Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:29 am
I'm thinking the difficulty with the PTO clutch might have been because the new GX'es SEW is supplying are 2006 models that are a little different from the 2005 one I put in my tractor.
As far as I know, all the 682 and 782 tractors used the same design Warner PTO clutch. I had no difficulty mounting the PTO clutch to my engine, and after setting it to the instructions it worked properly the very first time and worked without any problems all this mowing season. In fact the entire engine setup performed without a hitch all season, and got even smoother as it broke in. But I am hearing of some problems with the PTO clutches going on the '06 engines and apparenty SEW is aware of this too. I guess the hardware was designed for the '05.
I thought my '05 had hydraulic lifters, but that was one of the big changes for the '06 GX engines, my '05 has manual valve lash adjusters. But darn it's so mechanically quiet running I can't tell. Still a thumbs up for the new hydraulic valve train as it is maintenance free. One change I don't like with the '06 is the control mounting being on the output end up front around the muffler. On the '05 it is above the flywheel near the firewall which makes more sense to me. But SEW is taking what they get from Honda and adapting it, so they go with what they have to work with.
There is a significant amount of engineering that goes in to these retrofit kits and likewise some adaptation that goes along with it for each tractor, it is one of the reasons I stated on my posts on the subject that good basic mechanical skills are required on the buyer's end to install one of these engines properly. Not rocket science, but not a walk in the park either, plus they are expensive so you have to invest some time to do it right.
For me the Honda just put that new spark of life back in to the 682 and has taught the old dog a few new tricks- one of the biggest is saving a lot of gas over the old flathead Kohler, which is no laughing matter anymore. Don't get me wrong I love old cast iron Kohler's, just not the KT17 series 1. And the best part is the Honda engine looks so natural under the hood of a 682/782 plus the sides of these tractors are competely shrouded so no one even knows what is under the hood unless they lift it. Form and function blend together well with this perticular engine retrfit kit, looking at some of the others SEW sells I think the Cub '82 kit is one of the better ones in that respect.
-Fordlords-
As far as I know, all the 682 and 782 tractors used the same design Warner PTO clutch. I had no difficulty mounting the PTO clutch to my engine, and after setting it to the instructions it worked properly the very first time and worked without any problems all this mowing season. In fact the entire engine setup performed without a hitch all season, and got even smoother as it broke in. But I am hearing of some problems with the PTO clutches going on the '06 engines and apparenty SEW is aware of this too. I guess the hardware was designed for the '05.
I thought my '05 had hydraulic lifters, but that was one of the big changes for the '06 GX engines, my '05 has manual valve lash adjusters. But darn it's so mechanically quiet running I can't tell. Still a thumbs up for the new hydraulic valve train as it is maintenance free. One change I don't like with the '06 is the control mounting being on the output end up front around the muffler. On the '05 it is above the flywheel near the firewall which makes more sense to me. But SEW is taking what they get from Honda and adapting it, so they go with what they have to work with.
There is a significant amount of engineering that goes in to these retrofit kits and likewise some adaptation that goes along with it for each tractor, it is one of the reasons I stated on my posts on the subject that good basic mechanical skills are required on the buyer's end to install one of these engines properly. Not rocket science, but not a walk in the park either, plus they are expensive so you have to invest some time to do it right.
For me the Honda just put that new spark of life back in to the 682 and has taught the old dog a few new tricks- one of the biggest is saving a lot of gas over the old flathead Kohler, which is no laughing matter anymore. Don't get me wrong I love old cast iron Kohler's, just not the KT17 series 1. And the best part is the Honda engine looks so natural under the hood of a 682/782 plus the sides of these tractors are competely shrouded so no one even knows what is under the hood unless they lift it. Form and function blend together well with this perticular engine retrfit kit, looking at some of the others SEW sells I think the Cub '82 kit is one of the better ones in that respect.
-Fordlords-
