Old Briggs and Stratton flat-head engines run forever with minimal maintenance, and are almost always repairable, in my opinion. They are the standard of North American power equipment for many years. All others claim “Almost as good as a B&S”. Honda, of course, being engine-crazy engineers at heart, changed the game to a higher level now!
And if you tar-up a valve, and it sticks open, the engine just stops running. No bent valves. OHV engines are more fuel efficient.
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Joep,
What is this? Have you made a clamp?
Rindert
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Not me, wish i had the patience. A beauty just somewhere under a table in a highly cnc interior maker/ factory. 100% right according to all construction principles.
We are doing a new unit and reconnecting all the machines again. Just running around all day with a pipe in your neck😃
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Hello GiorgioP.
In the USA and Canada; Briggs and Stratton, Tecumseh, Wisconsin, Kohler engine all used to be all cast iron. Very durable.
By the early 1960’s there developed here a market for selling the cheapest push lawn mowers possible. THEN: B&S; and then Tecumseh developed all cast aluminum low life engines for this market. Aluminum cylinder bores. Simplified carburetors. Other materials no longer long life.
They pulled down the reputations of their whole brands.
Both still made good commercial and industrial engines.
I have a 7.5 hp horizontal shaft B&S and a 10.5 hp B&S vertical shaft working engines just as good as any of my Kohlers, Hondas or my one Kawasaki air cooled cast iron bores engines.
B&S you want only those branded as I/C. Industrial and Commercial.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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Funny you say that about the I/C line. I have what remains of an old Snapper with a 10hp I/C Briggs that was used commercially for a lawn care company.
The Snapper is all but dead yet the engine still starts up like a champ. The rear end is a total loss, I’m keeping it for scrap and spares.
I keep forgetting to take photos but I bought from my uncle for 80 dollars, a 90s model Murray 12HP with the I/C engine. Going to use it for the tight hard to mow spots that the John Deere Z Trak 62" can’t reach, and maybe for pulling stuff around the property.
Fun thing I learned, between the 10 and 12hp I/C engines they are actually the same block and head but use a different carburetor as the power limiter. At least I know I have a good replacement engine if something bad happens.
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i have a 2ooccm 5 hp briggs industrial-commercial red colour, iron cast bore is also written…
but the cranc case and cylinder is only a single aluminium block…
i opend time ago for valve checking, but also inside there is no cast iron bore!
motor is from the ´80…
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Goren “Woodrunner” recently showed up his dark gray plastic digital VOM as having a see-easy yellow bumper guard cover.
My good Flukes do also.
Unfortunately too many tools manufactures use black-all:
My new $404. USD scanner is in this picture under the hood by the L.H. hood hinge. When the parts came in three day later and I’d finished repairs eye-ballling for tools left; black-on-black, I missed it.
Lowered the hood on it, feeling obstruction, impact marking it’s screen. Fortunately a very durable stand off plastic cover. Not glass.
I’d learned as a Master Auto Tech to make my personal tools very visible.
Good 3M plastic tape, and the best yellow paint pens:
See how yellow shows up on my tool and find-em factory critical service points?
Anybody want, to use pink that works too.
Light blue works too.
Yep. The cord highlighted too. Driving, exiting, reminds you to take care.
Steve Unruh
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Nothing like a nice roomy engine compartment.
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Ha! I know you are trying to joke with me TomH.
But actually this Ford Edge is simple and easy to work on in comparison to many others I’ve had to flat-rate earn by.
Just take out all of the plastic. And it opens right up. Love those narrower 60 degree V-6’s.
The 1/1 O2 sensor I changed out was right there once I removed the easy-remove captive bolts upper intake plenum. Had to anyway; to get to the PCV valve I’d never serviced. Then, the rear bank of coil-over-(spark)plugs were right there, easy accessible. 100K in service and even Iridums wear wide.
Only a few plastic vent and rubber coupler vacuum lines. Be gentle with these engine heated, aged.
A few polarized electrical connectors. Be super gentle. Go slow. Get movements first.
Bungy cord back GENTLY a couple of across the top wiring harnesses. They will be heats hardened.
The topic Tip . . . wet down good electrical plugs and hoses connections with an aerosol can of silicone spray to ease removals. Overall was a quarter can job. ~$3.00. Well worth it to not have to repair breakages, rips and tears.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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I have no idea why after watching this i immediately thought of you Steve Unruh lol
gotta get me some of them for sure .
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After watching that video: I want one too !!! 
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I think the best part about Snap-On tools is their lifetime warranty. As long as it’s their main tool line and not their 3rd party stuff they will replace it or repair it. I have dug out broken air tools from work and taken to the Snap On Guy and he’s replaced it without even asking for a receipt.
You pay for it in the price, the tools are costly. Warranty repair is free so I consider it an up front cost.
In the buyout of the Chevy dealership we had to clean the shop, and a transmission tech threw away a dirty tool case which had a never used Snap-On mechanical torque wrench. I had the wrench checked for calibration and I’ve been using it since.
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Never had to repair any of my nickles. Don’t know what else I’'d need that kind of precision for. I did find a deal on replacing my Milwaukee 12V drill. Got a new drill and impact driver, two batteries, a charger and bag to carry them in for $99.99. I remember paying more for that stuff 4 or 5 gears ago when I started using it. Anyway I have liked it and am glad to have the broken one replaced.
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Hey you do like to tease eh.
Here’s a small sampling of my non-powered tools used, sought out for a specialty purposes and modified for a one-use make possible:
Nine of them are Snap-On from their tool trucks.
The red handled duck-bill pliers. All of the snap ring pliers. Two of the specialty wenches. And the two representative impact “wobbly” ball&pin sockets.
I did always use Snap-on for the high use wear-out and eventually break tools. They actually did last longer. And they did then replace them. Used their drill bits and hacksaw blades too.
Other tool brands here are Sears Craftsman, Matco, Mac, Cornwall, Gearwrench (love those things) and various European and Taiwan made.
The oldest are the two 1970’s/80’s Craftsman screw driver handles re-shafted many times with Snap-On shafts. Their plastic has stood the test of time, chemicals and dropped many times onto concrete floors. Second oldest, longest used is that European copper faced hammer.
Those long twisted wenches are distributor hold down bolt wenches ( one it for Magnums) and a couple for Ford Taurus hydro-elastic engine mounts bolts.
Any shop I worked in with a fellow married to just Snap-On, Mac, Matco I could work circles around with my use any-brand specialty tools, my medusa fingers and my attitude approach.
Ha! One cheepo’ was drawered for 20+ years as a just-in-case and finally used is a plumbers basin nut wrench. Finally used it on the wife’s Ford Edge spring-arm accessory belt tensioner. Along with a special prop-stick I made from an old shovel handle cut three times, ends notched and center flat shaved to turn that needed an upper and lower two men; into a one man job.
Solo worker MarcusN. know this attitude well. Find a way. Make a way.
Figure any way to do it yourself gets you more go-in early and stay late jobs. Can pick up 2 hours a day in chargeable work.
Yeah the jeleous called fellows like me Tool-Hogs. I suspect the branded tool truck operators call me an un-loyal tool-whore.
Honda guys having worked on V-Tec valves adjustment will recognize the one tool.
Mitsubishi DOHC belt driven V6 guys recognise another one.
And taking off the crank bolts on any of the tight cross wise engines really, really needs that long one and the big heavy brass hammer.
Those three representative tortch and grinder modified three wenches are flat-rate beaters to avoid having to disassemble a lot just to do something easy.
The Taiwan big crowfoots are part of a set the allows for EGR and AIR tubes nuts removal.
Anyhow . . . yep.You called me out.
Steve Unruh
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I not only recognize but own several of those tools Steve 
the snap ring pliers are worth their weight in gold,and snapon sells them accordingly. I have been through so many sets of cheapys I probably could have afforded the name brand goods by now. Currently running a reversible “crescent” brand with interchangable tips they have been doing good for about 5 years now but very bulky for internal snap ring work. Single man working forces you to improvise all the time. Days the shop door remains locked for others safety to be honest, no trespassing no management eyeballing freak out. For instance…
Floor jack, 4 jack stands, 2 bottle jacks, copious amounts of blocking, and the sketchiest jackall/ highlift. Self remove service box 14’ of steel crushing death. Then reinstall and extended frame rails welded while underneath suspended box. Not the craziest thing I have had to do, but made safe as possible. No I don’t condone my own activities sometimes. But a job needing done gets done come hell or high water. Have changed out Komatsu rotex main bearing in 120 class excavator using only bottle jacks. Have lifted a roofing conveyor off a house using chains and another conveyor back to stow away on the truck, broken in 2. Could have called out a crane for that one to the tune of 400$ an hour. Customer/ home owner was very impressed and didn’t even complain was just happy to have it off his roof. Just today standing shed walls solo, proper leverage and enough jacks/bracing a man on a mission can get a lot done. Just don’t be stupid like me for many years pushing beyond bodily limits. Just because you can roll the ford (arrowstar?) engine sideways by hand to change rear plugs doesn’t mean you should… I make a lot of custom tools now
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I was sad when Sears started going down the tubes. I preferred Craftsman hand tools back in the day. I still have a couple ratchets that are fifty years old and I still use them all the time.
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Marcus,
This was from last March, working on the feed horn of that 24’ dia. sat. dish. I tied all the ladders in place after I found a sweet spot. That top one is an 8’ step ladder. This is the best way I have found to “safely” solo work on this particular dish. the “antique” 1980’s feed horn assembly part collects condensation inside and stops it from working… Kids don’t try this at home. 
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Sears sold the Craftsman tool brand. I believe the new owners built a foundry in Texas to make the tools. I think it is the same group that owns DeWalt. You can find them at ACE Hardware and Lowes or order them online.
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I don’t know how many ratchets I have. At least 20. They will all outlive me. Hell, I even have a couple Snap On ratchets. I was probably on drugs when I forked over the bucks for those.
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Mike
On a sunny day is there a risk of fire when you are working at the horn on that 24’ dish?
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