Adjusting the governor on a Kohler K91

I can't see everything I am typing here (text box skewed to the left) however I can accelerate to full throttle without issue. I can take off in first, second and reverse now without issue but if taking off in third, it falls on its face and dies, despite if I depress the clutch and throw into neutral immediately. This is extremely frustrating.

Jeff with my Suburban when using 3rd gear I set the throttle to near max and slip the belt to get it to move initially. In my opinion, the 3rd gear ratio is way too tall for the little mid-mount 4hp engine. The Suburban is the only tractor I own that I would never, ever let a youngster drive, just too unpredictable. I've had the front wheels off the ground more than once and never by choice. It really gets exciting when one of the snap rings let go on a spindle!
Is the governor trying to control the throttle under load? I know it's hard to see the governor arm from the driver position but if it isn't working properly you'll never achieve your desired results.
Good luck!!

Hi Major. I would have to agree with you on the dangers of the RJ and Suburban tractors. I can actually take off easily on my Suburban, but the RJ I can't come close. Perhaps the old $70 KOHLER motor has higher compression than the one on my newly acquired RJ? On the Suburban I can actually put the transmission in 3rd and pull the rope and take right off in gear (accidentally discovered) but the RJ is much much different. I would think it may be the governor but it's like 3rd gear is a kill switch. Skip the clutch in any other gear all good, 3rd kills it right away? Thanks for the input. Will address again soon.

FewMoreMiles wrote: Hi Major. I would have to agree with you on the dangers of the RJ and Suburban tractors. I can actually take off easily on my Suburban, but the RJ I can't come close. Perhaps the old $70 KOHLER motor has higher compression than the one on my newly acquired RJ? On the Suburban I can actually put the transmission in 3rd and pull the rope and take right off in gear (accidentally discovered) but the RJ is much much different. I would think it may be the governor but it's like 3rd gear is a kill switch. Skip the clutch in any other gear all good, 3rd kills it right away? Thanks for the input. Will address again soon.

Jeff, maybe we're looking at this all wrong. Be sure that when you shift to 3rd gear that the 1st-Reverse shift rail is centered in the detents, if not you may have a lock up condition in 3rd. First check the shifter retaining set screw and make sure it's snug, not tight, and locked down. You might have to pull the shifter and look at the rails to make sure they are centered in neutral.

Very good point. I appreciate the possible fix to this. Unfortunately I am on a business trip for the entire week and have family vacation planned the following week. Thought I would get to enjoy the little RJ a bit before taking off, but so far it's been the unrestored Suburban that I've tinkered with. Thank you for the advice, and I will certainly look into this at my first opportunity. Have a great week!