# old 8hp L- head TEC vs 4 year old 9hp craftsman



## wantboost (Aug 5, 2014)

what are your thoughts on power etc difference between the two of these ???


so do the older motors have more power or the news ones and or choke up less???

Reason i am asking is cause i have a old L head craftsman 8hp and found the 4 year old 9hp craftsman at a decent price....they 9hp does have metal shute surprisingly...


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

wantboost said:


> what are your thoughts on power etc difference between the two of these ???
> 
> 
> so do the older motors have more power or the news ones and or choke up less???
> ...


The new OHV engines tend to make more hp per cc the the old flat head engines did. They breathe much better with the valves in the head rather than the side of the block.


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## wantboost (Aug 5, 2014)

so a 8hp ohv will have more hp or more power than a 8hp l-head?


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

wantboost said:


> so a 8hp ohv will have more hp or more power than a 8hp l-head?


Yes, The OHV are more efficient and make more hp per cc than the L head (flat head) engines do.


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## wantboost (Aug 5, 2014)

im confused was doing some readin and say ohv lack torque


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## Bob E (Jun 9, 2014)

An 8hp ohv will have less displacement than an 8hp flathead, but they will both make 8hp. Flatheads tend to have better low speed performance, add the extra displacement and the flathead would probably have a flatter torque curve. It would be more noticeable at low rpm than high rpm. 
Also the ohv will use less fuel and run quitter.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

GustoGuy said:


> Yes, The OHV are more efficient and make more hp per cc than the L head (flat head) engines do.




an 8HP ohv engine will make the same power as an 8HP flathead, HP is HP, the difference will be, an OHV engine can be slightly smaller and make the same HP. but there is a drawback.

flathead engines are much simpler, have less parts, and being less complex, they tend to last longer in small engine applications- which is why they are still being used today.

no pushrods needed, a very simple head, very easy to work on. less moving parts, less cost. the old flathead Tec. and Briggs engines never fail to amaze me, with their durability. my Ariens 10ML35 is now over 50 years old and was never taken apart, and was run by previous owner until the solid tires are bald. and it's still running and not smoking. can't ask for much more than that from durability standpoint.

if I was going the OHV route, it would have to be for more than a 1HP gain. otherwise it's not really worth it. and I certainly would not go to OHV for less HP.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

from what I see most 8 hp ohv motors are about 250cc
most flat head 8hp motors are 300cc or more


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## Pathfinder13 (Feb 28, 2014)

From what I can see the 212cc Predator engine (they rate it as 6.5hp) is as strong, possibly stronger (when jetted for winter use) as a Tecumseh 7hp. The one I repowered for my friend seemed close to the 8hp Tec that was on the machine before.

Durability, well, OHV have not been around as long, but the L-head is proven over and over again to be very durable as long as it's running clean oil and proper oil level. 

That said, I see no reason that the OHV engine would not hold up over the years if well maintained and it's more enjoyable to listen to while using the equipment if noise is a concern.


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