Repower for 18 hp Briggs

I am looking to replace the Briggs engine on my GT 1800 since I've been told it is too tired to rebuild. What I've been finding is that the various repower dealers either don't have the kit or they will create one for $2200. Seems like a lot of money to spend on that vintage tractor. Any recommendations on how best to get me operational again would be greatly appreciated otherwise I will get out of it what I can and go tractor shopping.

Might try; www.smallenginewarehouse.com They offer re-power kits. I have bought several used engines (take offs) from them over the years.

Get a harbor Freight tools predator. $ 729.00 for a 22hp engine.
Brian

What make is it? GT 1800 doesn't tell us much.

It is a 1984 Work Horse (Wheel Horse), Engine model: 422437 Type: 0663-01. The sheet metal looks almost identical to a model 518, etc. Not 100% sure it is though.

I talked to them and they didn't have a kit for this engine so he was reluctant to suggest anything without seeing the current engine in the tractor. It didn't sound like pictures would work for him.

I had a worn out 17.5 hp single in a JD 110 lawn tractor. Ebay had new BS 18 hp V twins for $675 and free shipping. Apparently leftovers from somebody's production run somewhere for lawn tractors. That was 3 or 4 years ago and I use it every day as my "Mini-Gator" farm transportation, spray rig, carry all and such. Runs great and no repairs. Run iridium plugs and premium fuel per Jeffcat's recommendation (in all my V twins) and it screams.

So, my Husqvarna 20xx46 conventional decides to puke the Kohler Courage single 20 hp engine with a crack in the casting and vibrating itself to death, oil everythere. Liked the first ebay deal so I looked again and for a hundred bucks more with free shipping also, there was the same kind of engine offering in 20 hp BS V twin. Scooped it up and put it in my Husqvarna which is my mow tight spaces that the ZTs are too big to fit. Zero problems on it too.

Mowers mounting plates are hole stamped on a 10" diameter circle for singles or V twins. All the connections are in the same place for either type of engine except if you are going from single to V twin, the choke/throttle cable needs to be longer as the carb is around in front on the V twin. Ebay had used mufflers also for a song and mufflers for mowers with V twins are very heavy duty units so buying a used one is no risk....wasn't for me. That's all you need to changeover single to twin.

There's a local guy who does a pretty respectable volume in new and old replacement parts. He sells a lot on EBay and he has parts for your engine. I haven't purchased from him but the operation is growing and they have given me good advice at the counter which I find very old school.
Floyds Outdoor Power

O.k. Now that I know that you have a Wheel Horse, I understand your problem. Your engine is probably the old Briggs 2 cylinder, flat head opposed.

As far as I know, only Kohler and Honda offer a new horizontal shaft engine with approx. 20 hp. There may be a 20 hp. horizontal Briggs Vanguard, I am not sure about that. (I'm not counting the Harbor Freight Predator, if you want a Chinese engine.)

If you ordered the Kohler or Honda through our shop, probably either one would cost close to the $2200 you were quoted. And you still have to work out the muffler, transmission drive, pto clutch and electrical to work in your application. And it would be nice to not have to cut the hood to fit around the new engine.

I tried putting a 25 hp Kohler in a 520H Wheel Horse once.

To get the intake under the hood, I used a Donaldson heavy duty air cleaner hung in brackets mounted to the frame on the flywheel side of the engine, and ducted the intake air through tubing to a low style intake elbow like was used on some of the Walker mowers.

Since the original engine on the 520 was an Onan, I could power the fuel solenoid on the carburetor through the ignition circuit. in your case you may have to add a relay and another circuit to your tractor wiring to work that solenoid. It is on almost all new engines. I was stopping the engine by cutting power to the solenoid. You can use your original ground wire circuit to kill the coils.

Since my Kohler crank was a different size from the Onan, I could not use the original transmission belt pulley or the pto clutch on the new engine.

****It was at about this time that Spring hit, I was swamped with other people's repairs, and I never finished the installation on the tractor.****

My plans were to use a regular pulley of the right size for the transmission belt and install an electric clutch to run the mower deck.

If you get the correct diameter and length crank on your replacement engine, and IF your clutch has the thrust bearing behind it, you can probably use your existing ptoclutch/pulley assembly on the new engine. That thrust bearing really must be in there, running without it the pto clutch will wear the thrust bearing faces on the crankcase prematurely.

Some Wheel Horses that originally had Kohler engines in them do not have the thrust bearing behind the transmission pulley because the Kohler engine crankshafts had ball bearings and they were adequate without it.

I hope this helps.

I would not put that kind money in that unit

Will it be just for restore purpose or used as a weekly driver?

Either way. Have you looked into the cost of a short or long block engine that matches yours? Installing your tin, head, carb, throttle controls, clutches, exhaust etc etc would be much easier and cheaper than trying to install a compltely different engine.

Harbor Freight Predator motor might be the way to go. If you worried about mounting and hook ups they offer a drawing showing bolt patterns. Might be the cheapest way out

Other than changing the cables, it's a walk in the park and ebay has most anykind of throttle choke cable. You spend more time cleaning up the chassis
before you install it than you do installing it and hooking it up...except for the cables.