replacement vertical shaft engine ride on

Doubt any one has bought one but thought i'd ask.
Any one ever experienced these 16 hp vertical shaft engines. made by loncin ind (chinese no doubt).
16HP RIDE ON MOWER ENGINE, MOTOR VERTICAL SHAFT (eBay item 370482353516 end time 14-Feb-11 21:11:39 AEDST) : Home


I was looking at at least $1500 (probably $1700) for a 16 hp honda which would be great but damn... $570 for a Chinese one. I love all my quality stuff (honda or Stihl).

I am repowering an old tank of a ride on (made in ballarat i think ) and I guess I am hoping some one tells me something bad so I stick with my honda's

Stick to the Honda! Seriously, the cheaper engines tend to be made reasonably well so far as the internal workings are concerned, but the peripherals, such as the exhaust, carburetor, electrics, pull start or starter motor and so on tend to fail one by one.

The bottom line: $500 for a cheap engine that should be OK for about a year before you start having problems.

$1500 for a Honda, Kawasaki etc., and you should have a trouble-free four years.

That's my experience anyway. I've been down the "Chonda" road and I've returned with my tail between my legs. :)