Kohler Engines
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Joined
·
2,581 Posts
Command, Great engine, hard working and durable. Command PRO, FANTASTIC engine, forged steel internals, better oiling system, cast iron cylinder liners, tough as nails, probably the best engine on the market. Courage, singles are total junk, V Twin is a Command they took all the good stuff out of but still better than a Briggs. Courage PRO, slightly better version of the Courage V-Twin, almost back up to being as good as a Command, but not Quite.
Joe
Joe
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
Pretty much...
Command- Hydraulic lifters, full pressure lubrication, steel cyl liners, MAhle Pistons.
This is a Commercial quality engine, capable of 2000 hours of use. Single and twins.
Command Pro, basically a Command with a hardened crank pin, better air filter, bigger oil filter, a few more bells and whistles.
Courage Single- Low end homeowner engine. Plastic cams, alot of balancer problems, vibration problems, oil leaks...These tend to get rattly early on.
Courage Twin, as onan18 said, its really just a stripped down Command, I dont think it has hydraulic lifters however, and uses a small and cheesy air filter setup, and a different (cheaper) bendix style starter. These seem to last longer than the singles, but do not last as long as command twins.
Command- Hydraulic lifters, full pressure lubrication, steel cyl liners, MAhle Pistons.
This is a Commercial quality engine, capable of 2000 hours of use. Single and twins.
Command Pro, basically a Command with a hardened crank pin, better air filter, bigger oil filter, a few more bells and whistles.
Courage Single- Low end homeowner engine. Plastic cams, alot of balancer problems, vibration problems, oil leaks...These tend to get rattly early on.
Courage Twin, as onan18 said, its really just a stripped down Command, I dont think it has hydraulic lifters however, and uses a small and cheesy air filter setup, and a different (cheaper) bendix style starter. These seem to last longer than the singles, but do not last as long as command twins.
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
Kohler Introduced the K series, all cast iron blocks, full ball bearing supported crank, flat heads, single and opposed twins.
Then they brought out the KT engines...when that flopped, they basically took the K series engines, improved upon the old reliable designs, put on a fully breakerless ignition, and called them Magnums.
The magnums were extremely expensive to make, and were not going to pass emissions, so they introduced the OHV Commands...and they are still made today.
In like...early 2000's or so, Kohler Dabbled with an engine called the Triad...won engine of the year, all these awards, but it was a turd. It had no heads. The head was cast into the cylinder, and it was OHC with a large timing belt. The pistons were installed then the crank was installed and bolted together. The block was split at the crank, like a car...it was a real piece of work.
The problem was, it had a tiny little air filter, and it clogged wthin 5-10 hours of use, and it bypassed dirt into the engine and oversized rings were never produced, it was never designed to be taken apart or serviced....Kohler had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars replacing these engines with Commands, and giving back a cash credit...
Then they brought out the KT engines...when that flopped, they basically took the K series engines, improved upon the old reliable designs, put on a fully breakerless ignition, and called them Magnums.
The magnums were extremely expensive to make, and were not going to pass emissions, so they introduced the OHV Commands...and they are still made today.
In like...early 2000's or so, Kohler Dabbled with an engine called the Triad...won engine of the year, all these awards, but it was a turd. It had no heads. The head was cast into the cylinder, and it was OHC with a large timing belt. The pistons were installed then the crank was installed and bolted together. The block was split at the crank, like a car...it was a real piece of work.
The problem was, it had a tiny little air filter, and it clogged wthin 5-10 hours of use, and it bypassed dirt into the engine and oversized rings were never produced, it was never designed to be taken apart or serviced....Kohler had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars replacing these engines with Commands, and giving back a cash credit...
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
He didn't say it was good that they took them out.
I remember some crank saying it took courage to buy a COURAGE.
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
:banghead3:banghead3 Read it too fast, twice.
Yeah, Courage engines take alot of courage to own. Its just a matter of time before it leaks..or parts come flying out.
Joined
·
1,337 Posts
The Triad, seen my first on just this week on a Hydro-Tek steam cleaner. Most of the engine info label was goon but I could get just enough to figure out what it was, and undoubtedly the spec number was specific to hydro-tek. Somewhere in my research it also referenced an AEGIS model? Seems the 2 use a lot of the same parts? Never did run across a parts drawing with the #2 valve cover gasket, which is different than #1. Laughed when I saw the air filter!!! Glad to know a rough vintage year for this one though. Thanks for all your info Red. :hatsoff:
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
The Aegis is an engine they brought out some years ago, its a real worker, extremely smooth and quiet, probably the best engines Kohler makes today for commercial use. But they are so prohibitively expensive you only find them on Pro Tier stuff.
Its water cooled like the Kawasakis of the early 90's...
Its water cooled like the Kawasakis of the early 90's...
Joined
·
8,842 Posts
My beef with the Magnum twin engines is the follwing:
- Total lack of valve adjustments. To adjust the valves grinding of the valve stem is needed. The engine designer in me says this is ridiculous.
- high replacement part prices such as pistons and connecting rods. Onan parts, which have a reputation for being high priced, are cheaper.
- HP ratings are a little too optimistic.
The Kohler Magnum has a pretty good track record.
I agree with all the other comments regarding the Courage.
My assessment is that the Courage is a throw away engine. Just plan on it lasting a few years (1-5) and when it breaks, toss it. Sure it can be serviced but why? It is not what I would call "easy to service".
Engines are one of those things that you get exactly what you pay for. The more money you spend, the better the engine.
- Total lack of valve adjustments. To adjust the valves grinding of the valve stem is needed. The engine designer in me says this is ridiculous.
- high replacement part prices such as pistons and connecting rods. Onan parts, which have a reputation for being high priced, are cheaper.
- HP ratings are a little too optimistic.
The Kohler Magnum has a pretty good track record.
I agree with all the other comments regarding the Courage.
My assessment is that the Courage is a throw away engine. Just plan on it lasting a few years (1-5) and when it breaks, toss it. Sure it can be serviced but why? It is not what I would call "easy to service".
Engines are one of those things that you get exactly what you pay for. The more money you spend, the better the engine.
Sorry but my fathers engine was a model T just for laughs, he would have been near 100 this year and I for one have a Magnum to put together and install on a 74 ford LT 145 its a 20 HP came from a friend in Tenn for free so could put a little $ in it Ed
Joined
·
630 Posts
Where did this info come from Red? AFAIK it's the same internals, same crank part #
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
The website, and then again at Kohler service school.
Long life spark plug
yellow oil cap
Longer oil filter
Heatreated/hardened crank journal
larger air filter (on singles)
And of course the nifty decal...
Joined
·
630 Posts
All crank journals are hardened...
Joined
·
8,420 Posts
Actually not so, we took apart quite a few Commands and the ones that had hardening were easy to spot as the journals on the "pro" models had a blue tinge on the throw from being exposed to the induction hardening process. Not saying all arent hardened, but some have an extra step.
Kohler only sells the "pro" version engines now, and this is a copy from their site..
http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/productDetail.htm?productNumber=Command PRO CH18/CH620
Extended maintenance intervals
Yellow oil fill cap & dipstick handle
Dual oil drains
Easy-access oil fill/dipstick
Two-year limited warranty
High Power Performance.
High-performance spark plugs
20 amp charging, regulated
Larger in-line fuel filter
Overhead valve (OHV) design
Reliability and Long Life Design.
Hardened crankshaft journals
High-efficiency fan and screen
Larger dual-element air filter with foam pre-cleaner
Cast iron cylinder liners
Hydraulic valve lifters
Full-pressure lubrication
Spin-on, full-flow oil filter
These are things the PRO used to get its designation...
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!