Re: Johnson 40 Workhorse - what's the difference?
At that point there was no "normal" 40 - it was the only 40 in the line. They also offered a 35hp and a 55hp, which were complete different motors from the 40. The 40 was basically the old Big Twin 40 from the 1960s, carried over to the late 1970s into the early 1980s, with associated styling and ignition updates, but much of the underlying mechanicals remaining essentially the same as the square top 40s of the early 1970s. I think they only difference I ever saw on those is some had a pair of horizontal fins coming from the gearcase bullet to act as shields for the propeller. Looked like the unit had three skegs! They were indeed a workhorse, as evindenced by the number of old Big Twins still in regular service...
