because i was there to see the first one uncrated, filled with oil, water and fuel
and then started, ran up to full rpm, down to a low rpm of around 900rpm
and various rpm's between, as well as a 8ft 2x6 used as a brake on the flywheel to load the
crap out of it.
i have also seen the parts and service manual, as well as pictures of every last part down
to the last nut and bolt, taken by an owner who decided to do a complete take down for documentation
of every last bit and piece.
so i guess i have seen a bit more than a flashy spec plate
btw, it sounds awesome, runs beautifully smooth, sitting on the plywood crate bottom
without hopping around, turning circles or doing anything but sitting there running as it should
the balance is quite good in my opinion.
and it burns nice and clean as well right down to lower rpms even without a load on it
and you can load it down till it makes black smoke as well with enough leverage on the 2x6 at low rpm
but good luck at full rpm, it takes a much bigger man than I to get it loaded with a board to the point it
makes any smoke.
is it perfect? maybe not? but in my opinion it is as close as you are gonna get in its class
is there anything i would change? not that i can think of?
is there anything i would add? yes.. a good radiator and a tstat but that is no hill to climb for a climber
as would installing a full pressure lube oil filter, another minor issue
the rest is just dressing, finish to suit the application and the to the owners spec's for what he wants to
do with it.
it holds a massive amount of lube oil at about 12qts, it has a gearrotor oil pump, it has a water pump
and reverse flow cooling system (which is a plus in my opinion), it has a piston cooler, a single balance shaft
which is apparently more than adequate (and in my opinion exactly what is needed), massive crankshaft main brg
on the drive side (so it can take serious side loads), the fact it has a xdrilled crankshaft is in my opinion a huge plus
as well, no doubt that the big end brg is getting more than adequate lubrication. it is direct injected and my bet is it will
produce some impressive fuel consumption numbers that the listers only wished they could attain (again in its class)
and it don't have gib keys! (how much better does it get!)
some folks might think it is a bit expensive, but it isn't a 6/1! it is however very competitively priced with the big singles
and certainly less money than a twin in its hp range.
is it as quiet as a lister? probably not,, but
i would trade noise for quality any day of the week, noise i can attentuate (as can anyone that makes an effort)
is it difficult to work on? yes and no depending on what you wanna do and if you are at all handy
i suspect just about anyone could remove and decarbon its head in half the time it would take to remove one lister gib key.
removing a redstone flywheel requires a puller of course, and it comes in the tool kit! no special order or special made puller required
and the flywheels can be removed in 5 minutes or less (depending how far you have to reach for your tools)
its just hard for me to imagine how this engine is viewed with a jaded eye, any engine that one does not have to tear completely
apart to desand, regrind lifters, reshape rocker pads, remove the piston to clean out, work on the far end cam bushing oiling issues of the
twin, replace the iron cam idler with a bronze idler and order a offset idler bolt (then worry about a broken cam typical of the big twins)
have a big end brg that is not only ample in size, but without holes and grooves in the high pressure region.
would you like me to go on?
how about liner height being right? head gskts that don't leak? valve guides that are true and fit right?
lifter guides that are true and plumb with the cam,
and no casting voids buried in elephant snot and mopped with 1/4 inch green "it covers all the sins" paint.
how about a governor that is nicely made, finished and works as it should?
the engine is compact, in that the crankshaft is short and very stout, no overhung weight as there is in the listeroids.
the journal finish is very good and it looks to have been induction hardened and parkerized.
the fillets are of proper size and finish as well, making for a nearly indestructable crankshaft.
the countershaft brgs are roller type, which is much stronger than the changfa ball brgs, so i would expect no issues
with them for the life of the engine.
i swear to the almighty, if i had use for the hp, and if i wasn't already so heavily invested in R&D of the changfa S195
i would not only own one, but i would own two of them now! and have a couple more on order!
in conclusion i would put a changfa s195 against any listeroid or petteroid in the 12hp class, i know this because i have
dyno'd my engine at levels far above the 12hp rating with the only issue being blown head gskts (which i have rectified
with an upgrade gskt).
the changfa is subordinate to the redstone in just about all area's i can think of, anything i would like to have in the changfa
is stock on the redstone.
the redstones piston speed is right in the hunt with other slowspeed diesel engines, most notably at peak torque, even though
the rpm is higher than the 6/1.
oh yes,, lest i forget
there will be no need for a ton of concrete with the redstone, unless the owner just wants a monolithic throne to sit it on.
damn, maybe i should order one and then figure out what to do with it?
bob g