KAWASAKI's General Purpose Engines serve as the heart of machinery for many professionals.
With their high quality, durability and strict adherence to test standards,
our General Purpose Engines support numerous industries including agriculture,
lawn and garden, golf, and utility vehicle,
helping people to live more productive and enriched lives.
Our customer-driven development process
and superior support systems have helped make it possible for us to
gain the trust of professionals.
As a respected company manufacturing general purpose engines,
we will continue our pursuit for better ways to meet the needs of our customers.
Model Introduction
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TJ053E
TJ Series
The remarkable decrease in the harmful components in the exhaust gas has been achieved by adopting the stratified scavenging system. Taking all possible measures against vibration and noise and reducing the burden on the operators, this engine series is both eco- and human-friendly.
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FJ180D
FJ Series
The FJ Series is the subsequent version to the well-received FE Series. The model equipped with the two-shaft rotation balancer is able to achieve low vibration. These engines are used by diverse customers who seek high-quality, high-performance engines.
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FX850V
EFI
FX Series
The preferred engine choice of landscape professionals in the US is the Kawasaki V-Twin. The FX Series in the product line offers the highest level of durability and power. EFI versions of the FX engine were first released in 2016, using an integrated e-governor. These engines help the end user be more productive, even in tough mowing conditions.
For more details of our products, please check the website below:
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The FT engine was developed with a focus on the customer's needs and requests. In 2017 our Research and Development team moved from the KMM Maryville Plant in Missouri (Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., USA*) to the Grand Rapids Michigan office (Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.**) to allow our sales support teams to better communicate our customers' voices to the R&D engineers.
By collaborating closely with the sales team during development, the R&D team was able to engage directly with OEM customers.
In doing so, we succeeded in accurately reflecting the requests of end users in the product development and design. For example, the FT Series uses an integrated canister to create Vortical Air Filtration to keep the engine running cleaner, enhancing both performance and durability. The FT series is an engine that addresses the needs of the market, without compromising quality.
*Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing is the Kawasaki’s US manufacturing base situated in Lincoln, Nebraska and Maryville,Missouri
**Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. is Kawasaki’s US subsidiary for the Motorcycle & Engines business in the US and North American market.
Introducing Video of FT SERIES
History of the
Kawasaki Engine
1957
The beginning of the general purpose engines business
Aided by the trend of mechanization of agriculture in Japan, Kawasaki Aircraft decided to enter the small engine sector. Prototype #1 of our first general purpose engine, the KF4 was completed in 1956, and sales began in February 1957. The KF4 was a 4-stroke gasoline engine based on air-cooled engines developed for the aircraft industry. It was high performing and had excellent durability thanks to the design which employed cast-iron cylinders and a tunnel-type crankcase. This engine became enormously popular in the market.
First general-purpose engine KF4
1957
1962
Expansion of the air-cooled diesel engine business with an eye to overseas deployment
The Kawasaki air-cooled diesel engine, KP209, was released in 1962. While the mainstream of the Japanese farm equipment market at that time was gasoline and water-cooled diesel engines, air-cooled diesel engines were commonly used in Europe. Therefore, a technical assistance contract was signed with Germany in expectation of future overseas sales. This was the origin of the diesel engine business and lasted until 1986.
Air-cooled diesel engine KP209
Operation test scene
1962
1968
Construction of Plant 28, Akashi Works, dedicated to general-purpose engines
In 1968, the total number of general-purpose engines manufactured reached one million. Sales increased year by year, and the production system was developed to respond to market demand. The facility dedicated to general purpose engines, Plant 28, was constructed at Akashi Works with a monthly production of 60,000 units. This plant was equipped with the latest cutting-edge installations.
Ceremony to commemorate more than
one million units of production
Engine family
1968
1972
Production begins of the KG Series engine
Power Products was the name we gave to the finished products powered by the KG Series engine, these included power generators, outboard motors, brush cutters, and blowers. Production of the KG Series started in 1972 and turned out to be the cornerstone for Kawasaki Power Products. The subsequent model GA-type powered generator won a Good Design Award in Japan in 1985.
Power generator at that time
1972
1973
Over three million engines produced
The total number of our general-purpose engines manufactured exceeded three million. The production system had continuously been enhanced, resulting in a record annual general purpose engine production of 500,000 units in the previous year. Despite a depression in the farm equipment industry, growth was aided by our aggressive development of new products, including engines for leisure and power generation.
Ceremony to commemorate more
than three million units of production
1973
1983
Over ten million engines produced
The total number of general-purpose engines manufactured exceeded ten million, which was a record in the general purpose engine industry and was accomplished 26 years after the release of KF4 in 1957.
1983
1984
Start of FB460V engine production
The FB engine was developed for lawn tractors at the request of the American corporation Deere & Company. This model gained an extremely high reputation in the worldwide market. It is regarded as the predecessor of the Kawasaki V-Twin.
FB engine
1984
1989
Completion of the 24-hour integrated engine production line in the USA
The production of general purpose engines at the Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., Maryville, Missouri plant in the United States (KMM Maryville) started in June 1989. The functions of the integrated engine production plant were installed by November of the same year, ready for the round-the-clock manufacturing. The decision to manufacture engines in the US was made to support the growth in sales which by 1989 accounted for 65% of total sales. The ability to produce these engines in the US for use in this market improved the customer satisfaction and allowed for continued growth.
At this time the mainstream engine in the turf care industry in North America was an air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine. However Kawasaki decided to develop a water-cooled vertical-shaft V-Twin engine, the FD, featuring compact design, low vibration, and low noise. In the same year, Kawasaki produced 500 engines with digital fuel injection. As just described, we strive to pioneer new solutions to meet market needs.
FD engine
KMM Maryville Plant in the United States
1989
2010
Starting operation at Changzhou Kawasaki & Kwang Yang Engine Co., Ltd. (CK&K)
CK&K, which was a joint venture engine manufacturing company with the Taiwanese firm KYMCO, started operation. KMM mainly produced four-stroke V-Twin engines, whereas CK&K focused on two-stroke and four-stroke single-cylinder engines. Though the actual production was about 20,000 units in the initial period of operation, the production volume steadily increased later.
CK&K, a joint venture engine manufacturing
company with KYMCO in Taiwan
2010
2015
Ongoing shift of the production environment to overseas
In 2015, total production reached 1 million at the CK&K plant in China. The production base, which had been at Akashi Works, gradually shifted to foreign countries with improved production environments, such as the United States and China. This transition was made in order to respond to increasingly globalized markets.
Ceremony to commemorate
achievement of milestone in CK&K
2015
2017
Over 10 million engine units produced at KMM Maryville, Missouri Plant
In 2017, total production at KMM Maryville plant reached 10 million. Since beginning the operation in 1989, KMM Maryville plant has improved the production capacity with multiple expansions of plant buildings and improvement of operation efficiency.
Engines built at KMM Maryville plant have earned a reputation of high quality and we are continuing to constantly look at ways to improve the reliability and performance of the engines.
2017
1957
With technology and ideas,
Kawasaki Heavy Industries solves the problems of people all over the world.
Kawasaki Group Channel