Fuddyduddy, Trigzy & List;
Firstly I do not like being refererred a very Unknowledgeable person, directly or indirectly, nor do I need a fork lift truck every time I choose to move my engines.
We all have our specialist subjects, and in the same day that I might grind valves on a 330kg Lister or change a cylinder on a 55 year old Lister, I may have spent the morning designing a 6 layer pcb, populated with components to the density of 36 per square inch, for a major American telecom company.
I have a first class honours degree in electronic engineering obtained from a British University in 1986, and nearly 20 years as an engineer in industry. I have been working with engines, and electric vehicles for 20 years, and been starting diesels and compression ignition engines since the age of 8 or 9. Â
In the last 5 years I have worked in mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manilla, Â Malaysia, Los Angeles, Â Northern California, Minnesota, Texas and New Mexico.
Regarding engine life - 1500 hours is only 5 months at 10 hours a day for a generator engine, it really is not an indication of long term reliability. Â
There is a fundamental difference between a Changfa and a Lister, and that's about 30 years and 150 kilos in weight. Â
The Lister started life in the 30's as a stationary engine, intended to be bolted down in a barn. The Changfa evolved as a portable engine, designed to be used on mobile agricultulral equipment such walking tractors (rotovators) and also stationary machines such as rice hullers, threshing mills, seed presses etc, when China agriculture mechanised in the 1960s.
The Lister became predominant in territories wher there had been a British influence, Â India, Burma, Iran, Africa, Australia, New Zealand whilst the higher speed and lighter weight Changfa became the de-facto small engine in the whole of south east Asia.
To compare a Lister with a Changfa is not a particularly valuable exercise, sure they both will spin a generator, but you are approaching the application from different ends of the spectrum.
With any extensively copied engine, there are bound to be good ones and bad ones, Listers and Changfas alike.
Some of the Chinese diesels have a very poor reliability record.
Having travelled and worked extensively in China and Singapore, I have come across a fair few 165,175,185 and 195 engines in my time. I have stripped down 1 and 2 cylinder diesels in a Chinese workshop in morning temperatures of 90F. Â I know all about getting my hands dirty and getting and engine running again, in primitive conditions with few tools and few spare parts. Not easy when there is no electricity and some days no running water. Â There were times that I just longed for the simplicity of the Lister CS.
I accept that Changfa are one of the better makes coming out of China, now that their quality control is finally improving.
Clearly with an engine revving at 3 times the rpm of the Lister 6hp, you are going to get increased engine wear. You only have to look at the engine weight and the hp to see which is the less stressed engine.
Here are a couple of reports I read recently
Noise and Vibration Â
http://utterpower.com/jeffm.htmReliability Â
http://www.libertymls.com/gulch/cenergy.htmlPerhaps  I may be biased in favour of the traditional slow speed Lister type engines.  I have 5 or 6 right now; the earliest is dated 1944 and is in full working condition.  My regular generator engine is much newer, that one dates from 1950.
I accept that you are clearly a Changfa enthusiast, but my money, for long term reliability, and low noise, and ease of repair, and fuel economy, and longevity has got to be on the Lister CS.
Perhaps I should have said on closing,
Just my experience,
MRL.
