Repower Advice- Yamaha/Honda/Robin

[Saskatchewan]

It is time to seed the fields, and I have too much standing water. I have a good industrial pump, but it needs a new engine as the old Kubota on it is no longer supported.

Here are my choices from local dealers. All appear to be priced competitively with one another.

Any thoughts would be appreciated:

Yamaha MZ 360

Yamaha MZ 360

Honda GX 340

Honda GX 340

Robin EX 35

Robin Ex 35

Are any of these options heads above the others?

 

[tomcat27]

as long as they are priced similarly, I would go with the honda.

 

[Nick R]

Subaru followed by the Yamaha for me. I like Subaru, they make good stuff.

 

[dwendt44]

Can't go wrong with any of them. Price difference?

 

[boraticus]

Best price would dictate choice for me.

 

[Saskatchewan]

They retail around $1000. Parts and service appear to equal in my community.

As a side note, I wonder why Yamaha has not more aggressively pursued the OPE market like Honda and Robin- clearly they know hoe to manufacture a quality engine?

 

[dwendt44]

While I can't find the exact model number you've listed, some of these are close.

http://acengines.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_14

 

[meep]

check harbor freight. bought a robin-subaru engine and it was great.

 

[Saskatchewan]

(Sigh...) Things are *not* the $ame in Canada as they are in the U.S.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Saskatchewan
(Sigh...) Things are *not* the $ame in Canada as they are in the U.S.


Have you checked eBay? I too would go with a lower cost option. That Yamaha looks like a typical Chinese import?

Joel

 

[jdh]

i dont have experience with yamaha or subaru but i can recommend a honda gx they are virtually bulletproof from my experience

 

[meep]

I know some of the yamaha gensets are prone to little carb issues/nuisances.

I owned a honda mower which ran like a clock and a robin-subaru engine I was making a generator with. of the two, I felt that the R/S had sturdier construction.... but the honda was also a "GS" series, IIRC, which is not as sturdy as the GX line.

Interesting-- the subaru motor actually differed timing advance with engine rpm... there were two timing settings that would kick over at 1800 rpm or so. neat!

Mike

 

[Cujet]

I have a similar Robin engine on my generator. It's beyond excellent. In fact, it gets an "A" rating from the EPA and my latest 13HP Honda (on a pressure washer) only gets a "B" rating. Remember, that rating is a reflection of engine life, not tailpipe output.

My Robin has at least a thousand honest hours. Many of them during the Florida hot seasons.

I tend to stay away from Honda's now. Some are made in China and do get a lower EPA engine life rating. I've had 2 catastrophic Honda failures and won't do that again.

 

[JTK]

Yep, I've never heard a bad thing about a Robin OPE engine. Cujet are sure about that EPA rating? From what I've read, that's the lifespan rating the engine will maintain it's 'factory' emissions output.

Joel

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Cujet are you sure about that EPA rating? From what I've read, that's the lifespan rating the engine will maintain it's 'factory' emissions output. Joel


Well, I guess in a direct way, they are connected. As none of these engines have any form of external controls. As they wear out, they lose compression, the valves don't seal as well and the oil consumption increases. All of which result in increased emissions. However, I suppose some could be due to carb wear too.

Regardless, there is no question that engines with low ratings are not known for long life.

The Chinese clones of Honda's, for example, get a "C" rating, where the actual Honda get's an "A". The difference is simply quality of parts. Dimensionally they are exactly the same. 4 times the life on the actual Honda!

And another example, my Chinese built actual Honda does not get an "A". There is no question in my mind the Chinese Honda has some lower quality parts. The Japanese version gets an "A".