(Original thread title: “GX690 vs iGX vs Predator for part time use”)
It’s unlikely that I’ll ever put more than 300 hours on a machine in one year.
I want to build a siding washing beast for my solo operation.
What says the braintrust?
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Gx690
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Fuel injection is the future. I was kinda nervous about going with my Kohler fuel injected but I love it. It has more power than the gx690 so you could use an even bigger pump. 
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8 is the max I’ll go. And in reality, I’ll probably be idling it back to 2500 rpm for ~6gpm on a lot of jobs, because of the tiny buffer tank on my rig.
I was leaning a little toward the igx700. But not sure how fuel efficient they actually are under lighter loads, after hearing @Innocentbystander’s feedback a couple weeks ago.
What prompted you to go with a Kohler instead of a Honda? Mind me asking what you paid?
I really can’t see them being that thirsty especially with the new Load sensing technology they have with the STR governer. It basically goes back to idle if your off the trigger probably increasing the life of your pump and gearbox if you run one. 3600rpm only when needed, the gx690’s are run hard all day until there turned off. The igx might be a bit overkill for a “side piece” machine but there good things from what I’ve heard from guys running them. I give it 5 years till there all fuel injected and considered “normal”
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Those efi kohlers were 1100 on ebay about 6 months ago, up to about 23hp. Lowest i found was 1450 on the 26.5. But not anymore.
Oh, btw watch out for kohlers 1.435 in shaft if hoping to geardriving it, no dice.
Does that need to be connected to an outside flow or pressure sensor? I wonder if that component is missing from the machine William has been testing.
Well that’s a rip. Are all of them sized like that, or just some?
Well that’s good to know!
@Infinity @FatFIRE
That shaft can be even for the small 20hp, but they do have 1-1/8 & 1in, just verify.
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No there’s no additional inputs needed, it’s strictly an engine feature based on the self adjusting governor load inputs. All igx motors have it including the igx390. You should see what Honda is doing with Bluetooth and generators lol, getting a bit outta hand with this tech stuff.
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It’s on my Hydromax hot water. BCE didn’t offer the fuel injected in a Honda last year. A couple reasons why is because a Kohler ech749 is more powerful than the 690, I wanted to give a fuel injected a try, and Kohler seems to get more favorable reviews from the lawn guys when it comes to the larger engines. They’re both great engines though. This is my first Kohler so I’m not partial to them. I’d still buy a 690 in a heartbeat.
I’ve been trying to come up with a reason why I need a remote start other than it would just be fun to do…lol. That’s another plus about a fuel injected. 
Kohlers come with a 1" shaft. They just have a bunch of configurations to cover all areas of the market. Theyre easy to find.
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I’m quite happy with my Predator 670.
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Please tell me more. How many hours? What type of washing, etc? What pump did you use?
Have you tried your unit vs a gx690? I’ve read elsewhere that you can tell with the bigger engine that the pump is running at capacity, vs the smaller gx690. Makes sense as the formula most used states an 8.5 at 3500 psi is too much for the gx690, but I guess that depends on which dealer you talk too.
I have not tried it against a 690. I’ve read where lawn guys have swapped a Honda for a 22 hp Kohler and can tell the Kohler provides their mower with more power. The ech749 is 26.5 hp so I can see where you might get a little more flow. After you hit 8 gpm a half a gallon doesn’t make much of a difference tho.
I started using it around August of last year. I’d estimate it has… 100-150 hours on it. I bought it with the 2 year no hassle warranty, so at the end of this year I’ll probably exchange it for a brand new one and repeat the warranty, which was like $200.
Mostly house washes, some concrete here and there. Mated to an 8 gpm (well, technically 7.9…) Udor gear drive. It’s a beast.
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Quick question: what size fuel lines do these machines run? And do most of them have a return line, as well?
Working on piecing together some of the generic components so I can slap something together asap.
