Full disclosure, yes I'm an engineer for an auto manufacturer, specifically in powertrain/engine control calibration. Part selection all comes down to meeting spec. The manufacturer specifies durability, performance, and quality for the part according to an internal spec. If the part meets it and is the right price then it is selected.

For the part supplier to sort 'cheaper' parts just to go in an OEM only to have the same part of higher quality is highly unlikely. That would required them to have a whole separate manufacturing line making the same part 'cheaper' OR sorting the 'bad' parts from the 'good' ones on one line. Either way, the cost to do that outweighs the cost of just supplying the same parts to OEM and store.

I feel this discussion has derailed from my build thread. If you'd like to discuss more PM me! :beerchug:

It's been a little bit so I thought I'd give everyone an update on the EFI swap and performance. Everything ran great through the fall and I've had no issues since the fuel filter incident. I love the added power/torque and I think it really lets the build quality of the cub shine. Average fuel savings allowed me to run +1.5 hrs of mowing before needing to refuel. Oil temp ran consistantly in the mid 190F range. Only once did I see it get to 212F and that was after 2 hrs of mowing on a 90F day. Underhood temperature was interesting to watch. It was usually between 130-160F on the hottest days. I think most of the heat comes muffler so I will be making some adjustments to the heat shielding.

I also got around to making a screen for the hole I cut for the oil cooler. I used a broken 782 headlight screen I had in the parts bin.
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps48054eb4.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps31ae229b.jpg

I also upgraded the headlights to LED. After the fuel filter fire the old headlights and wiring was burnt beyond salvage. The added light output works great for late night mowing.
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...psbd7698eb.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...pseccda894.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps705b22b8.jpg
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9f3ea737.jpg
Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!

Nice work and thanks for the update. :beerchug:

Perfect! I just took a chance on a set of the 18W LED lights in that series to put on my 1512 for plowing at night. So glad to see they fit!

Just out of curiosity...... where did you guys get these lights, and what did they cost? All the ones I've found that look like that were $60/pair. You can buy a lot of regular lights for that kind of $$$. I'd be interested if they weren't so high...... :bigthink: I'm not paying over $100 for lights on my GT's. I have too many.

http://www.amazon.com/SHANREN%C2%AE2...ed+work+lights

$30 here. I think these are the ones the OP has.

Can you take them out of the housing??? I've seen those but they looked like one piece. :bigthink:

Would make good auxiliary lights though. :beerchug:

Look close at his pics above. Looks like he cut the mount off of the bottom. He'll have to explain a little better. I would like to see a pic of how he secured them to the grill myself. I haven't bought a pair myself. When the bulbs blow on the cab, I think I will upgrade.

Yeah, I would too. I may get a set for the 1811. I haven't put the lights back on since mounting the cab. Would like to get amp draw down a little. I don't care about more light. The 30W's were bright enough for the 10 feet I need to see.

That is one great looking machine!
Veryvery nice price on the lights. I bought a couple sets from triplertractor.com $65 or $75? Was able to use the factory retainer wire on both the 782 and 2072. But the housing looks slightly different. These guys do maintain output to a very low voltage. 6v I think.