I have a 30+ year old flathead 3hp Briggs that was originally on an edger. The engine outlasted the edger and runs so well I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. I put it on an old school mini bike for the grand kid and he loves it. The engine has never been apart in over 30 years, doesn't smoke and still has good compression. That engine may outlast me!

My sarcasm tells me they saw the Quantum lasted so long they lost out on sales so they made cheap engines (with lots of plastic parts) and eventually said "never change oil" to absolutely guarantee continued sales... call me cynical.

I once found a push mower with a flathead out in a field. The tank was surprisingly clean. Replaced the rusted-away muffler, added fuel and it started and ran. Went through the carb and used that mower several seasons before parking it. I’m sure it would run again if I needed it.

We had a “motor blow” contest at a stag party and had 3 flatties to run. With the throttles pinned over (bypassing the Governor) they just ran and ram and wouldn’t quit. The pulse jet carburetor is quite an amazing thing as well. It was so simple that it was genius.

A briggs sales rep once told me that old machines were designed around their flathead engines but alot of newer machines are designed around honda engines. Certain applications, unlike a push mower, are not exactly tight, but others might have to be designed around the dimensions of a Briggs flathead or a Honda GX. Therefore Briggs redesigned their motors to share the same dimensions as the GX series in order to fit the same applications.

I have dug 1970s flatheads out of barns and sheds and got them running easily and relatively cheaply. One thing to remember is the oldies do not like ethanol fuels, even the new engines need totally drained for more than a few weeks storage. Otherwise a carb strip and clean will be required to get the engine to start and run properly.

My flat head has now been in service for 41 years. I change the oil and clean the air filter once a year. I drain all the gas out at seasons end. I did upgrade the carberator as the old plastic one was warn out and upgraded to electronic ignition. It still runs great and doesn't use more oil than when new.

I remember for a few years during the OHV/OHC engine phase in, you could find a lot of the "economy" mowers with L-head/flat head engines. It bugs me that my Troy Bilt mower doesn't have a drain plug. Either flip the whole thing over or use a fluid transfer pump to change oil. Older mowers just seem to run forever. Accidentally seize it? Give it a few hours to cool down and you might have a chance of it starting back up.

Very good video. The good old days are dying slowly. I could not imagine restoring a plastic carburated Briggs 20 years down the road. Thanks for making some very good comparisons (before and after) and revealing the facts.

I haven't used a new style, but the flatheads are pretty tough. Pulled one out of a barn, it was used for 25-30 years, sat for another 25-30 years, and within a day of working on it l had it running.

I like the older Briggs engines. Simple design, & easy to look after. The biggest I had was on a Pace forward mower. These mowers were a true work of art. They were a self propelled mower, but had no rear wheels. The gearbox drove 2 rollers, yet the discharge chute was at the rear, & very big. This thing was built to mow huge areas. Excellent mower.

I collect and restore old briggs flatheads. Currently restoring a 2.5 hp horizontal shaft from 1973. Have one of them on a minibike. Absolutely love'em. Can't kill them.

Definitely would go for one of the Older Briggs engines. The Classics and the Flatheads were both solid high-quality engines. I did not find any of their Flatheads to be lacking in terms of power, not that you need a whole lot to cut grass anyway. Those engines were pretty low maintenance, and would run for 30 years if you do take care of them. Always left gas in mine for the winter and never had a starting issue. If I had to choose something brand new right now, I'd actually go Kohler. They seem to be well made, have good torque, and can also last quite a while if you take care of them. The Carbs seem to clog up a little easier, but they are easy enough to service.

The only good thing I have to say about those new engines is that the carburetor is pretty easy to open up, remove the jets and clean, you really don't even have to remove it from the mower in some cases, and the drain plug on the bottom of most of them is a nice touch. You will certainly need it as these things always get gummed up after sitting for more than a few weeks.

The new ones also use a lot less fuel. My 18 year old OHV B&S just died due to the main seal failing but had been bulletproof before that.

The new engine blocks are very thin metal in the sump and the carbonators are jetted so lean that if the gas is old it will not run , it will in the flat head . Quality is not a priority only after profit only .

You are dead on with your assessment. As for the oil change issue, check out a channel called "Teryl Fixes All" He did a video explaining why Briggs went to the "no oil change" engines. I unhappily own an Intek engine, and am in the process of replacing it with a Vanguard on my JD lawn tractor. For the question of what I prefer, I personally prefer the old flathead engines.

I have a Briggs lawnmower from 1976 with a flathead, the original ignition coil went bad last year so I put a newer coil on and still runs. Compared to a new flathead Briggs engine they never really changed anything on it except the carb

One thing I've noticed compared old vs new is the old flathead motors especially the cast-iron motors with the cast-iron flywheel ran smoother and quieter.

My very first push mower!! I've learned on I bought at a yard sale!! For five bucks when was 10 years old took it home it ran.. it was a 1970.. 3.5hp briggs and stratton white engine colored green deck montgomery wards brand I use to take all apart and study the working internal parts and put it back together it would run good as new!! I think I still have it at DAD'S place in the shop so I like the old school flat heads and the overhead valves!! As long as it's a briggs and stratton engine or Hondas I work on all brands two and 4cycles engines even the little diesel small engines as well.. good topic I.H.G

The flat heads were tough but i got to go with the newer over head valve engine it makes mowing a breeze it has alot more power and burns way less fuel.. our old mower just bogs if u let the grass grow an extra week the newer one just powers through.. i think the EPA put the sqeeze on every manufacturer and they had to comply coupled with raising ethonal levels in fuels the carbs are calibrated to give a clean burn but now the jet orifice are tiny which clog easily if not maintained properly

I second that the Old Briggs were invincible! At 11 (58 today) I would fix and sell push mowers. Few people had riding mowers. We had leaded gas, and it lasted 67 years, even when it smelled bad, it would run. They had Points and Condensers then. So, I bought a tune up kit, with plug, points, condenser, for about $3-$5. I bought a diaphragm for $2. I used Valve lapping compound to do the valves. Then, I would clean and paint the mowers. I would go to a part store that sold car paint, and get there mess ups. Sometimes I had to buy it, other times they gave it to me, because I also fixed cars and bought parts there. But, they saw an 11-12 year old kid doing something and supported me. I painted my first truck at 12. I bought a $150 paint gun from that part store. I saved for 6 months. In 76, that's a lot of money. But, one week, I'd have 4-6 mowers for sale. Maybe all green, maybe Orange. The color of the week. I painted the engines white or black engine enamel. I sold them for $45. But, I gave $5 for trade in's, which were painted and for sale next week. I made them look good. I sanded the frames and engines. They looked pretty good for a kid. A new mower was $200-$500. I sold everyone I put out. But my dad made me mow our yard enough to know it ran good. Sneaky fella he was. By the time I tested all my mowers, the yard was mowed. That was between all the kinfolks cars I tuned and changed oil in, valve jobs, timing chains, brakes. He kept me busy, but I loved it. O, and I later built myself a successful Automotive Collision Center.

I am a mechanic and my preferred mower for my personal ise is still an 80s Snapper with a B&S flathead on it. Snapper honestly jad one of the best rear bagger designs I have used and the good ole flathead just refuses to die.

my grandpa bought a brand new honda mower in the mid 90's and he mowed around the whole house with it for 15 years with no issues, he then taught me how to use it and I continued mowing their lawn with that same mower for the next 10 years. Both my grandparents have passed away now but the mower still works and my cousin took it for her house and 3 years later, its still going. Its had its oil changed every season, new spark plugs a couple times, basic maintenance stuff. It's been working every summer, longer than I've been alive. I don't think you'll find any mower now that will do that.

I have an old brigs on a riding mower. It's 12hp and about 50 years old. My family has used it since new and in all that time, it's needed the carb rebuilt a few times and 1 new head gasket. They really do last a life time.

I always liked the simplicity of the Briggs flatheads. I do not have any of those around anymore. Have two older mowers with Tecumseh engines which seem to work OK. One was a curb find that just needed some TLC. One on my neighbors got an electric mower last year and it does not appeal to me. I am not sure I could ever get used to mowing a lawn without the sound and smell of a gasoline engine.

My grandfather has an old mower which was made in the 1980's. I kid you not, that mower was first used in commercial use, than bought by my grandfather and it STILL runs great and had about one oil change throughout the past 30 years. These old B&S engines will outlast us all!

I have 2 flatheads. One I've had about 24 years. It's went through 3 decks & ready for a 4th. I've got another one I've had for about 10 years. I've never had any problems with the carburetors. I've had 4 or 5 of the newer ohv type, had to clean the carburetor on every one to get them to run. The ohv type has more power, not as easy to bog down when pushing fast. I like both styles but the older ones require less maintenance to get them to run. I've never had a plastic carburetor yet.

I feel like 2 things that seem to be rarely discussed (and one of them is major!) are these! Most people part car oil in their lawnmowers. Car oil is designed for water cooled engines. Lawnmowers are typically air cooled. The operating temperature of a water cooled engine and an air cooled engine are dramatically different. Multiply that concept by a hot sunny day and I am sure you get the idea. Also back in the day when they mostly had foam air cleaners nobody seemed to want to ever wash them. A third small thing is this: the blades come from the manufacturer sharp. Most owners never seem to want to keep them sharpened. Needless to say that with a sharper blade the stress on the motor is a lot less.

Companies want disposable products in order to produce more revenue. Hence, the birth of the CVT transmission with no dipstick!

I have a nice 70’s john deere mower with a briggs&stratton flathead. Runs like new still and I can’t recall anything but maintenance in the last few decades.

I grew up with the old flat head engines. We had quite a few over the years on the farm. They would most always out last the decks. I definitely prefer the flathead engine. Always enjoyed working on them as a kid. I have the newer ones now that say you never have to change the oil hogwash I just suck it out with a little pump and change it every year.

"So foolish" Nailed it ✔️💯💪🏽

I actually found one of these mowers on the side of the road in the past. I was able to clean the carb jets, the smallest jet was clogged. Used the metal from a bread tie (coating removed) and cleared it out before blasting it with carb cleaner. It wasn't a difficult thing to do, and there easy to trouble shoot if you have some starter fluid on you.

I had a mower with this engine for 3 or 4 years and it ran great. All I had to do was winterize it properly and I changed the oil through the drain plug yearly. Still ran like new when we moved out. Shows how far good maintenance goes. same applies to cars.

.....I swap out customers engines on their mowers that they have destroyed with Briggs and Stratton 3.5 hp flat heads......I make them fit....they go away happy, not had one fail yet

Interesting design on that carb... I hadn't pulled one apart yet. While most people hate plastic, that design at least won't corrode.

I worked at Western Air-Cooled Engines in Vancouver BC as a mechanic from 1973 to 1978. It was my first job after graduating from high school. I had just turned 17 a month before I started there. I repaired and rebuilt countless Briggs & Stratton engines... on everything from lawnmowers to generators to water pumps to mini-bikes! We'd also get the old cast iron B&S engines from the 1940's and 50's in for repair/rebuild. They were popular for use on fishing boats used for trolling, as those ancient cast iron beasts could comfortably idle along at a *very* low RPM while slowly pushing the boat. The best tip I can give anyone with a single cylinder engine... always store the engine after use with the engine on the compression stroke. This ensures that both valves are seated. This prevents a hot exhaust valve from warping when it cools down (leading to a stuck valve and/or poor compression), and it also prevents moisture from entering the combustion chamber during long periods of storage (and possible corrosion/hanging valve issues). My current rotary lawnmower is an old flathead B&S, probably from the 1990's. Runs like a charm!

Thanks for a very helpful video. I now know how to strip and clean the carb on my 550e engined Husqvarna. Regards from UK.

I use B&S mowers with the flat head and older carb. I love them. With what I have seen here, I'll stick with the older engine. I have two of them and both run great with no issues. One or two pulls and it's running. I have no real issue with a well-made OHV engine as long as it is dependable year after year but the quality has to go in, to get my respect for that type of engine as well as its brand name. B&S was a name anyone could depend on and know they bought a high quality product that would last for many years if taken care of properly. After watching this video, I may have to back off in telling folks they are able to depend on a B&S mower's engine. I'll be long gone before the old flat head versions have disappeared and no longer available (including replacement parts). People have to watch out when buying equipment that can easily fail them in a short amount of time and require special equipment to do repairs to the inner parts of the engine like piston removal. Some are just not worth the money tearing the engine down and is more a throw away scrap. Carboned up rings can make an engine useless, and even more, you can't get the piston out to either clean the rings or replace them, unless you have the right equipment to do so. That means a trip to the GURI SHOP that charges a lot to fix them. Least with the older briggs, you can fix everything with the tools you have, if you have a full set to work with that can be bought at any hardware store. It seems companies now days are getting very greedy and depend more on you destroying your engine than having it runn properly for many years and depend on it working right when you pull the cord. It seems that B&S can't depend on customers buying their product because of the many years of quality they give. Seems they have gone CHEAP as well as greedy. Hate saying that, but I guess that's how the world turns when greed takes over. From what I have seen here, I won't recommend B&S mowers in the future (least not the newer ones).It's sad.

As much as I like flatheads I also much prefer the ease of adjustable valve lash and the tuning characteristics you can easily achieve. I hated these plastic carb junk engines at first until I realized how easy they are to get running. I'm actually rebuilding one now for an edger someone threw away without spending a dime. Even the oil I'm using is used. Edit: Better enjoy ICE powered mowers while you can. Honda has already stopped production of push mowers with ICE power.

Hi there! I continued to like your videos. You’re very informative. I have a lawnmower with each of those engines one is the Troy-Built XP with the 175 cc OHV engine from around 2010 and the other is this the 190 cc Briggs flathead on a Husqvarna motor that was built in 1999. They both run fantastic! I do change the oil in my machines and run the carburetors dry before storage. Neither one of them have plastic carburetors, but if they did, I can guarantee you I would have no issues because I would run them dry before Storage. That is the key with these machines, plastic or metal. I love the toughness of the quantum, but I love the efficiency and the power of the newer OHV engines.

Our lawnmower is a 24 year old Craftsman with a Briggs flathead. My dad bought it at Sears when they bought the house. Still starts on one pull even on the over 1 year old gasoline I accidentally threw into it one time. It is a tank of a lawnmower and I hope it never dies because

Hey bro what's up? My choice would be older equipment because of the durability and performance of those equipment. A lot of people are considering using battery operated tools and I like some of them but I'm not a fan of them all. Gas tools are best when you have lots of area to cover within a short space of time whereas battery operated can be used in a domestic manner where the work load is less and it wouldn't take away time from you in order to get the batteries recharged.

Hi, I think it really depends on the points of view. I've been lucky enough to have both the 35 classic flathead and the 550 e series. I don't know why but I think that the petrol that comes to Italy is different, in all my life I have never found any type of deposit in the carburetors after months and in some cases even a year. another important thing is that the 550 consumes much less than the 35. in my opinion with the oil changes on time even the new ones are just as fantastic as the old style ones. The only extra operation is the valve clearance. if I have to be honest, I have to admit that maybe the metal tank and recoil assembly seem more resistant but unless you do it on purpose I think it's difficult to ruin them. Regarding the petrol issue, on the 35 classic I had to change the membranes a couple of times. I have to admit though that in my opinion we are all very fond of the old style briggs but it's a matter of time.

Love my old flatheads, my 2006 and 2011 model years are still going strong. I’ve worked on my friends mower with the new engine twice due to the jet getting clogged. Finally added a fuel filter to the line and he hasn’t had any trouble since.

I've owned and repaired quite a few of the older flat head B&S engines, I love the simplicity and reliability. My neighbor's mower, for example, has barely had any upkeep always has old fuel in it and is regularly abused. Still starts and runs every time.

I really like the old flatheads but their time has come and gone. The newer style engines are good as long as they are taken care of, plus they are more fuel efficient and run cooler (and easier to work on too). I do wish they’d stop all the “never change the oil” bs though.

I loved the old Intek engines for their horsepower on my push Snappers. After 10 years, I had to go to the Pro engines, they're not as strong as the Intek

I have 2 B & S mowers with the flat head. One is a 1992 Snapper with an aluminum deck which has never given me any problems. I change oil when gets dirty and use Stabil in the gas. If it hasn't been started in a few months, one squirt of starter fluid near the air cleaner gets it going instantly 🤣 The other is a much newer Troybilt that a neighbor had left at the curb because the self propell mechanism was broken, but otherwise was like new. I converted it to a push mower and it works great. Thanks for the great video 👍👍🙏

I have two flathead Briggs. 1 is in my old lawnmower and it runs without any problems but does show it's age. That one is a 3hp. My other Briggs is a 12hp single cylinder from the mid to late 60's. All original even with the magneto and generator. Smokes like hell but I love it.

This is a very interesting video. IMHO, the average homeowner just wants a mower that he/she can fill with gasoline, turn on the power switch, and get it started and get the lawn done as quickly as possible. At that point , the mower is put aside (probably on the side of the owners home) and left until it is needed again. Most homeowner mowers will rarely if ever; receive an oil change, have old fuel drained from the tank, air filter changed, deck cleaned, blade sharpened, wheels lubricated, etc. That said, the new OHV Briggs may suffice for a season or two, but once that mini-main-jet clogs, most homeowners either contract with a lawn service, or go out a buy a new mower. The old flatheads, especially with the old in-tank carbs, will take abuse that no currently manufactured mower can sustain. The old flatheads will even run with significant amounts of water in the tank. The point I'm trying to make here; average homeowners just want to get things done with the least amount of time and fuss, the older flathead Briggs engines are just tough to beat when it comes to that. Unfortunately, those days are gone, and now homeowners will have to become much, much more careful about how they maintain their mowers. Putting aside my soap box now, just want to say, this is another excellent video, keep up the great work.

That plastic infected style engine doesn't bother me as much as the plastic nose and tail frame pieces. That sees the most abuse. I buy older junk mowers for the all metal frame and do engine swaps.

I love the old flathead quantums, but these newer Briggs aren't bad after a few simple mods. I drill out the brass main jet just slightly and install an inline fuel filter. Keep your oil changed too and you'll be fine. The old quantums were most likely phased out for emissions and fuel efficiency reasons.

Thanks again! I learned somethin’ new, didn’t know that the center piece of the emulsion tube separates! I’ve cleaned these carbs before but this is fascinating! I will Definitely do a thorough tear down on my next maintenance run! Keep those great videos comin’! As far as them axing the drain plug to make it difficult to change oil, I just use an oil siphon to suck out the old oil into a holding tank and then use a funnel to pour in fresh oil! They can shove it with their no oil change gimmick! No engine will last with that strategy and that’s what they’re bankin’ on!

Briggs was very good before the 1970's and into the 1990's. After that Honda came along and stole the show. Late 70's and late 80's I was in the Waukesha WI plant floor/engineering dept repairing typewriters. I have been on countless manufacturing floors and design departments through my field service days in Typewriters and computers. Brigg's of course was one of the best but you really have to decide if you want to sell more or the best. I think companies sometimes make poor decisions with that choice. Would have I purchased a fuel injected Brigg's if they had offered one in a lawn mower, well it would have been really really tempting but a Honda is a Honda. Something from google which really does fall into line. Why did Briggs and Stratton fail? While corporate executives who preside over failure often find someone else to blame, Briggs' demise has, in reality, directly resulted from its executives' mismanagement, greed and pathological animosity towards the unionized workers who had made them rich. Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.Sep 28, 2020

The EX motors just aren't as sturdy as the older Quantum motors were.

Everything you said was spot on. It boils down to personal preferance. I have been a Brigs fan since 1953 when my dad bought our first power mower with a 3 1/2 hp engine and front wheel drive. He was still using it in 1990 when I visited him. I miss that old lawn mower almost as much as I miss Dad. LOL I don't mind the plastic carb but the same jet does get plugged for no apparant reason, and I wieh I knew the reason for it. And the newer engines do start easy, and are more powerful. Happy camper here.

I had the same issue on one of these last week that I had leant a friend. I was super impressed with how simple it was to pull apart and rectify the problem. I'm no expert but the old governor springs and throttle linkages surely made the old motors more costly to dismantle for repair time wise if you had to pay to have it done.

I always was annoyed, how gas guzzling these old flatheds have been. You never could have enough gas in stock. But, yes, you're probably right, thinking back, it is possible, that the starting problems after a relatively short time of storage occurred with the OHV-engines. But then, not certain, because since then we also have this bioethanol-addition to our gas. At least here in Europe. And i'm unaware of having these glaze like residues inside the carbs in the 70s or 80s like we commonly have today. And we worked on carbs daily back then. I highly doubt, that a flathead wins in fuel efficiency with injection due to the terrible combustionchamber design.

emission standards

I have the old flat-head mower motor on mine and it's been running for about 20 years now. It's had a new fuel tank and and 2 carbs and some gaskets. It's still running like a champ. I suppose it's nearly worn out by now but it still starts on the 1st or 2nd pull after a good prime. I don't think anything I could replace it with could last anywhere near as long.

Love it. Very informative as well.

flat head. 100%.

The best engine I've probably ever used is the little 5-horse Tecumseh in my 96 Craftsman that I picked off the curb. A little welding to fix the slightly-rusted deck and it was good as new. I leave the juice in it, but I always use fuel stabilizer. Looking forward to the first run in the Spring--betcha it'll pop right off like it always does. Good video!

When I was a kid in the 50s, I mowed our lawn with a 1 hp B&S flathead reel mower. One time I removed the head and cleaned out all the crud in the combustion chamber and replaced the head without even a new gasket. The compression was around 5 to 1 but the machine still had a lot of pep. Every once in a while I'd go over to the nearby Chevron station and get a gallon of white gas for it. The air cleaner was one of those oil-bath types.

Old gas is the first thing I eliminate. So many times my problems went away with fresh gas. Great video.

I've had a 163 for 3 seasons and I'm sold. Compared to my memory of pushing Briggs equipped mowers in the 1970's (for other people) which I hated, and the Lawn Boy my parents owned (which I liked) the light weight and solid power of these new engines reminds me of the Lawn Boy's power to weight. Every Briggs was just pushed into a corner after use and to my knowledge none of them were well-maintained so they all had their own special incantation to get them started and most of them had some sort of personality in how they ran. These new ones are a different experience- they either start and run great or they don't and there is a very specific issue to fix. Keeping the valve lash in spec and the float bowl clean seems to be all mine needs to start on the first pull every time. Making a carb that can be replaced with two socket drivers and $15 is an accomplishment.

I have an intec briggs on my pressure washer, it’s probably close to 20 yr old now and im always amazed at how well it starts, 1-2 pulls even after sitting over the winter. Last year my pump froze and cracked, as the engine ran so good I bought a new pump, when I took off the old ump I found the keyway totally stretched and worn on the crank shaft. As I already had the pump I ut in a new key, filled the worn away part with jb weld. Done several wash jobs and it seems to be holding up, will see how it holds up, time will tell😅

I just purchased a Briggs and Strattan Flathead 450 mower! Which to my epic luck was a flathead model! Very excited to work on it and get it running! :)

Bought my first house in 1975. It had an old, beat up mower in the garage. Unwilling to spend the money on a new, fancy mower I wire brushed the deck, painted, etc. and changed the oil, cleaned the carb. Briggs, but worn off labeling so I don't know much about it. I mowed my lawn almost every week during the season until 1992 when I moved. Took the mower with me and used it at the new house until I hit a brush hidden pipe in 2010 and bent the shaft. Never smoked or used oil. Good engines.

The way I understand it, OHC engines will produce more horsepower than similar-sized flatheads because the fuel is more effectively delivered to the combustion chamber. I remember seeing OLD Model-T, 4 cylinder race cars that had their flatheads replaced with uniquely engineered OHC heads to much more effectively produce horsepower. When I was 9 years old, I was given my first broke down lawnmower with a flathead BS 3hp engine by a neighbor who had upgraded. I went to the library, checked out a book on SGE repair and rebuild, and had a field day. Whenever I came across a yardsale with a non-working mower, I bought (usually for around 5 dollars), rebuilt the engine, and then usually resold it for 25-40 dollars according to namebrand. This is in addition to trolling the neighborhoods around me for lawn-mowing jobs. I did this for around 3 years. The newest 10hp engines look to be about the same size as the old 3-5hp BS flatheads.

I'm a Quality Analyst at Briggs. I only deal with the riding mower engines, but I'll try to give some insight. Less fasteners is absolutely amazing from a manufacturing standpoint, it's so much less headache. One of the biggest problems you deal with is missing bolts, bolts not torqued enough, wrong bolts, defective bolts, stripped bolts, and bolts dropped into the engine (usually getting into the flywheel and causing catastrophic damage during the run test). The less fasteners they have to worry about, the better. Also, OHV is indeed a nightmare to manufacture compared to flathead. The complexity of the heads adds a whole new layer of things that can go wrong during casting and machining (I am VERY well acquainted), and setting Valve Lash on the rockers is easy to screw up and we've not been able to successfully automate it on my side. But I definitely think emissions really had the biggest share of the reason, Briggs isn't a company that chomps at the bit to do new things, rather they tend more toward stagnation, change happens slowly. My guess is it was more necessity than innovation, but I could be wrong. I don't know much about what pre-bankruptcy Briggs was like.

I have a Craftsman/Briggs and Stratton mower that was bought new in 07, I took it to a repair shop in a farm supply store since it wasn't working. They told me for a rebuild on the engine, it would be 150 bucks. Cheaper than a new mower so I said do it. A week later they called ,saying they couldn't fix it. I took it to a friend's place and after looking at it, replaced a blown head gasket .I am looking forward to my 15th year with my old mower!

I have one of the Intek v-twins on my lawn tractor. My biggest issue over the years was their choice to use a brass valve stem guide pressed into the aluminum head with no locking of any type. Engine overheats at all, aluminum expands, brass works its way out, rocker collides, and pushrod bends. There's probably 3 or 4 pushrods floating around in my crankcase

in '73 I took a 6 h.p. B&S engine off the 'Planet JR.' rider (pulled gangs) (BTW that same engine was bore and stroked twice by mfgr. to become 7 then 8 h.p.) that hadn't been used since '59. I disassembled and cleaned it, reassembled it, and got it to start and run! Basement cleaning project that taught me sumthin'!

My first mower was a 1968 or 1971 Pincor 21 push mower with a 3.5 Briggs and Stratton. I got it for free it had sat for 20 or 30 years. I brought it home the oil was black as crude oil and it had pretty low compression but the tank looked clean and with some starting fluid and a few pulls it fired up and ran. I used it a few times but I fired it up one day and could hear a tapping sound. So I shut It down drained the gas and parked it. Fast forward a few years I got my 74 Jacobsen with the same engine. So I recently dismantled the Pincor for spare parts. The crankshaft with the blade removed had about a 1/2 inch of play up and down and it still ran it always had oil in it as long I had it so that was just from an extreme amount of hours. the deck is still good so i might throw that together with some spare parts I have laying around. From my experience you can't kill a pre 1990 Briggs engine.

I was faced with buying a new mower as my old flat-head B&S had a carb on it that took a special Primer bulb that I could not find for love nor money , so I would start it with quick start and 30 minutes worth of tinkering every time I needed to use it.... so I had enough... but instead of buying a gas mower I got an electric one (battery powered) from Harbor freight tools, it was self powered and I just hoped and prayed one charge would do the entire yard... it turns out one charge would do my yard and the neighbors yard 2 times before it ran out. it was a strange thing to get used to but I really love it ! .... beats pulling a starter rope !

I have a Craftsman lawnmower with a 6.0 horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine. I don’t know it’s age, but it’s the flathead design. The thing runs beautifully. I plan to change the oil in it this spring just like I did last spring. I use SAE 30 weight oil every time.

Very nice and informative video! I have on my 3000 qm call Ram set on lawnmower from John Deere with the V2 cylinder, gasoline engine from Kawasaki and one self driving Honda lawnmower with 150 cc overhead cam and one older about 1995 Honda also was overhead cam but 135 cc. After my two-stroke water pump failed, I bought also the 50 cc Honda, four stroke overhead water pump and the hand grasschopper for around the tees or for hard weed, You can use with a scharp thin rope from hard plastic wich is on a roll and gets cut after it is worn out by a blade on the Side of the shield at the back or you can use it with the metal disk looking like a saw plate but there are different kinds of metal plates, so I have also one with the three blades so you can cut even with a heart weed, which is more wood like. Anyway, this machine uses the same 50 cc OHC 4t engine with 1.5 hp than my water pump. Since more than 25 years, I am very happy with the Honda products and the newer models on the water pump and the other one with the 50 cc four stroke I am using Sims 20 years without any problem only oil changes same with the John Deere. That is also a diesel variant the of that lawnmower but because I am using petrol for all my other vehicles, I choose that one with the Kawasaki engine end. It makes also a few horsepower more sense for me. My chainsaw and my bush trimmer (I am not sure if that is the right word because I am from Germany and I don’t know the exact word for that machine we call it “Heckenschere”) it is also from Stihl and they are both 2strokes with a 1:100 mixture Danielle also more than 20 years old, and never made any problem. I feel if you buy a good garden machine you have to buy expensive. Otherwise you will buy twice or more times depends how long you need it if you have a pig cartoon what you want to keep for the rest of your life it’s definitely better by the good stuff.

I should ad that I did have a Sabre riding mower with an Intek engine, but it was an early intek engine from 1998, which was not like the later ones, it was like a modified flathead engine, and looking at the top of it, it looked just like a flathead engine. That was a very reliable engine that never gave an issue except for the needle in the carb jamming open and flooding the crankcase, but after fixing that, it ran for another good 2 years until the hydrostatic transmission gave out on the thing and I dumped it off for $50.

These are enjoyable videos to listen to. Interesting designs but I run into these on the curb all the time. They seem to not hold up. tHanks for the video

I like the Honda GC over head cam engines. It's a clever design with a one piece cylinder and head, no head gasket or bolts. Metal carburetor, light weight, smooth running and easy to start

My UK branded Qualcast mower has the 160cc version of this engine, same build year 2016. Running on straight pump gas, Mine has never failed to start in 6 years but i do always empty the fuel tank before winter storage.

I got the mower that you are working on and after the first winter it wouldn't start. I bought a new carburetor and put a fuel cutoff valve on it. Two years later runs great. Never let fuel sit in the carburetor

I have a 1998 KGro Power Pro Riding Law mower with a flat head engine Purchased from K Mart. Other than a belt replacement and a new Carb with Regular Oil change she has run like a champ for over the last 20+ Years! And Still Going strong!!!

I've got this same engine on my mower. I've had it a few years now, and found out about the starting problem after the first winter fresh out of the shed. Read up on it, and the problem stopped when I started adding stabilizer to the gas. And yes, the recoil IS a problem, haven't had to work on it yet, just have to twitch the cord after starting, now and then. Oh and, tipping the mower over to drain the oil is a pain.

Many years ago, I had a flathead on a cheap power washer that worked so hard the head bolts loosened and it quit. Tightened them back up with the old head gasket, and it still runs to this day.

My quantum 65 is the best mower I have used next to my old Lawn-Boy 2 stroke. 1 minor repair in over 15 years of heavy (rural) use.

I have a mower that is pretty much a twin to the one in this video. Reading the maintenance manual, one of the advisories is that the engine be run until the fuel tank is emptied when the mower will not be used for extended periods. You also must use premium/93 octane gasoline. It helps, but is not foolproof.

I worked there (Briggs Murray Kentucky plant final assembly) i worked on the line transition between ohv and sv/L head motors around 2012. They did it because of emissions and noise reduction. It never paid off, place closed in 2020. poplar bluff plant still hanging in there i think.

Our grandkids will be saying " Remember the old OHV engines with the plastic carbs? Man those things were tough compared to the junk they are making today"

I use whatever comes my way. All but two pieces of lawn equipment I have was either abandoned, bought not working and repaired, or thrown away. Most of it I get from a local metal collector who I give scrap metal I collect from my junk removal jobs and in return, he give me anything he find useful during his scrap runs.

I haven't had a lot of experience with the overhead valve Briggs and Stratton engines apart from an Intek engine on a ride on lawnmower that I had to replace the cylinder head on for someone which has a tendency to blow cylinder head gaskets,burn oil due to that & the valve guides were known to move in them,Taryl Dactal used the grub screw trick to fix one of them up. Yes,the now 35; year old 3 horsepower L headed engine on my push mower that I rebuilt is very good & reliable but it's much easier to adjust the valve lash on the newer overhead valve engines !

Recent subscriber I appreciate your content thanks 👍

I had a quantum flathead pressure washer. My uncle gave it to me on its last leg in 2003, which lasted until 2012, only junked because of the busted gas tank. If it was up to me, I'd still have it, but I'm happy with horizontal honda gx.

I use a lawnmower with a 1986 Briggs 3.5hp and it is a tough engine. I fix and sell lawnmower with flat head engines only. You just can’t kill a flat head. The OHV ones are just scrap. I brought a OHV one just to smash it. They are harder to work on. They leak.

As someone who worked in small engine repair for atleast a year and a half (and kind of maintains my small fleet; toro smartstow w/ bs 163 cc, bs snowblower w/ 212 cc, power mate 2-stroke trimmer/edger, Ryobi 2-stroke 14" chainsaw w/ 37 cc), I can vouch the older models are definitely tried and true compared. Those ol' 3 hp mowers were very reliable and the plasticy, primer style carbs worked well, and the engines to follow were, IMHO, better designed even though it had more pieces. My Toro, despite having that crappy newer plastic carb (actually very easy to rebuild as you showed), is still a good, tough mower. I'm not a fan of the smaller 125 and 140 cc engines, respectively. Even though they don't have drain plugs, you can tilt the mower on the oil side, and it works as well. Even though your video was about Briggs and Stratton, Honda was better when it still had their gxv series engines. The gcv160s are good engines, but they had an issue with cam belt (under the valve cover) slipping off and knocking the engine out of time, until they made a new cover with a metal tab welded on the inside. I'd be curious about the newer gcv170s. :)

I had a Snapper self propelled with the Briggs. Bought it new in 2003-04 - think it was the flathead. Anyway, it was running when I gave it away to move out of state. Wish I’d kept it. I did take care of it, however.

A year or two ago I bought a Craftsman power washer with the new Briggs engine and had the same issue with the carb. Worked in the fall then wouldn’t in the spring. I hate that the new mowers have the plastic front axle mount assembly. Pure planned obsolescence, but it’ll fail before the engine does