Analog tachometer for Kohlers

[formariz 11,995]

Does anyone know of a source for an analog tachometer that will work on Kohler single piston engines?

The only manufacturer I know had one stopped making it due to the low demand.

I used and have a couple of Tiny Tachs but once battery is dead after about five years that is it for it.

[tunahead72 2,522]

Assuming you're looking at a points-type ignition, you don't necessarily need a tach designed specificially for single-cylinder engines, you may be able to get a standard automotive-style tach to work for you.

 

Try this post for starters, and follow the links for more information:

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,285]

I bite my tongue every time I see this subject come up. Many years ago I had an bare in-dash tach from a Camaro or GM 1/2 ton. Don't remember which nor do I remember if it was standard pre-1975 ignition or HEI. On the back of the circuit board was a jumper to select 4, 6 or 8 cylinders. I do remember that the vehicle it came out of was not available with all the engines listed. I know just enough about electronics to be dangerous. I studied the 2 resistors for each selection which I assumed was a voltage divider (and possibly incorrectly named) and came up with 2 resistor values that would work for a single cylinder engine. I hooked it up to a 1955 B&S 5hp cast iron engine that used magneto ignition. To my surprise it worked. Later compared it to the results of a photo tach on many different engines and it was spot on every time. Never did find a small engine it would not work on.

 

Garry

[JC 1965 1,532]

Does anyone know of a source for an analog tachometer that will work on Kohler single piston engines?

The only manufacturer I know had one stopped making it due to the low demand.

I used and have a couple of Tiny Tachs but once battery is dead after about five years that is it for it.

 

David Kirk sells a tach for kohler engines. It's not cheap but you can check it out at  kirkengines.com      

[formariz 11,995]

 

Does anyone know of a source for an analog tachometer that will work on Kohler single piston engines?

The only manufacturer I know had one stopped making it due to the low demand.

I used and have a couple of Tiny Tachs but once battery is dead after about five years that is it for it.

 

David Kirk sells a tach for kohler engines. It's not cheap but you can check it out at  kirkengines.com      

 

Unfortunately he no longer carries them. He just was not selling enough of them.

 

The Kohler K series engines fire on every other revolution unlike most engines. Thach needs to be tailored to it . I found that a regular tach will oscillate excessevily and therefor not provide an accurate  or usefull reading.

[JC 1965 1,532]

You're right, David Kirk no longer sells them. I didn't think to check his web site before I told you that he sold them.  SORRY !!

[billworthington 2]

I have had good success adapting the 520 tach on to my 312 & 314 W/H tractors with the magnum engines. Bought used ones off ebay for about $40 ea. I found that the # of coils behide the flywheel on the 520 were the same as on my 312 & 314  ( 16 ).  They work great.  

[Jim_M 179]

[Kelly 1,031]

I have had good success adapting the 520 tach on to my 312 & 314 W/H tractors with the magnum engines. Bought used ones off ebay for about $40 ea. I found that the # of coils behide the flywheel on the 520 were the same as on my 312 & 314  ( 16 ).  They work great.  

 What did you change to make it read for a single cyl.?? the 520 is a twin, I know it uses the stator for the charging system to run the tach. I'm thinking of using one on my diesel 

[JC 1965 1,532]

yea !! i would be interested in how you adapted it for the 312 & 314 WH .

[billworthington 2]

It appears that the 520 tach reads the Hz cycle from the stator and not the spark plug firing. So the # of cly don't play into it. I attached a Grnd wire to the tach. A power source wire from ignition switch to the tach. And a wire from the S terminal of tach to the rectifier on the flywheel cover. There are 3 wires in the connector for the rectifier. I taped into the top wire of that connector. I didn't bother with the light since I don't use the W/H after dark. Rather than cut a hole in the sheet metal for the tach, I used a 2" PVC coupling, the long style as opposed to the short one , placed the tach inside the coupling sealed it in with silicon sealant & mounted it to the dash with dbl back tape. I have two 312's & a 314 rigged that way.

Bill Worthington

Apopka, Fl.

[smoreau 658]

check out this thread   http://www.wheelhors...__1#entry277325

[userj8670 68]

I was going to do a google search for a single cyl. tach - I know I have seen them before and that a lot of the junior drag racers run them  - however I see that the K engines firing cycle is different.

[billworthington 2]

My previous post about the 520 W/H tach, worked for me on my 312 & 314 tractors. But please note that those tractors had the Kohler Magnum engines. What I found was that the 520 had 18 coils behind the flywheel & 6 magnets in the flywheel which was the same as my Kohler 12 & 14 hp Magnums.

[Martin 2,133]

from my experience you can use a 520 tach on any big single kohler (10-16 hp) if it has a 15 a charging system (regulator/rectifier with flywheel stator). the link scott posted above should provide all the info you would need to hook one up.

 

heres my take on it.....

 

Edited July 30, 2013 by Martin

[Kelly 1,031]

I hooked one up off a 520 on my diesel, it works, just need a way to check how accurate it is, it seems off, I did not pull the flywheel so I have no idea how many charging coils or magnets there are, but it did work, but it maxed out at 2200 at full throttle, but does idle about 500, like I said I need another way to check it.  

[gcole 36]

Not to steal a thread here but witch terminal would I hook up a 520 tach on my c-120s regulator. Would it be one of the two from the engine or the one that goes to the switch?

Thanks in advance

[billworthington 2]

Don't know if the tach will work on that Kohler engine. Iam only familiar with the Kohler Magnum engines.

Good luck, B W.

[Martin 2,133]

Not to steal a thread here but witch terminal would I hook up a 520 tach on my c-120s regulator. Would it be one of the two from the engine or the one that goes to the switch?

Thanks in advance

 

 

you would hook it up to one of the stator wires (from the engine). i give fairly good detail in the thread i wrote on this subject  when installing one on my c125 and also theres alink to one of soi's threads on the subject......you need to know or make sure you have the correct stator/magnet combination, it needs to be the 15 A charging system...

heres the thread link to my install i mentioned earlier in this thread ......

 

 

 

quoted from that thread.......

 

you need to get a signal off the single terminal side of the rectifier where the stator wires hook up and run a wire from that to the 's' terminal on the back of the tach.

 

if you look at the rectifier you will see that one of the stator terminals is jumped with another connection and one is just a single terminal. that is the side you get a signal off of....

Edited August 1, 2013 by Martin

[formariz 11,995]

from my experience you can use a 520 tach on any big single kohler (10-16 hp) if it has a 15 a charging system (regulator/rectifier with flywheel stator). the link scott posted above should provide all the info you would need to hook one up.

 

heres my take on it.....

 

Does that exclude it from a starter/generater setup? And if not what wire would go where?

[Martin 2,133]

i dont know a way of hooking it up to a starter/gen setup.....

 

you need the signal frequency that the 15 A stator provides (15 amp stator coil/magnet combination) for the tach to work accurately. this could mean that other engine types/brands could send the same signal and in theory work accurately, ( kelly mentioned that the diesel charging system gives the signal, but he needs a way to check its accuracy)