Liquid cooled vs air cooled

[C&K]

I looked at scags at two diff. dealers and I got diff oppinions comparing the 27hp air cooled kohler and the 27hp liquid cooled kawasaki. The mower with the air cooled kohler was priced $200.00 less than the liquid cooled.
I have no experience with liquid cooled engines on mowers. Anyone have any input on which is better...power, cost to upkeep etc.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

Well with lc they have a life at double to air cooled for $200 bucks i would buy the lc and the resale value is better.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

Turf tiger.....

[C&K]

Turf tiger.....

Yes...Turf Tiger 60' w/LQ kaw 8999.99, w/air kohler 8799.99 06 models (NEW)

[lawnpro724]

Kawasaki had problem with there liquid cooled engines a couple years ago but has since been fixed and both engines are good ones. I would go with the liquid cooled kaw for longer engine life although the air cooled engine of either company will last around 1500 - 2000 hrs with good maintnance.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

61 inch cut 2007 models

[C&K]

Yes...Turf Tiger 60' w/LQ kaw 8999.99, w/air kohler 8799.99 06 models (NEW)

They are 61".....my bad

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

That price is not that bad, here they are asking low 9ks.

[chuck bow]

I would have to disagree with what someone said about hr life with proper maintenance a L/C kawi should get you around and no less 2500 hrs and will prob push 3000 to 3500 hrs . I have talked to some guys down around Indy that have run motor similar to this and have 3500 hrs on them and they are still running . One of my 17 horse kawi motors had 2300 hrs on it and was still running when i traded it for my first ztr. Iam going to start doing what a dealer suggested to me the other day ( believe this coming from a dealer who is not going to sell a new mower) he suggested just remotoring the older units where its a lot cheaper than a new mower ( new 19 kawi kai installed on the walk was a grand and was ready in a hr from bringing it to the dealer till loading up and pulling away .

[ed2hess]

I surprised that the difference between a air cooled and water is only $200 can that be right? I seen a price of $600 on a radiator being replace on some big unit at the shop a year or so ago.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

Not 100% sure on the life hour rating to a air cooled or a liquid cooled, air i have always been told 2000 hours + and liquid i have been told 4000 hours.

[C&K]

The dealer said that the LQ should last roughly twice as long.
I'm just concerned with maitanance...Like was said radiator repair and other parts that can go bad vs the tried and true air cooled.

But the dealer priced the two identical (other than engine) mowers 200 dollars diff. and talked them (LQ Kawasaki) up pretty good.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

For $200 bucks more go with the lc i have one on a 2006 model wildcat 52 inch cut 26lc kawasaki.

[C&K]

For $200 bucks more go with the lc i have one on a 2006 model wildcat 52 inch cut 26lc kawasaki.

How would you rate your wildcat vs turf tigers? The mowers I'm looking at are leftover 06's and I could save 1k on a Wildcat with same hp and deck. The biggest diff is the shaft drive deck and belt location/ease of access...from what I saw.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

Turf tigers are 2k more give or take a tt is a top mower the 16cc pumps make a world of difference i run 52 inch cuts or less i can use this mower on every thing if i was going with a 61 inch cut do a tiger i would think about the 35 horse vanguard i have a local dealer here,turf tigers and wildcats are a big difference,i could have bought a tt in 52 inch cuts but i went with the 26 lc motor over the 27 air cooled Kohler and 2k less money.

[C&K]

I'm probably going to get the lc 61" TT. It seems that for the money (200) I should get the LQ.

[C&K]

Thanks for the input! Good Info on here.

[SpikeGT]

Get the liquid cooled.

[LB1234]

We purchases a '05 TT in spring of same year. It had 61" deck, 29 LC/EFI kawi, and soft bagger attachment. We paid around 12 for it. If I remember correct just the mower was around 9.8k. I didn't shop around at all...I just walked into the dealer asked for the demo, ask for the price, and the rest was history.

The difference between the kohler (can't remember the HP) and the kawi was something like 400 bucks. I thought the same thing...why so little...I was figuring at least a grand more.:dizzy:

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

So how do you like the 29 efi,has it given you any problems most people here are running the 27 lc i guess for price.

[LB1234]

So how do you like the 29 efi,has it given you any problems most people here are running the 27 lc i guess for price.

I/we absolutely love it. GREAT piece of equipment. We did have one problem with the mower this spring...a Stator (sp?) needed to be replaced. It was in the shop for two days but it was under warranty and dealer offered a free loaner.

We find ourselves using the bagger much more than we anticipated. And that extra HP really helps. We don't get any blowouts or anything...it picks everything up clean. It does slow down going up big inclines but it still cuts fine just slower. We do place a set of high lifts on it with the bagger so that helps also...and takes some extra HP to keep them up to speed.

In the spring/summer we just run the stock blades on it. Very rarely do we have to double cut to better disperse clippings.

She starts fine with the EFI. I don't have to worry about playing with the choke...just set the throttle to about 1/3 and start her up.

All in all it has held up well in a season and a half.

Oh ya, one thing I HIGHLY recommend. If you do purchase this mower/engine combo have your dealer install an extension on the oil drain plug...othewise its next to impossible to get a set a wrences/sockets in there to drop the oil. That would be my only real complaint about the machine.

Feel free to ask me any specifics or PM me with any particulars.

[MOW PRO LAWN SERVICE]

I know they are irritating on there oil plugs man those efi start in a split second for big properties you can get in and out.

[Uranus]

I have the 27 lc kawi on my lazer. Just over 1500 hours on it. Motor runs strong. I had a small leak of antifreeze and thought it was a hose. Put on new hose and filled up radiator. Few days later I'm over heating again. Then I noticed some liquid seeping out of the water pump seal. We tore off the water pump and put a new gasket on. Well water pump warped and I need a new one. Turns out the original cause of the overheating was the outlet tube on the radiator's weld was cracked. The fan was blowing the coolant off the hose so it was hard to see. What can you do. One time problem that took a few days to resolve but dont let that discourage you. I still like the liquid cooled engines. Only negative I can see is the little bit of added weight. If you have 16 cc pumps or bigger then no worries about the weight unless your 300 lbs or more. I would go LC too If I were you.

[C&K]

I have the 27 lc kawi on my lazer. Just over 1500 hours on it. Motor runs strong. I had a small leak of antifreeze and thought it was a hose. Put on new hose and filled up radiator. Few days later I'm over heating again. Then I noticed some liquid seeping out of the water pump seal. We tore off the water pump and put a new gasket on. Well water pump warped and I need a new one. Turns out the original cause of the overheating was the outlet tube on the radiator's weld was cracked. The fan was blowing the coolant off the hose so it was hard to see. What can you do. One time problem that took a few days to resolve but dont let that discourage you. I still like the liquid cooled engines. Only negative I can see is the little bit of added weight. If you have 16 cc pumps or bigger then no worries about the weight unless your 300 lbs or more. I would go LC too If I were you.

This is what I'm worried about with the lq. If you are working on it more you are loosing money with lost time and parts. I think I may go with the air cooled....it's more predictable and by the time you fix leaks and other extra parts (nickle and dime) on a lq over the life of the engine it may be a wash or cheaper to repair or replace an air cooled. I'll let you know which way I decide.
I'm planning on buying the rider and a wb in mid to late Feb.

Thanks for the replies it helps to get others opinions.

[LB1234]

The only real increase in time is flushing the radiator...which isn't that big of a deal. Once a season during the offseason. A few bucks in antifreeze...other than that no big deal. As the oil is draining just do the antifreeze.

Were the risk is involved is in the cost of repairs. Its kinda like gear drive vs belt drive. You need to weight the cost/benefit of them. Gear drive has no reverse while hydro does...perhaps you estimate a savings of 15 minutes per day. Well over 3 days a week 30 weeks that comes out to be 22.5hrs per year in savings. Although the cost to repair a hydro pump is say 600. Keep in mind there are other factors as well...for instance resale value.

You really need to weight everything.

[chuck bow]

Good post LB plus i really think the L/C will last a little longer than a air cooled so that means you dont have to replace the mower or engine ( if you remotor) as soon as air cooled Only time will tell on this end whether it was worth the added money, The funny thing is they had a 25 horse air cooled i think for the same price or maybe it was 200 bucks more dont remember as its been a month since i started looking and bought , I felt the 200 bucks more if thats what it was was well worth the risk if it just lasts another year or so longer .

[LawnMan883]

Go for the LC Kawi. i have had 2 Kawis in my 2 more recent mowers and they really do last longer. my first one i only go tup to 1,400 hours but it ran like a champ. The on ei have now is still running good at 2,200 hours. It smokes a little after sitting for a bit, but i was told its the reed valve letting a little oil past. It doesn;t use oil so I'm not worried. The only failure i had was a broken camshaft at 900 hours. The older Kawi's had a plastic camshaft gear, which has since been corrected and now they use a steel gear. I won;t ever buy an air cooled again.

[Potchkins]

how bout the 29 hp KAW L/C EFI