• This community needs YOUR help today. With the ever increasing fees of everything (server, software, domain, e-mail) , we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community to help spread our love and knowledge of IH Cub Cadets. You get a lot of great new account perks including access to private forums. If you sign up for annual, I will ship a few IH Cub Cadet Forum decals too in addition to all the account perks you get. You can see what it looks like below.

    Sign up here: https://www.ihcubcadet.com/account/upgrades

Kohler k181 tachometer / temp gauge

IH Cub Cadet Tractor Forum

Help Support IH Cub Cadet Tractor Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

David Lamp

Member
Joined
May 22, 2022
Messages
14
Location
Akron, OH
Hey everyone, I’m looking for a tachometer/ temp gauge that is compatible with the k181 in my 800. Just want to be able to monitor the engine and don’t mind how it looks. I’ve been trying to find one online that is compatible with the engine but from what I’ve heard only certain tachometers work because of how the engine fires. Sorry for the stupid question but I am trying to learn more.
 
JERRY - Have you had a Tiny Tach? And how long?
I had an early one, around 1990, it stopped working after an hour or two, I wanted it mostly for the hour meter function.
Bought a second one about 5 years ago, after our original forum moderator Bryan McMeen had worked with the owner of Tiny Tach to improve the tach's ability to withstand EMI, Electro-Magnetic Interference. SON mounted it on a freshly refurbished Cub Cadet 70 with completely rebuilt K241 engine, I never actually saw this one work, it failed after an hour or two. I think the Tiny Tach is a great idea, just needs much better implementation. My new 2016 Cub Cadet Tank zero turn had a tach/hour meter. The tach function stopped working after about 3 hours, was about done with the first mowing. The recording hour meter is still working fine at 256 hours.
If you want a good hour meter, a Stewart-Warner or HOBBS hour meter with the five revolving numbered wheels is about as reliable as they come. They just need hooked up to an ignition wire that's hot anytime the engine and ignition is powered, and OFF when the engine & ignition is turned off. My 72 has one of these with 1500 or 1600 hours on it. Just don't leave the ignition on.
Anybody got a better idea on a tach I'd love to hear about it. Stewart-Warner made the tach-hour meters used on IH tractors, not sure about the trucks, but the tractor tach/hour meters ran well over 10,000 hours.
 
JERRY - Have you had a Tiny Tach? And how long?
I had an early one, around 1990, it stopped working after an hour or two, I wanted it mostly for the hour meter function.
Bought a second one about 5 years ago, after our original forum moderator Bryan McMeen had worked with the owner of Tiny Tach to improve the tach's ability to withstand EMI, Electro-Magnetic Interference. SON mounted it on a freshly refurbished Cub Cadet 70 with completely rebuilt K241 engine, I never actually saw this one work, it failed after an hour or two. I think the Tiny Tach is a great idea, just needs much better implementation. My new 2016 Cub Cadet Tank zero turn had a tach/hour meter. The tach function stopped working after about 3 hours, was about done with the first mowing. The recording hour meter is still working fine at 256 hours.
If you want a good hour meter, a Stewart-Warner or HOBBS hour meter with the five revolving numbered wheels is about as reliable as they come. They just need hooked up to an ignition wire that's hot anytime the engine and ignition is powered, and OFF when the engine & ignition is turned off. My 72 has one of these with 1500 or 1600 hours on it. Just don't leave the ignition on.
Anybody got a better idea on a tach I'd love to hear about it. Stewart-Warner made the tach-hour meters used on IH tractors, not sure about the trucks, but the tractor tach/hour meters ran well over 10,000 hours.
I have had a Tiny-Tach on a 2284 Super for about 10 years. I don't care about hours, the built in meter works well for that. The super mows much better if you can keep the RPM's above 3000
 
I have had a Tiny-Tach on a 2284 Super for about 10 years. I don't care about hours, the built in meter works well for that. The super mows much better if you can keep the RPM's above 3000

All of these machines are meant to be operated under load at full throttle - 3600 RPM.
 
Back
Top