Thanks for the vid it helped me out a lot, last season the Briggs motor had gave me different problems so I just gave up on the time master but after watching this I did the swap took me a couple days to complete it as I had a spare fj160 but pulley was rusted on so after a lot of work I was able to complete the swap today and hopefully tomorrow I’ll be out working with it just have to rig up my throttle switch
I had this mower with the Briggs for 3 yrs used as home owner use. Then I got a Honda and gave this one to my dad and his been using it for 5 yrs now and neither one of us had an issue other then regular maintenance 😎
I'm curious as to how it will hold up. In planning on buying a used timemaster. if the engine blows, I want to replace it with the turfmaster engine but so far the cheapest "real" version of that engine I could find is $650. $200 and I may try this if your engine holds up. Otherwise I'll just buy a new timemaster for the warranty and worry about engine swap years later. Please dont forget about this video and keep people updated. There are a lot of lawn care business who use this mower daily and would be interested in its longterm reliability
Yes we will see how it holds up, I figure worst case if it does blow I'm already setup for the real deal. I only do about 2 hours of mowing a week but I'll deffinetely check back in a year with a report.
I would like to pick this mower engine up for my time cutter the FJ180 V is the primary number what are the sub numbers for ordering if you don’t mind me asking there are several different variations
I'm going to go through the 10.00 series engine, and I'm going to try to affix a briggs 16hp oppy, but that's not for awhile down the road, but I did measure and it will fit, maybe a custom adapter plate, we shall see.
I could not do this myself but I have a lanw business and I'm on my third Time Master in 3 years so I need to either get a completely different machine or have someone do what you did. I talked to a guy who has fixed some of my mowers and told him about the Turf Master and that it uses this engine and it didn't make sense to him since this is a much smaller engine than the Briggs that comes with it. The two newer Time Maters I have have 223CC engines or 10-10.5 hp and it seems like the Kawasaki is 179ccs or 6 hp? He told me it wouldn't make sense to go to a smaller engine so I didn't know what to tell him. Do you feel like the mower has less power now?
The newer models seem like they are coming with a much bigger motor. Mine came with a Briggs and Stratton 190cc. I'd be curious to try the bigger motor. I just hope they finally beefed up the transmission a little bit. If there's a newer bigger option. Then personally I'd recommend this route. This was a little cheaper than a new Briggs at the time and seems to have just as much power. It also runs much smoother and quieter.
@@diytito8165 I have three of them; 2017, 2018 and 2019. The two newer ones have 223ccs and they all suck and have the same problems. I have to buy a new one every year but I'm done with doing that; too expensive. Each one cost me $1,300 and to run a very small landscaping business? Doesn't make sense.
@@spercoco Is it just a lack of power? Is the older one the 190CC? Any issues with that? I know these are prone to transmission problems which makes me concerned about adding even more power and weight with a bigger engine. I'm sure you've seen those issues on youtube as well.
@@diytito8165 I can only go by my own experience. The newest one I only bought 2 or 3 months ago. Already it doesn't sound as strong as it did when I bought it. The next newest one is 223 cc also and I accidentally brought that one yesterday with me instead of the new one and it's toast. I had 7 lawns to do and I could have done them just as fast or faster with a 21 inch mower; it just doesn't have enough kick to send the grass into the catcher; as soon as you run into any tall or thick grass it just clogs up in the shoot and under the deck. I would not recommend these mowers to anyone. The weather has been real dry around here so we are not even talking about wet grass. With grass that is the least bit wet forget about it.
@@spercoco Try increasing the rpms on them. I did that to my 190cc Timemaster and it runs much better, and has more power. It's a metal tab in front of the engine with a spring attached to it. It's behind a metal shield, bent the tab towards you.
@@leadnsteel1428 Ive heard the same as well. feel like mine is getting to it's last leg. ive also heard that you can just rebuild the transmission with a brass bushing that wears but I don't recall where I saw that.
Contacted saturday or sunday evening and u replied thanks.... Im bought the fj180v and mine has a red decal and under the airfilter is a priming bulb....? Dont see that on yours... Also the throttle system looks different on yours.... mine will start but when engage the blades the mower stops? Any hints? Brian
Yeah mine doesn't have a priming bulb. Maybe it's an updated design? These mowers have a blade brake built in. That may be stuck in engagement and stalling the motor when you engage the blades.
@@diytito8165 not sure what is going on.... just not sure why mechanic is saying i dont need a throttle adjustment and yours has and runs fine? My engine must be a different design.... going to keep trying things and see what happens....
Still running well? I'm thinking about going this route, however I use my mower for a lawn care business, do you think it would be able to keep up with the work?
Great video. When you take out the stock/original engine... after removing the 3 bolts, does the engine just slides out or do you have to play around with the pulleys from the trans/blades?
@@larrypage2089 It had about 3 seasons on it and was used commercially. About 15-20 lawns a week. It will now be retired to cutting my small 1/3acre lot. Mowing video to come in the coming week!
The lever I have in the comments is mounted directly at the mower. So the throttle can only be adjusted at the base of the engine. No throttle cable needed.
@@diytito8165 thanks for replying quickly... I have a lawncare company and my mechanic has everything assembled like u have but he is stumped on the throttle assembly....? He cant get engine to start? I thank you for your quick replies...
@@bschraed6688 I made a bracket out of aluminum to mount the throttle and just attached the engine linkage straight to the throttle. I'm sure it would be possible to adapt another method but I believe this is what the kawasaki motor uses on the exmark variant of the toro.
Just a heads up you may want to rethink that engine. If I read the sticker on the top right that says 6 horsepower. That's not enough for a 30 inch mower. I believe the original TimeCutter came within 8.75 in the new ones are a 10 horsepower. That engine's not going to cut it. You're going to work that engine to death. Just my two cents as a 15-year small engine mechanic.
I only see them giving specs in ft-lbs not hp so I'm not sure... I can tell you for a fact that the Briggs worked far harder than this new motor ever has. It no longer boxes on a wet lawn which is great. The Briggs would drop idle just engaging blades, this engine barely does!
Dave, I understand your point on the FJ180V being underpowered but keep in mind, Toro uses that engine in the 30” turf master. If it’s good enough for the turf master one would think it would be good enough on the Timemaster. If not the FJ180V, what engine would you use?
The original 8.75 is the foot pounds the horse power is only 5.75. I put a 6 horsepower power fist on a salvage timemaster I got for 300 Canadian. I just redid the pulley system with princess auto supplies and a welder.
@@diytito8165 www.princessauto.com/en/detail/6-hp-173cc-ohv-vertical-gas-engine/A-p8449027e this is the engine. I'm sure if you're in states you have better options. This was the best option for me since I have 2 others with the original motors still. I bought the 3rd salvage machine thinking motor worked. And eventually discovered the cylinder wall was scored pretty bad. I do lawns and like to have 2 machines to give then a rest. I truly believe God put me in the position of having to figure out a cheap replacement motor because I've had the 2 about 4or5 years so its worried me if a motor went I can't afford a new one my wife is stay at home mom now, before she was a waitresses and the whole reason I could try self employment was she made lots. So I have some peace of mind now knowing the cheap motor works Incase another motor goes. I was thinking the cheap is a little underpowered just a little. But I played a with governor and got a little more rpm and I can adjust idle speed according to lawns thickness.
I took a quick look at the specs but didn't find anything. I would probably have to look into it more. It looks like a similar size but unsure about some of the items you've asked for. It's certainly a nice engine.
Interested in this too. The Kohler CV200 is available on the new Turfmaster and Exmark which seem to use the same bolt pattern as the Kawasaki FJ180V so it should bolt on, however I'm not sure about clearances for exhaust, gas tank, controls, etc. Also, not sure if the shaft diameter and length are the same on the CV224. I'm getting ready to replace my Timemaster's 190cc engine and was going to install the Briggs 223cc (10.0 TP), but the Kohler CV224 is showing 11.0 TP and would be the best available engine to possibly repower it with, although the weight would probably increase as well. Not a lot of available specs on that big Kohler engine :-(
@@diytito8165 please do! . i have a new timemaster the gas tanks to small .i was wanting to do this i can buy the fuel tank and bracket and do just what you did mount on the side with a plate
I'm going to add it to the description now! It no longer seems available on Amazon but I'm sure you can find something similar. I believe I did need to file it a little and tweak it here and there but I made it work! I would double check the dimensions of your engine on hand.
Thank you so much for this video. I am thinking about getting this mower and wondered about an engine swap. Do you know if a Harbor Freight engine might work? Thanks again.
I'm not familiar with the bolt battery but I'm sure anything is possible. My opinion though is that it may be a little low on the power side of things but I don't have a lot of experience with it.
I think Kawasaki and Subaru Robin push mower engines are more European based. It's a shame in the US we only get 2 options Briggs and Scrapem and Honda which is good and some Chinese odd balls here and there. I would prefer a Kawasaki push mower engine or Honda to anything. I've had old Briggs and Stratton push mowers that were flathead and ran for years and years even when worn out. I've had newer Stratton's that give out too fast.
You know I thought that may be the case judging by that sticker on top. I'm just surprised they cloned a single model of an engine, it even came with a genuine kawasaki filter.
Helen Keller could see that’s not a Kawasaki engine. That’s a fugazi.
Thanks for the vid it helped me out a lot, last season the Briggs motor had gave me different problems so I just gave up on the time master but after watching this I did the swap took me a couple days to complete it as I had a spare fj160 but pulley was rusted on so after a lot of work I was able to complete the swap today and hopefully tomorrow I’ll be out working with it just have to rig up my throttle switch
Yeah they filed bankruptcy for a reason lol.... too many problems.
I had this mower with the Briggs for 3 yrs used as home owner use. Then I got a Honda and gave this one to my dad and his been using it for 5 yrs now and neither one of us had an issue other then regular maintenance 😎
Thanks for letting us hear how it runs........ sounds great...... /s
I'm curious as to how it will hold up. In planning on buying a used timemaster. if the engine blows, I want to replace it with the turfmaster engine but so far the cheapest "real" version of that engine I could find is $650. $200 and I may try this if your engine holds up. Otherwise I'll just buy a new timemaster for the warranty and worry about engine swap years later. Please dont forget about this video and keep people updated. There are a lot of lawn care business who use this mower daily and would be interested in its longterm reliability
Yes we will see how it holds up, I figure worst case if it does blow I'm already setup for the real deal. I only do about 2 hours of mowing a week but I'll deffinetely check back in a year with a report.
people are using the new Kohler CV224 to repower these. Way more juice then this Kawa, real or Chinese, and only about $500 new.
The only thing I'd be worried about is the transmission
I would like to pick this mower engine up for my time cutter the FJ180 V is the primary number what are the sub numbers for ordering if you don’t mind me asking there are several different variations
How is the Kawasaki engine running.
I've yet to take it out for the season but it's going on season three in my yard.
I just ordered engine my Briggs gave out on me. Could you post a picture of the shaft extension you put on yours?
Wow I have a few videos on my Time Master...this is the end game with the Briggs decides to let go. On ebay it around $225. Can’t be beat
I'm going to go through the 10.00 series engine, and I'm going to try to affix a briggs 16hp oppy, but that's not for awhile down the road, but I did measure and it will fit, maybe a custom adapter plate, we shall see.
I could not do this myself but I have a lanw business and I'm on my third Time Master in 3 years so I need to either get a completely different machine or have someone do what you did. I talked to a guy who has fixed some of my mowers and told him about the Turf Master and that it uses this engine and it didn't make sense to him since this is a much smaller engine than the Briggs that comes with it. The two newer Time Maters I have have 223CC engines or 10-10.5 hp and it seems like the Kawasaki is 179ccs or 6 hp? He told me it wouldn't make sense to go to a smaller engine so I didn't know what to tell him. Do you feel like the mower has less power now?
The newer models seem like they are coming with a much bigger motor. Mine came with a Briggs and Stratton 190cc. I'd be curious to try the bigger motor. I just hope they finally beefed up the transmission a little bit. If there's a newer bigger option. Then personally I'd recommend this route. This was a little cheaper than a new Briggs at the time and seems to have just as much power. It also runs much smoother and quieter.
@@diytito8165 I have three of them; 2017, 2018 and 2019. The two newer ones have 223ccs and they all suck and have the same problems. I have to buy a new one every year but I'm done with doing that; too expensive. Each one cost me $1,300 and to run a very small landscaping business? Doesn't make sense.
@@spercoco Is it just a lack of power? Is the older one the 190CC? Any issues with that? I know these are prone to transmission problems which makes me concerned about adding even more power and weight with a bigger engine. I'm sure you've seen those issues on youtube as well.
@@diytito8165 I can only go by my own experience. The newest one I only bought 2 or 3 months ago. Already it doesn't sound as strong as it did when I bought it. The next newest one is 223 cc also and I accidentally brought that one yesterday with me instead of the new one and it's toast. I had 7 lawns to do and I could have done them just as fast or faster with a 21 inch mower; it just doesn't have enough kick to send the grass into the catcher; as soon as you run into any tall or thick grass it just clogs up in the shoot and under the deck. I would not recommend these mowers to anyone. The weather has been real dry around here so we are not even talking about wet grass. With grass that is the least bit wet forget about it.
@@spercoco Try increasing the rpms on them. I did that to my 190cc Timemaster and it runs much better, and has more power. It's a metal tab in front of the engine with a spring attached to it. It's behind a metal shield, bent the tab towards you.
If the holes were not tapped in the kawasaki then how was it mounted in its previous frame ? I'm thinking of a swap as well between a kawa or gcv190.
This was a brand new motor. Maybe it's optionally through bolted? I am not sure...it's still going strong today!
I like it, I'll do mine in early spring. 😊😊
What kind of drill bit did you use to the thread the holes on the engine
I wonder if we can swap the transmission.... because it is weak on hills
did you try tightening the transmission drive cable?
@@diytito8165 no not yet but alot of people say its just a weak transmission in general
@@leadnsteel1428 Ive heard the same as well. feel like mine is getting to it's last leg. ive also heard that you can just rebuild the transmission with a brass bushing that wears but I don't recall where I saw that.
@@diytito8165 mqke sure you do a video with this new engine so we can see if it's any good
Is this a direct bolt on engine or did you have to make any modifications. And did you have to do anything with the throttle and blade engagement?
Contacted saturday or sunday evening and u replied thanks.... Im bought the fj180v and mine has a red decal and under the airfilter is a priming bulb....? Dont see that on yours... Also the throttle system looks different on yours.... mine will start but when engage the blades the mower stops? Any hints? Brian
Tried to add pic but guess wont let me post
Yeah mine doesn't have a priming bulb. Maybe it's an updated design? These mowers have a blade brake built in. That may be stuck in engagement and stalling the motor when you engage the blades.
@@diytito8165 not sure what is going on.... just not sure why mechanic is saying i dont need a throttle adjustment and yours has and runs fine? My engine must be a different design.... going to keep trying things and see what happens....
Still running well? I'm thinking about going this route, however I use my mower for a lawn care business, do you think it would be able to keep up with the work?
So far so good. I don't think it's any worse than the Briggs that was previously on it.
@@diytito8165 I bought a Kawasaki fj180 v , does it fits the toro timemaster30? Thanks thanks!
My engine went out and I replaced it with the kohler cv224 command pro engine
Awesome, Im going to do the same thing. How is the eBay engine lasting so far?
So far so good. I have half a season on it and no issues yet.
Nice retrofit.
was you able to keep clutch brake
Yes! It's just an engine change so largely everything else is retained.
Omg now I’m thinking of getting this. How much better is it ?Cut better ? Better with the personal pace?
Compared to the commercial version of the mower?
DIYTito yes ? About the same ?
We wanna hear it run!
This weekend is first day to cut the grass so I shall film one! Subscribe to know when it's published!
Great video. When you take out the stock/original engine... after removing the 3 bolts, does the engine just slides out or do you have to play around with the pulleys from the trans/blades?
The pulleys can stay on as the hole is big enough. To pull it through. You will most deffinetely need to removed the blade and transmission belt.
@@diytito8165 how old was the engine that was replaced was it used for residential use or for a lawn maintenance company?
@@larrypage2089 It had about 3 seasons on it and was used commercially. About 15-20 lawns a week. It will now be retired to cutting my small 1/3acre lot. Mowing video to come in the coming week!
What did you use for a throttle cable?
The lever I have in the comments is mounted directly at the mower. So the throttle can only be adjusted at the base of the engine. No throttle cable needed.
@@diytito8165 thanks for replying quickly... I have a lawncare company and my mechanic has everything assembled like u have but he is stumped on the throttle assembly....? He cant get engine to start? I thank you for your quick replies...
@@bschraed6688 I made a bracket out of aluminum to mount the throttle and just attached the engine linkage straight to the throttle. I'm sure it would be possible to adapt another method but I believe this is what the kawasaki motor uses on the exmark variant of the toro.
@@diytito8165 thanks so much.... If I or my mechanic have any more questions we will be in touch again... Thanks so much for all the help...
Just a heads up you may want to rethink that engine. If I read the sticker on the top right that says 6 horsepower. That's not enough for a 30 inch mower. I believe the original TimeCutter came within 8.75 in the new ones are a 10 horsepower. That engine's not going to cut it. You're going to work that engine to death. Just my two cents as a 15-year small engine mechanic.
I only see them giving specs in ft-lbs not hp so I'm not sure... I can tell you for a fact that the Briggs worked far harder than this new motor ever has. It no longer boxes on a wet lawn which is great. The Briggs would drop idle just engaging blades, this engine barely does!
Dave, I understand your point on the FJ180V being underpowered but keep in mind, Toro uses that engine in the 30” turf master. If it’s good enough for the turf master one would think it would be good enough on the Timemaster. If not the FJ180V, what engine would you use?
The original 8.75 is the foot pounds the horse power is only 5.75. I put a 6 horsepower power fist on a salvage timemaster I got for 300 Canadian. I just redid the pulley system with princess auto supplies and a welder.
@@kevinisbell1867 would love to see it!
@@diytito8165 www.princessauto.com/en/detail/6-hp-173cc-ohv-vertical-gas-engine/A-p8449027e this is the engine. I'm sure if you're in states you have better options. This was the best option for me since I have 2 others with the original motors still. I bought the 3rd salvage machine thinking motor worked. And eventually discovered the cylinder wall was scored pretty bad. I do lawns and like to have 2 machines to give then a rest. I truly believe God put me in the position of having to figure out a cheap replacement motor because I've had the 2 about 4or5 years so its worried me if a motor went I can't afford a new one my wife is stay at home mom now, before she was a waitresses and the whole reason I could try self employment was she made lots. So I have some peace of mind now knowing the cheap motor works Incase another motor goes. I was thinking the cheap is a little underpowered just a little. But I played a with governor and got a little more rpm and I can adjust idle speed according to lawns thickness.
Do you know if the Kohler Command CV224 engine will fit on this engine (ie bolt pattern, crank shaft size, etc)? Thanks!!
I took a quick look at the specs but didn't find anything. I would probably have to look into it more. It looks like a similar size but unsure about some of the items you've asked for. It's certainly a nice engine.
DIYTito thanks!
The Kawasaki fj180 should be plenty sufficient. That motor is what comes on the Exmark branded version of this mower.
Interested in this too. The Kohler CV200 is available on the new Turfmaster and Exmark which seem to use the same bolt pattern as the Kawasaki FJ180V so it should bolt on, however I'm not sure about clearances for exhaust, gas tank, controls, etc. Also, not sure if the shaft diameter and length are the same on the CV224.
I'm getting ready to replace my Timemaster's 190cc engine and was going to install the Briggs 223cc (10.0 TP), but the Kohler CV224 is showing 11.0 TP and would be the best available engine to possibly repower it with, although the weight would probably increase as well. Not a lot of available specs on that big Kohler engine :-(
@@mellowjammer what did you end up doing, I was looking for this option as well. Thx!
HOW much gas will the fuel tank hold ?
Honestly I'm not sure. I could probably take a measurement for you though if you'd like!
@@diytito8165 please do! . i have a new timemaster the gas tanks to small .i was wanting to do this i can buy the fuel tank and bracket and do just what you did mount on the side with a plate
allso was the bolt holes tricky to drill as to not hit any parts on the inside ? i have not looked . but yours are up high on frame ?
Awesome video! Can you please provide a link or info on the crankshaft sleeve adapter that you used . Thank you so much! This video was quite helpful!
I'm going to add it to the description now! It no longer seems available on Amazon but I'm sure you can find something similar. I believe I did need to file it a little and tweak it here and there but I made it work! I would double check the dimensions of your engine on hand.
Thank you so much for this video. I am thinking about getting this mower and wondered about an engine swap. Do you know if a Harbor Freight engine might work? Thanks again.
I'm not familiar with the bolt battery but I'm sure anything is possible. My opinion though is that it may be a little low on the power side of things but I don't have a lot of experience with it.
@@diytito8165 thank you
The harbor freight engine would be underpowered for this mower. Fine for your typical 21” mowers.
What’s the model and spec of this engine ?
FJ180V. Should be able to pull specs from kawasakis website.
That doesn’t look like the Kawasaki FJ motors I’ve seen. But damn $200 is a deal, it’s 2024 now and now that engine is almost $500 😮
I think Kawasaki and Subaru Robin push mower engines are more European based. It's a shame in the US we only get 2 options Briggs and Scrapem and Honda which is good and some Chinese odd balls here and there. I would prefer a Kawasaki push mower engine or Honda to anything. I've had old Briggs and Stratton push mowers that were flathead and ran for years and years even when worn out. I've had newer Stratton's that give out too fast.
So four years ago…. This engine was $204 or whatever on eBay. They are now $430+ dollars. Hahaha…. Gee HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
This doesn't seem like enough cc's for this mower, but I know these engines have a reputation.
I just seen in your description that its a clone. The Kawasaki KAI is a serious engine. You know you cant get one that cheap LOL
I will say it's a very convincing clone I think.
You do know that engine is not a real Kawasaki... It is a Chinese clone, hence the cheap price. The sticker on top is just one giveaway.
You know I thought that may be the case judging by that sticker on top. I'm just surprised they cloned a single model of an engine, it even came with a genuine kawasaki filter.
its only 6 hp as well... although i have a certified 22 inc push mower i used for 3 seasons and beat the heck out of it... its a chinese mower
Aww man, I knew that price was too good to be true for a new Kawasaki motor..
Has to be a clone for that price...
Agreed!