first test of a John Deere 318 new engine

[whiskey5mash]

My dad tested out the new engine on his old John Deere 318 last winter, and he's pretty happy with it.
He replaced the old Onan with a 23 HP Briggs & Stratton, and he used it to clear some drives with his 50 inch snow blower.
He says the new engine works every bit as well as the old one, which is awesome. The only things he noticed were that the Briggs takes a little longer to fire up in the cold, and the PTO shaft is about an inch smaller.

I checked it and wondering if that smaller PTO affects the snow blower's auger speed.
I think maybe the Briggs has a higher RPM that makes up for it, but the folks he bought the engine from didn't know.

Any old timers know if that's the case?
Also, any general tips from you guys on how to get a Briggs & Stratton to fire up more easily in freezing weather?

 

[cloud8]

Briggs runs at 3600 RPM like the Onan did, so your auger speed should be fine even with the smaller PTO shaft

 

[DirtDozer]

My dad tested out the new engine on his old John Deere 318 last winter, and he's pretty happy with it.
He replaced the old Onan with a 23 HP Briggs & Stratton, and he used it to clear some drives with his 50 inch snow blower.
He says the new engine works every bit as well as the old one, which is awesome. The only things he noticed were that the Briggs takes a little longer to fire up in the cold, and the PTO shaft is about an inch smaller.

I checked it and wondering if that smaller PTO affects the snow blower's auger speed.
I think maybe the Briggs has a higher RPM that makes up for it, but the folks he bought the engine from didn't know.

Any old timers know if that's the case?
Also, any general tips from you guys on how to get a Briggs & Stratton to fire up more easily in freezing weather?

Nice, good to hear the new engine is holding its own! The Briggs is definitely a good replacement for the old Onan. It's actually a popular swap since those Onans are getting harder to find and expensive to rebuild. As for the PTO, the engine's RPM should match the old one, so the auger speed should be fine. The speed of the PTO clutch and shaft is determined by the engine pulley, not the shaft size. If he reused the original pulley, you're all set. The one-inch difference in the shaft though is unusual so make sure the pulley is mounted securely without any play or slippage. Then for winter, make sure he's using the right oil, like a 5W-30 or 0W-30 synthetic. A magnetic oil pan heater can also work wonders on cold days, and of course, a strong, healthy battery is a must. You can also use a trickle charger to help keep it ready to go.

 

[tuscany-88]

Nice, good to hear the new engine is holding its own! The Briggs is definitely a good replacement for the old Onan. It's actually a popular swap since those Onans are getting harder to find and expensive to rebuild. As for the PTO, the engine's RPM should match the old one, so the auger speed should be fine. The speed of the PTO clutch and shaft is determined by the engine pulley, not the shaft size. If he reused the original pulley, you're all set. The one-inch difference in the shaft though is unusual so make sure the pulley is mounted securely without any play or slippage. Then for winter, make sure he's using the right oil, like a 5W-30 or 0W-30 synthetic. A magnetic oil pan heater can also work wonders on cold days, and of course, a strong, healthy battery is a must. You can also use a trickle charger to help keep it ready to go.

Thanks for sharing that. I helped my neighbor swap a Briggs into his old Deere last fall and we weren't sure about the pulley fit either. Did you have to shim or modify the pulley to get it fit on the new shaft? And how well does the PTO engage now compared to the original setup?