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Post by northernfarmer on Sept 7, 2021 11:00:10 GMT -6
Our Kohler engines have been garbage too. My biggest peeve with the big one is how it doesn't smoothly increase RPM. You push the throttle and nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, then BOOM, huge increase in engine speed. Same when slowing down. And backfires all the time too. Just junk. I'd swap it to a small diesel so it could be plugged in in winter too but $$$ What horse power is that and is it a carb or fuel injection as I am guessing its fuel injected to have such a weird lag.
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Mags
New Member
Posts: 40 Likes: 12
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Post by Mags on Sept 7, 2021 15:57:59 GMT -6
“Going to check on a Meridian with ekay mover. “
I’ve got a 8x46 meridian with ekay and quite like it.
Friend has a 10x39 Meridian with ekay mover that has the power steering option that I’ve used quite a bit. I really like using it, works great.
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Post by kenmb on Sept 7, 2021 19:37:31 GMT -6
Did some checking with ekay, their mover is about a month delivery. But they can't compete selling Meridian augers so no longer actively selling them. So I need to order a new auger to put an ekay on since every auger comes with a mover already and my Meridian swing I ordered last year took 6 months and got it after harvest so that is not a good option.
Local Flaman store had a 10x46 Meridian come in over weekend so I took it home today. Salesman thought it was a Vanguard but when I went to pick it up I see I am becoming a member of the Kohler 38hp efi fan club. Oh well. I thought our 8" had a vanguard but I see it's a 27hp Kohler carb unit - it's worked well so far.
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Post by jcalder on Sept 7, 2021 21:12:02 GMT -6
Our Kohler engines have been garbage too. My biggest peeve with the big one is how it doesn't smoothly increase RPM. You push the throttle and nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, then BOOM, huge increase in engine speed. Same when slowing down. And backfires all the time too. Just junk. I'd swap it to a small diesel so it could be plugged in in winter too but $$$ What horse power is that and is it a carb or fuel injection as I am guessing its fuel injected to have such a weird lag. I think it's 35 HP, but it has carbs. It's very weird how it behaves but we've had two of them, one on our farm king and one on this Westfield and they both act exactly the same.
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Post by Oatking on Sept 7, 2021 21:20:43 GMT -6
Ken , one of the kohler engine problems is the needle valve. If that plugs with dirt and stays open you will have purple gas full to the brim in the crank case. Kohlers need very clean gas I think and are finicky to say the least. You will love the ten inch meridian auger.
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Post by kenmb on Sept 7, 2021 21:47:58 GMT -6
Needle valve, as in needle and seat of a carb? This one is efi. Not that I view efi as a great thing, don't think a 38hp motor really needs efi but that is the way the world goes these days. The hot oil filter 2" from the throttle lever is a nice touch for operator convenience. Good design work, somewhere there is a group of engineers collecting paychecks for these ideas.
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Post by meskie on Sept 7, 2021 22:07:02 GMT -6
Actually the oil filter doesn’t get in the way and is pretty clean to change on our Kohler. That’s how I tell the temp of it in the winter. If I can hold my hand on it easily it need to be warmer. If it’s hot I move my paper winter front to allow more air in.
If it doesn’t have it done already vent the crankcase to atmosphere and plug the intake where the hose hooks on. That will solve 95% of winter related problems.
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Post by northernfarmer on Sept 7, 2021 22:32:21 GMT -6
That is a head scratcher, how a carb could react with such a delay if its the basic butterfly style carb like I am thinking of. I certainly have quirks with my 30 horse but that isn't one of them, I struggled initially with it being too lean due to the retarded emissions standards as the engine would cut out and quit just like I turned the key off if I touched the hydraulics while augering if it was cool out, never mind during the winter. I had to put the choke on partially to enrich the mixture to even use the unit. So I carefully drilled out the main jets, the dealer could not get me larger jets because the manufacturer won't sell internal carb parts due to emissions. The exhaust was falling apart due to vibration so I had to slow the engine max speed down a bit to get rid of the harmonics. But mines one of the good engines apparently, before they were made elsewhere and really turned into junk or at least that is what has been said in the last few years of the quality going down hill.
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Post by Oatking on Sept 8, 2021 7:40:52 GMT -6
Seriously is there a trick not to have gas leak into the crankcase or constant back firing. Every kohler i have had has done that even with a gas shut off switch.
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Post by kenmb on Sept 8, 2021 7:42:55 GMT -6
The oil filter location I don't mind, it's the throttle location. First time reving it up I rest my hand on the engine to push throttle with my thumb while watching the hopper and that puts my hand up against the oil filter. Live and learn.
Wouldn't mind putting a second throttle cable on and mount it on other side of auger frame just for a little more convenience. Probably one of those stick on oil pan heaters would be a good investment also. Will look at that crankcase vent line. What is the issue with the tube venting into the intake Meskie? Are you thinking vapors are messing up some sensor mounted in the intake or effecting the fuel map?
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Post by meskie on Sept 8, 2021 7:52:50 GMT -6
Moisture goes in the intake from crankcase and will freeze up the intake in cold weather.
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Post by victory on Sept 8, 2021 10:21:03 GMT -6
Mine has a hose coming off the exhaust so the intake air is pre warmed.
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Post by meskie on Sept 8, 2021 16:33:05 GMT -6
Just be careful how the vent hose is routed. If it gets blocked with ice your crank seal can blow out. Our vanguard has the winter kit with the hose to suck warm air but it also came with the vent hose not into the intake.
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Post by victory on Sept 8, 2021 20:59:56 GMT -6
Ok. Mine is a Kohler, but I will have a better look. Don't remember seeing a vent hose.
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Post by kevlar on Sept 8, 2021 21:12:29 GMT -6
It sounds like maybe it's the higher horse engines that give the issues? Ours have all been 25 and under. Only issue we've had with ours is when I forget to take the warm air intake hose off from the muffler when it's 30 above! Understandably runs like crap and doesn't start good after.
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