in my search for a decent 8, im finding acouple 8h's with pony start, how prone to cold starts problems, or reliability issues are these for starting?
If the starting motor is in good repair, they start just fine.... as a matter of fact they are the cats meow in cold weather.
I've got an old 15A with pony start... happen to love it. Not as convenient as direct electric start, but my pony has electric start and it is nice to be able to crank for whatever time it takes to get the big diesel running and not run the batteries down or overheat the starter. Even if its cold, if you can get that little pony going, you can fire the big diesel up eventually. I wouldn't shy away from that starting system... it certainly has it's merits.
Pony motor I used to work for a CAT dealer and there was a mechanic that did nothing but work on pony engines. He used to say they were the most expensive engines ever made based on number of hours run. Be sure to check out the pony as thoroughly as you would the big diesel.
Complicated starting system compared to direct elec. I had one years back and changed it over first good reason I had.