Cheap replacement carbs?

Working on my TSX-458 of a TO-30. I have rebuilt carbs before with good success. This one is really rough. It's all apart and soaking now. I can buy a full rebuild kit for my carb for $50-70 including everything.

I see aftermarket carbs from $50-160 that are bolt on replacement. Are any of them good? These tractors do not require a complicated mixing or metering process. I'm temped to buy one of the generic aftermarket carbs and just leave the TXS-458 in a bag just in case.

Anyone with history? They must be made in China, or India or Vietnam. It doesn't take much of a carb to get these old tractors running well.

Try one and let us know.

I am not familiar with Chinese tractor carburetors. I do work on small engines and last year we had three machines brought to use with fresh
installed chinese carburetors that would not work. So far, three already this year. In every case, we could see nothing obvious was wrong
with the cheapie, but a new Original Equipment carburetor fixed all of them.

I know this doesn't answer your question. Just keep in mind that you may end up trying to fix the original carburetor.

I'm soaking my MS TSX right now in carb cleaner. I guess I'll buy the rebuild kit and give that a go. I hate Chinese junk.

If you go with the chinese one you might make sure you have it priced to buy two.

I bought one for my 1450 that was specifically listed as working, got it and saw that it was set up wrong for a cub. Bought the second one
knowing more to look at the pictures to make sure it would fit and it worked as advertised. That was two years ago - still working great.

Seems like a lot of people have issues with these. I see the carbs for the TO30 are as cheap as $28. I also see the TSX458 rebuilt is about
$160.

I found a kit with the parts I need for $42. I'm betting the whole mess is also from China, so - technically I have a US built carb with all Chinese internals.

Will see how it goes.

I bought one for my IH 444 two years ago. $45 with free shipping.
The IH runs great now.
So far, no regrets.

KC

I've had the opposite results with china carbs on my weed eater and generator.
Very cheap. Works perfectly.
The best part is that the china carb has a fuel mix screw instead of a fixed jet and only $15.

The carb on the left is the new one from china.
The carb on the right is the original california compliant fix jet carb.

I work on small engine carbs too. I have fixed the ones that leak gas into the crank case because the needle and seat won't seal. I use a q-tip in the drill and clean the brass seat and use a new needle. I pressure test them with a pump I made from a low pressure gauge and a squeeze bulb from a blood pressure machine. You have to know if the needle and seat function. Many do not after throwing a kit at it. If I cant get the needle to seal I use a q-tip with red jewlers rouge on it and polish the seat to a shiny brass color. I have fixed many.In the picture is a carb holding 4 psi. It is one that filled the crankcase with gas. It wouldnt hold any pressure before. I dont do chineese. Testing them let's you know right now.
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I went to Ebay and checked - there are a LOT of import after market carbs for that tractor starting at $30 - got up to $45 then they jump up to about $80. The safe assumption is that all of them come
from the same factory in China, the main difference is the return policy. You go a little more expensive and they have free returns - if it doesn't work send it back on their dime.

My experience and that of others with Chinese carbs is they either work or they don't. If they don't work don't fight it - just return it. The manufacturing process is spotty - and you may find that
the issue is a fuel jet that doesn't exist or some other flaw in the process that will ensure it will never work. It seems about 60%-70% work right and will work like the original and can be rebuilt
like the original, the remaining will be returned and tossed onto a scrap pile by importer.

In my case the original carb was gone and a Chinese unit had been installed - an OLD chinese unit that had 3-4 year old untreated gas in it. A correct Kolher carb was about $100 direct from ebay -
about half again more if I bought it from a dealer. A cheap chinese unit was $15.00-$16.00. When I got the correct carb it worked perfectly.

Good morning, docmirror and others: i had problems with an original carb on my 12 HP Kohler on a Deere lawn/garden tractor. I was doubtful, but I bought a Chinese unit through Amazon. Many of these need linkage changed a little, mine needed a link made up to connect with the Kohler linkage. It has been working fine for several summers of mowing my lawn, so I can say mine was a good deal. BTW, the folks at the local Deere store could not fix my old Kohler carb.......
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Dennis M. in W. Tenn.
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My experience with generic carbs is hit and miss as well, mostly hit, but a couple of misses.

The generic carb I bought for the golf cart was my first big fail. Fit perfectly, visually identical to the OEM carb, but the float would stick open and flood the engine. Could not figure out why. Take it apart, everything is fine. Don't have xray vision so could not see what was going on inside the carb with it on the engine.

OEM carbs are not always all that and a bag of potato chips either. The OEM Kawasaki carb for the golf cart had quite a few differences from the original that required modification to make it work.