Loncin 196cc (chinese) engine on a tiller?

[92saturnsl2]

Despite an exhaustive search of all home improvement stores in the area (Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, Menards, Farm & Fleet, Rural King, etc) I could not find one decent priced rear tine tiller that had a brand name engine in it. All had their own branded engines, and by the valve covers I could tell they weren't the usual Briggs or Kohlers, clearly some Chinese variant.

I settled on a 196cc OHV model with that looked of decent quality. Finally I found a plaque that read "Loncin Industrial." A quick Google search turns up they make motorcycles and a lot of off road vehicle engines for the export market, but I've never seen/heard of them before. Anyone ever use one of these before?

It fired up just fine, and it's actually quieter and smoother running than the Kohler Courage XT-7 173cc OHV engine in my pressure washer. Just curious what you all think of these, seems most manufacturers are turning to branding cheap Chinese engines as their own, rather than sticking with the known Briggs / Kohler / Honda motors.. Obviously for greater profit margin. I'm sure we will see more and more of this.

 

[Quest]

If it works out for you then it's definitely a keeper.

Be extra careful about carbs, 1st time OCI to rid of all the metal shavings left behind from honing, etc. For carb: it's not easy to obtain parts (altough some of them can be substituted with chonda varieties).

Q.

 

[eljefino]

If my snowblower is any indication the torque curve will be good for tilling. Tecumseh, for whatever reason, when it starts bogging down, loses torque on every rev and abruptly stalls. We have a tec on a rear tine tiller and wife hates that she has to run it near full throttle, throwing rocks etc, and can't back down. I'd have a "chonda" on there already but the tec has that goofy 2nd pulley for reversing.

 

[sdowney717]

My question is one of engine parts, can you buy anything to do a repair? I have a generac 6500 watt contractor genset with the manual and the engine section is sparse and vague.

 

[yeehaw1960]

You might double up on the "break in" oil changes...maybe after a couple hours then after four or five. The oil guys on here will chime in on interval and what oil to use.

Take your number 10 and 12 wrenches and go around checking that the bolts are all tight. Don't torque too hard on them or they'll break. Go around a second time after a few hours runtime.

These Chinese engines are getting better and better for light use. I have to admit I thought they would never cut the mustard, but, again, they're getting better. Still pronounce many of them dead each summer after a couple years use on mowers.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Oh my, I didn't realize it at first but the engine is an EXACT clone of the Honda GX200, right down the the controls, dual oil fills / drains, and dual element air filter. Everything appears identical, so I'm guessing if I need repair parts I can source them from Honda if necessary...

 

[92saturnsl2]

FWIW, I always change the oil on new small engines at 1 hr, and again at 3 hrs before resuming a "normal" interval. I'm always surprised what a glittery mess comes out with the first fill.

 

[JTK]

I've never had the chance to confirm if Honda GX parts will bolt right up to a Loncin (or others) without modifications, but it's possible.

Generally if something other than a recoil or carb breaks, you yank the engine and replace it with a ~$100 mail-order replacement- although mail-order replacement parts seem to be becoming a better possibility.

Yeehaw1960 knows his stuff. Make sure to go over and tighten what you can. I've gone as far as removing every fastener individually, blue loctiting them, then reinstall.

Joel

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Oh my, I didn't realize it at first but the engine is an EXACT clone of the Honda GX200, right down the the controls, dual oil fills / drains, and dual element air filter. Everything appears identical, so I'm guessing if I need repair parts I can source them from Honda if necessary...


Don't tell them you have a Loncin. Authorized Honda dealers are being blackmailed by Honda USA about (not) selling parts for non honda engines.

 

[JimPghPA]

PartsTree is a good source of carb parts.

If you use Sta-Bil or RedLine SL-1 in the fuel, and at the end of season run it dry and pull carb bowl to get the last bit of gas out and then spray some WD-40 down the small idle circuit hole behind the choke plate you probably will never have any carb problem.

Ethanol in the fuel now days is a real ^!#%@^^#)_*&*) and you really have to use additives in the fuel and go the extra mile to maintain the carb if you want it to run good for several years.

 

[JimPghPA]

If it were mine I would use Rotella 15W-40 (T5). Get a gallon from Wal-Mart and change it often.

For winter OPE Rotella 5W-40 (T6).

 

[92saturnsl2]

I've got a stash of Motorcraft Super-Duty Diesel 10w-30 that I'll run though this for the foreseeable future. Rotella is not a bad suggestion; I think an HDEO is the way to go with these, though I question the need for a thicker 40 weight.

Of course the break-in oil that I'm running for the first hour or two is the cheapest oil I had laying around, Citgo 5w-30 Synthetic blend.

 

[JimPghPA]

The Rotella ( 15W-40 T5 and the 5W-40 T6 ) are JASOMA rated. Hard to go wrong with that in an air cooled engine.