaft is also slightly longer at 4-5/16" vs the Kohler at 4". This concerns me, mainly because I haven't yet figured out the best way to tackle the difference. My thought was to raise the engine 5/16" somehow with a washer under each mount, but I still have to deal with the pulley. I assume a washer here may work as well @ 5/16" to space the pulley down from the top and place it in line with the other pulleys. OR, is the 5/16 even enough to worry about to begin with?
As for wiring, I also can't seem to source the plugs I might need to make this an easy swap. I don't want to cut and splice things if at all possible, unless it's in between the 2 plugs using a plug adapter. Help sourcing these would be excellent.
Are there any pro's here that see a major conflict that I am missing? I want to have all the parts and supplies I need, as well as a clear vision on the required work before I even attempt this.
Thanks in advance for any help!
I have never done an engine swap myself but want to try. The current engine will not start, and I was informed it was knocking the last several uses. I have not yet inspected the engine, but suspect it will need more money to repair than an overall re-power. Engine has about 250 hours, (low I know) but may have been mistreated in the past.
I am also not a huge Kohler fan, and run Briggs on most of my other equipment. Best I can tell the starter is on the same side, and the fuel pump as well as the kohler.
I have done a lot of searching, posting, and reading with regards to the swap, but I am not getting the exact details I would prefer.
I most like the Briggs Commercial Turf series of engines, and they have a 25 and 27hp option that should work with this mower well, but I will face wiring harness differences, exhaust, and could even have different engine mount holes from the old Kohler.
The Briggs shaft is also slightly longer at 4-5/16" vs the Kohler at 4". This concerns me, mainly because I haven't yet figured out the best way to tackle the difference. My thought was to raise the engine 5/16" somehow with a washer under each mount, but I still have to deal with the pulley. I assume a washer here may work as well @ 5/16" to space the pulley down from the top and place it in line with the other pulleys. OR, is the 5/16 even enough to worry about to begin with?
As for wiring, I also can't seem to source the plugs I might need to make this an easy swap. I don't want to cut and splice things if at all possible, unless it's in between the 2 plugs using a plug adapter. Help sourcing these would be excellent.
Are there any pro's here that see a major conflict that I am missing? I want to have all the parts and supplies I need, as well as a clear vision on the required work before I even attempt this.
Thanks in advance for any help!
